Queen of reality TV Kim Kardashian is all set to make a special appearance on 'Bigg Boss 8' on her maiden visit to India next week to promote her new fragrance.

The 34-year-old 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star will be seen entering the controversial Bigg Boss house on November 22 as a guest to interact with the contestants. Kardashian, who is married to rapper Kanye West and has a one-year-old daughter, North West, is excited about her visit to Mumbai and her stint on the Salman Khan-hosted show.

"Namaste India... I am coming to India... into the Bigg Boss house," Kardashian said in a statement.

"It gives us great pleasure to welcome Kim Kardashian on her maiden visit to India. We are confident that our country and its people will play excellent hosts to this international superstar," Andre Timmins, director - Wizcraft International Entertainment said. 'Bigg Boss 8' airs on Colors.

Supporters of ruling National Conference and opposition PDP today clashed in Sonawari Assembly segment of Bandipora district in Kashmir where campaigning is taking place for the state polls.

The clashes broke out between rival supporters of two political parties in Asham area of Bandipora district this evening, resulting in damage to several vehicles, police said. However, no one was injured in the incident, they said. Meanwhile, Yasir Reshi, PDP candidate from Sonawari, which will go to polls on November 25 in the first phase, alleged that National Conference workers had "orchestrated" an attack on his motorcade.

There are nine candidates in the fray for Sonawari Assembly seat, including National Conference leader and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone.

The husband of a Baiga tribe woman who died after undergoing tubectomy at a government-organised sterilisation camp in Bilaspur district alleged that health workers put pressure on them and also held out a promise of money for consenting to the operation.

"Auxillary nurse-midwives and mitanins (women health workers) told the women that they will get a hefty sum of money and free medicines. But afterwards they were given just Rs 30-40, and told that rest of the money was spent on the transportation and other arrangements," alleged Buddhu Singh, whose wife Chaiti Bai was one of the 13 women who died. By an order issued in the 1970s, Pahari Korva, Baiga, Abujhmaria, Birhor and Kamar tribes which live along the present-day Chhattisghar-Madhya Pradesh border cannot be targeted for sterilisation due to their high mortality rate.

Singh, however, told PTI today that at least 18 women of Baiga tribe from Gaurela region, around 260 km from Raipur, were operated upon at the camps. The government has claimed that only two women from the tribe underwent the surgery.

From The Guardian: Vladimir Putin quit the G20 summit in Brisbane early saying he needed to get back to work in Moscow on Monday after enduring hours of browbeating by a succession of Western leaders urging him to drop his support for secessionists in eastern Ukraine.

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Amid reports of China training Pakistani army, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju today said India has conveyed its "dismay" to China and asked it not to support Pakistan's activities directed against this country.

"The Ministry of external affairs has already expressed its dismay to the Chinese side, that it should not support Pakistan's anti India activities," Rijiju told PTI.

A report submitted by the intelligence wing of the Border Security Force recently said that the Chinese troops have been seen training the Pakistani army personnel in "weapon handing techniques" opposite the Line of Control in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir where the paramilitary force is deployed.

The report has added that these military maneouvers were being conducted at the forward defense locations of Pakistan that are usually manned by Pakistan Rangers, that country's paramilitary force.

A terrorist, who had served jail term for his involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2008, has been rearrested here with a large quantity of illegal weapons.

Waqar alias Noni, who had spent five-year at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for conspiring to kill Musharraf, was arrested yesterday for his alleged involvement in a number of criminal cases including robbery and murder, police officer of Mughalpura police station in Lahore, Abdul Qayyum said. police also recovered a large quantity of illegal weapons, cash and valuables from his possession.

"After being released from Adiala Jail, Noni along with his two accomplices - Abu Bakar and Hamza - were again planning to commit terror acts in Lahore and elsewhere," the officer said, adding that search is on to nab the other accused.

Former Maharashtra School Education Minister and senior journalist Rajendra Darda has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Lokmat Group of Newspapers. Darda assumed the reigns of the office in the presence of all the editors of Lokmat Group at Aurangabad yesterday.

Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd publishes 11 editions of Lokmat, six editions of Lokmat Samachar and three editions of Lokmat Times across the country.

The group has also entered the field of electronic media through IBN Lokmat Marathi TV news channel. Briefing on the career graph of Darda, Lokmat Group chairman and MP Vijay Darda said that Darda has a vast experience in the field of journalism and has earlier worked as the chief editor of Lokmat. He was also a part of the tour of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee to various countries.

Darda also accompanied former president Pratibha Patil on Brazil, Chili, Mexico and South Africa tours.

From ZeeNews: In another gruesome video released on Sunday, the barbaric extremist group Islamic State has claimed the beheading of 26-year-old American aid worker Peter Kassig, reports said.

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"Modi Express", a special train carrying over 220 passengers who will attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first public lecture in Sydney, was flagged off today by an Australian minister.

Victorian Multicultural Minister Matthew Guy flagged off the train at Southern Cross station - the major railway station and transport hub for Melbourne - amid huge fanfare of Modi who is the first Indian premier to visit the country in the last 28 years. For the first time in the history of Melbourne, a train service was organised under the name of a Prime Minister. The passengers from several communities including Punjabi, Muslims, Gujarati and Kashmiris boarded the train of four bogies at 8 PM local time today. The passengers danced and sang patriotic songs before boarding the train, creating a huge festive atmosphere at the station.

The minister, who flagged off the train with an Indian flag, said the visit of Modi holds a huge significance for the Indian diaspora living in the Australia and also for the Indo-Australian relationship.

A couple, in their 60s, Dr Bhupender Singh and Gunni from Punjab who flew from Adelaide, said it was a huge moment for for Indians living in Australia and there was a sense of excitement among the diaspora with Modi's visit.

Image: Modi shakes hands with people in the audience at the civic reception in City Hall, Brisbane. Photograph: ANI/Twitter

Adopting a village in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar today exhorted the people to give equal importance to boys and girls and make them educated as he advised the men to shun alcohol and tobacco consumption.

"This is a model village which we are trying to create and it should set an example for the rest of the country... This is just the beginning," the Rajya Sabha member said in Puttamrajuvari Kandrika village, which he adopted under the 'Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' programme.

Tendulkar laid foundation for the construction of Rs 2.79 crore worth developmental works (in the first phase), including a community centre, 'Aanganwadi' (government-run women and child care centre) school with kitchen, a playground, waiting halls and toilets.

An oath was administered to the villagers on the occasion asking them to shun tobacco and alcohol consumption. Addressing a huge gathering of villagers, Tendulkar said: "There are various things we are looking to do here (developmental works). One is to build a school, have clean toilets, have access to clean drinking water, beautifying a lake... it is going to look very nice in time to come".

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid today said its too early to review the shortcomings of the Narendra Modi Government and it should be given at least six months to a year's time to perform.

"It's too early to review shortfalls of the Narendra Modi government, which got people's mandate. It should be given six months to a year time to perform," Khurshid told reporters last night. The former union minister said that opposition Congress would support the Centre in case of any threat to the country. On Priyanka Gandhi getting involved in active politics, Khushid said it is her personal decision and those who are not in the Congress were raising the issue of changing leadership.

"Joining or not joining politics is personal decision of Priyanka. Issues like Congress' poor performance and 'failure' of Rahul Gandhi, should be raised within party forum," he said in reply to a query.

At least one child was killed while another severely injured when a knife-wielding woman went on a stabbing spree in southern China today, the latest in a series of assaults targeting youngsters.

The 40-year-old woman armed with a kitchen knife and a dagger attacked the two children in Beihai City of Guangxi Zhuang Automus Region this morning.

A three-year-old boy died and a girl aged nine is being treated in the hospital, local authorities said as they did not disclose the woman's relation with the victims.

The suspect was detained and the kitchen knife and dagger were also seized by police, state run Xinhua news agency reported, stating that an initial investigation showed that the woman may have mental illness.

From Standartnews: Britain said on Saturday it was investigating reports that a man believed to be a British national suspected of carrying out beheadings in videos released by Islamic State had been wounded in a US-led air strike last week.

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From CNNIBN: New Delhi: With a view to prevent fleecing of foreign tourists and creating a safe and secure environment for them, Tourism Ministry is set to roll out red carpet at airports to receive guests with garlands in a true 'Atithi Deva Bhavo' style.

A comprehensive plan is being worked out to provide end-to-end service to overseas tourists, new Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma told PTI.

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From the CNN: Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves the G20 summit in Australia after a series of sharp verbal jabs from world leaders. The reason? Ukraine.

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Chief minister Omar Abdullah today said that it was surprising that Congress after six years of remaining in the government and occupying key cabinet portfolios was attributing failures to National Conference, while self-awarding the credit for all the good things to their party.

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From the Deccan Chronicle:   He walked in like a celebrity. He waved like a seasoned politician. He definitely spoke like one of them.That's precisely what happened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked up to the podium and addressed a gathering of over 18,000 people in New York.

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K Srikanth wins men's singles title in China Open Super Series Premier badminton tournament.

In a victory for India, the G20 today endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong pitch for repatriation of black money at its summit here, echoing the government's line on the need for transparency and disclosure of tax information.

Modi while voicing India's support for a new global standard on automatic exchange of tax information urged every jurisdiction, especially tax havens, to provide information for tax purposes in accordance with treaty obligations.

The new global standard will be instrumental in getting information relating to unaccounted money hoarded abroad and enable its eventual repatriation, Modi said, utilising the forum of G20, which accounts for 85 per cent of world's GDP. The prime minister also noted that increased mobility of capital and technology have created new opportunities for avoiding tax and profit sharing.

The three-page communique was released at the end of the two-day summit of Group of 20 industrialised and leading emerging economies hosted by Australia. Welcoming the "significant progress" on the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Action Plan to modernise international tax rules, it said, "We are committed to finalising this work in 2015, including transparency of tax- payer specific rulings found to constitute harmful tax practices."

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia,  Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in Brisbane, Australia on November. Photograph: PMO's website

The financial capital of the country has emerged as the most vacation-deprived city among the five surveyed towns, as most Mumbaikars enjoy working more than relaxing at vacations, says a recent study.

"Vacations play an important role in maintaining the work-life balance, and general well-being of the employees while re-energising them to be more focused at work.

"However, Mumbaikars lead in enjoying work more than relaxing at vacations as a majority of them take lesser vacation days than they are awarded," Expedia Managing Director, Asia, Vikram Malhi said.

This, he said, makes Mumbaikars top the vacation-deprived city among the other surveyed towns in the country. According to online travel agency Expedia.com's 2014 Vacation Deprivation report, 97 per cent Mumbaikars' vacation are deprived, 96 per cent are willing to make sacrifices for extra vacation days and 42 per cent feel guilty for taking a vacation.

Welcoming breakthrough between India and the US on the food stock piling issue, G20 leaders today hoped that it will put WTO negotiations back on track and facilitate the implementation of trade pact which is necessary for driving growth and generating jobs.

"We welcome the breakthrough between the United States and India that will help the full and prompt implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and includes provisions on food security. "We commit to implement all elements of the Bali package and to swiftly define a WTO work programme on the remaining issues of the Doha Development Agenda to get negotiations back on track," said the communique released after the G20 meet.

Earlier this week India achieved a major breakthrough with the US agreeing to its proposal on food security issues at WTO, a development that will pave the way for ending a three-month long stalemate on Trade Facilitation Agreement at the multi-lateral trade body.

Mahatma Gandhi's teachings relevant in addressing the challenges of global warming and terrorism: Narendra Modi in Brisbane.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Brisbane in Australia. 

Six months after it lost power, Congress is apparently utilising the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru to rally round all non-BJP, non-NDA parties together under the plank of secularism.

A two-day international conference is being organised from tomorrow to highlight the legacy and world view of the country's first prime minister and will be attended by a host of international leaders and representatives of various political parties from India and abroad.

A major feature of the meet is that the who's who of anti- BJP politics has been invited and Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other leader from BJP or from its allies have been left out.

'Hyderabadi Biryani', Haleem and Pathar Ka Gosht (meat cooked on stone) are among the popular Deccani cuisines to be served to guests at the wedding of superstar Salman Khan's sister Arpita on Tuesday.

Luxury heritage hotel Taj Falaknuma, located in old city, has been booked by Salman for two days and is all set to wear a special look for the gala ceremony for which invitees list includes some top Bollywood and Tollywood personalities.

"The entire hotel has been booked for November 18 and 19 with a view to keep gatecrashers at bay," a source said. The Khan family is keen to have some of the Hyderabadi delicacies to be included in the menu, and preparations for the star-studded affair are already in full swing.

"Brunches, lunches and dinners throughout the event will have all the dishes, including some oriental. But for the main dinner (on November 18), it is going to be Hyderabadi cuisine like Biryani and Pathar Ka Gosht," a source said.

Perched atop a hill, Falaknuma (mirror of the sky in Urdu) has 60 beautifully refurbished and restored rooms. The palace of the seventh Nizam, Mehboob Ali Khan, (Nizams are rulers of erstwhile Hyderabad State) was restored into a luxury hotel in 2010 and is run by Taj Group of Hotels.

In a major step towards realising its nuclear energy ambitions, India is engaged in talks with the European Union to sign a civil nuclear cooperation agreement and the deal is expected to be inked by next year.

"An agreement is expected to be signed between the India's Department of Atomic Energy and Joint Research Centre of the European Union. It will mostly focus on areas of research and energy," EU's Ambassador to India Joao Cravinho told PTI at the sidelines of an event last week. Cravinho said talks between the two sides are on and the agreement should be signed next year. He, however, did not give any specific time frame on when the agreement will be inked.

"There were concerns raised by few countries about signing an agreement because India is not a signatory of the Non- Proliferation Treaty, but there is a consensus on this now," he said. Both the sides and countries within the EU are ironing out the differences over the "language" to be used in the draft.

"The countries are now discussing the language to be used in the draft. This should be resolved and the deal could be signed next year," Cravinho said.

From the CNN -- Zhuhai's Air Show has always been a venue for surprises, usually first-time showings of advanced Chinese military hardware.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had a keenly-anticipated meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during which she said her country is looking forward to his visit, amid deepening bilateral ties.

During the meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit,Merkel told Modi that Germany is looking forward to his visit.

"Our relations are deepening...Waiting for your visit,"a tweet posted by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

Modi, who could not meet Merkel when he made an overnight stopover in Berlin while en route to Brazil in July to attend the BRICS Summit because she had to go to Rio de Janeiro for the FIFA World Cup final, agreed to meet with her at the earliest opportunity.

As his bilateral meetings with leaders continued for the sixth day today, Modi also met Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz.        "Congrats PM of a friendly country, we are ready to cooperate in all sectors," a MEA tweet quoted the Saudi Prince as having told the prime minister.

On Saturday, Modi also had a pull aside meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the MEA tweet said.

Health woes have kept Farooq Abdullah far away from home but the three-term Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir says that his bigger worry today is BJP's "sinister" plan to abrogate the state's special status which will lead to "massive unrest".

For the first time in nearly four decades, the 77-year-old President of the ruling National Conference, who is in the UK for the last three months for treatment of failing kidneys, is unable to lead his party's campaign in an Assembly election. "I am a batsman under treatment but raring to go back to the field," he said in an interview to PTI, explaining that he was unlikely to be in a position to go back home before February next, well after the Nov-Dec polls.

"But believe me my bigger worry is the known agenda of the BJP to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution which gives our state a special status for which commitments were given by Mahatma Gandhi and by the Government of India.

Commercial operations of the first 1,000 MW unit of Kudankulam nuclear power project is now expected to start by January 22, 2015, as an earlier deadline could not be met due to technical problems.

The Nuclear Power Corporation, which is implementing the 2,000 MW plant, has received permission from the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission for extending the deadline for commercial operation. The plant, having two units of 1,000 MW capacity each, isbeing set up with technical cooperation of Russia. The first unit could not start commercial operations by the earlier specified date of October 22 on account of certain technical problems. Nuclear Power Corp submitted before the CERC that technical problem relating to the turbine would be resolved by December 22, 2014 and sought one month time "for eventualities" during the rectification work.

Taking into consideration the technical problem, the regulator in an order dated November 10 has allowed Nuclear Power Corp to inject infirm power into the grid for the commissioning tests including full load test of the first unit till January 22, 2015.

In a meeting held by the International Health Committee, restrictions have been placed on Pakistanis travelling abroad without a polio certificate. The committee had declared Pakistan to be a nation responsible for spreading the polio virus across the globe. Between July and now, three cases of polio have arisen in Afghanistan, for which the committee attributes blame to Pakistan.In attempts to eradicate polio in six months, the International Health Committee have come down hard on Pakistan and ordered that no Pakistani could travel abroad without a polio certificate. A polio certificate would mean that the traveler had received polio drops and is safe to travel.