Its founder president, Ashok Chauhan, was charged with fraud in the 1990s by authorities in Germany, where he ran a network of companies. He returned to India and was never extradited. A plastics company in the U.S. also sued Chauhan in 1995 for failing to pay $20 million in debts. "They are a subsidiary of a conglomerate of companies," said Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of State College and Universities. "This is by no means reassuring, if you ask me."   read more

With every new film Rajinikanth releases, milk becomes so in demand in some parts of the country that it is stolen from markets, resulting in shortages that potentially endanger malnourished children. Die-hard fans can pour about 11,000 to 16,000 gallons of milk a day over billboards of Rajinikanth in the weeks after a new release. Some fans resort to stealing milk before daybreak when dairy workers drop it off outside shops. “We don’t treat him as an actor, but as a god,” said Rajini Santosh.   read more

Authorities lifted a three-day publication ban in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, but newspapers delayed print runs Tuesday due to uncertainties during massive anti-India protests that left dozens of people dead. The government called the ban a "mistake," but then authorities "resorted to a propaganda blitzkrieg insisting that there was no ban," said Masood Hussain. Reports said the ban was made without the knowledge of the state's top elected official, Mehbooba Mufti.   read more

Health authorities have issued a high alert in Hyderabad, the state capital. The polio virus was found in 14 sewage samples from different parts of the country from January 2015 to May of this year, the Ministry of Health said. The strains came from the excretions of vaccinated children and were therefore much less infectious than other forms, experts say. The new effort in Hyderabad will inoculate for all strains of the polio virus as a precautionary measure.   read more

India’s government on Wednesday approved a new civil aviation policy aimed at increasing regional connectivity, boosting cargo operations and making it easier — and possibly cheaper — for passengers to fly. The aviation policy caps airfares at rupees 2,500 for a one-hour flight between small towns and cities, and offers incentives to airlines to fly those routes. The government would refund 80% of the losses incurred by airlines due to the fare caps.   read more