India's economy grows faster than expected

A slowdown in key sectors such as manufacturing has hurt India's growth rate

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India's economic growth rate picked up strongly in the second quarter, according to official figures.

The economy expanded at an annual rate of 4.8% in the July-to-September period, up from 4.4% in the previous quarter.

The acceleration was faster than analysts had been expecting.

Asia's third-largest economy has been weighed down by various factors, such as high inflation, a weak currency and a drop in foreign investment.

This is the fourth quarter in a row that India's annual growth rate has been below the 5% mark, and the previous quarter's rate of 4.4% was the lowest for four years.

Earlier this year, the Indian prime minister's economic advisory council lowered the growth outlook for the current financial year.

It now expects the economy to expand by 5.3% this year, down from its earlier projection of 6.4%.

Growth hurdles

India's economy has been hurt by a range of factors in recent months, including a slowdown in key sectors such as mining and manufacturing.

Slowing growth, coupled with a recovery in developed markets, such as the US, has made India a less attractive option for foreign investors.

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US Dollar v Indian Rupee

LAST UPDATED AT 29 NOV 2013, 23:46 GMT

$1 buys	change	%
62.4200	+ +0.02	+ +0.02

Speculation that the US may scale back its key economic stimulus measure has seen investors pull money out of emerging markets, such as India.

This has affected India's currency, which dipped nearly 25% against the US dollar between January and September this year.

Though the rupee has recovered a little since then, it is still down about 13% against the dollar since the start of this year.

That has made imports more expensive and contributed to a high rate of consumer inflation, which was 10.1% October, up from 9.84% in September.

High food and fuel prices have contributed to inflation becoming "entrenched", finance minister P Chidambaram said.

As a result, the central bank has had to raise the cost of borrowing in a bid to curb inflation.

The latest interest rate rise in October saw the key rate increase to 7.75%.

Some observers argue that high interest rates are hurting businesses and households, and having a negative impact on the economy.

"A combination of weak investment, high inflation and tight monetary policy would not let India's economic recovery gather steam any time soon," Miguel Chanco, Asia economist at Capital Economics, told the BBC.

By: Adnan Khalil On 05:23

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Black Friday shopping in US marred by violence

Several outbreaks of violence have marred the US Black Friday shopping frenzy, as bargain-hunters besieged malls across the US.

In Chicago police shot an alleged shoplifter; a robber shot a shopper in Las Vegas; and a California police officer was injured in a fight.

Black Friday, the day following the Thanksgiving holiday, is the biggest shopping day of the year in the US.

This year it began even earlier amid a trend for Thanksgiving openings.

Twelve national chains opened their doors on Thursday, advertising aggressive discounts.

Pepper spray

Some 15,000 shoppers stormed the flagship Macy's in New York City as it opened for the first time ever on Thanksgiving evening.

Pointing at the mobbed department store, Brazilian tourist Luis Figueiro told Reuters news agency: "This is madness.

"There are so many people here, you can't see any of the things on sale."

There were several incidents of retail-related disorder across the US:

• In Chicago, a police officer shot a suspected shoplifter driving a car that was dragging a fellow officer at a Kohl's department store. The suspect and the dragged officer were treated in hospital for shoulder injuries. Three people were arrested, reports the Chicago Tribune
• A shopper in Las Vegas who was carrying a big-screen TV home from a Target store on Thanksgiving was shot in the leg as he tried to wrestle the item back from a robber who had just stolen it from him at gunpoint, reports the Las Vegas Sun
• At a southern California Walmart store, a police officer's wrist was broken as he tried to break up a fight between two men in the queue outside; there were two more fights over goods inside, reports the San Bernadino Sun
• A 23-year-old man was doused with pepper spray and arrested after he allegedly attacked a police officer responding to an argument over a television at a Walmart in Garfield, New Jersey, reports the Star-Ledger
• Despite Walmart's pledge to overhaul its crowd-control measures, scenes of mayhem such as this one were apparently filmed at a store in Fort Worth, Texas
• Two arrests were made after a man was stabbed in an argument over a parking space at a Walmart in Virginia, reports local television station WVVA

Workers' groups have protested that the trend towards Thursday opening means retail employees can no longer spend the day at home with their families, which is supposed to be the point of Thanksgiving.

Protests

Some retail analysts have begun to dub the holiday Black Thanksgiving, or Grey Thursday.

Workers held demonstrations on Friday outside Walmart stores in the city of Ontario, California, and in Elgin, Illinois, demanding better pay and conditions.

There was anecdotal evidence that the Thursday openings have led to an easing off in consumer footfall on Black Friday itself, though the increased popularity of online shopping could be another factor.

By late Friday morning, the number of shoppers in many stores was more typical of a normal Saturday than the usual frenetic start to the holiday season.

Downtown Manhattan, for example, was busy, but not at saturation level.

The US celebration of Thanksgiving is always marked on the fourth Thursday in November.

The day after is known as Black Friday because that was the time of year when retailers began making a profit, or moved out of the red and into the black.

Some 97 million Americans hit the shops on Black Friday, according to the National Retail Federation.

Last year on the day Americans spent $11.2bn (£6.8bn).

Macy's in New York City opened its doors at 20:00 on Thanksgiving day

These two brothers were comparing iPad prices in Dunwoody, Georgia

There were queues outside Toys R Us in Times Square in New York

There were protests at Walmart stores - such as this one in Elgin, Illinois - by workers demanding better pay and conditions

These happy consumers leave Walmart in Troy, Michigan

Modern Thanksgiving celebrations: Buying two TVs at Target in Colma, California

More happy TV purchasers in Fairfax, Virginia

By: Adnan Khalil On 05:21

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Thailand police fend off mass protests in Bangkok

Police in Thailand have fended off protesters who descended on key sites in Bangkok trying to unseat the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

Protesters entered TV stations to ensure their leader's call for a general strike for Monday was broadcast and Ms Yingluck was forced to evacuate a police complex.

However, tear gas and water cannon defied protesters at Government House and the police HQ was also defended.

Four people have died in the violence.

Sunday is the eighth day of protests aimed at unseating Ms Yingluck. In addition to those killed, dozens of people have been injured.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher: "The government is not taking any chances"

The protesters had declared Sunday the decisive "V-Day" of what they termed a "people's coup".

They say Ms Yingluck's administration is controlled by her brother, exiled ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and they want to replace it with a "People's Council".

Some 30,000 protesters gathered at about eight sites, police said, including Government House, television stations and the police headquarters.

Protesters did enter several TV stations to ensure the message from their leader, ex-deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban, was aired.

It was broadcast by almost all of Thailand's channels.

He said: "To continue the people's operation and to eliminate Thaksin's regime, the People's Democratic Reform Committee would like to announce that Monday 2nd December is a holiday for every government section."

The worst violence on Sunday was around Government House

Police fired tear gas, with many of the protesters throwing the canisters back

Both protesters and security forces felt the effects of the tear gas

He called on the government to "think of the country, stop blaming and hurting the people, and return the power to the people".

Mr Suthep said protesters had seized a dozen government buildings, but national security chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr told Reuters that none had been taken over.

"They haven't seized a single place," he said.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says protesters had approached their targets in cheering, colourful columns, but could not get past the clouds of gas and concrete barricades.

He says Mr Suthep had promised a people's revolt to overthrow the entire political system but by the end of the day he had lowered his ambitions, to a one-day general strike called for Monday.

Ms Yingluck had intended to give media interviews on Sunday at a Bangkok police complex but was forced to evacuate when protesters tried to break in. Her whereabouts are unknown.

By: Adnan Khalil On 05:17

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Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker dies in California car crash

 US actor Paul Walker, who starred in the Fast & Furious series of action films, has been killed in a car crash in California.

Walker, 40, was a passenger in a Porsche sports car driven by a friend - who also died - when it crashed north of Los Angeles.

Walker was said to be attending a charity event at the time.

He starred in all but one of the films in the Fast & Furious franchise, the sixth of which opened in May.

Walker also starred in the suspense drama Hours, a movie that is set for release this month.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's department said the crash happened in the community of Valencia.

The red Porsche crashed into a lamp post in Valencia, north of Los Angeles

The sports car burst into flames after the crash

It said deputies found a car engulfed in flames when they responded to a report of a collision. Two people found in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Images showed the burned-out wreckage of a red Porsche by the side of the road.

"It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organisation Reach Out Worldwide," the statement on the actor's Facebook page said.

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“Start Quote

Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace”

Vin DieselFast & Furious co-star

"He was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives. We... are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news.''

Universal Pictures also issued a statement, saying studio staff were "heartbroken" by Walker's death.

"Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast & Furious films, and to countless fans.

"We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."

Walker played undercover agent Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious movies.

The first film of the franchise was released in 2001 and the seventh is in development.

Walker was one of the leading protagonists, along with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez.

Diesel said in a post on Instagram: "Brother I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace."

Walker's co-star Vin Diesel (left) said the actor's death had left him 'speechless'

Another Fast & Furious star, the rapper Ludacris, wrote: "Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers."

Walker began acting as a young boy when his mother, a model, took him to auditions for commercials.

After drifting away from acting, he got his big break when a casting director remembered him from years before, tracked him down and gave him a role in the TV series Touched by an Angel.

Walker later won a recurring part in the soap The Young and the Restless before moving on to supporting roles in teen films in the late 1990s with Varsity Blues, She's All That and The Skulls.

After the success of the first Fast & Furious film, Walker became the leading man for the second instalment when Vin Diesel dropped out.

The sixth instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise topped the US box office

Diesel later returned, however, and the six-film franchise has earned an estimated $2.4bn (£1.5bn) at global box offices. The series has not lost its appeal, with the latest instalment, the sixth, the most lucrative so far.

The seventh instalment began filming in September but has not been completed. It had been scheduled for release in July.

Walker has also filmed Hurricane Katrina drama Hours, which is due to be released on 13 December.

Another forthcoming film is Brick Mansions, a remake of the French action film District B13, for film studio Relativity.

Relativity President Tucker Tooley said in a statement: "Paul was an incredibly talent artist, devoted philanthropist and friend."

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By: Adnan Khalil On 04:48

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