NEW DELHI, India 

A Dutch couple on a visit to the eastern Indian state of Bihar paid 10 000 rupees (US$204) for four samosas, a spicy deep-fried snack that usually doesn't cost more than a few rupees, a newspaper reported. After the tourists ate the snacks, a stall owner at the Sonepur cattle fair told them his "special" samoosas cost more because they were made of herbs and had aphrodisiac qualities, the Hindustan Times said. After an argument, the couple paid the shopkeeper. But they later complained to a police officer. Police forced the shopkeeper to return the change - 9 990 rupees.

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The husband of a well-known Bangladeshi actress has divorced her after she was nominated to stand in next month's elections. Kabori Sarwar, who has appeared in more than 200 films in the south Asian nation, says she had been nominated to stand as a candidate for the left-leaning Awami League. The 60-year-old said the move had angered her husband and as a result he had divorced her. Sarwar, who fought as a freedom fighter in Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971, said her ex-husband's move showed that the conservative Muslim nation was still male-dominated.

MUMBAI, India

Indian producer-director Karan Johar said his latest production of "Dostana" isn't offensive to gays and lesbians, as some media have reported. He said the production was screened before members of the gay and lesbian community, Press Trust of India reported. He said the number of repeat viewers in the first weekend is a "true testament to the success of the film and more importantly, to the way it's been treated."

CHENNAI, India

Tamil film actor M.N. Nambiar has died after a brief illness at age 92 at his home in Chennai.Nambiar began acting at age 13 as a stage player with the Navabrajamanikam theater group. Frequently cast as a villain, Nambiar acted in more than 1,000 films during a career that spanned six decades. Nambiar is survived by his wife, son and daughter, PTI said.

MUMBAI, India

Scientists at Columbia University say an injection of testosterone may cure "werewolf syndrome," in which the sufferer's face and body are covered in hair.Research at the New York university into the rare genetic condition known as hypertrichosis was featured in a U.S. documentary and followed a worldwide appeal to help an Indian boy who has the condition. The appeal was made on behalf of Pruthviraj Patil, 11, who lives near Mumbai. His family tried different treatments -- including homeopathy, traditional Indian remedies and laser surgery -- but none proved successful.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka

Research published last week claims that more than 90000 people could die each year from snake bites around the world, but many attacks go unreported. Researchers led by Professor Janaka de Silva, from the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka, said snake bites posed an important yet neglected threat to public health. They believe that between 1.2million and 5.5m snake bites may occur annually, but only a quarter of these results in “envenoming”, when poison enters the blood stream from a snake’s fangs.

NEW DELHI, India

A 15-year-old girl was crushed to death when she came under the wheels of a Blueline bus in Delhi, the police said. Sonia, a class nine student of a government school in Deoli in south Delhi, was killed after she came under the wheels of the bus around 7 a.m. while she was waiting for her friend at the bus stop, the police said.

More than 70 people have been killed this year under the wheels of Blueline buses.

Last year, at least 120 people were run over by Blueline buses.