Cyclone Fani has torn through India's eastern coast as a grade 5 storm, lashing beaches with rain and winds gusting up to 200km/h and affecting weather as far away as Mount Everest as it approached the former imperial capital of Kolkata.

A 44-year-old woman who has been on hunger strike for nearly 16 years in protest at alleged brutality by India's military has said she will end her fast and run in state elections.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has caused public uproar after he said shooting his upcoming movie was so gruelling that he felt like a woman who had been raped.

The Indian Prime Minister says war with Pakistan can be avoided if the nuclear-armed rivals can solve their differences through diplomacy.