Mass evacuations have spared India the widespread deaths many had feared from a powerful cyclone that roared ashore over the weekend, officials have said.

The controversial coach of a small boy who ran a marathon in an attempt to set a world record has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in eastern India, police said.

About 1,000 women formed a human chain in eastern India today to protest against the recent spate of cases of female foeticide discovered in the area.

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Budhia Singh, who became a celebrity after a seven-hour run that sparked charges of abuse, was stopped by police yesterday from participating in a 500km walking event.