11 women inmates escape from destitute home in West Bengal

KOLKATA: At least 11 women inmates, who were earlier rescued from Mumbai after they were trafficked from the state, have escaped a home for the destitutes in West Bengal's Hooghly district, police said Monday.

"Eleven inmates of a destitute home in Uttarpara escaped through a window early Monday. Two of the women are Bangladeshi nationals," an official at the Uttarpara police station said.

"Most of the escapees are from North 24 Parganas and were trafficked to Mumbai. They were rescued and brought to the home Nov 23," the official added.

An official of the destitute home, some 15 km from here, said the women had been trying to escape ever since they were brought to the home.

"We have informed the district administration about the escaped inmates. A complaint has been registered with the police who are investigating the matter. The escaped women are in their late 30s," the official said.

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Ban condoles death of gang-rape victim, urges reforms to deter violence against women

NEW DELHI: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expresses "deep sorrow" over the death of the 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim on Sunday.

According to a statement issued on Saturday night by Ban's spokesperson, "He offers his sincerest condolences to her parents, family and friends, and utterly condemns this brutal crime."

The 23-year old physiotherapy student had been gang-raped by six men in a moving bus in the Indian capital on December 16, 2012. Subsequently, she had been transported to a Singapore hospital where she was being treated for severe injuries, and where she was reported to have died on Saturday.

According to United Nations News Centre, the attack sparked widespread protests about gender attitudes in India, as well as calls for changes to relevant national laws.

"Violence against women must never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated. Every girl and woman has the right to be respected, valued and protected," Ban's spokesperson said in the statement.

"He also encourages the Government of India to strengthen critical services for rape victims," the spokesperson continued, adding that the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and other parts of the UN system stand ready to support such reform efforts with technical expertise and other support as required.

Established in July 2010 with the aim of accelerating progress on meeting the needs of women worldwide, UN women works for, among other issues, the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; empowerment of women; and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development and human rights.

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Development fee at Delhi's IGI airport reduced by half from tomorrow

NEW DELHI: Flying out of Delhi would become cheaper from Monday, with the development fee (DF) charged by the operator of IGI airport here being reduced by Rs 100 for domestic and Rs 700 per international passenger.

The decision of GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) to slash the charges followed a directive by Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) for charging Rs 100 and Rs 600 per embarking domestic and international passenger respectively from January 1.

Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh had earlier directed DIAL and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to abolish DF at the two airports with effect from Monday.

Following this, DIAL had moved AERA, which, after consultations, decided to slash the rate which would remain effective till April 2016. Till today, DF being charged at Delhi airport was Rs 200 and Rs 1300 for domestice and international passengers respectively.

Welcoming the order, DIAL said in a statement the measure would "enable airlines to reduce the overall travel cost of passengers, thus giving a boost to the Indian aviation sector."

In October, the minister had also directed Airports Authority of India (AAI) not to levy DF at Chennai and Kolkata airports, which are being modernised by it.

AAI was also asked to infuse additional equity of approximately Rs 288 crore in MIAL and Rs 102 crore in DIAL, against its 26 per cent share in the equity in them.

In case DF is abolished, the expected financing gap for MIAL will be estimated at about Rs 4,200 crore and for DIAL at about Rs 1,175 crore.

While DF is levied to meet cash flow requirements before completion of an airport upgrade project, User Development Fee (UDF) is charged for using the completed facility. At present, DF is levied at private-led Delhi and Mumbai airports, among others.

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Home minister Shinde seeks views of all parties on amendments to rape law

NEW DELHI: In the wake of the gruesome gang rape of a 23-year-old girl here, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde is writing letters to all political parties seeking their suggestions on the issue of changing the law pertaining to rape.

Sources said Shinde will ask the political parties to send their suggestions on the matter to the Justice J S Verma Committee, which has been constituted for reviewing the present statute so as to provide for speedier justice and enhanced punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault.

The move comes in the midst of the main opposition's demand for convening an all-party meeting to discuss the issue.

The Verma Committee has sought suggestions from individuals, NGOs, women's groups and others by the first week of January. The panel, set up by the government on December 23, has been given 30 days to submit its report.

The committee will look into possible amendments to the criminal law to provide quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault of extreme nature against women.

The other members of the committee are Justice (retd) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, and former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanian.

Under the existing law, the maximum punishment for rape is life term but the nationwide outrage over the December 16 gang rape of the physiotherapy student in a moving bus here has sparked a demand for death penalty to rapists. The girl breathed her last on Saturday in a Singapore hospital.

BJP has also favoured death for perpetrators of such heinous crimes and demanded a special session of Parliament for amending the law.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj raised the demand while attacking the UPA government for the "secrecy" in the cremation of the December 16 gang-rape victim, who was raped in a moving bus.

"The culprits be hanged and the government should not accept any mercy petitions in such cases. If this can be done then this will be the only respect to that victim," she said while referring to five cases of rape-cum-murders in which the UPA government, she said, had granted pardon to convicts.

Swaraj, who was addressing a condolence meeting organised by Delhi BJP here to pay tribute to the 23-year-old victim, also demanded that such cases should be moved only to fast track courts and within six months they should be decided.

"The trial of rape cases should be completed within six months and capital punishment be given in cases of rape and murder," she demanded.

She said BJP will utilise the Budget Session of Parliament for making stringent laws against offenders of such crimes.

Swaraj said she had spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded that a special session of Parliament be called to examine the existing laws regarding rape as there is no scope of giving death penalty in such cases.

"We feel that if a murder takes place after kidnap and rape, then death penalty should be the only punishment. But my demand of special session was rejected by Home Minister. Then we demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the security of women but that was also rejected," she said.

Swaraj said as they have not called the special session of Parliament, "we will utilise the budget session of Parliament."

"It is an urgent need that there is an examination of all the laws regarding women this year (2013). There should be severe punishment for violence against women," the BJP leader said.

Accusing the government of being interested in performing "drama" over the rape case, Swaraj disapproved the "covert way" in which the government conducted the girl's cremation.

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Bosnia charges ex-Muslim soldiers with war crimes during the country's 1990s conflict

SARAJEVO: Bosnian prosecutors on Monday charged eight former members of Muslim armed and police forces with committing war crimes against ethnic Serb civilians during the country's 1990s conflict.

The eight were charged with "taking part in illegal detention of Serb civilians, their inhuman treatment, beating and inflicting of serious bodily injuries... and other inhuman acts," a national prosecutor's office statement said.

The crimes were committed in the region of the eastern town of Kladanj between May 1992 and July 1993, it said.

The prosecutors did not elaborate on the number of victims.

Bosnia's 1992-1995 war between its Croats, Muslims and Serbs claimed some 100,000 lives.

Top officials accused over atrocities committed during the Bosnian war are tried by a UN tribunal in The Hague, while local courts handle smaller cases.

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German magazine mistakenly publishes George HW Bush obituary

BERLIN: Germany's respected news weekly Der Spiegel has mistakenly published an obituary for former US president George HW Bush.

The unfinished obituary appeared on Der Spiegel's website for only a few minutes on Sunday before it was spotted by internet users and removed.

In it, the magazine's New York correspondent Marc Pitzke describes Bush as "a colorless politician" whose image only improved when it was compared to the later presidency of his son, George W Bush.

Bush was hospitalized in Houston November 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough. He was moved to intensive care on December 23 after he developed a fever.

A family spokesman says the 88-year-old former president was moved out of intensive care into a regular hospital room again Saturday after his condition improved.

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Maoists threaten to punish accused facing molestation charges in Manipur

IMPHAL: Militant outfit Maoist Communist Party Manipur has said it will give "befitting punishment" to three youths who allegedly molested a 16-year-old school girl when she was returning to her village to celebrate Christmas in Senapati hill district of Manipur on December 24.

An MCPM statement, dated December 27 and made available to the press on Sunday, said the crime committed by the three youths was "unpardonable" as their act was not only outrageous but was also intended to drive a wedge between the indigenous people of the hill and valley in Manipur.

Official sources said three youths -- Angom Chandra, Khaidem Kunjo and Tensubam Amitkumar -- all aged 21, were arrested for allegedly molesting a girl at Napet Palli area in Imphal east district while the victim, along with friends, was returning to their village, Risophung, near Napet Palli, in Senapati district on December 24.

Police said the three, who offered to escort the girl posing as members of a militant outfit, were now in Lamlai police station for further investigation.

Several social organisations, including All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), United Committee Manipur (UCM) and International Peace and Solidarity Advancement (IPSA), strongly condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment to the three.

The organisations, in separate statements, said the state was facing a series of agitations, including general strike by several social organisations against the alleged molestation of a Manipuri film actress by a Naga militant of NSCN-IM, identified as Livingstone Anal, in public view during a musical concert at Chandel district on December 18 and the December 24 incident had added fuel to the fire.

Police viewed the threat by MSCP 'very seriously' as it may mean shooting the accused to death by the militants. Steps were being taken to speed up the investigation in the case to prosecute the three as per provisions of the law, police said.

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AP Express from Hyderabad to Delhi cancelled tomorrow

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad-New Delhi AP Express, scheduled to depart Hyderabad at 6.25am on Monday, has been cancelled by the railways.

A spokesman of South Central Railway (SCR) said train no. 12723 Hyderabad-New Delhi AP Express was cancelled in view of abnormal late running of the incoming pairing train due to heavy fog in northern India.

"Full refund of fare will be given to the passengers on cancellation of their tickets, which have already been booked," said a statement from SCR.

The AP Express has been running late by six to 12 hours for last few days. The train left at 3pm on Sunday.

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Mild tremor felt near India-Bangla border in Tripura

NEW DELHI: A mild intensity earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter Scale was felt today in areas near the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura.

The tremor was felt at 1:47 pm with its epicentre at latitude 24.2 degree north and longitude 91.6 degree east, the Met office said here.

There was no immediate report of loss of life or damage to property.

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Delhi gang-rape victim's mother admitted to hospital

NEW DELHI: The traumatized mother of the young trainee physiotherapist, who was brutally gang-raped in the capital early this month, collapsed and was admitted to Deen Dayal Uphadyay Hospital after her daughter's body was taken away for cremation on Sunday morning.

"As soon as the body was taken away for cremation, she collapsed," Vimla, a neighbour of the family, told IANS.

The body of the gang-rape victim, who became the focus of countrywide protests and prayers, was cremated here early Sunday soon after it was flown in from Singapore at 3.30am.

Since Saturday evening, a large number of people, mostly neighbours, had assembled outside the family's house in southwest Delhi's Mahavir Enclave to condole the woman's death.

The 23-year-old woman was brutally assaulted and gang-raped Dec 16 by six men in a moving bus in south Delhi before being thrown out of the vehicle. She battled for life — first in Safdarjung Hospital here and then in a Singapore hospital — before dying of her injuries December 29.

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Delhi govt should accord state funeral to rape victim: Union minister Praful Patel

NEW DELHI: Hailing her as a braveheart, union minister Praful Patel today said the Delhi government should accord the 23-year-old gangrape victim a state funeral as a mark of respect to women of the country.

"Saddened by the loss of a braveheart. Delhi government should accord her a state funeral as a mark of respect to her and to India's womanhood," Patel, who is also NCP Vice-President, said in a condolence message.

Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said "our thoughts and hearts are with the family of the braveheart who left us. This is a time for mourning. We appeal to all our brothers and sisters to maintain peace and calm and pray."

"This would be a true tribute to the bravery and fortitude of the departed soul," Tewari added.

The girl, who was gang-raped by six men in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, breathed her last in a Singapore hospital early this morning after battling for life for the past 13 days.

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Cold wave unabated in north India, 13 more die in Uttar Pradesh

NEW DELHI: The entire north India continued to remain in the grip of severe cold with 13 more people succumbing to the chill in Uttar Pradesh, even as the mercury went up by a few notches in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.

Delhiites basked under a sunny day today with the sky remaining clear for most part of the day after a misty morning.

Both maximum and minimum temperatures remained a degree above normal to settle at 21.4 and 8.5 degree Celsius respectively against yesterday's 19 and 6.3 degrees.

The Met office forecasts mainly a clear sky with mist or fog in the morning for tomorrow.

Uttar Pradesh, however, continued to reel under biting cold with 13 more persons dying in the state, taking the toll this winter to 62.

While four persons lost their lives in Hathras district, three died in Kanpur Dehat, followed by two each in Mirzapur and Lalitpur and one each in Chitrakoot and Banda districts.

Muzaffarnagar and Kanpur City remained the coldest places with each recording a minimum of 2 degrees, Met sources said.

Night temperature remained to hover below normal in most parts of the state, dipping by as much as 6 to 11 degrees.

In Himachal also, night temperatures plummeted in the mid and lower hills and hovered around freezing point.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district remained the coldest place with a low of minus 4 degrees, followed by Kalpa in Kinnaur district with minus 2.6 degree Celsius.

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Two dead in Russian plane crash: Emergency ministry

MOSCOW: A Russian passenger plane with up to 12 people on board split into three pieces after sliding off a runway and crashing into a highway outside a Moscow airport on Saturday, officials said.

State-run RIA news agency said two people were killed. A photograph posted on the Internet showed a wrecked plane on a highway outside Vnukovo airport, with smoke billowing from the back end and only a mangled part of the front half visible.

"After a hard landing, the plane split into three pieces," Yelena Krylova, chief spokeswoman for the airport, said in televised comments.

She said there were 11 people on board, all crew, and that nobody was killed, but RIA cited police as saying two people were killed.

An Emergency Situations Ministry official said on television that 12 people were aboard.

The Tupolev-204 passenger plane was operated by the Russian airliner Red Wings and traveling from Czech Republic, Krylova said.

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Two killed as Russian passenger plane splits apart after landing

MOSCOW: A Russian passenger plane with up to 12 people on board split into three pieces after sliding off a runway and crashing into a highway outside a Moscow airport on Saturday, officials said.

State-run RIA news agency said two people were killed. A photograph posted on the Internet showed a wrecked plane on a highway outside Vnukovo airport, with smoke billowing from the back end and only a mangled part of the front half visible.

"After a hard landing, the plane split into three pieces," Yelena Krylova, chief spokeswoman for the airport, said in televised comments.

She said there were 11 people on board, all crew, and that nobody was killed, but RIA cited police as saying two people were killed.

An Emergency Situations Ministry official said on television that 12 people were aboard.

The Tupolev-204 passenger plane was operated by the Russian airliner Red Wings and traveling from Czech Republic, Krylova said.

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Refrain from covering funeral of gang-rape victim: Broadcast Editors' Association

NEW DELHI: The Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA) has asked news channels to refrain from covering the Delhi gang-rape victim's funeral, so that the privacy of the bereaved family is respected in their moment of grief.

The association, which has ABP news editor Shazi Zaman as its chairman and editors of several prominent national TV news channels as its members, has issued detailed guidelines to ensure that the privacy of the victim's family is respected.

In its guidelines, the editors' body has asked news channels not to show any visuals of the funeral or even shots of the deceased's home or family. Channels have been asked to not air interviews with any relative.

The BEA has said information about arrival of body and funeral can be provided, but the location of the funeral should not be made public. It also asked channels not to show shots of arrival of the body and not to chase the funeral van.

When reached for his comment, BEA general secretary N K Singh confirmed that news channels had been advised not to cover the funeral.

"In view of the need to protect the identity, dignity and privacy of the deceased and her family, the BEA has asked the channels not to cover the funeral and not to show any visuals of the funeral," Singh said.

The girl, who was gang-raped by six men in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, breathed her last in a Singapore hospital early this morning.

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Electronic media has become police, prosecution & judge: Digvijaya

BHOPAL: Deprecating the electronic media over coverage of protests following the gang-rape in Delhi, Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh on Friday said it was playing the roles of police station, prosecution and the judge.

"During the agitation following the gang-rape of a girl in New Delhi, the electronic media has become the police station, the prosecution and even the judge," Digvijay said.

After a policeman died during the agitation in the aftermath of the gang-rape, the electronic media showed an eyewitness who claimed to have seen the security personnel falling down, he said.

The eyewitness was even shown saying that the policeman had not been hit by anything, the Congress leader said, adding that all this was not the job of the electronic media.

"I think all of us have become irrelevant and the nation should be left at the mercy of the electronic media who will run it," Singh said.

He said, however, in contrast, the print media "behaves responsibly" and does not go on and on about any particular story.

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Gujarat BJP MLA Jetha Bharwad arrested in case of firing during assembly poll

GODHRA(GUJARAT): BJP MLA from Sahera, Jetha Bharwad, was arrested on Friday in connection with the firing incident during the recent assembly polls, after the court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, police said.

The district court here rejected the anticipatory bail application of Bharwad, who was absconding since the incident, following which police arrested him.

District judge DT Soni, after hearing the arguments from all the parties, refused to grant the prayer of the MLA, who had sought anticipatory bail in the case.

"Following the court order, investigating officer of the case has taken him (Bharwad) under arrest and within 24 hours of his arrest he will be produced before the court where further proceedings will be taken up," superintendent of police, Panchmahal, Sachin Badshah said.

An FIR had been registered against Bharwad and nine others, who were allegedly involved in an incident of firing eight rounds from the gun of his bodyguard at a polling booth in Tarsang village of Sahera, during the second phase of polling in Gujarat on December 17.

Four people had sustained injuries in the firing. The MLA was absconding since December 18 when he escaped from a private hospital in Ahmedabad, where he was brought under detention with the police escort for CT-scan, after he sustained injuries at Tarsang village.

For this, the authorities have suspended eight policemen, including one police inspector, for dereliction of duty.

Bharwad got elected again from the Sahera seat by defeating Congress candidate by 28,725 votes.

The BJP MLA also courted controversy when he was allegedly seen watching pornographic pictures in the state assembly earlier this year.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin signs anti-US adoptions bill

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children, making the legislation official less than 24 hours after his office received it from Parliament.

The bill has angered Americans and Russians who argue it victimizes children to make a political point, cutting off a route out of frequently dismal orphanages for thousands of children. The Russian-language hashtag "PutinEatsKids" was trending on Twitter just minutes after Putin signed it.

UNICEF estimates that there are about 740,000 children not in parental custody in Russia while about 18,000 Russians are on the waiting list to adopt a child.

The law also blocks dozens of Russian children now in the process of being adopted by American families from leaving the country. The US is the biggest destination for adopted Russian children - more than 60,000 of them have been taken in by Americans over the past two decades.

The measure is retaliation for an American law that calls for sanctions against Russian officials deemed human rights violators. The US State Department has said it regrets Parliament's decision to pass the bill, arguing it would prevent many children from growing up in families.

Children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov says that 46 children who were about to be adopted in the U.S. would remain in Russia if the bill comes into effect.

Putin has said that US authorities routinely let Americans suspected of violence toward Russian adoptees go unpunished.

The passage of the bill followed weeks of a hysterical media campaign on Kremlin-controlled television that lambasts American adoptive parents and adoption agencies that allegedly bribe their way into getting Russian children.

A few lawmakers claimed that some Russian children were adopted by Americans only to be used for organ transplants and become sex toys or cannon fodder for the U.S. Army. A spokesman with Russia's dominant Orthodox Church said that the children adopted by foreigners and raised outside the church will not "enter God's kingdom."

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Another minor girl raped and murdered in UP, police chief demands death penalty

LUCKNOW: Even as the director general of police (DGP), Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Friday wrote to the state government requesting to put the 'murder after rape' into the category of rarest of rare crime punishable by death, public outrage over Delhi gang-rape incident has failed to deter criminals as cases of rapes continue to pour in from across UP. The worst part has been that two incidents of minor girls murdered after rape have been reported in last three days.

A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped and later murdered by some unidentified men by slitting her throat in Pali Muqimpure area of Aligarh. According to the police the incident took place on Thursday night in Raja Tau village when the 15- year-old victim had gone outside of his house for some work. A student of class eighth, the girl was raped and later killed brutally by slitting her throat. The father of the victim filed a complaint with the police stating that his daughter was being stalked by three youths for last several days and they could be behind the crime. The police has launched a manhunt for the youths.

On December 24, a minor was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in Ramkot village in Sitapur district. The father of the girl lodged an FIR with the police accusing Santram and Sanjay of his village of kidnapping his seven-year-old daughter, gang-raping her and then murdering her. One of the accused has been arrested.

Earlier, on December 11, a minor girl was allegedly murdered after being raped by some unidentified men at Khurkan village in Shamli district. The body of the girl was later recovered from the outskirts of the village. A case was registered by the police but nobody has been arrested so far.

Meanwhile, the UP DGP AC Sharma has written a letter to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, demanding amendment in the laws on sex crimes. He has said that the murder after rape must be treated as a rarest of rare crime and dealt accordingly. He has also suggested strict laws for eve-teasing and other forms of sexual harassment. At present, there are restrictions on arrest of accused for offences punishable with maximum imprisonment of seven years or less. Molestation and eve-teasing come under this category. Sharma has advocated immediate arrest of those indulging in eve-teasing or sexual harassment.

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Broadcasting Content Complaint Council asks TV channels to cut down lewd talk in comedy shows

NEW DELHI: Upset at the use of double meaning dialogues in television comedy shows, the Broadcasting Content Complaint Council (BCCC) today asked entertainment channels to not carry 'crass, abusive, vulgar and double-meaning language with sexual overtones in the name of humour.'

In an advisory issued today, the Council, which is the self-regulatory body of the TV industry, has asked channels not to cross the limits in humour.

The Council said it had received many complaints against double-meaning dialogues used in 'comedy shows' telecast on various general entertainment channels.

"The BCCC expresses its concern over this trend, which often ranges on crass, abusive, vulgar and double-meaning language with sexual overtones in the name of humour," the regulatory body said.

"The BCCC feels that at times, such comedy shows cross the threshold of 'generally accepted standards' in terms of language and reflect the indelicate attitude of participants," it added.

Sometimes, the content of the so-called jokes is "demeaning and smutty," the advisory said.

The Council suggested that channels should take care while scheduling such comedy shows so that they have minimal impact on diverse Indian viewers.

It also advised channels to use friendly banters without being derisive to any community, religion and individual.

"Comedy is an intrinsic part of our life and it is only natural that TV channels produce and telecast programmes that are humorous and light-hearted. The BCCC, however, feels that the line that divides healthy comedy from vulgarity, obscenity and double-meaning language must be strictly adhered to," BCCC Chairperson Justice (Retd) AP Shah said.

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Shiv Sena wants minors to be disallowed at New Year parties in Pune

PUNE: The Shiv Sena has asked district authorities here to ensure that minor girls and boys are not allowed to participate in the New Year parties held at hotels and pubs in and around the city.

In a memorandum submitted to Pune Collector Vikas Deshmukh, the Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe said that in view of the spate of crimes being committed against women it was necessary that police and revenue department officials took strict measures in order to prevent untoward incidents that happen during such celebrations where alcohol is served.

Gorhe said the officials should use their discretion in granting permission to such parties and maintain a vigil monitoring prescribed time limits.

City BJP MLA Girish Bapat also declared that the party activists would stage demonstrations in front of major police stations in the city on December 29 and 30 in support of their demand for speedy registration of cases against eve teasers and those indulging in drunk driving during New Year celebrations.

Meanwhile, Pune police commissioner Gulabrao Pol has announced that the department would organize a Karate camp in January for college girls to impart training in self defence with participation of women constables.

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Pakistan marks five years since Benazir Bhutto's assasination

PAKISTAN: Vast crowds gathered on Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto, and to witness her son launch his own political career.

More than 200,000 people gathered at the family mausoleum in Garhi Dera Bakhsh in the southern province of Sindh to pay their respects and to hear Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of Benazir and of President Asif Ali Zardari, make his first major public speech.

Bhutto, twice elected prime minister, was killed in a gun and suicide attack after an election rally in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of Pakistan's army, on December 27, 2007. No one has ever been convicted of her murder.

Security was tight around a huge stage, adorned with the red, black and green tricolour of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), where Oxford-educated Bilawal will speak.

Surveillance helicopters hovered overhead as police commandos stood alert and sniffer dogs searched for explosives. Police said more than 15,000 officers had been deployed, as well as some 500 government paramilitary forces.

The Bhutto family has been a force in Pakistani politics for almost all of the country's 65-year history.

Benazir's father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who founded the PPP, led the country from 1971 until he was ousted in a military coup in 1977. He was hanged in 1979 after being convicted of authorising the murder of a political opponent.

Bilawal was just 19 when his mother was killed, and his spokesman Aijaz Durrani said Thursday's anniversary would mark the start of a new chapter in Pakistan's political history.

"This is his political career's first public meeting. A new Bhutto is emerging today in the shape of Bilawal who has vision of his mother and grandfather and people are excited on his launching," he said.

As head of state President Zardari, who came to power in elections held a month after his wife's murder, is barred from leading the PPP election campaign. He is also hugely unpopular, tainted by years of corruption allegations.

A general election is due in the spring and though the 24-year-old Bilawal will be too young to stand -- the lower age limit is 25 -- political analyst Hasan Askari said he could provide a fresh new figurehead for the PPP campaign.

"Bilawal has symbolic value in the Bhutto family and Zardari would like this link to be used as symbolism in the election," Askari said.

The Bhuttos are an almost ever-present element in the rhetoric of PPP leaders, who frequently eulogise the party's two "martyrs" as champions of the common man's struggle against a repressive "establishment".

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the country should "shun prejudices and maintain unity" to pay homage to Benazir.

"Let us resolve to defeat the forces of extremism and terrorism and work for the progress and prosperity of the country," he said in a statement.

Bilawal, who has been co-chairman of the PPP with his father since Benazir's death, in May accused former military ruler Pervez Musharraf of "murdering" his mother by deliberately sabotaging her security.

A UN report in 2010 also said the murder could have been prevented and accused Musharraf's government of failing to protect Bhutto properly.

The Musharraf regime blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement and was killed in a US drone attack in August 2009.

There has been a surge in terror attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks. Brigadier Saad Khan, a former officer with the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, warned the Taliban may continue their campaign with an attack on events marking the anniversary.

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Apple fined over $165,000 for copyright violation in China

BEIJING: Technology major Apple Inc has been fined $165,908 by a court here for allegedly selling unlicensed electronic versions of books online.

The Beijing No.2 intermediate people's court ordered Apple to pay a total of 1.03 million yuan ($165,908) to eight Chinese writers and two companies for violating their copyrights.

The plaintiffs said they spotted applications containing unlicensed electronic versions of their books available for download last year, adding that the books were downloaded in great quantity, resulting in large economic losses for their authors, Xinhua quoted the lawyer as saying.

The court concluded that Apple violated the plaintiffs' "right of communication through information networks", an element of China's copyright law, by providing apps that contained unlicensed electronic versions of the books.

The company also failed to carry out its duties regarding the care of apps it provides online, the Court said.

Earlier this year Apple settled 'iPad' trademark dispute in China by paying $60 million to Proview Technology (Shenzhen).

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Delhi gang rape: Sixth accused sent to police custody for a day

NEW DELHI: One of the six persons, allegedly involved in the gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus here on December 16, was on Thursday remanded in police custody for a day by a Delhi court for recovering the clothes worn by various accused on fateful night.

Akshay Singh alias Thakur, who was the last one to be arrested in the case, was produced before additional chief metropolitan magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma after he underwent test identification parade (TIP) at Tihar Jail yesterday.

Akshay was arrested on December 21 and underwent TIP on December 26 during which the victim's male friend, a 28-year-old software engineer, had identified him as one of the persons involved in the incident.

Delhi Police sought two days' remand of the accused for recovering remaining case property and clothes which Akshay and other accused were wearing while allegedly committing the crime.

Seeking his remand, the police also said he has to be taken to Noida in Uttar Pradesh for recovery of the articles.

The court, however, remanded him in police custody for a day saying, "Noida is in Delhi National Capital Region and the place of the incident is also within two-three kms from here (Saket court). I don't think you (police) need 48 hours for it.

"In case you require further custody, you can seek extension later on."

The police, meanwhile, informed the court it has also booked Akshay in another related case of robbing a carpenter, Ramadhar Singh, of his valuables prior to picking up the victim and her male friend.

Ramadhar had been thrown out of the bus after he was robbed, the police said.

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Berlusconi allies fire barbs at Monti, ending Christmas truce

ROME: Italian politicians resumed their bickering on Wednesday, with supporters of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi taking aim at his successor Mario Monti despite a Christmas call from the Pope for political peace.

Just before midnight at the end of Christmas Day, Monti tweeted: "Together, we saved Italy from disaster. Now we have to renew politics. Complaining won't help anything. Rolling up sleeves will. Let's rise to politics!"

That irked centre-right supporters of Berlusconi, who resigned last year to let Monti take over and is now scrapping with centre-left and pro-Monti centrist blocs ahead of elections due Feb. 24-25.

"Monti did not save Italy, he merely reaped the merits of four year of work by Berlusconi", said Gianfranco Rotondi, a parliamentarian from Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party.

Anna Maria Bernini, also of the PDL, accused Monti of spouting "pure propaganda", adding: "It is shocking to see how a man can present himself as a saviour after bringing the country to recession, taking all the merit (for successes) and attributing all the disasters to others."

The mud-slinging took place less than a day after Pope Benedict urged Italian politicians in a Christmas address to "favour the spirit of cooperation for the common good".

Monti resigned last week as promised after the budget was passed, and is staying on in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new government after the elections. Although his exact plans for after the elections are not entirely clear, he is expected to remain influential.

Berlusconi has said it would be "immoral" for Monti to fight the election after governing as an unelected premier with the support of the main parties.

But not all of the centre right opposes the prime minister. Italia Libera (A Free Italy), a group of 11 parliamentarians who have defected from Berlusconi's PDL, praised Monti's economic reform plans as "a Copernican revolution for those who are used to something that is as erosive and unproductive as the duel between forces for or against Berlusconi".

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Flight operations normal at Delhi's IGI airport after days of fog

NEW DELHI: After three days of dense fog, operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here remained largely normal on Wednesday.

Though there was shallow fog in the morning, visibilty remained above 1500 metres and flight operations remained normal with departures and arrivals as per schedule, airport sources said.

Some flights were delayed and some cancelled but they were due to operational reasons, they said.

Flight operations were badly hit at the IGI Airport due to dense fog for past three days leading to delay in schedules of hundreds of aircraft.

The visbility at the airport remain above 2000 metres early in the morning, but it dropped between 1300 and 1500 metres around 7.30am.

However, the drop in visibility caused no distruption in flight operations.

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Bilawal to make formal entry into Pakistan politics tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will make his formal entry into the hurly burly of Pakistani politics at an event to be held on Thursday to mark the fifth death anniversary of his mother Benazir Bhutto.

"Bilawal will make his entry into active politics during the meeting to be held at Garhi Khuda Bux (in Sindh) and take over the PPP's campaign for next year's general election," said a confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Both 24-year-old Bilawal and his father will make speeches at the event to be held outside the Bhutto family's mausoleum near the PPP's stronghold of Naudero, said the confidant who did not want to be named.

There has been speculation that Zardari might also announce the date for the next general election at tomorrow's event but the confidant said no final decision had been made in this regard.

"The President is keeping things close to his chest and he is the person who will make the decision about announcing the date for the polls," the confidant said.

The current National Assembly or lower house of parliament will complete its five-year term in March and PPP leaders have indicated that the next general election is likely to be held in April or May. Polls will simultaneously be held to the four provincial assemblies.

During his speech at the event in Garhi Khuda Bux tomorrow, Bilawal is expected to make public a report on the investigation into Benazir Bhutto's assassination by a suicide bomber after an election rally in Rawalpindi in 2007.

Bilawal himself cannot contest polls till he turns 25 in September next year.

Zardari, who is the co-chairman of the PPP, has convened a meeting of the party's central executive committee at Naudero on Friday. This meeting is expected to fine tune the PPP's campaign for the polls, party insiders said.

The PPP's top leadership was mulling a move to elevate former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani to the post of co-chairman but this is now unlikely to happen due to opposition from several leaders, including interior minister Rehman Malik and law minister Farooq Naek, sources in the party said.

A recent Supreme Court judgement that said the President should be non-partisan and have no political affiliations has made it almost impossible for Zardari to play an active role in the PPP's election campaign.

The Lahore high court is hearing a petition seeking action against Zardari under the contempt of court law for failing to act on an order that expected him to give up the post of chief of the PPP.

Religious affairs minister Khursheed Shah said earlier this month that Zardari would not lead or participate in the PPP's election campaign.

Under these circumstances, Zardari was keen to rope in Gilani to play a greater role as co-chairman of the PPP.

"The move was shot down because of opposition from some leaders. The party felt it would be better to avoid any divisions just before the elections," said a source.

Gilani was convicted for contempt and disqualified by the apex court after he refused to revive graft cases against Zardari in Switzerland.

He subsequently became estranged from Zardari as he felt he was being given no importance within the party.

Zardari visited Gilani in his hometown of Multan last month to allay his concerns about being abandoned by PPP.

Gilani is now expected to be the main force in the PPP's campaign in Punjab as the party's current head in the province, federal minister Manzoor Wattoo, has "failed miserably" in mounting a challenge to the PML-N, sources said.

Gilani will also play an important role in the PPP's campaign across the country, the sources said.

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Egypt President Morsi signs contentious constitution into law

CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has signed into law a new Islamist-drafted constitution he says will help end political turmoil and allow him to focus on fixing the fragile economy.

Anxiety about the deepening economic crisis has gripped Egypt in past weeks, with many people rushing to take out their savings from banks and the government imposing new restrictions to reduce capital flight.

Results announced on Tuesday showed Egyptians had approved the text with an overwhelming 63.8 percent, paving the way for a parliamentary election in about two months.

The win gives Islamists their third straight electoral victory since veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a 2011 revolution, following their earlier wins in parliamentary and presidential elections.

The presidency said Morsi signed a decree enforcing the charter late on Tuesday after the official announcement of the result of a referendum approving the basic law, Egypt's first constitution since Mubarak's overthrow.

The text has sharpened painful divisions in the Arab world's most populous nation and prompted often violent protests on the streets of Cairo.

Opposition groups condemn the new basic law as too Islamist and undemocratic, saying it could allow clerics to intervene in the lawmaking process and leave minority groups without proper legal protection.

But Morsi, catapulted into power by his Islamist allies, believes adopting the text is key to ending a protracted period of turmoil and uncertainty that has wrecked the economy.

He argues the constitution offers enough protection to all groups, saying many Egyptians are fed up with street protests that have prevented a return to normality and distracted the government from focusing on the economy.

An atmosphere of crisis has deepened in Egypt since the vote, with many Egyptians rushing to take out cash from banks and hoarding hard currency savings at home.

Sharpening people's concerns, the authorities imposed currency controls to prevent capital flight. Leaving or entering Egypt with more than $10,000 cash is now banned.

Rocked by often violent protests in the run up to the two-stage referendum this month, Cairo was calm, with only a small group of protesters burning tyres overnight.

Mursi's government says its opponents are damaging the economy by prolonging political upheaval. It has pledged to impose unpopular tax increases and spending cuts to win a loan package from the International Monetary Fund.

Adding to the government's long list of worries, Communications Minister Hany Mahmoud resigned from his post citing his "inability to adapt to the government's working culture".

The United States, which provides billions of dollars a year in military and other support for Egypt and sees it as a pillar of security in the Middle East, called on Egyptian politicians to bridge divisions and on all sides to reject violence.

"President Mursi, as the democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move forward in a way that recognises the urgent need to bridge divisions," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said.

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Gang rape not the only issue country is facing: Justice Katju

CHENNAI: The 'emotional outburst' and agitations against the gang rape in Delhi will achieve nothing and it will fizzle out in a few days, just as the emotional scenes we had witnessed in Jantar Mantar and Ram Lila grounds vanished in 10-15 days, says Press Council of India chairman, Justice Markandey Katju.

Speaking to The Times of India here on Wednesday, Justice Katju condemned the gang rape and wanted harsh punishment for its perpetrators, but said that it was not the only serious issue the nation is facing.

Calling the agitation 'symptomatic' of the middle class anger at falling standard of living, the judge warned that unless issues such as skyrocketing price rice, malnutrition, unemployment, recession and poor healthcare and agitation were tackled, grave misfortune will befall India for a prolonged period, followed by chaos and turmoil.

"In my opinion, such emotional outbursts will solve nothing. Anna Hazare's agitation and hunger strike lasted for 10-15 days. But has the corruption in the country gone down even by 0.1 percent?. I believe it has not. Similarly, the hue and cry during the current agitations at India Gate, Rajpath and Vijay Chowk in Delhi, the incidence of gang-rape will not dip by even 0.1%. This agitation will fizzle out," Justice Katju said. "We need scientific solutions, not emotional outbursts, to issues and problems," he said.

The Press Council chairman, pointing out that the country's child malnutrition scenario was worse than sub-Saharan countries in Africa such as Somalia and Ethiopia, said that about 80 percent of India's population lived with Rs 25-30 a day.

Price rise, massive unemployment, abject poverty, etc are all equally, or even more, serious than the Delhi gang-rape incident, he said. "In any case, gang-rapes are happening everywhere, in Tamil Nadu and in Madhya Pradesh, for instance," he said.

According to Justice Katju, the Delhi unrest is symptomatic of a deep discontent which is prevailing in the middle classes of India.

The middle class, constituting 15-20% of the total population, provides a relative stability for the nation, he said, adding that due to the sky-rocketing prices and worldwide recession over the last few years the prosperity of the middle class has been rapidly eroded.

This fall in their standard of living has led the middle class to taking to the street. "Unless the political leaders pay attention to the problems of the middle class, I am afraid this country is heading for a big trouble in future," Justice Katju said.

Asked about the vexed Cauvery river water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the former Supreme Court judge said the issue could never solved by adjudication. Instead, as a short-term solution, he said he was willing to head a team of trained mediators free of charge, for a larger public good. "I am prepared to do this, but both the governments must jointly approach me if they want my intervention," he said.

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Punjab to set up separate force for night policing

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Wednesday announced the setting up of a separate force for policing during the night hours amid the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal ( SAD) facing fire for its youth leaders being accused of assaulting a senior police officer.

Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal told media here that Punjab would be the first state in the country to have a dedicated force for night policing. He said the force would be given rest during the day time.

The party has already disowned the three leaders accused of assaulting Assistant Inspector General (AIG) SS Mand at a nightclub in Ludhiana on Monday. Referring to the assault, Badal said that no one, including Akali Dal leaders, was above the law.

Badal said there would be a separate Superintendent of Police (SP) for each district for night policing.

The need for a separate cadre for night policing was felt as it was getting ignored due to rotational shift of the existing force, he said.

Police will patrol on highways and streets to check the activities of anti-social elements.

The deputy chief minister also said that women were being recruited in the Punjab Police to curb incidents of crime against women.

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Narendra Modi to be sworn in as Gujarat chief minister on Wednesday

NEW DELHI: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who returned to power in assembly elections for a third time, will be sworn in on Wednesday, party sources said on Tuesday.

This will be the fourth swearing-in for the BJP leader, who has ruled the state since 2001.

Modi will attend the National Development Council meeting in Delhi the next day.

In Gujarat, the BJP bagged 115 seats, two short of its 117 tally of 2007, of the total 182 seats. The Congress could manage only 61 seats.

Party sources said the BJP leadership, including veteran LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, were expected to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony.

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Delhi gang rape case: Constable Subhash Tomar cremated with full state honours

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police constable Subhash Tomar was cremated with full state honours here on Tuesday.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, minister of state for home RPN Singh, Union minister Ajit Singh and Union home secretary RK Singh were present at the Nigambodh Ghat here to pay their last respects.

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar and other senior officials from the police department also attended the cremation ceremony.

Tomar, who suffered serious injuries during violent protests at India Gate on Sunday, died today after battling for life at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here.

Tomar, who was on ventilator since his admission at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Sunday evening, was declared dead at 6.40am.

Delhi Police, which has described the death of constable Tomar as extremely tragic, has earlier decided that all personnel will donate one day's salary to his family.

"Delhi Police family and our Commissioner stand with his family and all compensation and other things admissible will be granted to him," said Delhi Police PRO Rajan Bhagat.

"Constable Subhash Tomar, 45-year-old, posted at PS Karawal Nagar was deployed on law and order duties on Sunday in New Delhi district succumbed to his injuries which he suffered during the violence created by protestors. The Delhi Police stands with his family and we are in deep sorrow," he added.

Tomar is survived by his wife and three children - two sons and a daughter.

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Nitish Kumar asks girls to learn martial arts for self-defence

PATNA: With crimes against women on the rise, chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday urged girls to learn martial arts along with education to defend themselves against eve-teasers.

"The girls should learn martial arts like Judo, Karate and Taekwondo to attain physical strength and alertness for self-defence when confronted with eve-teasers," he said while inaugurating the 31st senior national Taekwondo championship.

He said with this end in view the state government had launched training in Judo and Karate in schools across Bihar a few years back.

Over one lakh girls had learnt the martial arts through training programmes in their schools.

Observing that various forms of martial arts have emerged as major sports events in the national and international level, Kumar urged youths to take up them for professional excellence and career opportunities.

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HC allows transfer of Gayatri Devi's shares to grand children

NEW DELHI: The legal battle over transfer of late Maharani Gayatri Devi's shares in royal family's firms has been decided in favour of her grandchildren, Devraj and Lalitya Kumari with the Delhi high court ordering rectification of share registers of the companies.

Jagat Singh, son of Gayatri Devi and Sawai Man Singh, held 99 per cent shares in firms including Jai Mahal Hotels Pvt Ltd and later died leaving behind a will that his mother would be the owner of all his properties.

Gayatri Devi, who died on 29 July 2009, left a will saying all her properties, including the shares in the firms, would be inherited by her grand children Devraj and Lalitya Kumari.

The transfer of shares in favour of Gayatri Devi's grand children was opposed by other heirs of late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh. They were his (Sawai Man Singh) other sons, Prithviraj Singh, Jai Singh and his maternal grand daughter Urvashi Devi.

Justice Indermeet Kaur, deciding the dispute between members of Rajasthan's royal family, set aside an order of the Company Law Board (CLB) which had refused to direct rectification in share registers of Jai Mahal Hotels Pvt Ltd, Rambagh Place Hotels Pvt Ltd, SMS Investment Corporation Pvt Ltd and Sawai Madhopur Lodge Pvt Ltd.

Earlier, the grand children of Gayatri Devi had moved the CLB for rectification that the shares pertaining to their father and grand mother be transferred to them.

"The CLB returning a finding apposite has committed an illegality which is liable to be set aside. It is accordingly set aside. The order dated March 16, 2011 is set aside; the member register of the companies be rectified in the name of the petitioner group and petitioners i.e. Devraj and Lalitya Kumari be substituted in lieu of Jagat Singh," the court said.

The royal family has key income-generating properties such as Rambagh Place Hotel and Jai Mahal Hotel.

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Thousands sign US petition to deport Piers Morgan over gun comments

LOS ANGELES: More than 48,000 people have signed a petition that they posted on the White House website demanding that British CNN talk show host Piers Morgan be deported over comments he made on air about gun control.

Morgan last week lambasted pro-gun guests on his show, after the December 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman shot dead 26 people, including 20 children.

"We demand that Mr Morgan be deported immediately for his effort to undermine the Bill of Rights and for exploiting his position as a national network television host to stage attacks against the rights of American citizens," the petition said.

The petition, started on December 21 by a man identified as Kurt N from Austin, Texas, accuses Morgan of subverting the second amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms.

US citizens can file a petition on the White House website, whitehouse.gov, if they collect at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days. The White House is then obliged to issue a response.

Morgan, 47, a former newspaper editor in London, shot back at his critics on Twitter. He repeated his past calls for the United States to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and conduct background checks on all gun purchases.

Five days after the Connecticut massacre, Morgan called a guest, Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners for America, an "idiot," "dangerous" and an "unbelievably stupid man" when Pratt argued that more guns were needed to combat crime in the United States.

"I don't care about a petition to deport me. I do care about poor NY firefighters murdered/injured with an assault weapon today. #GunControlNow," Morgan tweeted on Monday, referring to a shooting in New York that killed three people, including the gunman.

Christa Robinson, a CNN spokeswoman, said the network had no immediate comment on the petition.

Publicist Howard Bragman, vice chairman of Reputation.com, said the controversy will get Morgan attention that may translate into higher ratings and wouldn't harm his reputation.

"A lot of it comes from his being British, he's seen the differences between the US and UK, he's passionate and authentic in taking this issue on, and it's probably only going to help him attract more people to his show," Bragman said.

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Lalu Prasad Yadav favours death sentence for rapists

PATNA: Joining the growing clamour to award death penalty to perpetrators of rape, RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday said his party would advocate for capital punishment for rapists in the Delhi gang rape case in the next Parliament session.

"Minor punishment of seven years jail term will not be adequate for such an act ... Existing laws need to be amended to end the menace," Yadav said before setting out for his 'Parivartan yatra' against the alleged 'misrule' of the Nitish Kumar government.

Lalu said RJD would advocate for awarding death sentence to rapists when the issue of gang rape of the 23-year-old para-medic in a moving bus in New Delhi comes up for discussion in Parliament.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has four members in Lok Sabha, including Prasad and two in Rajya Sabha.

He said the public outrage over the Delhi gangrape was justified as the victim was brutally assaulted and is battling for life.

In view of growing incidents of rape in Bihar and Karnataka, Yadav said stringent anti-rape laws were needed to prevent such barbaric crimes.

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Sexual assault: Justice Verma committee begins work; seeks public comments

NEW DELHI: The three-member committee of jurists, constituted to give recommendations on amending laws to provide speedier justice and enhanced punishment in sexual assault cases, began its work on Monday by issuing notice seeking public comments on the issue by January 5.

The committee headed by former Chief Justice of India JS Verma sought comments from the public in general, particularly eminent jurists, legal professionals, NGOs, women's groups and civil society members on reviewing the existing laws in a bid to provide quicker justice and stringent punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault, an official statement said.

The comments can be sent at email ID - justice.verma@nic.in or through FAX at 011-23092675.

The committee, which was constituted after public protests erupted over the Delhi gang rape case, will look into possible amendments to the criminal law for faster trial and proper punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault of extreme nature against women.

The other members of the committee, constituted by the government, are Justice (retd) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh high court, and Gopal Subramanian, former Solicitor General of India. The panel has been given 30 days to give its report to the government.

Under the existing law, the maximum punishment for rape is a life term but the nation-wide outrage over the gang rape of the 23-year-old physiotherapy student in a moving bus last Sunday night has sparked a demand for death penalty for rape convicts.

BJP has also favoured death for perpetrators of such crimes and demanded a special session of Parliament for amending the laws.

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Karnataka HC grants advance bail to B S Yeddyurappa and his son

BANGALORE: Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who recently broke his 40-year-old association with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by forming his own Karnataka Janata party (KJP), has something to cheer for.

The Karnataka high court has granted anticipatory bail to Yeddyurappa and his son B Y Raghavendra, a member of parliament from the Shimoga constituency (who continues to remain with BJP) in relation to a private complaint lodged before the special Lokayukta court in Bangalore.

Allowing the criminal petitions filed by the former chief minister and his son, Justice K N Keshavanarayana has directed them to execute a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. They have also been told not to terrorize the witnesses in any manner and also appear before the special court.

"Having regard to the contentions urged, I am of the considered opinion that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the petitioners are guilty of any of the offences alleged. Therefore, the petitioners are entitled for the relief of anticipatory bail" the judge has observed in his order.

B Vinod, an advocate, had filed the private complaint against Yeddyurppa and his son.

He had alleged that the forest land meant for the Bhadra Tiger reserve in Shimoga was illegally denotified by the Yeddyurappa government and some portion was encroached upon. The complaint was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Land Reforms Act and Forest Act.

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Railways running on temporary basis after my departure: Lalu Prasad

ARWAL (BIHAR): Patting his own back, former railway minister Lalu Prasad on Monday claimed that since his departure, the ministry has been running on a temporary basis and asserted he would complete the unfinished projects of his time if he became minister again.

"Since the day I left Railway ministry it is running on temporary basis," Prasad told a RJD rally here.

Prasad alleged that work of the railway stations, halts and other projects of which he had laid the foundation as the Railway minister had come to nought.

"You voted RJD out of power by ensuring victory of only four MPs. By doing so you brought the wheel of development in the Railways in particular to a halt," he said.

Prasad claimed that due to his commendable work in the Railways he attracted praise not only from within the country, but also from abroad.

He referred to a MQM senator in Pakistan recently pointing to the poor condition of railways in his country and suggesting that Prasad be invited to improve it.

Prasad, who used to claim himself as the 'Prime Minister of Railways' during his tenure in UPA I, spoke about the projects he took up during his tenure in the railway ministry and underlined that he did not allow passenger fares to be increased.

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31 per cent MLAs in Gujarat assembly have criminal records

AHMEDABAD: Around 31 per cent MLAs in the newly-formed 13th Gujarat assembly have criminal antecedents with Congress dominating the list as far as overall percentage is concerned, whereas the ruling BJP hogging the tainted 'top ten' who have serious charges, including rape, against them.

"Out of 182 candidates who got elected in the Gujarat assembly, 57 MLAs or 31 per cent have declared criminal cases against them, which is a 5 per cent increase compared to 47 MLAs or 26 per cent in 2007 Assembly elections," said Dr Jagdeep Chhokar of Gujarat Election Watch (GEW) here in a press conference on Monday.

GEW is launched by the Association for Democratic Rights (ADR) set up by the professors of Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

Among legislators who had filed affidavits with the Election Commission declaring serious criminal cases against them included Jetha Bharwad (Ahir) of BJP who has been charged with rape among other charges including attempt to murder.

Bharwad, who got elected from Shehara constituency in Panchmahal district, had recently been charged with attempted murder when he got involved in a firing incident on the day of second phase of polling on December 17 in Tarsang village.

According to GEW, out of 57 MLAs who have declared criminal cases against them, 24 legislators have "very serious" charges against them.

"We are appealing to the ruling party in Gujarat that an MLA having criminal cases against him should not be made minister", said Dr Chhokar.

As per the report, among major political parties', Congress tops the chart with 20 out of its total 61 MLAs who got elected have criminal cases against them.

Ruling BJP, which contested all 182 seats, has total 115 MLAs in new Assembly, out of which 28 per cent, that is 32 MLAs, have criminal cases.

According to Election Watch, those figure prominently among top 10 MLAs facing serious criminal charges six belonged to BJP, including Amit Shah, Shankar Chaudhary, Babulal Jamnadas Patel, Purshottam Solanki, Jetha Bharwad and Dilip Patel.

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Government waging 'war' against people, Kejriwal says

NEW DELHI: With curfew imposed in the heart of Delhi to stop protests near the presidential palace, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal accused the government of waging 'war' against the people.

With prohibitory orders imposed in parts of the city following unending protests to ensure justice to the 23-year-old woman, Kejriwal told reporters,"This is illegitimate. How can they impose Section 144?"

"If the government would have shown such resolve to deal with rapists, the situation would have been different. It seems the government is waging 'war' against its own people."

Prohibitory orders banning the assembly of five or more people have been imposed around Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhawan including India Gate area, Rajpath and Janpath.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's residence on Janpath also saw protests over last few days.

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Delhi gang rape case: Ramdev, ex-army chief VK Singh lead protest at Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: Protesters led by yoga guru Ramdev and former Army chief V K Singh on Sunday clashed with police at Jantar Mantar here this afternoon when they were prevented from marching towards India Gate, the epicentre of protests against gangrape of a young girl last Sunday.

After a brief speech at Jantar Mantar, Ramdev along with Singh and others started marching towards India Gate but they were stopped by police.

As soon as Ramdev and Singh got down from the dais, police cordoned off the area and the protesters sat at the spot.

However, supporters started marching towards India Gate and tried to break the barricades following which police resorted to use of force. Two persons suffered injuries in the incident.

"Government should set up fast track courts and punish all the rapists. We want death penalty for all the accused," Ramdev said.

At Safdurjung Hospital, where the gang rape victim is battling for life, BJP staged a protest demanding justice for her.

Dr B K Athani, Medical Superintendent of Safdurjung Hospital, appealed to protesters not to stage demonstrations near the hospital.

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Delhi gang rape case draws attention of American media

WASHINGTON: The large-scale protests in India over the gang-rape of a girl in a moving bus has attracted the attention of American media which blamed it on poor law and order and a lacklustre criminal justice system.

At a time when the mainstream American media itself is battling over the issue of fiscal cliff, debating the relevance of gun-control laws in the aftermath of shootout inside a school that killed 20 children, newspapers and news channels have been taking a serious note of outburst of the peoples' anger against the rape on the young girl who is battling for her life at a hospital in New Delhi.

"These are unprecedented demonstrations," National Public Radio reported.

"They want justice for this young woman, and they want women in this country generally to feel safer on the streets, at work, in subways, and on public transportation," it said.

"Clashes Break Out in India at a Protest Over a Rape Case," headlined The New York Times, stating that thousands of protesters streamed into the heart of New Delhi to demand justice and better policing in the wake of the brutal rape.

"The roots of the problem run deep in a conservative society that is having trouble adjusting to educational and economic advances by women, long confined to the home. Demographics also play a role, with half of India's population under 25 and female infanticide and the neglect of girls creating a growing gender imbalance," the daily said.

"But India's criminal justice system, riddled with incompetence, corruption and political meddling, seems unable to respond effectively," The New York Times said.

"A young woman was gang-raped and beaten to near death on a moving bus in New Delhi, police say. She is in intensive care at a city hospital, battling for her life," CNN reported.

Official data show that rape cases have jumped almost 875 per cent over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, it said.

New Delhi police fired water cannon at protesters, it said in another news report.

"Thousands of people demonstrated outside the Indian president's residence in New Delhi on Saturday, breaching barricades and clashing with police over the brutal rape of a 23-year-old girl before authorities drove them back with sticks, tear gas and water cannons," The Los Angeles Times reported.

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Film actress molestation case: Journalist killed in police firing during bandh in Manipur

IMPHAL: A journalist was killed in police firing on the second day of the indefinite strike in Manipur called by a film body demanding the arrest of a Naga militant for allegedly molesting a film actress.

Nanao Singh (29) was killed this afternoon when the police opened fire at Thangmeiband area near here in Imphal West district at supporters of the general strike who torched a police vehicle and obstructed the plying of public and security vehicles, official sources said.

Singh, a reporter of the newspaper 'Prime News' was hit by a bullet on his chest. He succumbed to his injury at a hospital here.

As the news of the death spread, violence took place in different parts of Manipur valley areas, particularly in Imphal East and Imphal West districts, official reports from the districts said.

The bandh supporters, who have been demanding the arrest of NSCN(IM) militant Livingstone Anal for allegedly molesting Manipuri film actress Momoko in public view during a musical concert in Chandel district on December 18, stepped up their blockade of all major roads and brickbatted the police when they tried to remove them.

They damaged and set afire at least four public vehicles who defied the general strike at Shingjamei, Sagolband and some other areas despite the large deployment of police forces.

State home minister Gaikhangam visited the hospital and condoled the death of Nanao Singh. He also appealed to the agitators to remain calm and cooperate with the authorities to restore the situation.

Hundreds of journalists gathered at the Regional Institute of Medical Science and Hospital where Singh died. The body was later taken to the Manipur press club.

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Delhi gang rape protest: Constable critically injured in clashes at India Gate

NEW DELHI: A constable is battling for life in a government hospital after he was critically injured in violence at India Gate where people were protesting the gang rape of a young girl in a moving bus here.

"Constable Subhash Tomar is fighting for his life," Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said .

Protesters and police were clashing continuously at India Gate during the day. Doctors said the constable has suffered critical injuries.

Several other policemen were also injured in the incident.

Around 100 protesters, including media personnel, were also injured in violence.

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PM directs Shinde to ensure sense of security in Delhi after rape incident

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday directed home minister Sushilkumar Shinde to ensure sense of security in Delhi and see that incidents like last Sunday's gang rape do not recur.

The directive came when Shinde called Singh to brief him on the situation in the aftermath of the gang-rape incident, sources said.

Shinde told the Prime Minister that he was personally monitoring the situation.

Sources said the Prime Minister told Shinde that he should ensure a sense of security in the capital, whose law and order is the direct responsibility of the home minister.

Singh asked Shinde to take all measures to see that there is no recurrence of the incidents like the recent gang rape of 23-year-old girl who was also brutally assaulted by the six accused.

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Astra missile test-fired on 2nd consecutive day from Chandipur in Odisha

BALASORE (ODISHA): A day after a perfect developmental trial of " Astra", India today again successfully test-fired its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, 15 km from here.

The sophisticated missile was test-fired from a launcher in launch pad-2 of the ITR at about 3.34 PM targeting a flying object being supported by a pilotless target air-craft 'Lakshya', defence sources said.

"The trial was successful. All mission objectives and parameters were met," ITR Director MVKV Prasad said.

Today's successful test-fire was significant as it came a day after a similar trial conducted from the same base yesterday, a defence scientist said.

The single stage, solid fuelled 'Astra' missile is more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and is capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets.

The 3.8 metre long missile, having a diameter of 178 mm with an overall launch weight of 160 kg, can carry a warhead containing conventional explosives weighing 15 kg. It can be fitted to any fighter aircraft.

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Sushma Swaraj calls for special Parliament session for tougher rape law

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Saturday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene a special session of Parliament for amending the existing law to provide death sentence for heinous crimes against women.

"I have just spoken to Prime Minister. I requested Prime Minister for a special session of Parliament to frame a law to provide for exemplary punishment for crimes against women," Swaraj said on social networking site Twitter.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha claimed that the Prime Minister said he will consider this suggestion. She said the people were "genuinely angry" on the recent brutal rape incident of a 23-year-old paramedical student in Delhi and demanded that the perpetrators of such crime be given death sentence.

"I have always maintained that rapist(s) should be punished with death sentence. I have also moved a private members Bill for this," she said. She said she has already demanded in Lok Sabha on December 18 that rapists be given death sentence. Swaraj also spoke to Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath in this regard.

Meanwhile, national spokesperson of BJP, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said, "BJP supports this agitation which is directed against the Centre and Delhi government."

"People, particularly women, are on agitation path over this 'worst' incident and need is to stop its recurrence in future," he said in Jammu.

When asked whether BJP supports capital punishment, he said the leadership of BJP inside Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, has demanded that Indian Penal Code should be amended to incorporate rape under the provisions of capital punishment.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Jagdish Mukhi alleged that Delhi "has become the rape capital of India."

"Delhi has become rape capital of India under the very nose of Union home minister," Mukhi said in Jammu.

"Union home minister controls Delhi and Delhi Police and its Commissioner are directly answerable to him-- they have failed in their duty," he alleged, adding, "the way incidents of rapes have been taking place in moving buses, cars, hospitals and other places-- we condemn it."

"Let us not politicise it-- there is an urgent need to change the law-- this has been raised in the Parliament-- there should be stringent punishment for such crimes and law should be amended to make it stringent," Mukhi said.

"There is an increase in incidents of eve teasing, rapes in Delhi," he said adding for this chief minister of Delhi, Delhi police commissioner and Union home minister are responsible.

"We demand stringent law but at the same time want implementation of the present laws in this connection by the security agencies," he said.

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Pope pardons ex-butler who stole, leaked documents

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI granted his former butler a Christmas pardon on Saturday, forgiving him in person during a jailhouse meeting for stealing and leaking private papers in one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times.

After the 15-minute meeting, Paolo Gabriele was freed and returned to his Vatican City apartment where he lives with his wife and three children. The Vatican said he couldn't continue living or working in the Vatican, but said it would find him housing and a job elsewhere soon.

"This is a paternal gesture toward someone with whom the pope for many years shared daily life," according to a statement from the Vatican secretariat of state.

The pardon closes a painful and embarrassing chapter for the Vatican, capping a sensational, Hollywood-like scandal that exposed power struggles, intrigue and allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons in the highest levels of the Catholic Church.

Gabriele, 46, was arrested May 23 after Vatican police found what they called an "enormous" stash of papal documents in his Vatican City apartment. He was convicted of aggravated theft by a Vatican tribunal on Oct. 6 and has been serving his 18-month sentence in the Vatican police barracks.

He told Vatican investigators he gave the documents to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi because he thought the 85-year-old pope wasn't being informed of the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican and thought that exposing it publicly would put the church back on the right track.

The publication of the leaked documents, first on Italian television then in Nuzzi's book "His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI's Secret Papers" convulsed the Vatican all year, a devastating betrayal of the pope from within his papal family that exposed the unseemly side of the Catholic Church's governance.

The papal pardon had been widely expected before Christmas, and the jailhouse meeting Benedict used to personally deliver it recalled the image of Pope John Paul II visiting Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who shot him in 1981, while he served his sentence in an Italian prison.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the meeting was "intense" and "personal" and said that during it Benedict "communicated to him in person that he had accepted his request for pardon, commuting his sentence."

None of the documents threatened the papacy. Most were of interest only to Italians, as they concerned relations between Italy and the Vatican and a few local scandals and personalities. Their main aim appeared to be to discredit Benedict's trusted No. 2, the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

Vatican officials have said the theft shattered the confidentiality that typically governs correspondence with the pope. Cardinals, bishops and everyday laymen write to him about spiritual and practical matters assuming that their words will be treated with the discretion for which the Holy See is known.

As a result, it prompted a remarkable reaction, with the pope naming a commission of three cardinals to investigate alongside Vatican prosecutors. Italian news reports have said new security measures and personnel checks have been put in place to prevent a repeat offense.

Gabriele insisted he acted alone, with no accomplices, but it remains an open question whether any other heads will roll. Technically the criminal investigation remains open, and few in the Vatican believe Gabriele could have construed such a plot without at least the endorsement if not the outright help of others.

A Vatican computer expert, Claudio Sciarpelletti, was convicted Nov. 10 of aiding and abetting Gabriele by changing his testimony to Vatican investigators about the origins of an envelope with Gabriele's name on it that was found in his desk. His two-month sentence was suspended.

Benedict met this past week with the cardinals who investigated the origins of the leaks, but it wasn't known if they provided him with any further updates or were merely meeting ahead of the expected pardon for Gabriele.

As supreme executive, legislator and judge in Vatican City, the pope had the power to pardon Gabriele even before he went to trial. The only question was when it would come.

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Suicide bomber kills 6 at Peshawar political meet in Pakistan

PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber blew himself up Saturday at a meeting of the political party that rules Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing six people and wounding 21, officials said.

The Awami National Party meeting in Peshawar was attended by provincial leaders. There were "reports of injuries to the senior minister of the provincial government, Bashir Bilour," police official Asif Iqbal told AFP.

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Job market to see modest hiring, 10-15% pay hike next year

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Dec 21, 2012, 01.11PM IST

NEW DELHI: After remaining mostly stagnant in 2012 due to global economic slowdown, Indian job market is expected to grow only at a modest pace next year, although still better than other countries, while high-performers can look forward to pay hikes of 10-15 per cent in 2013.

The public sector could emerge as the major ground for any large-scale hirings, especially banks, even as recruitment activities in human capital intensive sectors like technology, as also for functions like sales and marketing in other sectors, would track the macro-economic developments.

The hiring numbers for public sector banks are expected in the range of 50,000 to 70,000 people in 2013, while the private sector banking space could also see a fair amount of such activities if licenses are given to new players.

Retail sector is also expected to see large-scale hirings after the entry of foreign players into this business.

When it comes to salary hikes, the average for most of the sectors is expected in single digits as part of cost-saving efforts, even though companies would be doling out 10-15 per cent pay increments to good performers, experts say.

At the same time, the companies may not hesitate to lay off non-performers and carry out restructuring exercises to do away with non-performing business units.

Manpower India Managing Director A G Rao said that the companies would not hesitate to pay a salary hike of 10-15 per cent to performers, but at the same time some will remain very objective and cost cautious due to the economic scenario.

"We also see a growing trend of organisations using new age tools like work from home, flexi working and performance linked bonus, ESOP's, Global opportunity etc. as tools of retention / compensation of employees," Rao said.

The year 2012 has proved to be a mixed bag for the Indian job market as most sectors were slow on their business and employment outlook, but the coming year holds promise driven by the government's reform push.

Hiring took a hit this year largely on the back of global slowdown as well as slower growth rate of Indian economy.

"The year 2012 began with a lot of promise as the job market in India was estimated to grow at 15 per cent. But the sharp economic downturn in India and the impact of the European crisis adversely affected hiring across sectors like IT, telecom, hospitality, retail and infrastructure," Randstad India MD and CEO E Balaji said.

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Delhi gang rape: Parliamentary standing panel to meet on December 27

HYDERABAD: Taking serious note of the gruesome gang rape of a girl in a moving bus at Delhi, the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs has convened a meeting on December 27 to discuss the issue.

The meeting would deliberate on issues concerning the incidents of rape, the changes, if any, to be made to the statute and the suggestions for the government, committee's chairman M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters today.

The police commissioner of Delhi and union home secretary would also attend the meeting, he said.

The standing committee comprises 30 members representing various political parties.

"All members, cutting across party lines, expressed concern when this issue was discussed in Parliament. There are four important issues. There is a need to sensitise police system to take expeditious action on these issues.

Political will and administrative preparedness is necessary," he said.

The panel would also discuss the changes to be made to the laws and the suggestions that can be made to the government, Naidu said.

"Some changes need to be made in the laws as well. Fast track courts should be set up and Evidence Act can be changed. There is a suggestion that in-camera trial should be conducted in such cases. Also, there is a opinion that death sentence should be awarded to the convicts. We will take the views of officials and give our recommendations to the government," he said.

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CBI files charges against Bharti, Vodafone in telecom case

CBI pegs the loss to exchequer at Rs 846 crore on spectrum issue during NDA regime.

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Dec 21, 2012, 03.04PM IST

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday filed a chargesheet in connection with alleged irregularities in spectrum allocation during the NDA regime involving three telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India, while pegging the loss at Rs 846 crore.

The CBI in its chargesheet filed before Special CBI Judge O P Saini named as accused Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone India Ltd and Hutchison Max and Sterling Cellular, retired IAS and former Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh for alleged irregularities in grant of additional spectrum.

J R Gupta, former Deputy Director General (VAS) cell of DoT and former Director of BSNL, who was named in the FIR as one of the accused, has been made as one of the 73 witnesses in the case, the CBI told the court.

The agency said no action has been taken against former telecom minister Pramod Mahajan and no charges have been found against the promoters of Airtel and Vodafone.

The court has fixed January 14 for consideration of the chargesheet.

The agency alleged in the charge sheet that the DoT had increased the base spectrum for telecom companies from 4.4 MHz to 6.2 MHz during Mahajan's tenure and also allocated extra spectrum on subscriber-based criteria.

It alleged that Mahajan had allotted addition spectrum to these companies in a hurried manner and in contravention with the then telecom policy.

The accused have been charge sheeted under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to misconduct by public servant by accepting illegal gratification by abusing his official position.

"Investigation has revealed that Shyamal Ghosh, then chairman of Telecom Commission and Secretary DoT, in conspiracy with late Pramod Mahajan, then telecom minister and the accused beneficiary companies i.e Hutchison Max and Sterling Cellular and Bharti Airtel Ltd through their representatives, abused his official position as public person and showed undue favour which caused loss of Rs 846.44 crores to the government exchequer and corresponding undue gain to the aforesaid telecom companies," it said.

The agency said this included incidental gains to other telecom companies by charging additional one per cent of AGR instead of charging the required additional two per cent of AGR for allocation of additional spectrum from 6.2 MHz upto 10 MHz.".

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Private hospital offers free intestinal transplant to Delhi rape victim

NEW DELHI: As the young student battles for life bravely five days after the brutal gang-rape, a leading private hospital here today offered free intestinal transplantation and subsequent treatment to her.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has communicated this offer to Dr B D Nathani, Medical Superintendent of Safdurjung Hospital where the victim is being treated currently, Dr R S Rana, Chairman, Board of Management SGRH, said.

The 23-year-old student has undergone a surgery to remove her gangrenous intestine. The doctors treating her had said that she is "stable, alert and conscious" but she remained on ventilator support.

"Intestinal failure occurs when most of the intestine has to be removed surgically as in this case. Intestinal transplant is the only chance of survival with a normal functioning intestine for the victim," Dr Samiran Nundy Chairman, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Organ Transplantation said.

The private hospital has performed India's first and only living donor intestinal transplant which has been reported in peer reviewed journal this year, Rana said.

According to Dr Naimish Mehta Transplant Surgeon SGRH, who was involved in India's first Living Donor Intestinal Transplant Surgery, "there are two ways by which intestinal graft can be obtained, either from a brain dead donor or from a living related donor. Both these options could be available for the victim once her condition stabilises."

According to Dr Mehta, "in a normal individual, the length of small intestine is approximately 600 cms, of which, 200 cms of intestine can be removed for transplantation without any adverse effect on the living donor while whole intestine from the brain dead donor can be used for intestinal transplantation."

Dr Mehta said that intestinal failure occurs when most of the intestine has to be removed surgically because of blockage of its blood supply or major injury to the intestine.

Intestinal failure is normally treated by giving parenteral nutrition.

However intravenous feeding has to be given through a central venous line (an intravenous catheter placed into one of the large veins of the body) and complications develop over a period of time, Dr Mehta said.

"The central venous catheter tends to get infected over a period of time. These infections can be life-threatening. Over a period of time parenteral nutrition damages the liver. Too long a delay at this point will result in liver failure. Intestinal transplant is recommended before the liver is permanently damaged," he added.

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BJP activists protest Sanjay Nirupam's remarks against Smriti Irani

MUMBSI: BJP workers on Friday staged a protest against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam for his reported derogatory remarks against TV actor and BJP member Smriti Irani.

Activists of BJP's youth and women's wings took out a morcha and demanded an apology from Nirupam for his remarks against Irani, who is also a Member of Parliament.

Around 300 BJP cadres participated in the procession which concluded at Nirupam's office in suburban Borivili.

Nirupam made an irresponsible statement at a time when crimes against women are rising and there is anger among people, a BJP functionary said.

He made the controversial remarks yesterday during a debate on a news channel on the Gujarat Assembly election results. The Congress MP questioned the credentials of Irani to analyse poll results given her background as a TV actress.

He reportedly said "till some time ago you were dancing on the TV screens and now you have become a psephologist."

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Sonia Gandhi to decide party's CM in Himachal: Virbhadra Singh

SHIMLA: As initial trends indicated a Congress victory in Himachal Pradesh, party veteran Virbhadra Singh today said that he had put in his "best efforts" in the polls and it was for Sonia Gandhi to decide the party's chief minister.

"I had been given the brief to bring the party back to power and for that I had put in my best efforts. It is for our national leader Sonia Gandhi to decide who will become the chief minister," Singh said while speaking to reporters here.

A five-time chief minister, Singh said the initial trends indicate that the Congress would form its government in the hill state.

Singh said there was no possibility of the Congress high command nominating an outsider for the chief minister's post.

"I can only say I don't expect this will happen," he had said yesterday when asked if a person from outside could lead the Congress government if the party comes to power.

Singh had yesterday also dismissed suggestions that Union minister Anand Sharma, his known detractor in state politics, stands a chance to become the chief minister.

"Whether he (Sharma) is a contender or not, I don't know, but he will not be there," he had said.

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Gujarat election proves it is not open skies for Modi: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress leaders today conceded defeat in Gujarat, but said it was "not open skies" for chief minister Narendra Modi, nursing national ambitions.

"This Gujarat election proves that it's not open skies for Narendra Modi," external affairs minister Salman Khurshid told reporters apparently seeking to underline that the chief minister will not have an easy task ahead.
When asked why Congress is unable to defeat Modi in Gujarat, Khurshid said, "Why is Modi not able to defeat us in the country."

His remarks came in the backdrop of a section of the BJP projecting Modi as the most prominent prime ministerial candidate of the party in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath sought to project the trends in Gujarat as an indication of improving popularity of Congress in the BJP-ruled state.

"In Gujarat, BJP had made tall claims that it will get 150 seats and that there will be a wave in its favour. But it has now been proved that Congress has emerged stronger and BJP is weak now," he told reporters outside Parliament House.

To a question on claims by Congress that BJP will be routed in the assembly election in Gujarat, he said, "We knew victory is difficult, but we were sure that we would emerge stronger."

Referring to the Himachal Pradesh assembly poll result, Nath claimed, "The defeat of BJP shows the direction in which the wind is blowing."

Congress is winner in Gujarat as it has improved its tally and contained BJP below 117, finance minister P Chidambaram said.

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Gujarat Parivartan Party leader Keshubhai Patel wins

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) leader and former chief minister Keshubhai Patel Thursday won from Visavadar constituency in Saurashtra region, officials said.
Patel won by about 20,000 votes against his nearest Bharatiya Janata Party rival Kanubhai Bhalala. The Congress had no candidate in Visavadar.
Patel, 83, was hoping to prevent Modi from securing a third term as chief minister. Modi has ruled Gujaratsince he replaced Patel as chief minister in October 2001.

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Samajwadi Party MP expresses regret over bill snatching incident: Speaker

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party member Yashvir Singh, who had stunned the Lok Sabha yesterday by snatching a copy of the quota bill from minister V Narayanasamy, today expressed regret over the incident.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said the member had expressed regret over the unfortunate incident which had shaken the foundation of democracy.

Kumar said the untoward incident had led to abrupt adjournment of the House yesterday.

"It had shaken the foundation of democracy. Issues should be discussed in the House," the Speaker observed.

Kumar said the member has expressed regret and expected all members to discuss issues in the House.

Singh had snatched the copy of the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill Narayanasamy.

The incident led to commotion in the House and triggered a war of words outside between the Congress and its ally SP, which is strongly opposed to reservation in promotion for SCs and STs in government jobs.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath had said he would urge the Speaker to take action against the SP member.

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Protesters block Jammu-Pathankote NH over Delhi gang rape case

JAMMU: Angry protesters, mostly students, on Thursday blocked the Jammu-Pathankote national highway demanding capital punishment for the accused involved in the gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi.

Traffic remained suspended on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway (NH 1A) at Kathua district as over 1,000 students of various schools and colleges blocked the route for over three hours, police said.

They prayed for the recovery of the 23-year-old, who is battling for her life in a Delhi hospital, and shouted slogans demanding hanging of the culprits involved in the crime.

Students of GGM Science College, MAM College, Parade Women College, Samba college and Jammu University held separate protests demanding the punishment.

No untoward incident was reported from anywhere during these protests, police officials said.

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UP government to bear treatment cost of rape victim; offers jobs

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh would bear the medical expenses of the woman who was raped in a moving bus in New Delhi Sunday night and will give a government job to her, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said here Wednesday.

In a statement, the chief minister said he was pained at the barbaric act and said the state government would not only bear her medical expenses but it would also give jobs to both the young woman and her male friend, who was with her when the dastardly act was committed.

The young woman, who belongs to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, was interning at a hospital in Delhi for some months. She lives in Mahavir Enclave in west Delhi.

Seeking early justice for the victim, Yadav said the need of the hour was to stand with her and to also ensure that such incidents do not recur in future.

The woman, gang-raped by half-a-dozen men in a moving bus in New Delhi Sunday night, is now battling for life in a Delhi hospital.

The men also tortured her before dumping her on the road. Her male friend was also thrashed and thrown out of the bus along with her.

Five people have so far been arrested for the crime.

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UP government to bear treatment cost of rape victim; offers jobs

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh would bear the medical expenses of the woman who was raped in a moving bus in New Delhi Sunday night and will give a government job to her, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said here Wednesday.

In a statement, the chief minister said he was pained at the barbaric act and said the state government would not only bear her medical expenses but it would also give jobs to both the young woman and her male friend, who was with her when the dastardly act was committed.

The young woman, who belongs to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, was interning at a hospital in Delhi for some months. She lives in Mahavir Enclave in west Delhi.

Seeking early justice for the victim, Yadav said the need of the hour was to stand with her and to also ensure that such incidents do not recur in future.

The woman, gang-raped by half-a-dozen men in a moving bus in New Delhi Sunday night, is now battling for life in a Delhi hospital.

The men also tortured her before dumping her on the road. Her male friend was also thrashed and thrown out of the bus along with her.

Five people have so far been arrested for the crime.

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