Elephants ransack residential area in Guwahati

GUWAHATI: Three wild elephants entered into a residential area in the outskirts of the city last night and ransacked some sheds, storehouses and vegetable gardens.

Officials said the elephants came out of the Amchang Wildlife Reserve in the eastern fringes of the city last night.

The pachyderms came to Bonda area near Narengi on the outskirts of Guwahati and ransacked the area creating panic among the people.

When locals informed the forest authorities, forest guards arrived at the spot and chased away the elephants to Amchang.

There were no reports of any casualty.

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Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi ends eight-day fast

NEW DELHI: Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who was recently arrested under sedition charges as well as Sec 66A of the Information Technology Act for his controversial cartoons, today ended his eight-day fast demanding immediate scrapping of the "unconstitutional" law.

Trivedi, who was on a fast for the past eight days at Jantar Mantar here, ended the protest after Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal requested him not to waste his life and rather work towards "uprooting this government".

Trivedi and his colleague Alok Dikshit ended their agitation after Kejriwal gave them a glass of juice at the protest site.

Kejriwal's presence at the fast site is significant because Trivedi had earlier opposed the activist's entry into politics.

However, Trivedi today said he feels the move was right. "We tried a lot to put forth our point in front of the government but they didn't listen to us. The country needs a political option," he said.

Alleging that the Government has turned a deaf ear towards people, Kejriwal said the only way left is to shunt it out.

"The youth of this country are fighting for their freedom of expression. Section 66A of the IT Act is totally unconstitutional and youth have been wrongly arrested under this law. At least, the government could have listened to them," Kejriwal said.

Noting that the government did not talk to them when they launched a fast in August, Kejriwal asked youngsters "not to waste their lives like this." "Our motive should rather be to throw out this government and we should work unanimously in that direction," he said.

Trivedi insisted that there was a need to repeal the Act and alleged that the government was behaving like "Taliban".

"We were following the Gandhian way of revolt but nobody paid heed to us. I don't think we need such representatives who don't listen to people," Trivedi, who was arrested in September under sedition charges for his cartoons, said.

Kejriwal alleged that Trivedi and Dikshit were not allowed to meet Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal, and the duo were arrested.

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Cash transfer scheme a 'revolutionary' measure of UPA, Sonia Gandhi says

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today strongly backed the Centre's new Direct Benefit Transfer system that will ensure cash transfer directly in the hands of beneficiaries of various schemes, saying it is in line with many other "revolutionary" measures taken by the UPA.

Gandhi, who is also UPA chairperson, also announced her intent to bring the much-talked out Food Security Bill in Parliament soon to ensure that no poor family remains hungry.

She made the remarks while unveiling the Delhi government's ambitious food programme 'Annashree' under which monthly cash subsidy of Rs 600 will be transferred directly into bank account of the senior-most female member of two lakh poor families.

While hailing the scheme as the country's first totally Aadhar-based cash transfer programme, Gandhi chose the occasion to highlight the central government's Direct Benefit Transfer system, which will be implemented in 51 districts from January 1 facilitating cash entitlement in a total of 34 schemes.

"The purpose of this scheme is to ensure that the government's money being disbursed in pension, scholarship, MNREGA wage payment and social benefit schemes reaches the beneficiaries directly at their hands and without any delay. This money will reach directly into the hands of beneficiaries and not only up to bank accounts and post offices," Gandhi said.

The Congress president also made it clear that this cash transfer scheme is, however, not being implemented by the Centre in food and fertiliser subsidy programmes.

She said that the cash transfer scheme is envisaged on the basis of the ideology of balanced development of the UPA in which the welfare of the poor matters most.

Gandhi also hailed the Land Acquisition Bill which got the Cabinet's nod on Thursday, and announced that the much-talked about Food Security Bill will be brought in Parliament soon.

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18 migrants die, nine missing after boat sinks off Greece in Aegean Sea: Police

ATHENS: Eighteen migrants have died and nine are missing after their makeshift boat sank off the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea, police said on Saturday.

"Only one person was plucked out of the water and hospitalised," a ports police spokeswoman told AFP, saying 18 other bodies had been found so far -- most on a beach near the town of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.

The lone survivor rescued so far, a 20-year-old man who had been taken to hospital in Mytilene, told authorities the boat was carrying 28 people, including children.

Three port police boats resumed the search on Saturday in the hope of finding more survivors.

The victims set sail from the western coast of Turkey on Thursday but ran into bad weather that sank their boat, ports police said.

Authorities have not yet released the victims' nationalities.

The island is one of several in the eastern Aegean sea that lie near the Turkish coast and are frequent targets for migrants trying to reach western Europe.

Migrants often perish trying to make the crossing in makeshift boats, particularly in winter.

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All party delegation from Karnataka to PM on Cauvery issue soon

BANGALORE: An all party meeting convened by Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar today decided to go on a delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to plead against issuing of final notification by this month-end for implementing the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Shettar pointed out that it is not proper to notify the 2007 order as the appeal against the award by the state is still pending before the Supreme Court, and also stressed the need for consulting the State before the move.

The opposition BJP and JDS backed the Government on taking the delegation to the Centre on the issue.

Shettar also reiterated that the Cauvery Monitoring Committee had no powers to issue a directive to Karnataka to release 12 tmc ft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in November, and added that the State has filed a petition before the Cauvery River Authority to suspend the order.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Siddaramaiah and his counterpart in the Council, S R Patil (both Congress), JDS floor leader in the Assembly, H D Revanna and Lok Sabha member H N Ananth Kumar (BJP) were among those who took part in the deliberations.

Water Resources Minister Basavaraja Bommai and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar were also present.

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Left parties stage dharna against bedlam in West Bengal assembly

NEW DELHI: Left parties staged a dharna in the Parliament House complex on Friday deploring the bedlam in West Bengal assembly and said it had never happened before when women members were attacked in the House.

"What happened in the assembly on Tuesday is deplorable. The incident was an attack on parliamentary democracy...women members were also attacked, this had never happened before," CPM MP in Lok Sabha Basudev Acharya, who sat on the dharna, told reporters.

Alleging that workers from the Left parties have been at the receiving end for the last one-and-half-years ever since Trinamool Congress came to power, he said, "No one has the right to speak in the state assembly neither the government can be criticised. In this one-and-half-year no adjournment motion has been accepted by the House."

"People have seen how democracy is being attacked in the state and rights of the MLAs are being attacked by TMC anti-social elements," he added.

More than a dozen Left leaders including Gurudas Dasgupta participated in the dharna holding placards.

West Bengal assembly had plunged into bedlam on Tuesday with ruling Trinamool Congress and Left members coming to blows and the Speaker suspending three Left MLAs, while three injured members were taken to hospital.

Tempers ran high after Left members who tried to bring an adjournment motion on the mushrooming of chit funds in the state rushed to Speaker Biman Banerjee's podium and started shouting slogans.

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Gujarat polls: Rahul Gandhi to campaign again on Saturday

NEW DELHI: To give a further boost to the Congress in poll-bound Gujarat, party general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, will campaign again in the state on Dec 15, party sources said on Friday.

This will be Gandhi's third visit to the state where the first round of polls on Thursday saw an overwhelming 68 percent voters exercise their franchise.

The second round of state polls is slated for Monday. Counting is due on Dec 20, when the results of both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where the assembly elections took place Nov 4, will be announced.

According to party sources, Rahul Gandhi will hold a public meeting in Bhuj in Kutch district.

He had earlier addressed rallies in other parts of the state in Dec 11 and 13.

Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, said Thursday that the high voter turnout would help the Congress against the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the state.

Modi is tipped to return to power as the chief minister for the third consecutive term.

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BJP MLA says Chhattisgarh govt ‘favouring’ GMR group with land acquisition

RAIPUR: Land acquisition for a railway line at Tilda, near the state capital in Chhattisgarh , has sparked a row with a senior BJP legislator alleging that the state government was doing it under the garb of a proposed industrial area to directly benefit infrastructure giant GMR Group to transport coal to its 1370 MW thermal power plant, now under construction.

Raising the issue during the question hour, senior BJP leader Devji Bhai Patel, who represents Dharsiva constituency in the assembly, said the revenue department had published notices in the newspapers for land acquisition for "industrial purpose" in Tilda tehsil. He alleged that the state run Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) has misled the revenue department for acquiring land for laying a rail-line between Tilda and Raikheda, sparking a heated debate during the question hour.

"This land acquisition is for the GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Limited for transportation of coal to its upcoming thermal power plant", he said alleging that the acquisition was in gross violation of norms as no government agency could acquire land for a private party.

GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Limited (a subsidiary of GMR Group) is setting up a 1370-Mw thermal power plant in Tilda—about 40 km from here.

However, state revenue minister Dayaldas Baghel sought to clarify that the land acquisition and proposed rail-line was part of an extensive industrial project, including the proposed mega industrial area in Raikheda. He said the land in question had not been handed over to the GMR for the rail-line.

However, the BJP legislator countered the minister's statement saying that there was no plan for establishing an industrial area in Raikheda and only GMR's power plant is coming up in the area. " "Talks about establishing an industrial area at Raikheda is just a facade and the state Industries Corporation was trying to directly help the private company by trying to by-pass all the norms", he said reiterating that the government cannot acquire land for the benefit of any industry.

When Patel alleged that the power company had even started construction work on the land proposed to be acquired and the villagers had recently got it stopped, the minister said he was willing to conduct a probe into the allegation.

"I have no problem if the CSIDC is building the rail-line for use of industries but cannot be handed over to the power company", Patel said adding that people in eight villages would be displaced with this proposed land acquisition. "We will not allow this land acquisition at any cost in my constituency", Patel said.

Former chief minister Ajit Jogi said the centre was in the process of formulating a law with regard to land acquisition under which no land could be acquired without consent of 80 per cent of farmers in the respective areas, that too with effect from 2007.

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Navy deploys INS-Ganga for patrolling Gulf of Eden where Somali pirates enter India

MUMBAI: The Indian Navy has deployed INS-Ganga to patrol the Gulf of Eden and protect the marine jurisdiction from where the Somali pirates enter India. The navy has been patrolling this gulf for sometime now and hence there has not been a single case of piracy reported, say sources in the Indian navy.

Last year, the navy, coast guard and the Yellow Gate police have jointly caught 120 Somali pirates who had hijacked at least two fishing trawlers of Iran and Pakistan and kept 70 crew members hostage for two days. "The pirates had killed an Iranian national, injured another one and kidnapped all the hostages. Four cases were registered and charge sheets have been filed against the pirates," said a source in the security establishment. Observers say that most of the Somali nationals are becoming pirates due to non availability of food and money. "They consider piracy as a profession. If you see these pirates you will be surprised. They are so weak that it looks they are suffering from starvation. However, piracy is an offence and hence they are arrested whenever come to Indian jurisdiction. Most of the time they hijack ships and barges on gun point," said an observer.

After the arrest of 120 pirates, who are currently kept in Navi Mumbai's Taloja jail, there were discussion between navy, coast guard and police to the infiltration. "After a year, the decision was taken to deploy INS-Ganga for patrolling. This ship has small trawlers that sail in the sea. More than 500 personnel have been deployed on this ship and there has not been a single case of piracy since it began patrolling," said a source from the Navy.

Sources added that in most of the cases, the pirates wish to be caught and jailed so that they would get proper food and accommodation in the jail. "However, we cannot bring everyone and feed here until they commit a crime. Its also uncertain whether the Somali government will take these pirates back or not since the pirates were not carrying any proof of nationality," said the source.

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Pakistan jail staff suspects Indian prisoners and bars them from writing letters

AMRITSAR: Many Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistani jails are still suspected and are even not allowed to write letters to their dear ones in India.

Revealing this, Pakistani advocate Awaish Sheikh , who is also contesting the case of Sarabjit Singh, informed TOI on Friday that during his meeting with Indian prisoner Kuldeep Singh in Central jail on December 13th the deputy superintendent of central jail refused Kuldeep Singh to write a message for his family.

Kuldeep Singh was reportedly arrested from Shakargarh area of Pakistan in 1992 on charges of spying and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court on May 1996 and had already spent 20 years in Pak jail. Sheikh informed that he met Kuldeep Singh in jail after approval of home secretary .

"But to my surprise a major of Pakistan army and his junior were unofficially present in the meeting along with deputy superintendent of jail", said Sheikh adding that representatives of special branch(CID) and counter terrorism departments also accompanied him. He said this was for the first time that any lawyer met him in jail in all these years and he also gave him some eatables.

He said he handed over him a draft of mercy petition for his release on humanitarian grounds in Urdu language and also two papers for writing messages for his mother, wife and son back home so that they could be delivered to them."A jail staffer took those papers from him and gave to deputy superintendent of jail who refused to handover to me after reading them" said Sheikh adding that he was informed that he couldn't take these papers on the plea that correspondence of inmates were not allowed.

"I tried to convince him but he d idn't listen to me" said Sheikh. However he said that Kuldeep gave him a hand made key ring and asked him to convey his well being to his family members.

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40 Indian fishermen return home after their release by Sri Lankan Navy

RAMESWARAM: Forty Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lankan Navy on December 3 off Nagapattinam and Karaikal coasts have arrived here after their release by authorities in the island nation.

The fishermen arrived here on Wednesday evening, officials said. The detention of the 40 fishermen had prompted chief minister Jayalalithaa to shoot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 5, seeking his intervention to urge Colombo to immediately release them.

She had said such "harassment" had become a regular occurrence and that the Lankan Navy's action would only escalate the tensions between the two countries and cause unrest and anxiety among the fishermen community.

Meanwhile, in another incident, 272 fishermen who put out to sea in 68 boats on Wednesday were intercepted near Katchathivu islet by the Sri Lankan Navy, the sources, said adding the naval personnel fired in the air and cut their fishing nets. The fishermen then returned ashore.

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Govt should announce date for hanging Afzal Guru: BJP

NEW DELHI: On the eleventh anniversary of Parliament attack on Thursday, BJP said the government should announce the date for hanging convict Afzal Guru today itself to pay "real tribute" to the martyrs of the strike.

"Real tribute would be only if the home minister assures the House today that we have paid tributes to the martyrs but their families and country will get relief only when he (Guru) would be hanged.

"If they fix a date (for hanging Guru) and announce it today, this would be the real tribute to these martyrs," the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said inside Parliament House complex.

She was talking to reporters soon after paying homage to the nine martyrs of the 2001 Parliament attack.

Swaraj said every year the country pays homage to these martyrs. "But one question is still unanswered that the attacker who has been twice or thrice sentenced to death by the Supreme Court, why has he not been hanged so far?"

She said after the hanging of 26/11 Mumbai terror convict Ajmal Kasab, "hope has increased that the government will show courage to do what it has not done so far."

Minister of state for home RPN Singh criticised Swaraj for making the demand, saying the occasion should not be politicised.

"We have just paid tributes to those martyrs. I think it is extremly unfortunate that the moment we get away from there, we get into politics... I think to politicise this thing on every December 13, is not paying real homage to martyrs of this country," he said.

Singh said matters related to hanging convicts are not dealt by Parliament and are handled by the courts.

"There is a process that has been explained by home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. He has said the file is lying with him and he will look at it and make notings after the Parliament session," he said.

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Wife can ask maintenance if hubby gets another wife at home:HC

MUMBAI: A wife cannot be faulted for not living with husband when he brings another woman in the house and she can demand maintenance on this ground, the Bombay high court has ruled in a divorce case.

"Whether or not he (husband) may be entitled under the Personal Law to bring her (second wife), it has no bearing upon the hurt that the wife would feel upon having another wife in the house. In such cases emotional and mental violence is not only apparent, but proved. That itself would entitle any wife to have just cause in not living with her husband and demanding maintenance," ruled Justice Roshan Dalvi.

The judge was hearing a petition last week filed by Irfan Shaikh, challenging the February 6 order of a family court in Nasik asking him to pay maintenance of Rs 2,000 each to his wife and child from the date of filing of petition, November 12, 2009.

The high court noted that though the husband claimed that the wife deserted him and he never deserted her even by remarriage, the wife had sent legal notice to him. It was not claimed by the husband. It was also not replied by him. The legal notice requested reconciliation and cohabitation, which was not done.

"Hence it is seen that the husband's case is false and there has been no attempt at reconciliation or cohabitation or conciliation between the parties. That evidence not corroborated is, therefore, an important absent factor," Justice Dalvi observed.

"The learned Judge has also rightly considered that the husband deserted the wife in as much as he never paid any maintenance to her and in fact got married to another by which he deserted her," the judge remarked.

Irfan got married to Nilofar on June 3, 2007. They separated on June 17, 2009. The application for maintenance was filed in November 2009. Irfan married again in December 2009.

A criminal complaint under Section 498A IPC was filed by the wife on December 24, 2009.

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Imran Khan to send his party’s delegation to study developments in Bihar

PATNA: Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and legendary cricketer Imran Khan is planning to send a delegation of his party leaders to Bihar to deeply study the governance and the way state achieved a turnaround. This was disclosed by chief minister Nitish Kumar who met Khan last month at his residence in Islamabad.

Nitish said Khan is highly impressed with the developments in Bihar, its growth rate, anti-graft measures, and confiscation of the properties made with corrupt practices besides improvement in health care, education and immunization.

When Nitish with his delegation went to see Khan, all the senior ranking leaders of PTI were present to know a lot about Bihar, they felt has metamorphosis in the last few years from a misgoverned, poor and corrupt state to well governed and developing state. Khan feel he will win the election early next year to become Prime Minister.

"Khan told me that his delegation will study various aspects of Bihar before the PTI scripts its manifesto," the CM said. "They have already studied whatever available about Bihar and the recent developments and said the PTI has adopted few policies like declaration of assets by the leaders of the PTI which are available on the net," Nitish said.

Like a perfect story teller, Nitish told about his experiences in Pakistan where he spent almost a week and met the leaders of different parties including President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said, "It was a lifetime experience visiting Takshila and Mohan Jodaro and everywhere I found Buddha. I went with open mind and returned with only the sweet memories," he told a gathering of legislators and intellectuals.

"I have a genuine feeling that people of Pakistan wants cordial relations with India and favour frequent exchange of visits by all sections of the society as well as common people. But it is also a fact that forces are at work in both the countries attempting to frustrate the normalization of relations," said Nitish.

The CM was also highly impressed when he was given a chance to plant a sapling of fig near the spot where the offshoot of Mahabodhi tree brought from Anuradhapuram by the Sri Lankan President had been planted some four decade back. The Mahabodhi tree at Anuradhapuram had been planted from the offshoot of the original Mahabaodhi tree at Bodh Gaya where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained nirvana (enlightenment).

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Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman charged with breach of trust

JERUSALEM: Israel's attorney general has indicted the country's powerful foreign minister for alleged breach of trust, but decided not to file a number of more serious charges in a fraud and money-laundering case.

While Avigdor Lieberman escaped the most serious accusations against him, Thursday's decision could still jeopardize his political career and throw the Israeli political system into upheaval on the eve of elections.

The investigation into Lieberman's personal business dealings goes back more than a decade. Prosecutors suspected he illicitly received money from businessmen and laundered it through straw companies.

But they apparently decided they had insufficient evidence for a conviction. Instead, a statement says he was charged with receiving official material from the investigation against him from the former Israeli ambassador to Belarus.

Lieberman had no immediate comment.

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World would sacrifice Israel, Israeli foreign minister says

JERUSALEM: Israel's hawkish foreign minister lashed out at the international community on Wednesday, criticizing its policies toward the Palestinians and charging that many world leaders would readily sacrifice Israel to radical Islam just as Europe appeased the Nazis before World War II.

Avigdor Lieberman hit back at European foreign ministers for condemning Israel's plans to build settler housing in an especially sensitive area of the West Bank.

He also accused the international community of ignoring threats to Israel, including weapons smuggling by Palestinian militants and calls for Israel's destruction from Palestinian Hamas militants and Iran.

On Tuesday night, Lieberman said some of his European counterparts "regard Israel's destruction as a given." On Wednesday, he accused Europeans of being prepared to abandon Israel as they gave up Czechoslovakia to the Nazis on the eve of World War II.

"Expressions and promises of commitment to Israel's security from all around the world remind me of similar commitments made to Czechoslovakia in '38," Lieberman told a diplomatic conference, invoking an analogy he has used before.

"My sense is that all the promises and commitments to Israel's security are mere words," he said, speaking English.

"When push comes to shove, many key leaders would be willing to sacrifice Israel without batting an eyelid, in order to appease the radical Islamist militants and ensure quiet for themselves," he said.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for the prime minister, would not comment when asked if Lieberman's criticisms reflected government policy or his personal opinion.

The blunt-talking Lieberman appeared to be heating up his rhetoric ahead of Israel's Jan. 22 election in an effort to impress hawkish voters. His Yisrael Beitenu Party is running on a joint list with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud. Polls indicate the combined slate will finish first, and Netanyahu will keep his job.

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Chinese metropolis Guangzhou gives cash for 'green' cars

BEIJING: Chinese metropolis Guangzhou is now handing out 10,000 yuan in cash to car owners who purchase vehicles powered by new, alternative energy sources.

Out of 17,880 new licence plates approved by the government in the populated southern city, over 1,200 are earmarked for "green cars", the People's Daily reported.

However, car sellers said the cash incentive was still not enough to lure buyers.

"On an average, we sell two to three cars per month, but altogether we have only sold 10 green cars so far. Not that many," said Yu Weitao, a sales consultant.

Some of the main challenges customers face are price and support facilities.

He, a Guangzhou resident, said new energy cars were "pretty expensive", and refilling petrol and recharging electricity "are big problems now".

In Shenzhen, a city down south from Guangzhou, a new green car is being sold at 170,000 yuan. Buyers are also entitled to 80,000 yuan worth of subsidy, putting the car price at only 90,000 yuan.

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Leon Panetta in Afghanistan to meet with Hamid Karzai

KABUL: US defense secretary Leon Panetta, who has flown to Afghanistan for talks with President Hamid Karzai, says President Barack Obama will decide in the next few weeks how many US troops will after the combat mission ends there.

Panetta arrived on Wednesday on an unannounced visit to Kabul to consult with top military commanders as well as confer with Karzai.

The visit comes at a difficult juncture in the Western coalition's efforts to shift more security responsibilities to Afghan forces so the combat mission can end in December 2014.

While security has generally improved lately, the Afghan government's ability to effectively govern and to root out corruption is in great doubt. Peace talks with the Taliban are on a back burner.

Speaking to reporters earlier Wednesday in Kuwait, Panetta did not reveal what options Obama is considering, but officials have said he may settle on a figure between 6,000 and 10,000 troops. There currently are about 66,000 US troops in Afghanistan.

The post-2014 mission is expected to focus on counterterrorism and advising Afghan security forces.

Before flying to Afghanistan, Panetta spoke to about 100 US service members inside an aircraft hangar at a desert base west of Kuwait City. He thanked them for their service and emphasized that the US is winding down its involvement in lengthy wars.

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Angry Pakistani girls protest naming of college after Malala

PESHAWAR: Angry Pakistani girls protested Wednedsay against the renaming of their school after shot teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, saying the move would make them a target for militants.

Around 150 students boycotted classes at what is now the Government Malala College for Girls in Saidu Sharif, in the northwestern Swat Valley, tearing up and stoning pictures of the 15-year-old, accusing her of abandoning Pakistan by going to Britain for treatment.

The Pakistan government has renamed numerous schools in honour of Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in October for championing girls' education in Swat and is now recovering in a British hospital.

The students at what was previously known as the Government College for Girls said they had repeatedly asked the principal to remove the plate with the new name, fearing it would invite the attention of militants.

"We came out when the principal finally refused to accept our demand," student Shaista Ahmed said. "We feel the college would be the potential target of militants.

"I joined others who chanted slogans against Malala and pelted stones on her picture because she had left the country to settle abroad. We are poor, we cannot afford it and we will suffer because she has fled to Britain."

Local government official Niaz Ali Khan told AFP the protesting students were "very angry and aggressive" and tore up a portrait of Malala which the authorities had erected on a college wall after the Taliban attack.

"The students ended their protest after we promised to convey their demand to the authorities," he said.

Student Mah Noor, 19, said: "Malala herself is in Britain but other girls will remain in Swat. She will not come back to Pakistan, then what is the need to rename the college after her?"

Malala first rose to prominence aged just 11 with a blog for the BBC Urdu service in 2009 in which she described life in Swat during the bloody rule of the Taliban.

Taliban hitmen shot her on her school bus in Mingora, the main town in Swat, for the "crime" of campaigning for girls' rights to go to school, but she survived after surgery in Pakistan.

She was sent to Britain for further treatment and her courage has won the hearts of millions around the world, prompting the United Nations to observe a "global day of action" for her last month.

Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai, a former teacher and headmaster, has been appointed UN adviser on education.

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US stocks: Wall Street climbs on stimulus anticipation

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Dec 12, 2012, 08.45PM IST

NEW YORK: US stocks rose for a sixth day on Wednesday as investors anticipated that the US Federal Reserve will announce a fresh stimulus plan to support the economy at the end of a two-day monetary policy meeting.

The fed is expected to announce a new round of bond buying later on Wednesday to boost a fragile economic recovery threatened by political wrangling over the government's budget. The monetary policy committee's decision is expected around 12:30pm. ET (1730 GMT)

The S&P 500 was up for a sixth day, its longest winning streak since August, although gains have been less than 0.5% per day, on average.

"The market is waiting on the Fed, anticipating the open check to be out again, but we will see. Anything less than enormous will be disappointing to the market," said Joe Saluzzi, co-founder of New Jersey-based brokerage Themis Trading LLC.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 35.56 points, or 0.27%, at 13,284.00. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 4.04 points, or 0.28%, at 1,431.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 4.31 points, or 0.14%, at 3,026.62.

With just two weeks of trading left this year, the S&P 500 is up about 14% so far; it ended the year flat in 2011.

BlackRock, one of the world's biggest asset managers, expects the S&P 500, the broad measure of U.S. stocks, to scale new heights in 2013 and reach 1,600 by the end of the year. That's a gain of more than 12% from current levels and would surpass the index's previous peak of 1,576.09 set in 2007.

Negotiations intensified to avert the "fiscal cliff" - tax hikes and spending cuts that kick in early in 2013 - ahead of a year-end deadline as President Barack Obama and US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner spoke by phone on Tuesday after exchanging new proposals.

Costco Wholesale Corp posted a 30 percent rise in quarterly profit, beating expectations, as the largest U.S. warehouse club chain saw sales rise and got a lift from higher membership fees. But the stock fell 0.7 percent to $97.53 in early trading Wednesday, after having gained more than 1 percent in premarket trading.

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Property worth lakhs gutted in fire at hotel in Dehradun

DEHRADUN: Property worth lakhs was gutted on Tuesday when a major fire engulfed three floors of a three-star hotel here.

The fire broke out at about 1pm on the second floor of Hotel Solitaire on Haridwar bypass road in the city and spread to its third and fourth floors, police said.

However, no one was hurt as people were quickly evacuated, they said.

Firemen were immediately pressed into service who have brought the blaze under control, they said.

Though the exact extent of damage is yet be assessed, property worth lakhs must have been destroyed as 20 rooms on three floors of the hotel caught fire, authorities at Nehru colony police station informed.

They said the cause of the fire is being ascertained.

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Mercury to dip in Uttar Pradesh, colder nights ahead

LUCKNOW: The mercury is set to drop across Uttar Pradesh and fog is likely in most parts, Met officials said here Tuesday.

Day temperatures would go down by two to three degrees Celsius, they added.

Met officials said the day temperatures were hovering around 28 degrees Celsius while night temperatures were at around eight degrees Celsius.

In the coming days, the temperature is likely to drop by a few degrees, officials told IANS.

Outskirts of Lucknow were engulfed in fog Monday night.

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Kargil hero's father moves United Nations Human Rights Council for justice

BANGALORE: The father of an Indian army officer who was killed in action has moved to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) against the torture and murder of his son, Capt Suarabh Kalia, and five soldiers of the Jat regiment during the Kargil conflict in 1999.

The petition has been jointly sent by the Flag of Honour Foundation and Dr NK Kalia, father of the captain.

Capt Kalia was the first officer to detect intrusion into Indian side of the Line of Control by the Pakistan army. He was later allegedly captured by Pakistani forces and tortured for over three weeks.

The petitioners urged the UNHRC to ensure that a full and independent investigation is conducted into the issue immediately and the ends of justice is met. They also asked the UN body to take appropriate steps to urge the Government of Pakistan to conduct an enquiry into the matter and ascertain those responsible for the torture and death of the captain.

The petition identifies the torturers as "unknown members of the Pakistan army, reportedly belonging to either the Elite Special Services Group or the Northern Light Infantry".

Capt Kalia's "post-mortem report and the death certificate indicate burns inflicted by cigarettes, eardrums pierced by hot rods, broken bones and teeth. Removal of eyes before puncturing then and chopped limbs and private organs", the petition said.

Talking to TOI over telephone from Palampur Himachal Pradesh, Dr Kalia confirmed that the petition had been filed. "I have very happy to see many people coming forward to support our family in this fight for justice for Saurab," he said.

A group of lawyers from Bangalore, including a senior lawyer associated with the UN, had been preparing the case to be submitted to the UNHRC. The activists said the apathy of the government in taking up the issue had forced them to do it themselves.

"Our idea is to let the families know that the sacrifice made by their sons will not forgotten and fight for justice will continue," said Rajiv Chandrashekar, MP and founder of the Flag of Honour Foundation.

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1981 Air India plane hijack: Two move court for stay of fresh trial

NEW DELHI: Two alleged Sikh militants, sent back to India in 2000 after serving a life term in Pakistan for hijacking an Air India plane to that country in 1981, have moved a Delhi court seeking stay of a fresh trial against them here for the same offence.

The two, in their plea to additional chief metropolitan magistrate Sameer Bajpai has said the trial in the case be stayed as the matter is pending before the Delhi HC, which on April 8 will decide their plea for quashing the FIR.

Tejinder Pal Singh and Satnam Singh had approached the Delhi HC in November for quashing of the FIR against them and also the trial court's August 30 order, which took cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet.

The court fixed January 22, 2013 to take up their pleas. "At this stage, an application for stay of proceedings against the two accused Tejinder and Satnam has been moved. Put up for consideration on January 22," the court said.

After the two along with Gajender Singh, Karan Singh Kini and Jasbir Singh Jima, who are also facing trial in the case, failed to appear before the court on issuance of nonbailable warrants, the court had ordered initiation of proceedings under section 82 of the Code of Criminal Proceedings (CrPC) to declare the five as proclaimed offender.

Under section 82 of the CrPC if the court has a reason to believe that the accused is absconding or concealing himself, it orders the prosecution to publish notice about the accused or publicly announce or affix information about them near their house or public places for making them appear in court.

The case against the five dates back to September 29, 1981 when they had allegedly hijacked an Air India plane from New Delhi to Srinagar and forced it to land in Pakistan, where they were arrested and put on trial and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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2G case: Supreme Court to hear plea of accused on Thursday

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Thursday the plea of Swan Telecom promoter, Shahid Usman Balwa, and other accused challenging the order of its bench which had stayed proceedings on all petitions relating to the 2G spectrum case before the Delhi High Court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir accepted the plea for early hearing after senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Balwa, said that all the defects in the petition have been removed.

The accused have sought staying of the April 11, 2011 and November 9, 2012 orders of a special bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi which had directed that no court other than the apex court shall entertain any application relating to the case.

They have submitted that the orders of the two-judge bench, which is monitoring the probe into the 2G case, violates the fundamental and constitutional rights of the accused and were without jurisdiction.

They have also questioned the authority of the bench for monitoring developments in the case after filing of the charge sheets contending that it was against the guidelines of the apex court which had clearly stated that the monitoring of the case comes to an end with filing of the charge sheet.

Besides Balwa, others who have approached the apex court are Vinod Goenka, promoter of Swan Telecom, Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal (both directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd).

Aggrieved by the orders, they have sought framing of fresh guidelines to be followed by Constitutional courts in relation to monitoring of criminal investigation and other facets of such probe and for a direction that since the trial in the case has already started there should be no further supervision by the apex court.

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Stopped releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar says

BELGAUM: Karnataka has stopped releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu since last evening, chief minister Jagadish Shettar told the assembly today.

Shettar said the government had filed a review petition in the Supreme Court on its recent directive and challenged the Cauvery monitoring committee order relating to the water release issue.

"We have stopped release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu since last evening", he said, as the issue rocked the assembly where the opposition Congress members staged a dharna protesting against the water release.

Complying with the Supreme Court order, Karnataka began releasing 10,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu since the night of December 6. The next day, the CMC also asked Karnataka to provide Tamil Nadu with 12 TMC of water during December.

"I earnestly urge the opposition members to cooperate with the government in resolving the Cauvery issue by withdrawing the dharna," he said, following which the protest was called off.

Shettar said the government was making all efforts to solve the issue and safeguard the interests of the farmers.

He objected to the CMC asking Karnataka to release 12 tmcft of water in December. "The CMC's recommendation to release 12 tmcft is a great injustice for Karnataka," he said.

Shettar said the government had already discussed the issue with legal experts. "In the light of the Supreme Court order, we did not want legal problems to crop up for us and hence we released the water," he said.

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BJP stalled Rajya Sabha to stop quota Bill: Mayawati

NEW DELHI, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday accused the BJP of stalling the Rajya Sabha because it did not want a bill for reservations in job promotions to be passed.

Mayawati asked why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had not raised the issue of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Lok Sabha.

She was addressing reporters after the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day over reports of Wal-Mart's lobbying in the US to open way for foreign equity in retail in India.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) too staged noisy protests against the quota Bill.

"Today this Bill (for promotion quota) was to come. But it's sad that to stop this Bill, the BJP and company raised the issue of FDI lobbying issue," Mayawati said.

The Bill, which will amend the constitution to allow reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribals, was listed in the Rajya Sabha and was to be taken up on Monday.

"They allowed the Lok Sabha to function, they did not remember the issue of FDI and lobbying there? It proves the BJP and others of their mentality don't want this legislation to be passed," she said.

Mayawati also accused SP of acting at the BJP's behest.

The BSP chief added that it was the government's responsibility to get the Bill through.

"I also want to tell UPA, running the House is their responsibility. So it's now UPA government's responsibility to get this bill debated in the house and get it passed," she said.

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Bangladesh's controversial ex-President Iajuddin Ahmed passes away

DHAKA: Former Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed whose eventful tenure exposed the country to a major political turmoil that ended with the installation of an army backed interim government in 2007 has died in Bangkok.

He was 81 years and on life support for over a month.

"He (Ahmed) died at around 10.30pm... he was under life support system since October 28 when he underwent a heart surgery," Ahmed's son Imtiaz Ahmed Babu said in a statement from the Thai capital.

Babu said Ahmed's condition deteriorated soon after the surgery as he developed complications in his kidney.

President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina statements mourning the death of Ahmed, originally a renowned soil scientist and university professor.

Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief and ex-premier Khaleda Zia whose party elected him to presidency after the resignation of his predecessor in 2002 Professor AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury also issued a condolence message mentioning his role only as an "ideal educationist and social worker".

Ahmed's unilateral act of declaring himself as the head of an interim government in 2006 after the BNP government quit as per constitutional obligations mired his office in controversies sparking widespread street protests and international criticism. He was widely accused of acting in favour of BNP.

His assumption as the interim government chief intensified the political unrest prompting intervention of the military.

He then reconstituted the interim administration and ran the country under emergency rules for the subsequent two years until the December 2008 elections.

Before quitting office and handing over powers to his successor Zillur Rahman in 2009, Ahmed, however, admitted that "I am a human being and as a man I am not above mistakes".

Later in a television interview, he attributed the developments of his time to "divine will" saying "everything has happened according to Allah's will".

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CBI to file chargesheet in spectrum allocation during NDA rule

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Dec 10, 2012, 07.00PM IST

NEW DELHI: CBI is likely to file this week its chargesheet in connection with alleged irregularities in telecom spectrum allocation during the tenure of NDA government involving two telecom service providers along with officials of telecom department and the then telecom minister Pramod Mahajan.

The agency was advised by the Supreme Court to follow the opinion of its chief while finalising its chargesheet.

CBI sources said the agency will book a former senior telecom official besides telecom companies.

The agency had registered a case against Shyamal Ghosh, the then telecom secretary when the ministry was headed by Pramod Mahajan, J R Gupta, who was the deputy director general (value added services) and two telecom service providers Airtel and Vodafone for alleged irregularities in grant of additional spectrum.

Sources said Gupta, who retired as director, BSNL, has become an approver for the agency.

CBI had alleged in its FIR that the DoT increased the base spectrum for telecom companies from 4.4 MhZ to 6.2 MhZ during Mahajan's tenure from 2001 to 2003 and also allocated extra spectrum on subscriber-based criteria.

The case against the then DoT official, Bharti Cellular (now known as Bharti Airtel), and Hutchinson Max and Sterling Cellular (now known as Vodafone Essar) was registered under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, the CBI alleged.

"The then minister for telecom and communication (Pramod Mahajan) has been excluded since he expired," CBI had said but alleged he was a part of criminal conspiracy to allocate the additional spectrum in a "hurried" manner.

Both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone had, however, denied the allegation saying they had always maintained the highest standard of corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

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Standard Chartered to pay $327 million to resolve US sanctions case

WASHINGTON: British bank Standard Chartered Plc will pay $327 million to resolve allegations that it violated US sanctions and other laws, the Federal Reserve said on Monday.

The bank will pay $100 million to resolve Fed allegations that it provided "inadequate and incomplete responses" to bank examiners and provided insufficient oversight of its sanctions compliance program, the Fed said.

The bank separately entered into deferred prosecution agreements with the US Justice department and the New York District attorney, and will forfeit $227 million in connection with those agreements, the Fed said.

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Bangladesh witnesses widespread violence as opposition enforces blockade

DHAKA: Violence broke out here on Sunday after main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its rightwing allies enforced a nationwide eight-hour road blockade protesting scrapping of non-party caretaker government system for election oversight.

Witnesses said several people were injured in sporadic incidents of violence as the activists torched and vandalized vehicles, clashed with police and exploded homemade bombs.

Police said they were forced to chase "unruly activists" wielding batons and hurling tear gas canisters as protestors exploded crude bombs and vandalized vehicles.

The elite anticrime Rapid Action Battalion were also called out to patrol streets.

Police and witnesses said the activists ransacked at least 11 motor vehicles including buses and a vehicle carrying journalists of Samay Television at Jurain, one of four entry points to capital Dhaka.

"They (activists) began their programme with violence... in most cases they came out from narrow lanes or houses and launched sudden attacks on us with bombs, sticks and brickbats," a police official told PTI. The official was monitoring the situation at the police control room.

Officials said around 12,000 additional forces have been called in to work with police and RAB while the Dhaka district administration constituted 19 mobile courts to take instant punitive measures against troublemakers.

Police also picked up at least 10 pro-pickets from different spot for vandalism in the city streets and obstructing vehicle movement.

BNP earlier urged people not to bring their vehicles on roads during the blockade and threatened the government of ruling Awami League of tougher steps if it created any obstacle.

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Rare Beijing protest takes aim at high speed rail project

BEIJING: Authorities in Beijing allowed a rare protest to take place on Sunday against a new high speed rail line, with about 300 demonstrators shouting slogans disrupting traffic in a busy eastern suburb.

Residents told Reuters they were concerned the new line from Beijing to the northeastern city of Shenyang would run too close to their apartments and local schools, causing excess noise and electromagnetic radiation.

They also complained the government had refused to listen to their concerns and accused them of faking an environmental impact assessment.

"I only knew this line was planned two weeks ago when I got a letter from the government thanking me for my support," said a protester who gave her family name as Zhang. "But neither me nor any of the other residents support this. They are inventing things."

Reuters was unable to reach government officials to seek comment.

Police allowed the largely middle-class protesters to march down a main road, where they briefly blocked an intersection shouting "down with the high speed line" and "change the route".

They peacefully dispersed later in the afternoon. The stability-obsessed ruling Communist Party is wary of any protests, especially in the sensitive capital of Beijing, and often detain demonstrators or break up protests before they reach critical mass.

The party worries that the tens of thousands of sporadic protests over land grabs, corruption, environmental problems and economic grievances that break out every year could coalesce into a national movement and threaten its control.

In 2008, hundreds of people in China's financial hub Shanghai marched against the extension of the city's magnetic levitation train, or "maglev", worried it would emit radiation and sicken them. Police detained dozens.

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All safety aspects of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project will be taken care of: Narayanasamy

TIRUNELVELI: Government on Sunday maintained that it will ensure all safety aspects of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project are fully taken care of before it is commissioned.

"It is our duty to ensure all the safety (aspects), we will do that with regard to the nuclear plant," minister of state in the PMO, V Narayanasamy told reporters here.

The minister said Atomic Regulatory Board officials were still inspecting the plant. A meeting of the board officials was held on December 3, and order for commencing power generation would be issued before this month-end, he said.

"There is no confusion or delay in commencing generation of power. We are only ensuring all the safety aspects (in KNPP)," the minister asserted.

When asked about the plans of the Peoples Movement Against Nuclear energy, spearheading the stir against the KNPP here, to lay siege to it from the sea, he alleged that foreign forces were behind those who opposed KNPP, and they would be defeated.

With the commissioning of the first unit expected by this month-end, there were reports of anti-nuclear activists planning to lay siege to the facility on Monday to press for scrapping of the project.

Narayanasamy said Union ministers from Tamil Nadu were pressing the government to give the entire quantum of power generated from the first 1,000 MW unit of KNPP to the state, though as per the schedule it should get 465 MW. The rest would be divided among Karnataka, Puducherry and Kerala.

The extra power of 1,600 MW given back to the Central grid by various states could not be brought to Tamil Nadu due to grid congestion, he said.

The minister expressed confidence that the KNPP's second unit would be commissioned before the next three months.

He claimed that the Centre had already given Rs 300 crore to the state for taking up development projects for benefit of people in Kudankulam and Rs 200 crore would be given shortly.

The government was opting for nuclear and solar energy as they were safe, he said.

The regulatory board had granted permission to load fuel in the first unit on August 10 after the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited complied with its conditions.

Commissioning of the first unit of the Indo-Russian project was originally scheduled for December last year but has been delayed due to protests.

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Dassault Aviation seeks clarity on role of HAL in supply of Rafale fighters

NEW DELHI: After bagging the multi-billion dollar deal for supplying 126 Rafale fighter aircraft to the IAF, French firm Dassault Aviation has asked the defence ministry to define the role of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the project.

If the contract is finalised, the first 18 aircraft would be supplied by Dassault directly to the Indian Air Force and the remaining 108 would be licence-produced at HAL facilities in Bangalore.

The French Dassault has asked the ministry to define the role of the premier Indian aerospace company in the final delivery of the 108 aircraft to be produced in India, industry sources told here.

As per the IAF tender issue for the project, the primary role for integration and supply of these aircraft would be of the HAL, which is successfully working on several important fighter aircraft projects such as the Su-30MKI project.

The French company has told the ministry that if it is given the overall responsibility for the project, it should be given the freedom to decide on the proportion of work to be done by the HAL and private companies in the programme, they said.

In that case, the firm would determine the role of the defence and security wing of a new Indian defence company in the project and a major share of work would be given to it, they said.

Soon after Dassault was declared as the lowest bidder for the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal pipping EAD's Eurofighter, it signed an MoU with a Reliance Industries Limited company for working together in the security sector. It is currently negotiating the deal with the defence ministry and the IAF.

For completing the Indian project, Dassault has also opened an Indian subsidiary company here. The company named Dassault Aircraft Services India Private Limited (DASIPL) was set up recently and it is 100 per cent owned by its French parent company, they said.

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Indian man 'sets afire' Nepali girl for refusing to elope with him

KATHMANDU: An Indian man allegedly set on fire a 16-year-old Nepali girl after she refused to elope with him, leaving her with serious burn injuries.

23-year-old Babu Khan, a resident of Baharaich in Uttar Pradesh, poured petrol over the girl in Bardiya district of western Nepal near the Indian border yesterday, deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Keshav Adhikari said today.

The man, who was arrested after the incident, set the girl on fire after she refused to elope with him against the wish of her parents, he said.

The girl has been admitted to hospital and her condition is said to be critical. Doctors attending on her said she has suffered 90 per cent burns.

Khan, police claimed, has admitted that he had set the girl ablaze.

Khan, who had long been courting the girl for marriage, worked as a mechanic in a local motorcycle garage. He was living near the girl's house.

The victim had told Khan that she would marry him only if her parents agreed to the match and refused to elope with him, police said.

They said the girl's brother, Tanvir Ahmed, had warned Khan to stay away from his sister.

Khan had earlier agreed to leave the girl alone during a compromise reached in the presence of police on Thursday.

"In our community, we don't let the female members of our house to venture outside without the permission of the elders. So there was no chance of him meeting my sister. But, Khan continued to harass my sister on phone," Ahmed told police.

At around 6am yesterday, Khan walked to the girl's house, poured petrol on her and set her on fire, police claimed.

The girl's family members were asleep during the incident.

"The doctors have referred her to Kathmandu for further treatment, but we cannot afford that," said Tanvir.

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