Kathmandu , April 1: Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak whose name came to be inextricably associated with its first conqueror, Sir Edmund Hillary, will be the last resting place of the New Zealander in a grateful tribute by Nepal, the tiny country he made famous worldwide.

Right to Education as a fundamental right formally came into effect Thursday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging all stakeholders to make it a success by empowering people through education.

President Pratibha Patil presents the Padma Shri to badminton player Saina Nehwal during the Padma awards function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. n More photographs on Pages 5, 12 and 13
    PHOTO: Sondeep Shankar

The Delhi Daredevils celebrate the wicket of Rajasthan Royals’ Yusuf Pathan during their IPL T20 match at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi on Wednesday. n Report on Page 20    PHOTO: PTI

Mumbai , March 31: A year and a half after the country’s worst terror attack, and more than a year after the trial of lone surviving Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Aamir Kasab started, the special court hearing the 26/11 trial will pronounce its verdict on May 3.
The special court, presided over by judge M.L. Tahiliyani, was set up at Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail for the trial of Kasab and two Indians, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed. The trial started in April 2009.

Ahmedabad/Mumbai , March 31: With the fate of seven Indian cargo vessels hijacked by Somali pirates still hanging in the balance, there are reports of two new incidents of piracy on the high seas. Somali pirates hijacked a Panama-flag vessel from Yemen with a 24-member multinational crew, including six Indians, and a Dubai-based cargo vessel with 11 Indians. Eight Indian dhows with 97 Indians are already in Somali captivity.

Chandigarh , March 31: The controversial death sentences pronounced on 17 Indian workers in the United Arab Emirates has led to a pall of gloom across Punjab, home to 16 of the 17 young men (between 18 to 27) who now face the gallows in a faraway foreign land.

New Delhi ,March 31: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said his government had an “open mind” and was ready to “discuss and consider” any “deficiency” in the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill. The main Opposition BJP and the Left parties have so far expressed reservations on a clause in the proposed legislation which caps the liability amount at Rs 500 crores.

New Delhi ,March 31: In an effort to curb child marriages, the government intends to remove a sub-section of the Criminal Procedure Code  which is considered a major obstacle in the way of taking action in cases of marital rape of a wife below 15 years of age.
The Union law and justice ministry has proposed to delete sub-section 6 of Section 198, CrPC.