Obama set to meet Dalai Lama

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama was to hold a long-awaited meeting Thursday with Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, rebutting China’s threats that the encounter would further harm ties between the two powers.

Author JK Rowling accused in lawsuit of stealing ideas for “Harry Potter” books

‘Harry Potter’ author hit with plagiarism lawsuit

Prosecutors: Texas judge who refused to keep court open for death row appeal must be punished

Prosecutors: death row judge deserves punishment

Infomercial pitchman Trudeau gets 30 days for unleashing e-mails that crashed judge’s computer

Trudeau gets 30 days for crashing judge’s computer

In bid to defend city, NYC lawyers challenge health claims of some 9/11 responders

NY questions health claims of some 9/11 responders

Thailand repatriates illegal Bangladeshi migrants

DHAKA - A group of 200 ethnic Rohingyas was repatriated to Bangladesh late Wednesday from Thailand, more than a year after the group tried to illegally migrate to Malaysia before being detained in Thai waters.

Jon Gosselin, TLC network reach settlement in breach of contract lawsuit; terms confidential

Jon Gosselin, TLC reach settlement in lawsuit

Father of Colo. airport driver accused in NYC terror plot allowed to go free on bail

Father of NY terror plot suspect gets bail

Gilani to issue fresh notification over judges’ appointments

ISLAMABAD - Seeking to resolve the standoff with judiciary over the elevation of two high court judges to the Supreme Court, Pakistan government Wednesday agreed to the suggestions made by country’s chief justice on the issue.

Centre misleading court on canal projects: Madhya Pradesh

NEW DELHI - The central government is misleading the Supreme Court on the ongoing construction of two canals for the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar reservoir projects, the Madhya Pradesh government told the court Wednesday.

Businessman known as ‘Arab Donald Trump’ calls reports of Dubai arrest warrant ‘nonsense’

Emirati tycoon dismisses report he’s a wanted man

Teen-aged Australian attackers of Indian set free

MELBOURNE - Two teenaged brothers, detained for less than a year over a brutal attack on a group of Indians which left one of the victims in a coma, have been relieved from facing further detention.

Higher judiciary empowered to order CBI probe: SC (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court Wednesday said the apex court and high courts are constitutionally empowered to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into criminal cases for protecting the fundamental rights of citizens, for which it requires no consent or concurrence from the state or the union governments.

Court asks government to publicise night shelters

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the state government to give wide publicity about the availability of night shelters for homeless people in the capital.

French judge postpones decision on Iranian sought for extradition by US

French extradition decision on Iranian postponed

Display names of 1984 riot victims denied compensation: CIC

NEW DELHI - The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Delhi government to display on its website names of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims whose claims for compensation have been rejected.

Don’t ignore us in the budget, says women’s rights groups

NEW DELHI - With the union budget to be presented Feb 26, women’s rights groups are urging Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to allocate more money for schemes that directly benefit women.

Gurgaon hotel to buy ‘cage-free’ eggs only

NEW DELHI - It’s not an uncommon sight - scores of hens cooped inside a tiny cage, with barely enough space to even spread their wings. In an effort to discourage such acts of animal cruelty, an NGO is trying to motivate hotels to use eggs of only those hens which have not been confined in battery cages.

Pawar bats for GM crops to meet food security

NEW DELHI - Strongly arguing for the genetically modified crops, which he said could solve the country’s food security problem, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar Wednesday asked scientists to double efforts to remove all misgivings about GM crops from the minds of policy-makers and the public.

Congress refuses comment on Sajjan Kumar warrant

NEW DELHI - The Congress Wednesday refused to comment on the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against party leader Sajjan Kumar in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases. The party said it was for the courts to deal with criminal matters.

Delhi court issues warrant for Sajjan Kumar

NEW DELHI - A city court Wednesday issued non-bailable warrant for arrest of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and six others in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases.

1984 anti-Sikh riots: High court rejects Sajjan Kumar’s anticipatory bail plea

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to grant anticipatory bail to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Ulema Council to hold rally in Lucknow

LUCKNOW - Members of the Ulema Council (a body of Muslim clerics) will hold a rally here Feb 20 to protest alleged harassment of the minority community by the police on the pretext of tackling terror.

1984 riots: No relief for Sajjan Kumar from high court

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Wednesday adjourned by a day the hearing on Congress leader Sajjan Kumar’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots till Thursday.

High court admits Sajjan Kumar’s anticipatory bail plea

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Wednesday admitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar’s anticipatory bail plea challenging a trial court order rejecting bail in connection with cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Courts can order CBI probe without states’ permission: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the constitutional validity of courts’ powers to order Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation without the prior permission of state governments with a provision that this should be used carefully and cautiously.

Lahore High Court dismisses plea challenging Nawaz Sharif’s electoral eligibility

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed a petition challenging the acceptance of the nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif.

Malaysia prefers workers from Nepal, not Bangladesh

DHAKA - Malaysia is hiring over 100,000 workers from Nepal, “sidelining” 55,000 Bangladeshi workers whose visas were cancelled in March last year, a newspaper has reported.

Higher courts can order CBI probe without consulting government

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court and high courts are empowered to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into criminal cases without the concurrence of the union or state governments, the apex court ruled Wednesday.

Higher judiciary can order CBI probe

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court and state high courts are empowered to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into criminal cases to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, the apex court ruled Wednesday.

Aamir Khan resigns from Copyright Act panel

MUMBAI - Miffed by media reports that he is trying to harm writers, Bollywood star Aamir Khan has resigned from the 10-member committee formed by the government to look into the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act.

Malaysian model to have royal audience before being caned

KUALA LUMPUR - The sultan and the regent of Malaysia’s Pahang state will grant an audience to a part-time model who has expressed a wish to meet them before being caned for drinking in public.

Cuban political prisoner on hunger strike gravely ill

Havana, Feb 17 (IANS/EFE) After 75 days on hunger strike, Cuban political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo has been was transferred to a prison hospital in Havana due to his “grave condition”, said a dissident group.