New Delhi, A court here has sent a man to 20 years in jail for raping a woman and trying to kill her.

The court said the man committed two most serious offences and showed the "highest degree of depravation, brutality and barbarism".

Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat held 20-year-old Suraj Kumar guilty of attempt to murder and rape, and awarded him 10 years jail term for each.

The court ordered that the "sentences shall run one after another". The order was delivered Saturday and was released Monday.

Kumar was also slapped with a fine of Rs.50,000.

Police said Kumar developed friendship with

Seoul, South Korea: North Korea announced a live-fire drill near its maritime border with South Korea on Tuesday, prompting Seoul to vow a "strong" response after a similar exercise a month ago triggered an artillery exchange.

"Our military is fully prepared," defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said after Pyongyang notified Seoul of its proposed drill.

"If any shell lands on our side of the border, South Korea will respond strongly," Kim told reporters.

South Korean fishing vessels were told to stay away from the area and local officials on the border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong said residents were advi

Brussels,Belgium: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit the European Union (EU) on May 7, a day before the Victory in Europe Day of the World War II, the EU announced on Friday.

During his one-day visit, Abe will meet the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, Xinhua reported.(IANS)

London,U.K.: The US said that Russian military aircraft entered Ukrainian airspace amid rising tension in the east of the country and called it "dangerously destabilising" and "very provocative", a media report said on Saturday.

Russia has deployed thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine, BBC reported.

The statement came on Saturday as the group of G7 (US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) industrialised countries agreed to impose fresh sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.

"Given the urgency of securing the opportunity for a successful and peaceful democratic vote next month in Ukraine's presidential

Jerusalem,  Israel: Israel's chief negotiator Tzipi Livni said Thursday that the door was not closed on the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians after the former claimed to suspend the talks, the media reported.

"We are not closing the door on the talks. The cabinet did not decide on unilaterally withdrawing from the negotiations table but rather to suspend and re-examine them," Xinhua quoted Livni as saying.

"We need to take some time to see how we respond to this harsh incident," she said, referring to the agreement signed by the Fatah and the Hamas Palestinian factions Wednesday.

Livni said that she will

Washington,U.S: President Barack Obama plans to name 14 individuals, including three Indian-Americans, to a commission charged with working to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

Members of the President's Advisory Commission on AAPIs will advise him on innovative ways to engage AAPIs across the country and to improve their health, education, environment, and well-being.

Hailing from all over America and from across a wide range of disciplines, these accomplished individuals will work to advance the inclusion of the AAPI community and to uplift the community's contributions to America, White House announced on Th

Washington,U.S.:  US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday called on the Israelis and Palestinians to make compromises so as to forward the stalled peace talks.

The fresh appeal from the top American envoy came as Israel's security cabinet decided to suspend the negotiations in response to ongoing reconciliation efforts between rival Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas, Xinhua reported.

"There's always a way forward, but leaders have to make the compromises necessary to do that," Kerry told reporters before meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende at the State Department.

"We may see a way forward, but

Jaipur, India:  Balloting in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan began on Thursday, marking the second and final round of voting in the state, officials said.

As many as 81 candidates are in the fray.

Over eight million electors, including 3.7 million women, are eligible to vote in 9,113 polling stations where 192,000 poll officials have been deployed.

The first phase saw 20 constituencies going to the polls.(IANS)

Canberra,Australia: The debris found on a beach in Western Australia is not linked to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) official said Thursday.

"We've carefully examined detailed photographs that were taken for us by the police and we're satisfied that it's not a lead in the search for MH370," ATSB spokesperson Martin Dolan was quoted as saying on ABC radio Thursday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The debris found on a beach 10 km east of Augusta, near Margaret River, on the south-west coast of Western Australia, appeared to be sheet metal with rivets, the spokesperson said.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal leads Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for Prime Minister, but entertainment figures like Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Laverne Cox are jostling for top spots before voting closes at 11:59 p.m. ET

As the TIME 100 readers’ poll nears its close, Indian politicians Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi have maintained their lead in a heated race for the winner.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal led Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for prime minister Modi in terms of percentage of “yes” votes, while Modi also had a significantly higher share of “no&rd

Varanasi,India: Far from the high-decibel campaigning and 24x7 politicking that are setting the stage for the most interesting contest of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, there are pointers in this temple town that BJP challenger Narendra Modi might not have a cakewalk in the high-profile constituency.

Readying for a "close finish" contest here, the opposition parties are discreetly working on a plan to upstage the Gujarat chief minister.

And so, while many missed the fine print behind the sudden withdrawal of Quami Ekta Dal candidate Mukhtar Ansari from the fray last week, there are clear indications of the behind-the-curtains "hulchal" that is

Patna, India: BJP leader Giriraj Singh's election rally and road shows have been banned in Bihar and Jharkhand and he is likely to be arrested soon for his remark that critics of prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will be sent to Pakistan, officials said Tuesday.

Taking serious note of Singh's remark, the Election Commission has also asked him to submit his explanation to it by April 24.

"The EC has banned Singh's election rallies and road shows in Bihar and Jharkhand in view of hue and cry raised over his remark," an official said.

Bihar's additional chief electoral officer R. Lakshmanan meanwhile told media perso

New Delhi, India : The national capital has registered its first two cases of dengue this year, municipal official said on Tuesday.

The two cases were reported from the north zone last weekend.Last year, six people died due to the vector-borne disease and a total of 5,546 cases were reported from the national capital and adjoining areas. (IANS/ EFE)   New Delhi, India : The national capital has registered its first two cases of dengue this year, municipal official said on Tuesday.

The two cases were reported from the north zone last weekend.Last year, six people died due to the vector-borne disease and a total of 5,546 cases were reported from the natio

Mexico City,:  Unemployment rate in Mexico rose to 4.8 percent in March, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), said Tuesday.

The unemployment rate stood at 4.51 percent in March 2013, the INEGI said. The unemployment rate last month was 5.25 percent, without adjusting for seasonal factors, well above the 4.81 percent rate registered in the previous month.

The unemployment rate for males was 4.66 percent in March, compared to the 4.46 percent rate registered in March 2013, while the unemployment rate for females was 5.01 percent, well above the 4.6 percent reported in the year-earlier period.

The underemployment rate - de

Kishanganj (Bihar),India: Setting up of an Aligarh Muslim University centre has been a major issue in the national election in Muslim-majority Kishanganj Lok Sabha constituency, one of the most backward pockets of Bihar, with many political parties claiming credit for the institution.

After Congress president Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the AMU centre in January, party candidate and sitting member Ashrarul Haque is seeking votes in the centre's name, claiming it to be a big achievement.

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Dilip Jaiswal is also trying to woo Muslim voters by criticising Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for wrongly projecting the

Mumbai/Kalyan (Maharashtra)/Hardoi/Etah/Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), : The Congress is headed for a historical defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said Monday.

Addressing a rally in Mumbai, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said the Congress will not get seats in double digits in any state.

"The defeat awaiting the Congress is historic. They have not seen such a defeat in any election earlier," Modi said.

"I can tell you that in several states, neither the Congress nor its allies will open their account. In no state will they touch double digits," he said.

Modi made

Amman,Jordan : Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador here Monday over recent clashes in the al-Aqsa Mosque, the state media reported.

Jordan, which oversees the east Jerusalem mosque, denounced " radical Israeli attempts" to break into the mosque, under the protection of the Israeli army, Xinhua reported. The kingdom also condemned the arrest of worshippers at the holy site, which is highly regarded in both Judaism and Islam.

On Sunday, Israeli police stormed the al-Aqsa compound, one of the most holy and politically sensitive sites in Jerusalem, forcefully dispersing a protest by Palestinian Muslim worshippers, after Jewish visitors were allowed to v

Ahmedabad,Gujarat: He remains one of India's most prized voters. Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas is the lone voter in the midst of Gujarat's Gir forest, home to the Asiatic lion, for whom an entire election team sets up a polling booth every election - and will do so again on April 30.

Darshandas, in his early 60s, is the lone occupant of a hamlet called Banej in Gir forest. He has been casting his vote for the past elections, including the 2004 and 2009 parliamentary elections and the 2007 and 2012 state elections.

This time too, the Election Commission of India is making all arrangements to ensure that Darshandas, a temple priest, gets to cast his precious

Jindo (South Korea): As 17 bodies were pulled out Tuesday morning out of the submerged vessel following overnight search operations, the toll in the accident reached 104.

Divers began conducting underwater search operations from around 6.30 a.m. local time.

So far, 104 people have been confirmed dead, with 198 still missing. The number of the rescued remained unchanged at 174, Xinhua reported.

Around 550 divers will be dispatched to search bodies and possible survivors inside the ship, while 212 ships and 34 airplanes will be deployed.

Climatic conditions are forecast to be favourable for search operations. Water temperature is at 1

Patna, India:  As many as 40 children fell ill on Saturday after eating ice-cream in a village in Bihar's Supaul district, officials said. Around half a dozen were admitted to hospital as their condition worsened while the others were discharged after initial treatment.

The incident took place at Vishnupur village under Pipra police station in Supaul, said district health official Mukesh Kumar, a district health official said.

According to police officials, the children, mostly minors, complained of stomach pains and started vomiting after eating ice-cream.

The sick were taken to a primary health centre and discharged after initial treatm