16-year jail for pop star Glitter for child sex offences

LONDON: Former British pop singer Gary Glitter, who shot to fame in the 1970s as a "glam-rock" star but was later convicted of child sex crimes, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of indecently assaulting three girls. Glitter, 70, whose real name is Paul Gadd, rose to prominence with the hit song "Rock and Roll", and became renowned for his figure-hugging shiny silver jump suits and platform shoes. But his reputation was destroyed after he served two months in jail in 1999 for possession of child pornography, the first of several convictions. Reuters

Pak will go on ‘providing’ safe haven to LeT

Washington: Pakistan will continue to provide safe haven to internationally-banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba which will remain a key irritant in ties with India, a top American spy master has said. "Pakistan's provision of safe haven to Lashkar-e-Taiba will probably continue to be a key irritant in relations with India," James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, said in his testimony on "World Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community" before the Senate Armed Services Committee. PTI

Musharraf asks apex court to dismiss Pakistan govt

Karachi: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the federal government, saying Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is incapable of running the affairs of the country. "The SC of Pakistan should send this government home following the doctrine of necessity as the sitting premier Nawaz Sharif is not capable of running the affairs of this country," Musharraf told Samaa TV during a talk show. PTI

Academics mark 100 yrs of Gandhi's return to India

Johannesburg: Academicians from around the world converged here to mark the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's return to India through a discourse on his association with South Africa, where seeds of his 'Satyagraha' were sown. Various speakers from India, the US and Africa participated at a two-day international conference in commemoration of Gandhi's return to India after initiating his passive resistance plans in South Africa. PTI

Indian yoga guru accused of sex assault, rape

Los Angeles: A 69-year-old prominent Indian-American yoga guru who founded an exercise routine practiced in hot rooms is facing six lawsuits filed by women, accusing him of sexual assault or rape at various locations, including in India. Bikram Choudhury, founder of Bikram's Yoga College of India, is facing the lawsuits filed by six women with the latest case being filed in the Los Angeles Supreme Court this month by a woman identified as Jill Lawler, a Canadian. PTI