SC quashes Mayawati graft case

Our Correspondent, New Delhi

The Supreme Court of India yesterday quashed a case relating to alleged accumulation of disproportionate assets against Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and pulled up the country's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for initiating the probe against her without specific directions from the court.

The apex court passed the judgment on the plea of Mayawati, former Chief Minister of India's largest state Uttar Pradesh, seeking quashing of proceedings against her in the disproportionate case lodged against her by CBI.

Fukushima disaster 'man-made'

AFP, Tokyo

Last year's Fukushima nuclear accident was a manmade disaster caused by Japan's culture of "reflexive obedience" and not just the tsunami that hit the plant, a damning parliamentary report said Thursday.

Ingrained collusion between plant operator Tokyo Electric Power, the government and regulators, combined with a lack of any effective oversight led directly to the worst nuclear accident in a generation, the report said.

The probe is the third of its kind in Japan since the huge tsunami of March 2011 crashed into the

Argentina's ex-junta leaders jailed

AFP, Buenos Aires

Two former Argentine dictators were handed heavy prison sentences Thursday for their involvement in the kidnapping of babies from leftist activists killed during the 1976-1983 dictatorship.

Jorge Videla, 86, was sentenced to 50 years in prison and Reynaldo Bignone, 84, was given a 15-year jail term, presiding judge Maria Roqueta said as she read the ruling before a packed courtroom in Buenos Aires.

Several other defendants were handed sentences ranging from 15 to 40 years for their roles in a "systematic plan" to kidnap the babies of activists, in a