A widowed Indian peasant’s heart-warming decision to raise an orphaned bear cub as part of his family has ended with him being jailed for breaking wildlife laws.

The controversial coach of a small boy who ran a marathon in an attempt to set a world record has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in eastern India, police said.

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains during the weekend killed at least 10 people in north-eastern India and forced hundreds to flee their homes, officials said today.

Destitute and diseased people still gather outside Mother Teresa’s clinics in the sprawling Indian city of Kolkata where she dedicated her life to helping the poorest of the poor.

THE coach of a six-year-old Indian boy, who ran a marathon last year in an attempt to set a world record, was arrested yesterday and charged with torturing the boy, police said.

A five-year-old Indian boy whose long-distance running last year sparked protests from rights activists, has been barred from going on a proposed 500 kilometre (311 mile) walk, an official said today.

India’s human rights watchdog agency has ordered a state government to investigate whether a four-year-old boy who ran a 40-mile marathon had been exploited by his sports coach and other officials.

Nepal’s royal government pledged today to hold municipal elections next month despite a boycott by major parties, disruptive demonstrations, the assassination of a candidate and rebel violence that left 26 dead over the weekend.

NEW rebel violence killed at least 25 people in Nepal yesterday, while political parties continued to defy a government crackdown on protests against King Gyanendra’s direct rule over the Himalayan kingdom.

A passenger bus veered out of control and plunged down a mountain road today, killing at least 22 people and injuring 27 others, police said.

An overloaded passenger ferry capsized in southern Bangladesh today, killing at least 22 people and leaving about 80 others missing, an official and a witness said.

AN EXPERT group has called for immediate action to ensure the health system tracks seriously disturbed persons like David Brennan who murdered his baby nephew hours after he refused to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.