Palghar (Maharashtra), Sep 19 (PTI) A teen-aged girl was allegedly raped by a 24-year-old man when she went to offer prayers at a pandal during the ongoing Ganesh festival here in Maharashtra, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Monday night when the 13-year- old girl along with other children had gone to the Ganesh pandal set up at Agar village in Dahanu area, Palghar police spokesperson Hemant Kumar Katkar said.

Hisar, Sep 19 (PTI) A special court for heinous crimes against women here has sentenced a 68-year-old man to five-year imprisonment for attempting to rape a 10-year-old girl last year.

The crime took place on August 7 last year.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Dr Pankaj Tuesday sentenced Ram Kumar and also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on him.

In case of default, Kumar would have to further undergo an imprisonment of one month.

A minor was held captive and raped for 15 days in Fatehabad. It has been alleged that when mother of the girl went to lodge a complaint, police made her wait for too long and then threatened to put her behind the bar.

Mother then went to a female police station in Fatehabad where her complain was lodged.

Ahmedabad, Sep 18 (PTI) As many as 1,000 farmers affected by the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train submitted affidavits in the Gujarat High Court Tuesday, voicing their opposition to the project.

A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi is hearing five petitions challenging the land acquisition process for the high speed rail project.

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Moscow views Israeli steps, which led to the downing of Russian military jet Il-20 over the Mediterranean Sea, as hostile and reserves the right to retaliate, Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.

"We view these provocative steps by Israel as hostile. Due to the Israeli military’s irresponsible actions 15 Russian servicemen were killed. This is absolutely against the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership," Konashenkov said.

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. France is partly to blame for the crash of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft in Syria and the death of Russian military servicemen, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok told reporters.

"The French Navy's frigate, The Auvergne, did not make the best contribution to the air situation, creating additional difficulties for Syrian air defense teams," he said, adding that "the French frigate was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The Israeli embassy in Russia does not comment on an incident involving a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft downed in Syria on the night of September 17, an embassy spokesman told TASS.

"We don’t comment on this incident," the spokesman said.

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. A Russian military Ilyushin-20 aircraft was shot down by Syria’s air defense over the Mediterranean Sea because Israel’s F-16 fighters used it as cover, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media on Tuesday.

THE HAGUE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Following recent threats by the U.S. administration to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Dutch government has considered promoting the court's legitimacy.

According to Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok's recent remarks, if the United States indeed proceeds with the measures undermining the ICC or sanctioning its personnel the Dutch government will take a stand.

Bremervorde, Sep 17 (AFP) Germany on Monday rolled out the world's first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology.

Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, began running a 100-kilometre route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany -- a stretch normally plied by diesel trains.

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Before the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration banned protests and rallies in campus on Monday, the varsity's teachers' association took out a peace march against the incidents of violence.

The march, which was also attended by students and university staffers, started from Ganga Dhaba and culminated at Chandrabhaga Hostel. The teachers and students are also carrying out a night vigil against the attack and the ban imposed by the administration on protests and gatherings.

DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syria's air defenses were triggered Monday evening by an Israeli missile attack on the coastal city of Latakia, which lasted for an hour and a half, state TV reported.

The state media reports said the air defenses intercepted many missiles before reaching their targets, airing footages showing the air defense missiles beaming in the sky over Latakia and the nearby city of Tartus.

The footages also showed areas that had been struck by the missile attack, which the TV said was carried out from the sea.