New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The Railways' fastest train - Train 18, which is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 29, was pelted with stones on Thursday during a trial run between Delhi and Agra, a senior official said.

Mumbai, Dec 20 (PTI) Over 5,000 survivors of sexual violence across the country Thursday embarked on a 65-day-long 'Dignity March' from the city, which will culminate in New Delhi on February 22, its organisers said.

The march has been organised by Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan, a group of NGOs. It will cover 200 districts across 24 states/union territories and traverse over 10,000 kms.

Abhiyan's convener Ashif Sheikh said over 5,000 survivors of sexual assault will highlight their plight through this "unique and first of its kind" march.

19 Dec 2018; DW: Poland is seeking to reduce its dependence on Russia and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for its LNG supplies. The deal should provide for 15 percent of Poland's daily gas needs over the next 20 years.

The deal announced on Wednesday between Poland's state gas company PGNiG and Port Arthur LNG, part of Sempra Energy, is just one of several the EU state has signed with US gas suppliers in recent weeks.

Mumbai, Dec 19 (PTI) Some people in the BJP need to speak less, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said here Wednesday.

Politicians in general need to be more economical while speaking to media, the senior BJP leader said during an interaction at the Republic Summit.

Asked what prompted the BJP to hold as many as 70 press conferences in a day on the Rafale jet purchase issue, Gadkari said, "We have so many leaders, and we so like to speak before the (TV journalist's) boom, so we have to give them some work."

KANPUR: In the wake of two different incidents of school collapse in NOIDA and Hardwar respectively,  it has been found as many as 40 schools in decrepit condition here. Strangely enough, the state government’s machinery does not wake up timely.

Jabalpur, Dec 19 (PTI) A 19-year-old man was Wednesday sentenced to death by a court in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh for raping and murdering a five-year-old girl in August this year.

Additional District Sessions Judge A K Singh held the accused, Anand Kushwaha, guilty under relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court awarded Kushwaha death sentence under sections 376(A) (rape) and 302 (murder) of the IPC, said special public prosecutor Sheikh Wasim.

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 19 (PTI) The half-naked body of an 18-year-old woman, who had gone missing for a day, was found Wednesday here, police said, suspecting that she was killed after being raped.

According to Circle Officer S S Negi, the body was found in the sugarcane fields in Salarpur village. It carried injury marks caused by a sharp-edged weapon, he said.

A case was registered in this connection against unidentified persons and a probe has been initiated, the CO said.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, he said.

Bokaro (Jharkhand), Dec 19 (PTI) A Bokaro court on Wednesday sentenced two persons to 20 years of imprisonment in the rape case of a 15-year-old girl in this district of Jharkhand last year.

Additional district and sessions judge Ranjit Kumar held Sumonto Choudhary and Gaju Mahto guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them. If the convicts fail to deposit the fine, they would have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months.

Agra (UP), Dec 19 (PTI) A first year B.tech student was allegedly raped by four men near Poiya Ghat here, police said Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening while the girl was going to her coaching centre, en route she was stopped by two men near Bhagwan Talkies crossing on the National Highway and was forcibly taken to an isolated place near the ghat where two other accused were already present and all the four raped her, police said.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: President Xi Jinping warned Tuesday that no one can "dictate" China's economic development path as the Communist Party marked 40 years of its historic "reform and opening up" policy amid a stern challenge from the United States.

In a speech at the grandiose Great Hall of the People, Xi vowed to press ahead with economic reforms but made clear that Beijing will not deviate from its one-party system or take orders from any other country.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: A federal judge accused President Donald Trump's former national security chief Michael Flynn Tuesday of selling out the United States but agreed to delay his sentencing for lying over secret communications with Russian officials.

Judge Emmet Sullivan said Flynn had behaved in a "traitorous" manner while he was in the White House in early 2017 and threatened to impose a stiff prison sentence, rejecting a recommendation by prosecutors that the retired three-star general benefit from cooperating and receive no jail time.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: Yemen's flashpoint city of Hodeida was calm Tuesday as a ceasefire took effect and a team including members of the warring sides prepared to monitor the truce agreed at talks in Sweden.

A lasting ceasefire would be a major step in efforts to end Yemen's devastating war, which has killed thousands and left 14 million people on the brink of famine.

The truce which came into force overnight was due to be followed by a team of observers deploying "within 24 hours", a United Nations official said.