Vinay Kumar, a scientist belonging to the Wildlife Conservation Society (India), filmed the 48-second video during a work trip to Nagarhole forest in Karnataka state in April 2016.

He told the BBC that he had not released the video until now because he did not “quite realise its importance”.

Scientists say they are still not clear why the elephant was blowing ashes.

“This is the first known video-documentation of a wild elephant exhibiting such behaviour, and this has scientists had experts puzzled,” a statement issued by Wildlife Conservation Society (India) said.

‘Ingesting charcoal’

Mr Kumar said he and his team were visiting the forest early in the morning to monitor camera traps set up to capture images of tigers. He spotted the female elephant barely 50m (164ft) away and began filming with his point-and-shoot camera.

The elephant “appears to ingest charcoal” left by a controlled fire on the ground and “blow out the ashes”, according to the statement.

“What we saw that day almost appeared as though the elephant was smoking – she would draw up a trunk full of ash close to her mouth and blow it out in a puff of smoke!” Mr Kumar said.

Elephant biologist Varun R Goswami, who has examined the video, believes that “most probably, the elephant was trying to ingest wood charcoal, as she appeared to be picking up something from the burnt forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it in her trunk, and consuming the rest”.

“Charcoal has well recognised toxin-binding properties, and although it may not have much nutritional content, wild animals may be attracted to it for this medicinal value,” he said.

“Charcoal can also serve as a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that consume it after forest fires, lighting strikes, or controlled burns.”

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Source: BBC

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The summit will be hosting 25 Heads of State and Government, and will provide a platform for co-operation amongst solar resource-rich countries, with the purpose of realising “the common goals of increasing the use of solar energy in meeting the energy needs of ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner”

There will be a signing of a “New Delhi Declaration”, at the summit with the main purpose of prioritizing solar energy and, thereby, ensuring “power for all”.

Whilst in India, President Akufo-Addo will also hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is expected to deepen the existing, cordial relations between Ghana and India, and will also present the two countries with an opportunity to define new areas of co-operation that would serve their mutual interests.

A statement from the presidency said, Nana Akufo-Addo will return to the country on Monday, 12th March 2018.

The Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would take his stead as President, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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A decades-old dispute over the mostly Muslim Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Pakistan and India, has heated up in recent years after a 2003 ceasefire brought more than a decade of relative peace.

“Troops were busy in line communication maintenance when they were fired upon and hit by heavy mortar round,” the Pakistani military said of the attack in which the four men were killed, in the Jandrot region.

Pakistani forces responded, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding several, it said.

India’s military told Reuters that Pakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recorded on the Indian side.

On another section of the so-called Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir between the two sides, India said its forces on Monday killed five member of a pro-Pakistan militant group trying to slip into Indian Kashmir.

“They crossed the Jhelum river which is de facto border in the area. We allowed them to cross the river and challenged them. All of the five who crossed the river were killed,” said an Indian officer, Major General Gulab Singh Rawat.

A Pakistani military spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the second incident.

India accuses Pakistan of backing Islamist militants and encouraging them to attack soldiers in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where a separatist insurgency has simmered for years, and in other parts of India.

Pakistan denies that and says India must hold negotiations on the future of Kashmir.

The neighbors have fought three wars since their independence from Britain, two of them over Kashmir.

CALLING NUCLEAR BLUFF

Artillery exchanges across the LoC were common for years before the 2003 ceasefire in Kashmir largely brought an end to violence but clashes have again been increasing over the past couple of years.

Relations have been particularly tense since India said it had carried out cross-border surgical strikes against militants hiding in Pakistan in 2016.

Pakistan said Indian forces never crossed onto its territory.

On Friday, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat said his forces were willing to carry out operations inside Pakistan despite the risk of a nuclear conflict, the Indian daily the Hindustan Times reported.

“If we will have to really confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us, we are not going to say we cannot cross the border because they have nuclear weapons. We will have to call their nuclear bluff,” Rawat said at a press briefing.

The comment drew derision from Pakistan’s foreign minister who termed the statement “irresponsible” and an “invitation for nuclear encounter”.

“If that is what they desire, they are welcome to test our resolve. The general’s doubt would swiftly be removed,” Khwaja Asif said on Twitter.

Pakistan’s military has said 52 civilians were killed and 254 wounded by Indian shelling in the region last year, more than in all of the previous 14 years combined.

The two sides accuse each other of repeated violations of the 2003 ceasefire.

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Source: Reuters

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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) wants a probe into “unauthorised access” to its database.

But it said biometric data was safe.

The Tribune newspaper claimed that it bought user details via an “agent” advertising his services on WhatsApp.

The report is the latest revelation against the UIDAI biometric system known as Aadhaar, which means foundation.

It said that once it paid the “agent”, its reporters were given a username and password that allowed them to enter any Aadhaar number into the UIDAI website and get access to user information including name, address, photo, phone number and email address.

The report added that payment of a further 300 rupees provided “software” that allowed them to print out any Aadhaar card for which they had the number.

The UIDAI says the breach seems to be a misuse of a grievance redressal scheme that allowed Aadhaar agents to rectify issues like a change in address and wrong spelling of a person’s name.

However, it added that the scheme did not grant access to people’s biometric details.

The revelations in the report made headlines in India, with many on social media expressing concern over the security of their personal data.

Aadhaar started out as a voluntary programme to help tackle benefit fraud, but recently it has been made mandatory for access to welfare schemes.

Critics have repeatedly warned that the scheme puts personal information at risk” and have criticised government efforts to compulsorily link it to bank accounts and mobile phone numbers.

The government has always insisted that the biometric data is “safe and secure in encrypted form”, and anybody found guilty of leaking data can be jailed and fined.

A case challenging its mandatory linking to schemes and bank accounts is pending before the country’s Supreme Court.

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Source: BBC

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After she had sung on stage in a competition at St Thomas Central School in Kerala, the 15-year-old asked her friend, a boy of 16, how she had done. He hugged her, congratulating her on the performance.

“It [the hug] lasted only for a second or two,” the girl, who did not want to be photographed for this article, told the BBC.

“There were a lot of students and teachers around, and I didn’t feel [I had done] anything wrong.”

But one of the teachers reportedly complained to the principal and, in the girl’s words, “all hell broke loose”.

The following day, on 22 July, the pair were suspended indefinitely. Then, four months later, on 22 November, the boy was expelled. Neither has been named in the media.

“Schooling is also about the reformation of the child,” principal Sebastian T Joseph told the BBC. “We have given him a chance to apologise, but he and his parents had absolutely no remorse.”

But the boy said he had apologised “immediately”.

The girl never rejoined school because according to the school’s records, she was not even enrolled yet.

She had recently moved from Dubai, where her father had been working, and joined St Thomas school in June. The paperwork related to her admission was still incomplete when the hug sparked a furore.

Both students were however asked to appear before a disciplinary committee that the school formed to investigate the “charges”.

The BBC has a copy of the so-called charge sheet drafted by the school – it accused the two students of engaging in an “indecent, immoral and undisciplined public display of affection” in front of other students and teachers.

It also alleges that their personal blogs and Instagram accounts included “conversations and photographs” that were “intimate, explicit, vulgar, obscene and objectionable”.

“My Instagram account is private and only my followers can see my stories,” the boy told the BBC. “There’s nothing vulgar or obscene as mentioned in the charge sheet.”

He said that he had responded to the allegations by explaining that the hug was meant to be congratulatory and there was no other motive behind it.

The girl alleges that committee members had copies of photos they had posted on Instagram and called them abusive names.

“An official on the panel called me a bitch in heat,” she said.

By the time the committee found them “guilty”, they had already missed more than four months of school.

During that time, the boy’s parents had appealed to the Kerala child rights commission, which ordered the school to revoke the suspension.

But the school petitioned the Kerala high court, which upheld the order expelling the boy on the grounds that the school had the right to protects its “standard and reputation”.

His parents are now waiting for the court to reopen after the annual Christmas vacation so they can appeal.

“We are pinning our hopes on the judiciary,” said the boy’s father, who has not been working since his son was suspended so he could be home to sort out the problem and support his son.

He said school officials were not among his son’s or the girl’s followers on Instagram – yet, he alleged, they somehow saw their photos, made copies of them and even submitted them in court.

“Were they snooping on them?” he asked, adding that they would raise the issue of privacy in court.

His wife and he are also concerned that their son will miss the exam at the end of the year, which would affect his chances at gaining admission into college since this is his final year of schooling.

School authorities told the BBC that they had allowed the boy to transfer to another school and that it’s up to the central education board – which is an independent body – to decide if he can appear for the exam.

Meanwhile, the school has drawn criticism for what is being seen by many as a peculiar and harsh response.

And, on Thursday, the boy’s received a letter from the principal inviting them to a meeting on 3 January so they can re-examine the “issue”.

But the girl’s situation is still unclear. Her parents are not sure if they will also approach the court.

Although she doesn’t want to continue studying at St Thomas school, she said she hopes they will allow her to appear for the annual exam so that she doesn’t lose a whole year.

“I want to study on a better campus in a safer environment, where they won’t treat you in a demeaning manner,” she added.

She said she has already applied to another school but was denied admission because of the “incident”.

“They [St Thomas school] have violated my right to education and my right to privacy,” she said.

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Source: BBC

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They told the BBC they had lodged a complaint against Prakash Kumar, 27, for “causing a public nuisance”.

The incident occurred en route to the capital, Delhi, after Mr Kumar removed his shoes and socks.

The stench from the socks was so bad that passengers asked Mr Kumar to put them in his bag or throw them out.

But he allegedly refused, sparking a heated argument.

Passengers then forced the bus driver to pull over at a police station in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh where the complaint was lodged.

The Hindustan Times quoted Mr Kumar as saying that his socks had not been stinking, and that the passengers had quarrelled with him for “no reason”.

Police told the BBC that Mr Kumar had been granted bail.

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Source: BBC

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Mike Ocquaye Jnr., Ghana’s High Commissioner to India, made this revelation at the premiere of Indian stage play ‘Niyati’ last weekend at the National Theatre.

The High Commissioner told JoyNews that the two countries have agreed to have a work relationship for their film industries.

“The Americans have done it with Hollywood. The Nigerians have done it with Nollywood but the Indian film industry is the biggest in the world…At the moment the Ghana film industry has signed an MoU with a section of the Indian film industry,” he said.

Mike Ocquaye Jnr added that the new friendship will be of a great help to the Ghanaian movie industry.

“For example, the first thing they proposed is that the Indians will come here with their production crew to come and film some of their movies in Ghana,” he stated.

“They will come and spend money in our hotels. They will spend money in terms of food. Use the carpenters here to build the stage,” Mr. Ocquaye added.

The Indian movie industry has recently gained much visibility in Ghana following the showing of one their telenovelas ‘Kumkum Bhagya,’ ‘Veera,’ and others on some Ghanaian television stations.

These telenovelas have garnered huge viewership in the country even though some have detested their introduction onto Ghanaian television.

A few months ago, some Kumawood film makers petitioned the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to help them fight the influx of telenovelas in Ghana.

According to them, these telenovelas are depleting the Ghanaian culture and reducing sales of Ghanaian movies.

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By: Kwame Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Starlets needed to win to be sure of a place in the second round, but their great start to the match was not rewarded with goals as their usual trait of wayward finishing kept appearing as the half wore on.

However, captain Eric Ayiah found his scoring boots and opened his account in the 43rd minute, with a shot he smashed into the roof of the net after a cross from the right was spilled by the Indian goalie.

Ayiah made it two for himself, and for Ghana in the 52nd minute, when he swept home a cross from the left wing from left-back Rashid Alhassan.

Paa Kwesi Fabin, Ghana coach, made some changes, and two of the players who were introduced, Richard Danso and Emmanuel Toku, grabbed the third and fourth goals respectively.

Danso was put through on goal, and he held his nerve to finish the chance, while Toku was alive to shot that went off the post, and he tucked home the rebound.

The Starlets made it to the second round of the tournament as Group A winners with 6 points, with Colombia and the USA finishing second and third respectively also on 6 points.

Colombia got second place due to their superior head-to-head record against the USA, after they tied even on goals scored and goals difference.

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By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The clause, which was part of India’s law on rape, said intercourse between a man and his wife was permissible as long as she was over 15 years of age.

The age of consent in India is 18, but marital rape is not considered an offence. The verdict has been hailed by women’s rights activists.

However correspondents say that the order will be difficult to enforce.

The judgement said that girls under 18 would be able to charge their husbands with rape, as long as they complained within one year of being forced to have sexual relations.

“This is a landmark judgement that corrects a historical wrong against girls. How could marriage be used as a criteria to discriminate against girls?” Vikram Srivastava, the founder of Independent Thought, one of the main petitioners in the case, told the BBC.

However, the BBC’s Geeta Pandey in Delhi says that while welcome, the order will be difficult to implement in a country where child marriage is still rampant.

“Courts and police cannot monitor people’s bedrooms and a minor girl who is already married, almost always with the consent of her parents, will not usually have the courage to go to the police or court and file a case against her husband,” our correspondent says.

India’s government says the practice of child marriage is “an obstacle to nearly every developmental goal: eradicating poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality; protecting children’s lives; and improving women’s health”.

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Source: BBC

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They have also detained the Nigerian, whom some residents accused of theft.

The video shows four or five men using sticks to beat a man of African appearance who has been tied to a post.

There was a spate of attacks on African nationals living in India last year, including one in which a Congolese man was beaten to death in Delhi.

Police said the latest incident happened on 24 September, and the Nigerian victim was also arrested due to a theft allegation.

A resident of the Savitri Nagar neighbourhood claimed the man broke into his house and tried to steal valuables from his room, police said.

“It is a case of attempted burglary. Those living in the house got alerted. They caught him and beat him up,” Dependra Pathak, chief spokesperson of the Delhi Police told the Press Trust of India news agency.

In March, five Nigerian students were attacked by crowds, while another was beaten by a mob inside a shopping mall living in Noida, near Delhi.

Six months ago, African ambassadors in India criticised the government for not doing enough to stop a string of alleged racist attacks on Africans in Delhi.

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Source: BBC

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