The general expectation was that the rebels would trail behind the country’s two largest political parties, the Nepali Congress, and the mainstream-left, the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist.

But both the parties were left far behind the Maoists who won half the seats chosen by the first-past-the-post system and gained about 30% of the votes for seats given by proportional representation.

The polls were to form an assembly to re-write the country’s constitution and act as an interim parliament.

Richard Croft, in white, at the Met as Mohandas K. Gandhi in the Philip Glass opera “Satyagraha,” which depicts Gandhi’s path to spirituality and political activism in South Africa.
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Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

In a swirl of newsprint: Richard Croft as Gandhi, who relied on the news media in his agitation for civil rights, in the Philip Glass opera “Satyagraha,” at the Met.

Metropolitan Opera patrons, mostly bound by tradition, might not seem a likely source of Glass fans. But when Mr. Glass appeared onstage after the Met’s first performance of “Satyagraha,” on Friday night, the audience erupted in a deafening ovation.

The one-month-old baby, named Lali, is the first child of factory worker Vinod Kumar and his wife Sushma.

She has caused a sensation, attracting a stream of curious observers and others who consider her a deity in the deeply religious Hindu-majority country.

If the board has its way, a Muslim woman would be entitled to seek divorce if her husband was found having illicit relationship with another woman.

The board has also rejected any divorce done through SMS, e-mail, phone as video conferencing, besides rejecting divorce done on provocation.

A Muslim woman can seek divorce if she is forced by her husband to indulge in unnatural sex. She can also seek divorce if her husband contracts AIDS.

Meanwhile, China on Monday moved in troops and tanks into Lhasa. The Chinese government also cracked down on YouTube over the weekend as a method of repressing media coverage of the protests.

Despite the outrage, most countries are cautious about China’s role. The Government of India, too, says it is distressed by violence but shies away from any statement about China’s violation of human rights in Tibet.

“We are not looking at deadlines. It takes two hands to clap. We are hoping to wrap it (IAEA pact) up,” Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the India-US high technology cooperation group.

“Like last time, we are hoping to conclude it (the IAEA pact) this time round. When we are there, we will let you know,” he replied when asked if he was hopeful of India concluding the safeguards pact with the IAEA at the fifth round of negotiations that are currently on in Vienna.

Nanda, charged with receiving kickbacks in defence deals, his son Sanjeev, also a key accused in the BMW hit-and-run case, chartered accountant Bipin Shah and Deputy Director of Income tax Ashutosh Verma were arrested by the CBI in Mumbai from a five star hotel, for allegedly conspiring to fudge their account books seized by the IT department during a raid last year.

The Nandas were arrested by the probe agency after registration of a case against Verma and Shah.

Like his earlier three terms, however, Lapang may not complete his term this time and chances are that this might be his shortest stint.

The Opposition, the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance has decided to move the Supreme Court against the governor’s decision. Lapang’s main rival, the NCP’s P A Sangma called governor’s decision unconstitutional

“Congress is a very selfish party. It looks after its own interests,” Sangma had said.