Ankara - Four men who kidnapped an Assyrian-Christian priest in south-east Turkey last year were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on Tuesday by a court in the city of Diyarbakir, the Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

Father Daniel Savci (56) was taken hostage in November 2007 by the four men who stopped his car as he was travelling to the Mor Yakup Monastery, in a village near the town of Midyat in south-eastern Turkey's Mardin province.

In evidence read to the court, Savci said that he had been handcuffed and a hood was placed over his head when he was kidnapped.

Bhopal, Nov 11 : Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Tukoji Rao has been arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a Returning Officer.

He was later sent to judicial custody till November 24. The Collector of Devas has also been transferred in connection with the incident.

The BJP candidate and royal scion of Dewas, Phool Chand Verma was also arrested and jailed in connection with the incident last Saturday.

Gaza City - The radical Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has claimed to have had contacts with advisors

New Delhi, Nov 11 : Rejecting Margaret Alva’s criticism of the Congress Party, General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday denied her claims about selling of tickets during the Karnataka elections.

Rahul said he was happy with the distribution of the tickets in elections.

He Gandhi rejected her charges saying he was “not unhappy” about ticket distribution.

Meanwhile, Congress’ chief spokesman M Veerappa Moily said that Margaret Alva had committed serious breach of discipline.

Moscow - Cuban Foreign Minsiter Felipe Perez Roque met with Russian leaders in Moscow on Tuesday in the latest sign of strengthening military and economic ties between the Soviet-era allies.

Roque carried an invitation for an official visit to President Dmitry Medvedev from Cuban leader Raul Castro, news agency Interfax reported.

"We have overcome the pause that appeared in our relations in the past decade, and today our contacts are intensive and positive," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in televised comments. "Cuba has been and remains one of our key partners in Latin America."

Dhabi, 11th Nov. 2008 -- The UAE takes great interest in the issue of human security and looks forward to the ideas and discussions that lie ahead on the relationship between human security and women, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of Arab Women's Organisation (AWO), said today.

''Human security is one of the newest concepts used with regards to the principles of freedom, security and development. It is an evolving concept that focuses on transforming those principles into commitments and applicable mechanisms,'' Sheikha Fatima, also Chairwoman of the UAE General Women's Union (GWU) and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), told the opening session of the 2nd Conference of the Arab Women's Organisation.