Mt. Everest to replace Nepal king on currency note

KATHMANDU, Feb 9 (Agencies): The picture of Nepal's unpopular King Gyanendra will be replaced by that of Mount Everest on the Himalayan country's 10-rupee notes, the finance minister said on Friday.

The cabinet picked the world's highest mountain over Lord Buddha on Thursday to replace the monarch's image.

Officials had earlier suggested that currency notes carry the picture of Buddha, born a prince in Nepal more than 2,600 years ago.

"We decided to go in for Sagarmatha instead of the Buddha because some Buddhist religious organisations were against having his picture on currency notes," Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat told Reuters.

Sagarmatha, which means head of the sea, is the Nepali name for the world's highest peak that stands at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet).

The move to remove Gyanendra's picture comes months after he was stripped of nearly all his powers following mass protests last year that ended nearly 15 months of his absolute rule.

Mahat said the government would take a decision later on what picture should be used to replace the king's image on other rupee denominations.

Elections are due in June for a special assembly which will map out Nepal's future including the fate of the monarchy.

The landlocked nation is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest.

Victim of Pakistan's Vani custom: 4-year-old girl married to 45-year-old man! DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Feb 9 (Agencies): In a strange case that has come to light in Pakistan, a four year old girl was reportedly married to a 45-year-old man under the 'Vani' custom by a village panchayat.

The girl's only fault was that she was the niece of a man who had eloped with a girl, who happened to be the niece of the 45-year-old man.

In Pakistan, such quarrels (of illicit relationships or eloping) are normally settled by marrying a female family member of the male (who eloped) with a male family member of the girl (who eloped).

According to the Dawn, the local police have arrested 13 people, including members of a panchayat that had ordered the marriage.

Later, the accused were produced before the court of judicial magistrate, who sent them to the judicial lock-up.

Those arrested included Mahboob, the man to whom the girl was married, Alamsher, the girl's father; and Saifur Rehman, the panchayat leader.

An FIR was registered against the accused at the Daraban police station on Wednesday under section 310-A of the Pakistan Penal Code - incorporated after the enactment of the Criminal Law Amendment Act on Jan 11, 2005.

The report said that the village panchayat in Gandi Umerkhel area had earlier ordered that the boy, Farooq, shall pay Rs 150,000 to the girl's family and stay away from the area for five years.

But, subsequently, Saifur Rehman persuaded the couple to return and their Nikah was solemnised.

The panchayat met again and this time they decided to give the hand of four-year-old niece of Farooq to Mahboob, paternal uncle of his wife.

The panchayat solemnised their Nikah, said the paper.