News brief: Big story of the day

The Dalai Lama has said there is "nothing new" to the allegations of sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers. 

While speaking to the Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Saturday, the Dalai Lama said the problem had been "mentioned" in front of him in the early 1990s. 

"Twenty-five years ago... someone mentioned about a problem of sexual allegations" at a conference for western Buddhist teachers in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama said.

"I already did know these things, (it's) nothing new," he added.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said Sunday that she is ready for an alliance anywhere, in any election, provided her party is given a respectable share of seats.

''We will agree for alliance anywhere and in any election only when we get a respectable share of seats, otherwise BSP will contest alone,'' the former UP CM was quoted as saying. 

The Left Unity alliance has been declared the winner of all four students' union posts - president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary - at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. 

The United Left Alliance — comprises left-leaning All India Students’ Association (AISA), Democratic Students Federation (DSF), Student Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students Federation (AISF).

Ramdas Athawale has apologised for saying the rises prices of petrol and diesel do not affect him since he is a union minister. 

He also demanded that the government bring down the prices of petrol and diesel. 

He had earlier been asked whether the recent hikes in fuel prices had affected him. Athawale had said they hadn't since he was a minister and was provided a government vehicle. 

"If it has hurt people's sentiments, I express my apology," Athawale said Sunday. He added that he was a "common man". 

BJP president Amit Shah repeated his pledge Sunday to evict "each and every infiltrator from India". 

Shah had first made the vow after the publication of the second draft of Assam's National Register of Citizens. 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had at the time said the 40 lakh people who had not made it to the NRC would be given every opportunity to fight their non-inclusion in the register, and that nobody was going to be deported. 

Shah however had said all illegal aliens would be deported. 

On Sunday, he repeated his pledge.