BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted yesterday not to renew the lease of its Manas airbase from 2014 to the United States, which uses it to ferry troops and equipment for the coalition military campaign in Afghanistan. The parliament passed a draft law under which the agreement between Kyrgyzstan and the United States signed in 2009 would end in July 2014. The Kyrgyz parliament passed the draft measure in three readings with close to unanimous backing. It now has to be signed into law by President Almazbek Atambayev within a month. Lawmakers also ratified an agreement on allowing Nato to use the Central Asian country as a land transit route that was signed in May in Chicago. Landlocked Kyrgyzstan is currently the only nation in the world to host both Russian and US bases.
Teacher found guilty of abducting schoolgirl
LONDON: Married British teacher Jeremy Forrest was yesterday found guilty of abducting a 15-year-old schoolgirl after they fled together to France. A jury found 30-year-old Forrest guilty over the episode in which the pair spent seven days on the run, sparking a high-profile international search. The prosecution had labelled the mathematics teacher a “paedophile” who had “groomed” the vulnerable teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons. But the girl said in evidence that she had encouraged the relationship. “Jeremy Forrest grossly abused the trust placed in him,” detective inspector Mark Ling told reporters outside the court. “It is every parent’s worst nightmare to have a child abducted.” As the jury returned to deliver its verdict after a two-week trial, Forrest told the girl: “I love you.” She burst into tears as the guilty verdict was announced, and told him “I’m sorry” as he was led away to the cells. He is to be sentenced today.
French mum fails
age exam
PARIS: A 52-year-old French woman faces prosecution after being caught trying to sit a baccalaureate English exam in place of her daughter. Kitted out in typical teenage attire including Converse trainers and low-waisted skinny jeans, the woman made it into the exam hall at a Paris high-school on Wednesday. But despite the disguise, an exam supervisor who had overseen the 19-year-old daughter when she sat her philosophy paper earlier in the week soon realised she was an imposter and alerted the principal. Police were called and the woman now faces fraud charges. The consequences for her daughter could be more serious as she could be banned from taking public exams for five years.
Agencies
