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New Delhi (India), Aug 17 (ANI) Thousands of people flocked the roads in the national capital on Friday to pay last respects to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was cremated with full state honour at Smriti Sthal here. 

India's 10th Prime Minister breathed his last at 5:05 pm on Thursday after spending nine weeks at the All India Institute of Medical Science, where he was undergoing treatment for Urinary Tract Infection, low urine output and chest congestion. He was 93. 

His daughter Namita Bhattacharya lit the funeral pyre, while the Tricolour, wrapped around the glass coffin of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was handed over to his granddaughter Niharika. He was accorded rifle salute. 

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, among various other national leaders attended the cremation ceremony to pay homage to the beloved leader. 

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa also paid their last tribute to Vajpayee. 

The ceremony was also attended by a string of foreign dignitaries including King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Sri Lanka's acting Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella and former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. 

Earlier in the day, the cadaver was taken out from the newly built Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters - the walls of which saw Vajpayee for the first and the last time. People sprinkled rose petals on their beloved leader as his final journey began towards Smriti Sthal - a large piece of land with manicured grass behind the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah followed their leader through the lanes of Darya Ganj leading up to Rajghat. 

Vajpayee, who led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government from 1998 to 2004, was the first-ever member of the Bharatiya Janata Party to become India's Prime Minister. He was given Bharat Ratna - India's highest civilian honour - in 2015. (ANI)

The Nepal Transport Workers Association has said that the decision of the government to dissolve transport associations and committee has laid off some 15,000 transport employees. 

The 15,000 employees were working for the 400 committees active across the country and they have all lost their job as result of the government's decision, the Association Chair Dharma Raj Bhandari said. 

The meeting Saturday of the Association has also objected to the provision made in the new civil code, which has prescribed 10 years in prison to a driver who is responsible for accident leading to fatalities. 

The meeting decision to run a nationwide campaign for a new structure as per the statute amended by the last general assembly, expand organisation in new locations, enforce minimum wage in all transport workers, exert pressure for enforcement of the social security act and form thematic committee to assign responsibilities. 

Bhandari also said the Association will work with the Nepal Trade Union Congress to ensure that the rights and well-being of the transport workers are guaranteed across the country. RSS

Property worth about Rs 20 million was destroyed when an electric shop caught fire at Shivasatashidham-11 in Jhapa district Thursday evening. 

An electric short circuit started a fire in Sangraula brothers' electric shop. Electric devices including televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines among others were destroyed in the fire, said shop owner. 

According to Jhiljhile Area Police Office Inspector Kailash Rai, the fire was doused by locals and security personnel after an hour. RSS

 China has blasted US tariffs on solar panel imports, filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization in the latest salvo of the trade battle between the world's two economic giants. 

US President Donald Trump approved steep tariffs on solar panel imports in January to protect US producers, triggering an outcry from China, South Korea and even protests from the US solar industry. 
China's commerce ministry accused Washington of erecting trade barriers while subsidising its domestic industry. 

"While taking protectionist measures against imported photovoltaic products, the US provided subsidies to domestically produced photovoltaics and other renewable energy products," the ministry said in a statement. 
China lodged its challenge at the WTO on Tuesday, the statement said.

The US subsidies have given an unfair advantage to domestic companies and "damaged the legitimate rights and interests of China's renewable energy companies," it said. 

Beijing said the US measures are suspected of violating trade rules and that it would turn to the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism to protect its interests. 

Trump's tariffs were not popular with the US solar industry, which claimed the rising cost of imports would cause the loss of thousands of jobs.Imports of cheap Chinese panels helped triple US annual solar electricity generation between 2012 and 2016.

But they also drove prices down by 60 percent, causing most US producers to stop production or declare bankruptcy, the US Trade Representative said in January. 

The USTR accused China of using state incentives, subsidies and tariffs to increase production and said manufacturers had evaded US tariffs by repeatedly shifting production to new countries.The United States and China have slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on tens of billions of dollars worth of goods from each country, with another round of levies scheduled to being next week. AFP