Salman Khan who has long been associated with cancer awareness has now opened a medical camp for cancer patients in need of help. His camp is run from a garden opposite his house in Bandra.

Each morning a long queue of people armed with medical files and papers wait to see the doctor as two bodyguards assist. Patients are charged Rs.2 and sometimes they are charged nothing.

Extreme cases are referred to Salman, who then takes over to provide help. He has been involved in helping cancer patients for some 13 years now.

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Sachin Dabolkar, 32, a sub-inspector of police met a 22 year old girl when she went to the police station to file a complaint after she lost her cell phone.

In her complaint the girl said Dabolkar had consensual sex with her for a few months and raped her on at least seven occasions on the pretext of marrying her.

An FIR was registered under the sections of rape and cheating and Dabolkar is on probation till medical reports and call records of the victim and the police officer are taken.

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The Union Cabinet has cleared an ordinance based on recommendations of the Justice J S Verma Committee that proposes to replace the word 'rape' with 'sexual assault' to expand the definition of all types of sexual crimes against women. Rape that leads to the death of a victim or that leaves her in a vegetative state can now attract the death penalty.

In such cases, the minimum punishment will be 20 years jail which can be extended to the natural life of the convict or death, that will be decided at the discretion of the court.

The approved ordinance also proposes enhanced punishment for other crimes against women such as stalking, voyeurism, acid attacks, indecent gestures like words and inappropriate touching.

The ordinance entails changes in the criminal law by amending the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Evidence Act.

The government will now recommend that President Pranab Mukherjee promulgate the ordinance with immediate effect.

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Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily announced that diesel prices will be hiked by 40-50 paise per litre every month until losses on India's most used fuel are wiped out. Minister Moiley said the decision will stand until further orders.

Diesel is currently sold at a loss of over Rs.18.80 per litre.

The decision for the price hike was coupled with a move to charge bulk consumers such as defence, railways and state transport undertaking a market price which is Rs.10 a litre more than the retail selling price.

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In 2002 Bollywood star Salman Khan, 47, allegedly drove his Land Cruiser into a bakery in Bandra, Mumbai, killing one pavement dweller sleeping outside, and injuring four others. The trial in the case began in 2006, and he is being tried under a section that defines causing death by negligence, which carries a maximum jail term of two years.

Now a Mumbai court has directed that Khan should be tried for the more serious charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, a section of the Indian Penal Code that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.

Sources say Khan is planning to challenge the recent development in the Bombay High Court.

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