Generate an appropriate single-sentence summary for the given text such that it includes the main topic of the text.

Q: By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Last month, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta lifted a ban barring women from ground-combat roles. In the weeks since the historic announcement, arguments have been made for and against the ban's demise. There has been debate over whether women are strong enough for combat roles and an argument that service in Afghanistan and Iraq has already placed women on the frontline. But, in the past, women were willing to go to extraordinary lengths to see combat. They disguised as themselves as men and took new, masculine names before enlisting in the infantry. Among them was Glasgow-born Marian McKenzie. Shortly after her birth in 1844, her mother died and her father moved the family from Scotland to New York. As a teenager, she pursued a career as an actress before giving up on that dream and travelling from town to town finding what work she could. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, she saw her chance of a great adventure, according to Larry Eggleston, author of the book Women in the Civil War. Eighteen-year-old Marian cut her hair, dressed in men's clothing and joined the Union army's 23rd Kentucky Infantry Regiment as Pte Harry Fitzallen. Eggleston said: "Harry Fitzallen is described in the military records as 5ft 3in tall, of Scottish origin, with a dark complexion, light blue eyes, black hair and coarse-looking and rounded features." Four months after joining up, Marian's true identity was discovered. She was allowed to remain in the army as a nurse but left two months later to try again at serving as an infantryman. From military records, Eggleston was able to track Marian over three years. She enlisted with various regiments - including the 92nd and 8th Ohio - and managed to last weeks or months before being found out and discharged before almost immediately enlisting with another unit. She did not reach the frontline but did participate in long marches and garrison guard duties. Eggleston said: "She only expressed adventure as her motive, but the fact that she served for three years and continually re-enlisted makes one believe that there were other, more patriotic motives involved in her decisions." While researching his book, the writer also came across Kady Brownell, the daughter of a Scottish soldier who tried to serve as a combatant alongside her husband in the 1st Rhode Island Volunteers during the civil war. Eggleston said: "She was sent back to Rhode Island by Colonel Ambrose E Burnside. "However, Rhode Island governor William Sprauge intervened and she was returned to her husband's regiment, where she became a Daughter of the Regiment." A Daughter of the Regiment, also known as vivandieres, were women attached to a unit and served in canteen duties. Elizabeth Leonard, a professor of history at Colby College in Maine, said between 500 and 1,000 women were thought to have served as soldiers during the American Civil War. She said: "We will never know for sure. Women soldiers did not want to be known and they often hid themselves very skilfully, sometimes not being discovered until very late in life." Prof Leonard added: "I think that women's motivations for going undercover as male soldiers were diverse. "Some surely enlisted so that they could stay close to men they cared about and, early on, this was probably the most common explanation that observers gave. "But women also enlisted because they wanted to provide patriotic service and believed in the 'cause', be it Union or independence or slavery or abolition. "They also enlisted for the sake of adventure: war offered the opportunity of travel and excitement that was inconceivable in regular life even for men - imagine how much more so for women." Prof Leonard said other women, particularly those who needed to support themselves, had limited job opportunities in the 19th Century and soldiering offered an alternative to teaching and domestic service. Several aspects of how armies operated in the civil war and the attitudes of the time may have helped women to maintain their double lives, the professor said. Soldiers spent most of their time outdoors, allowing the women to keep a distance between themselves and men, something that would not have been possible in barracks. The troops also rarely changed their clothes and a person in uniform was always assumed to be a man. Prof Leonard added: "Historians today also think that it's quite possible that women who were passing as soldiers typically had at least one male member of their unit who actually knew their true identity and helped them to pass."

A: Debate is raging in the US about an end to a ban on women serving in combat roles. But, 150 years ago, a Scotswoman living in America went to extraordinary lengths to fight on the frontline.
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Q: He will be succeeded by chairman Masashi Muromachi, with vice-chairman Norio Sasaki also stepping down. On Monday, an independent panel appointed by Toshiba said the firm had overstated its operating profit by a total of 151.8bn yen ($1.22bn, £780m). The overstatement was roughly triple an initial estimate by Toshiba. The company's business empire stretches from home electronics to nuclear power stations. 'Deeply apologise' "It has been revealed that there has been inappropriate accounting going on for a long time, and we deeply apologise for causing this serious trouble for shareholders and other stakeholders," the company said in a statement. "Because of this Hisao Tanaka, our company president, and Norio Sasaki, our company's vice chairman... will resign today." Mr Tanaka told a media conference that "we have a serious responsibility", adding that the company would need to "build a new structure'' to reform itself. Mr Tanaka, 64, and Mr Sasaki, 66, both joined Toshiba in the early 1970s. Mr Sasaki served as Toshiba president between June 2009 and June 2013, covering most of the period during which the firm inflated the profits. Atsutoshi Nishida, an adviser and former chief executive from 2006 to 2009, also gave up his post. Mr Tanaka and his predecessors are among eight high-level executives who have now resigned after the independent report found senior management involved in a scheme to inflate profits over several years. People took to social media to express their concern at the scandal. One twitter user remarked "It's appalling how long this cover up could have carried on", while another said "clean out the entire company! Toshiba needs to carry on its legacy properly." He also said it was the most damaging episode in Toshiba's 140-year history. The company was created by a merger in 1938, but its roots date back to 1875. 'Very regrettable' Toshiba's accounting scandal began when securities regulators uncovered problems as they probed the company's balance sheet earlier this year. One line that the investigators looked into was that executives set unrealistic targets for new operations after worries that the 2011 Fukushima disaster may hit Toshiba's nuclear division. While the report did not specifically refer to Fukushima, it did say that pressure within Toshiba was strong in the accounting years of 2011 and 2012. The findings mean Toshiba will have to restate its profits for the period between April 2008 and March 2014. It is unclear whether it will affect the company's results for the year ending March 2015. The finance minister, Taro Aso, said the case could undermine confidence in corporate governance in Japan. He added the accounting irregularities at Toshiba were "very regrettable". Japan's government has been trying to regain global investors' confidence with better corporate governance after Olympus was found to have covered up $1.7bn in losses in late 2011, in what was until now Japan's worst corporate governance scandal. Tomoaki Nakamura, research vice president at market research firm IDC Japan, said it was not a surprise that Mr Tanaka, along with the other executives had stepped down. "In Japan, this news has been in the media for two months already," he told the BBC from Tokyo. "What they need to be afraid of is criminal action by the [US] Securities and Exchange Commission." 'Corporate culture' The report's findings are expected to lead to the restatement of earnings, a board overhaul and potentially hefty fines for Toshiba. The inquiry found that the misreporting of profits began after the financial crash seven years ago, when senior managers began imposing unrealistic performance targets. "Within Toshiba, there was a corporate culture in which one could not go against the wishes of superiors," the report said. "Therefore, when top management presented 'challenges', division presidents, line managers and employees below them continually carried out inappropriate accounting practices to meet targets in line with the wishes of their superiors." One business expert, Loizos Heracleous, Professor of Strategy and Organisation at Warwick Business School, told the BBC there was a wider problem in Japanese business culture. "Corporate culture in Japan is hierarchical and based on a long history of emphasis on loyalty, doing one's best, and doing all that is possible to avoid bringing shame to one's group," he said. "These values, combined with unrelenting performance pressures from the market, can sometimes tempt executives to take shortcuts, and can also make it difficult for employees to ask embarrassing or probing questions of executives." Shares up While the resignations were expected, Mr Nakamura said it was still surprising that such a giant tech firm like Toshiba was still operating in the "old way of cheating today". Regulators are believed to be starting their own review of Toshiba's book-keeping, based on Monday's report. Shares in Toshiba rose 6% in Japan as the report into the accounting problems ended speculation as to the extent of the problem. However, Toshiba's shares are still down by about a quarter since the company first disclosed cases of accounting irregularities in April. Losing to competitors Karissa Chua, analyst of consumer electronics at market research firm Euromonitor said Toshiba's struggles highlighted the problems that have plagued many Japanese tech firms in recent years. "With the exception of cameras, Japanese firms are no longer able to compete effectively with the likes of companies like Samsung and Lenovo," she said. "Even without the scandals, these tech firms are already losing its competitiveness against its Korean and Chinese competitors." And whether Toshiba can bounce back from the probe is up for debate, according to analysts. Mr Nakamura of IDC said even though it faces a class action lawsuit in the US, Toshiba's computers, heavy industry and semi-conductor businesses are strong and profitable. "A new leader and governance structure will renovate the company," he said. Restructuring plans But Ms Chua of Euromonitor said Toshiba was too far behind its competitors to reverse its declining fortunes in consumer electronics, the sector it is best-known for. "It should instead focus on speeding up its restructuring plans and divert its resources in consumer electronics into its core business - energy and components," she said. She said Toshiba would find it a challenge in negotiating new contracts with its partners and customers, as they would be hesitant about committing to the firm because of the uncertainty around its future, including potential fines.

A: Toshiba's chief executive and president Hisao Tanaka has resigned after the company said it had overstated its profits for the past six years.
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Q: They had addressed a public meeting a couple of days ago, denouncing the federal government for rendering arms help to the Lankan government which, they said, were decimating the Tamils there. The pair had warned Tamil Nadu itself would secede from the Indian union if the atrocities against Lankan Tamils went on unchecked. While Vaiko was arrested at the state capital of Chennai, his deputy Kannappan was picked up at his native village in the western part of the state. Vaiko was later remanded in custody until 06 November. "Instigating" Tiger supporters The state has been witnessing some intense activities in recent weeks by Tamil nationalist groupings. Even the ruling DMK has warned that if the Centre does not ensure a cease fire in Lanka, its MPs would be resigning from the parliament. DMK is a key constituent of India's ruling coalition. Another protest demonstration was held on Thursday in Chennai by the Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VKC), led by Thol Thirumavalavan, a strong supporter of the Tamil Tiger rebels. Last week there was a rally by film directors and artistes in Rameswaram when some strident speeches were made. Only Wednesday, Jayalalithaa, the most important opposition leader, had denounced the state government for allegedly instigating Tiger supporters and described them as anti-nationals. The state Congress too, whose support in the legislature is critical to the DMK government, has expressed its unhappiness over the frenetic activity of the Tamil nationalist elements.

A:
Two prominent pro-LTTE leaders of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Vaiko, general secretary of the MDMK and M Kannappan, presidium chairman, were arrested by the state police on charges of sedition.
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