News

Mamata, Akhilesh to attend Nitish Kumar's oath taking ceremony today

Patna, Feb 22 (ANI): A host of political leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav are scheduled to attend senior JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday. Nitish will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar at the Raj Bhawan. He will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. Nitish had on Friday met the Governor and staked his claim to form the next government in Bihar following the resignation of Jitan Ram Manjhi from the top post ahead of the crucial trust vote in the state assembly. He had also apologised to the people of Bihar for his 'emotional decision' to step down. Nitish had stepped down as the state Chief Minister after his party's dismal show in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Feb 22, 2015

UP health minister briefs about Swine flu condition in the state

Lucknow, Feb 22 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Ahmed Hasan on Sunday briefed about the condition of Swine flu in the state. Hasan said that seven patients died and nearly 250 patients were admitted in hospitals. He added that most people have been treated and discharged while remaining are being treated for swine flu. Hasan also assured that there was no need to panic.

Feb 22, 2015

7 killed, 8 hurt as passenger train rams into van in Nalanda

Nalanda, Feb 22 (ANI): Seven people were killed and eight others were injured when a passenger train rammed into a Tata magic van in Nalanda district of Bihar. The incident took place when the Tata magic van was hit by the train at an unmanned rail crossing near Tungi Halt of Deepnagar area. Furious over the incident, villagers stopped the train and resorted to pelting stones.

Feb 22, 2015

Isis video claims 21 Peshmerga soldiers have been beheaded.

Isis Video Shows Peshmerga Soldiers in Cages, Warns of Beheading

The footage, released on Saturday, shows 21 captives, believed to be Peshmerga fighters captured from Kirkuk.

Feb 22, 2015

Ukraine Crisis: Prisoners' Swap Strengthens Minsk Ceasefire Agreement

Following the terms of the Minsk agreement of 12 February, the Ukranian government and the pro-Moscow rebel forces exchanged prisoners on Saturday.

Feb 22, 2015

Nitish Kumar Takes Oath as Bihar Chief Minister

Along with Nitish, 22 ministers, most of whom were in his earlier cabinet, also took oath.

Feb 22, 2015

Congress workers distribute free masks, medicines to combat swine flu

Ahmedabad/ Jaipur/ Siddharthnagar, Feb 22 (ANI): Workers of Congress party distributed free masks and medicines to residents in Gujarat as a precautionary measure to fight swine flu. India has seen a sharp rise in the number of swine flu deaths and reported cases this year. Nearly 700 lives have been claimed in the country due to the disease. More than 11,000 people, including children, reportedly took part in the campaign organised by Congress party. In view of the swine flu rush, the Central government last week had placed an order to increase the national stock of diagnostic kits to test for the virus. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, urged people to take immediate precautionary measures.

Feb 22, 2015

Efforts on to trace Indians stranded in Iraq, says Foreign Minister

New Delhi, Feb 22 (ANI): Union Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj assured the tense family members of Indian nationals stranded in Iraq that the government was putting in all the efforts to bring them back. This is the sixth meeting between Swaraj and the families from Punjab. Last year, 39 Indian construction workers, mainly from Punjab, were abducted in Iraq by the Islamic State (IS). The family members have reposed hope in the Indian government. About 10,000 Indian nationals live and work across Iraq, according to government figures.

Feb 22, 2015

Mamata positive about solving water dispute with Bangladesh

Dhaka, Feb 22 (ANI): Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee assured to find a solution to the Teesta water-sharing deal, one of the most contentious issues between India and Bangladesh. Banerjee's three-day visit to Bangladesh has drawn widespread attention since it was due to her intense opposition that former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, failed to ink the Teesta water-sharing treaty during his Dhaka trip in September 2011. Before her arrival, Mamata tweeted that it was "a very emotional moment" for her.

Feb 22, 2015

Cricket fans keep fingers crossed as India-South Africa World Cup match begins

Varanasi/ Jaipur/ Kanpur, Feb 22 (ANI): Cricket lovers performed special prayers as the national cricket team begins the match against South Africa in World Cup 2015. India has never beaten South Africa in three previous meetings at World Cups. India will play to seek their first victory against South Africa on Sunday (February 22) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Cricket fans all over India kept their fingers crossed and organised special prayer ceremonies. India and South Africa have played a total of 70 matches against each other. Indians across the country are pinning hopes on the 2011 defending champions to bring back the World Cup trophy.

Feb 22, 2015

Tourists come calling in snow-covered Himachal Pradesh

Manali/Shimla, Feb 22 (ANI): Tourists from across the country, especially northern India, are thronging Himachal Pradesh to spend their weekends in the snow-covered Himalayan state. Tourism in the state had taken a backseat in the recent days due to natural calamities. But snowfall has revived the state's fortunes once again. Capital city of Shimla is well-known for winter sports like snow trekking, skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, ice climbing and others. Other regions in Himachal Pradesh, like Kullu and Manali are also tourists' favourite when it comes to adventure sports. During winters, holidaying crowd from the plains of India and other parts of the country prefer to throng northern states India to experience snowfall.

Feb 22, 2015