Schoolgirls locked up for 48 hrs

JAIPUR: A Rajasthan school with the consent of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education officials on Monday asked 49 teenaged girl students to stay back in the school campus more than 48 hours for no fault of theirs. Read More................Schoolgirls locked up for 48 hrs

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Elephants loom large as an issue in elections

ALONG with Maoist rebels, rampaging elephants have become a key voter issue in eastern India ahead of the upcoming general election as political parties promise to save villagers from the animals.

Villagers have put up banners saying, "save us from elephants and get our votes," and "help us and we will help you", in Ranchi city, the capital of eastern Jharkhand state, and other towns. Read More................Elephants loom large as an issue in elections

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Monkeys are poll issue in Himachal

Shimla: The incarnation of god Hanuman for some, but crop destroyers and a big nuisance for farmers, monkeys are turning out to be a major election issue in Himachal Pradesh this time. Read More................Monkeys are poll issue in Himachal

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It's now raining liquor in Punjab villages!

Amritsar: The biggest festival in politics-the Lok Sabha elections-has not only intensified political activities, but also brought a big cheer to the faces of boozers and liquor manufacturers.

A visit to villages in Punjab in the run-up to elections shows that it is party time in the countryside. Country liquor is being offered to all those who fancy it with gusto and without gumption. Read More................It's now raining liquor in Punjab villages!

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Poll candidate rides bullock cart to visit voters

At a time when politicians hire helicopters and SUVs for election campaigns, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Lok Sabha candidate in Uttar Pradesh goes about on a bullock cart and pedal-rickshaw for canvassing. Read More................This BSP candidate rides bullock cart to visit voters

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Aged 73, loser of 25 polls tries again

New Delhi: He has contested 25 elections in Orissa since 1957 and lost all of them. But that has not deterred a 73-year-old from trying his luck again in the Lok Sabha polls.

K. Shyam Babu Subudhi, a homeopath by profession, is back again as an independent contender from not one - but two - Lok Sabha constituencies, Aska and Berhampur. Read More................Aged 73, loser of 25 polls tries again

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Tirupati voters get Gold darshan

TIRUPATI: Instead of the usual chant of Govinda Govinda in this temple town, candidates in the fray from Tirupati assembly constituency are chanting "goldinda goldinda" (here's gold, here's gold) to woo the over 2.3 lakh electorate — over 50% of them being women — by playing on divine sentiment to the hilt. Read More................Tirupati voters get gold darshan

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Court acquits 29-year-old for murder committed 11 years ago

MUMBAI: The sessions court here has acquitted a 29-year-old man arrested for murdering a senior citizen eleven years back after it was proved he was then a juvenile, as per the amended Juvenile Justice Act. Read More................Court acquits 29-year-old for murder committed 11 years ago

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After 28 years, twin caught holding brother's job

CHANDIGARH: It happens all the time with identical twins. One sibling impersonates the other and often gets away with it. But few can possibly match the feat of the Singh brothers of Punjab who carried the deception for 28 long years — until one of them pushed his luck too far. Read More................After 28 years, twin caught holding brother's job

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Sacrifice Rhino, get Groom soon

MUMBAI: The Shivaji Park police are looking for a 36-year old tantrik who took nearly Rs 3 lakh from a 30-year-old woman and fooled her into believing that sacrificing a rhino would help her find a match. The accused, Farid Shah, even promised the victim to find one in UP. Read More................Rs 3-lakh advice: Sacrifice rhino, get groom soon

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Indian villagers pray to Barack Obama for "honest" candidates

Ranchi: Villagers in Jharkhand chanted sacred hymns and offered prayers to Barack Obama on Wednesday, while appealing to political parties to field candidates like the US President in the upcoming general election. Read More................Indian villagers pray to Obama for "honest" candidates

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Man seeks wild jumbo's blessings, trampled to death

A 70-year-old man in Chhattisgarh was trampled to death by a rampaging wild elephant after he ignored the appeals of villagers and tried to touch the animal's feet to seek its blessings, forest officials said on Thursday. Read More................Man seeks wild jumbo's blessings, trampled to death

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Men Dress up as Women to Pray at Temple

Kollam (Kerala): Every year for two days men make a beeline for a temple in Kerala for a festival carrying lamps - and dressed up as women.

The 19-day-long festival concludes Thursday at the Kottankulangara Devi temple at Chavara near here. And the last two days see thousands of men dressed up in saris, ‘churidars’ and skirts arriving to pay obeisance. Read More................Men dress up as women to pray at Kerala temple

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Salvation rites offered through Snakes!

A man conducted religious rites for the salvation of his parents' souls in the presence of two snakes in Bihar's Gaya town after his neighbour dreamt that the snakes were his parents.

Suresh Singh, a resident of Jhansi in Madhya Pradesh, and his neighbour Devaki offered 'Pindadan' (salvation rituals) with a male and female snake in tow at the Dev Ghat in Gaya, about 100 km from Patna, said Sanjay Lal, a Hindu priest, who conducted the rituals for them. Read More................Salvation rites offered through snakes in Bihar!

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Marriage of Two Monkeys

A marriage of two monkeys that had brought luck to their caretakers was solemnised and attended by at least 10,000 people in a temple in an Orissa village, a media report said Wednesday. Read More................Simian couple ties knot in style in Orissa

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Swiss couple awaits clearance for ponies at Attari check post

ATTARI (AMRITSAR): A Swiss couple Matthias and Celina, who are on a tour around the globe to promote peace, are stranded at the Indo-Pak Joint Check Post here for the last two months, owing to a lack of documents for two ponies. Read More................Swiss couple awaits clearance for ponies at Attari check post

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Political Parties supporters clash during live TV programme

Supporters of BJP and BSP clashed during a live TV programme here, leaving five persons injured, police said today.

The clash took place at Ram Manohar Lohia park during Star News programme "Kaun Banega Pradhanmantri", which was being aired live last night. Read More................BJP-BSP supporters clash during live TV programme

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No Toilet, No Bride

Panipat (Haryana): The war against insanitation is being fought by women in Haryana by placing a simple condition before their daughters get married - her new household should have a toilet. Read More................No toilet, no bride: Haryana slogan hits the mark

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Hindu extremists target Charlie Chaplin

After high-profile protests against women in pubs and an anti-Valentine's Day campaign, Hindu nationalists in India are taking aim at another target -the unlikely figure of Charlie Chaplin. Read More................India's Hindu extremists target Charlie Chaplin

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Play Music to Milk Cows

A farm in Ghatsila town in Jharkhand devised a unique way of milking cows by playing music in the shed as the farm officials believe that the cows yield more milk while listening to music. Read More................Play music to milk cows in Jharkhand

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Cake, bat, scissor - election symbols up for grabs

Candle, ring, cake and violin may sound like the perfect things for a romantic date, but they are actually some of elections symbols that parties can choose to woo voters in the Indian general election. Read More................Cake, bat, scissor - election symbols up for grabs

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Octogenarian Gandhi disciple puts best foot forward

RANCHI, India – At first glance he looks like India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, wearing only a knee-length wraparound and slippers, but Bagun Sumbarai is a seasoned politician bidding for a sixth stint in parliament. Read More................Octogenarian Gandhi disciple puts best foot forward

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Shut up and vote

Shut up and vote - is the message that a Bangalore-based rock band will give to the urban youth in five cities starting Friday. The band, in a series of rock shows, will urge the young to stop cribbing and start voting. Read More................Rock band to urge the youth to 'shut up and vote'

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Netagiri Vidyalaya

Ranchi: A school for politicians is doing a good business in Ranchi and anybody with a yen for 'netagiri' is welcome to join it. Read More................Want to be a politician? Join 'Netagiri Vidyalaya'

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Donkeys fetch record prices due to labour shortage

MUMBAI: The economic meltdown may be the monkey on our back, but the donkey market is alive and kicking. A record number of donkeys - 2,000 to be precise - was sold on the opening day of the nine-day donkey bazaar in Ahmednagar district, and that too at record prices. Read More................Donkeys fetch record prices due to labour shortage

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High prevalence of child marriage in India

A large proportion of women in India were married when they were still children, a study has found, and researchers warned that such unions carried higher risks of unwanted pregnancies and female sterilization. Read More................High prevalence of child marriage in India

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Man to get job 16 years after applying for it

JAIPUR: Observing that a person sitting at the door of the court must not be denied his rights due to the delay in adjudication, the Rajasthan High Court has directed the state government to recruit a man into the Border Home Guards, who had approached the court against his non-selection way back in 1992. Read More................Thanks to HC, man to get job 16 years after applying for it

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Pythons kept as pets by two children

By Rajni Khaitan, Indore : Two and a half year old Kanha and six-year-old Anurag of Indore, prefer pythons and other snakes to toys.

Their father Milesh Solanki, a snake lover himself, is proud that his affinity to snakes has been bestowed upon his children. Read More................Pythons kept as pets by two children in Madhya Pradesh

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Girl killed in over bowl of wheat

A 12-year-old girl accused of stealing a bowl of wheat was brutally killed by a couple in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

The couple, Mahapeeri and Dheer Singh, allegedly killed Soni in Godhna village of Muzaffarnagar district, 350 km from here, after they found a bowl of wheat missing from their kitchen. Read More................Girl killed in Uttar Pradesh over bowl of wheat

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HIV-positive man bites Delhi Cop

New Delhi A Delhi Police constable was allegedly bitten twice on his legs by an HIV positive truck driver in the national capital when he intervened in a fight he was having with his wife. Read More................HIV-positive man bites Delhi cop

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Politicians evoke Gods for victory

PATNA: Elections and superstitions go together in Bihar politics. It's not only development and caste combinations that politicians of Bihar rely on. The divine blessing is sought in a discrete manner. Read More................Politicians evoke gods for victory

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2 jail inmates climb tree in protest

CHENNAI: Tense moments prevailed at Saidapet sub-jail here when two inmates, accused in robbery cases, climbed a tree, in protest against not being produced in court for a long time. Read More................2 jail inmates climb tree in protest

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Son kills mother over papaya

Raipur: A man in a Chhattisgarh village lost his cool over his mother cutting a papaya he had brought home without asking him and killed her in a brutal manner, police said Thursday.The incident took place Wednesday at Andhiyakhor village in Durg district, about 150 km from capital Raipur. Read More................Son kills mother over papaya in Chhattisgarh village

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65-year-old appears for class 10 exams for 44th time

LUCKNOW: A 65-year-old grocery shop owner in Uttar Pradesh, undeterred by past failures, is appearing for class 10 exams for the 44th time.

"He would be probably the oldest student enrolled with the UP (Uttar Pradesh) board. His determination to pass the exam has impressed us all," added Maurya, the District Inspector of Schools . Read More....................................65-year-old appears for class 10 exams for 44th time

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Indian party buys rights to Slumdog Millionaire tune

NEW DELHI – Aiming to spice up its election campaign, India's ruling Congress party has bought the rights to "Jai Ho," the Oscar-winning song from "Slumdog Millionaire."

The world's largest democracy will hold a general election between April 16 and May 13 in a mammoth logistical exercise in which 714 million people will cast their votes. Read More................Indian party buys rights to Slumdog tune

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Temple for Lalu and Rabri

Admirers of Union railway minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi are building a temple dedicated to the couple in Bihar. It will come up in a village in Kaimur district, about 150 km from Patna. Read More.................Temple for Lalu and Rabri

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Godman helps convicted MP to get 'rid of evils'

Controversial godman Chandraswami performed rituals at a new temple built by Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP and convicted murderer Surajbhan Singh in Bihar to get 'rid of evils' in the lawmaker's life. Read More................Godman helps convicted MP to get 'rid of evils'

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Woman bites off Sister-in-law's nose

Mumbai: Petty quarrels can sometimes lead to big fights. But this one takes the, well, nose. Two women, sisters-in-law in a family that lives in Andheri (West), got into an argument which eventually resulted in one woman biting off a part of the nose of the other. Mildred, 24, in a fit of anger, allegedly attacked her sister-in-law Elena, 32, and left her severely injured. Read More................Sister-in-law bites off nose

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Teacher stages death to marry out of caste

GANDHIDHAM (KUTCH): This is the stuff great escapes are made of. A 19-year-old jobless teacher, presumed dead after committing suicide by lighting her own funeral pyre, had actually staged a drama so that she could elope with her beloved belonging to a different caste. Read More................Teacher stages death to marry out of caste

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School headmaster kidnaps, marries 14-year old girl

An elementary school headmaster of a village near here kidnapped and married a 14-year-old girl, the same age as his daughter recently, police said. Read More................School headmaster kidnaps, marries 14-year old girl

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Students can be suitable brides - at this women's college

Ranchi: Students in a college are expected to study and broaden their horizons. But the principal of one such women's institution in Jharkhand thinks it can be a happy hunting ground for suitable brides. Read More................Students can be suitable brides - at this women's college

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Police play Cupid for runaway couple

CHANDIGARH: In an intensely caste-conscious Haryana where families are known to kill, maim and tear asunder rebelling couples, happy-ending accounts are far too few and less. In one such heart-warming instance in the Punjab and Haryana high court premises, a vigilant police played the guardian angel and reunited a newlywed couple within hours of the boy being dragged away, kicking and screaming, by the girl’s relatives. Read More................UT police play Cupid for runaway couple

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