Patna, Nov. 3 : Chhat, the thanksgiving festival dedicated to the Sun God for bestowing the bounties of life in earth and fulfilling everyone’s wishes, started here today with Kharna ritual.

The festival is significant for married women in specific, as they observe a two-day fast and offer prayers standing waist-deep in water and offer fruits and flowers to Surya, the Sun God.

Several married women here today observed dawn to dusk fast marking ‘Kharna’ for the long life of husband and son and mark the fist day of the three-day Chhat Puja.

Gangtok, Nov. 3 (ANI): Nestled in the lap of Himalayas, Sikkim despite being a tiny State has carved out a name in the field of football. Recently Sikkim hosted the 30th edition of All India Governor''s Gold Cup, one of the premier football tournaments in the country with utmost festive spirit.

Leading teams from various parts of India have been participating in this tourney held at Gangtok.

To name a few teams, ITI, HAL, MEG and CIL from Bangalore, Titanium and Alind from Kerala, Salgaokar, SESA Goa, Dempo and Vasco from Goa, Tata, Mafatlal and Mahindra & Mahindra from Mumbai apart from teams from West Bengal, Punjab and Assam have taken part in this tournament.

Bodh Gaya, Nov. 3 : A group of Buddhist monks in Bodh Gaya conducted prayers for the world peace in a special annual ceremony, which was attended by about
100 visiting Buddhist devotees from Thailand on Sunday.

Monks chanted Mantras to seek peace across the world at the ceremony called ‘Kathin Cheeva Daan’.

The occasion also drew attraction of the devotees when monks created a tall Lord Buddha statue in just 12 hours time from dawn to dusk.

New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed FIRs in connection with Rs 35,000 crore food grain scam in Uttar Pradesh which took place between March 2004 and October 2005.

UP Chief Minister Mayawati had recommended for the CBI probe into the food grain scam on December 1, 2007.

The CBI has filed nine FIRs related to the scam - eight in Ballia and one in Lakhimpur Kheri where the scam amount was more than Rs one crore. Over 35 government officials were found to be involved in it as per the preliminary CBI probe.

New Delhi, Nov. 3 : At least 25 people attacked the Maharashtra Sadan here over the state government’s go slow in ordering the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.

Thackeray, they claimed, was responsible for the attacks on North Indians in Mumbai and in other parts of Maharashtra, and therefore, should have been detained for disturbing the peace.