President turns 78
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee turned 78 on Wednesday and was greeted by Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries. Arriving here this morning after attending the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, he began the day by inaugurating a Recreation Club Guest House and Kaveri Residential Complex as part of redevelopment scheme within the Presidential Estate. Later, the President received Ansari, the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde who presented bouquets and wished him on the occasion. Mukherjee met general public for 30 minutes on Wednesday to receive their wishes. The celebrations were low key in view of the five day mourning being observed as a mark of respect to the late anti-apartheid icon. Earlier after take off from Johannesburg, the President cut the cake on board the special Air India aircraft in the presence of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, MPs Sitaram Yechurry and Satish Mishra. The leaders greeted him on the occasion. (PTI)
Over 200 TN fishermen detained by Lankan Navy; released
Rameswaram (TN): As many as 227 fishermen from Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu were on Wednesday detained by Sri Lankan Navy personnel when they were fishing in the Palk Strait but later released, fisheries officials said. The fishermen were taken to Jaffna but they were released after the Indian government held talks with the Lankan government, Pushparaj, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Nagapattinam, told PTI. Officials said the fishermen would reach India by Thursday. Pushparaj said they could have been arrested for not having a proper fishing token issued by the department and for crossing the International Maritime Boundary line. (PTI)
