Attukal Pongala, Holi celebrations, and other news in pictures

Published at 5.00 p.m.

Attukal Pongala festival

Braving the hot sun, thousands of women on Friday prepared ‘Pongala’ (offering) in makeshift brick stoves to appease the presiding deity of Attukal Bhagavathy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, in what is called as one of the world’s largest all women gatherings.

The women, converging from all over the State and outside, prepared ‘pongala’ (a mix of rice, jaggery and scraped coconut) for about two hours in fresh earthen or metal pots by lining up on either side of the roads around the shrine.

Published at 8.00 p.m.

In full bloom

Marigold flowers in full bloom at a farm at Maanur in Tirunelveli District.   | Photo Credit: A. Shaikmohideen

The marigold flower fetches good price during the festival season, particularly from August to January and during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

Published at 6.30 p.m.

Fire in Azerbaijan

In this video grab provided by APA TV — Azerbaijan’s television — firefighters work at the scene of a blaze at a drug rehabilitation clinic in the capital city of Baku on March 2, 2018. Authorities say at least 24 people have been killed in the fire that broke out due to suspected short circuit in the clinic.   | Photo Credit: AP

At least 24 people have been killed in a fire at a drug rehabilitation clinic in capital Baku on Friday morning. The Health Ministry said 200 patients and staff have been evacuated, and 34 people have been rescued from the building.

Published at 4.15 p.m.

Grand welcome to Gynmastics World Cup bronze medallist

Gymnastics World Cup bronze Aruna Budda Reddy being greeted by her mother at her residence in Hyderabad on Friday.   | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Aruna Budda Reddy on Feburary 24, 2018, created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup as she clinched a bronze in the women’s vault event in Melbourne.

The 22-year-old Aruna, who hails from Hyderabad, scored 13.649 average points to win the bronze at the Hisense Arena. “Aruna is now the first and the only Indian to have won a medal in the World Cup and we are proud of her,” Shantikumar Singh, secretary of a faction of Gymnastics Federation of India, said.

Published at 1.30 p.m.

Students’ protest

Students of NERIST and Rajiv Gandhi University and members of All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union burn effigies of Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Kiren Rijiju demanding a regular director for North East Regional Institute of Science and Technology at Nirjuli near Itanagar.

Published at 12.30 p.m.

Holi celebration

People play with colours on Holi Day in Visakhapatnam.   | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

People along with tourists from Russia celebrated Holi on Visakhapatnam Beach on Friday.

Published at 12 noon

Theatres shut

A signboard outside a theatre in Rajamahendravaram on Friday.   | Photo Credit: S. Rambabu

All the single screen theatres and multiplexes across the State will be shut  Friday as part of the indefinite strike by South Indian producers, distributors and exhibitors in protest against the monopoly of two Digital Service Providers.

Published at 11.30 a.m.

Italy poll campaign

A demonstrator shouts slogans during an anti-racist and anti-fascist movements protest against the Italian far-right movement ‘CasaPound’, in Rome.   | Photo Credit: AP

Italy’s soon-to-end election campaign reads much like a police blotter, chronicling a country whose politics lately have been increasingly nasty, divisive and even violent.

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