Feb 8 News Live: England hold nerve against Nepal in 4-run T20 World Cup win

Students fall ill after breakfast at tribal welfare school in Andhra,

As many as 74 students of Devarapalli Government Tribal Welfare School here in Polavaram district fell ill after consuming idly and chutney served for breakfast, police said on Sunday.

Rampachodavaram Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sai Prashant said that a total of 255 students had breakfast at the school, following which several children complained of vomiting and stomach discomfort. Eighteen students were shifted to Maredumilli Primary Health Centre (PHC), while the remaining were taken to Rampachodavaram Area Hospital.

"74 students of Devarapalli Government Tribal Welfare School developed illness after having idly and chutney served for breakfast," Prashant told PTI. All the affected students have been diagnosed with mild food poisoning and none is in serious condition, he said, adding, they were stable.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the incident with senior officials and directed continuous monitoring of the students undergoing treatment at Rampachodavaram Area Hospital.

Three found dead inside car on Delhi's Peeragarhi flyover

Three people, including a woman, were found dead inside an abandoned car on the Peeragarhi flyover in outer Delhi on Sunday, police said.

A PCR call was received regarding a car parked on the flyover, they said. On reaching the spot, emergency personnel found three people dead inside the vehicle, following which police, along with a forensic team were informed and the area was cordoned off, they said.

According to the police, the deceased include two men and a woman. No visible external injuries were found on the bodies and all valuables were intact, the police said.

Prima facie the case appears to be a suicide. However, further probe is underway to ascertain the circumstances leading to the deaths, they said.

England survive massive scare against Nepal, win T20 World Cup opener by 4 runs

Two-time champions England survived a massive scare against a doughty Nepal in their Group C clash of the T20 World Cup, clinching a narrow four-run win in a tense finish to their tournament opener in Mumbai on Sunday.

Nepal came within touching distance of creating history as they nearly upset one of the teams to beat in the competition, scoring 180/6 in reply to England’s 184/7.Lokesh Bam (39 not out off 20 balls) kept Nepal in the hunt for an upset victory but could not finish the game in the final over after a heroic effort.

Needing 10 runs off the last over, Nepal couldn’t find a boundary as their inspired show with the bat ended in a narrow loss. Sam Curran nailed his yorkers relentlessly as all that Nepal could manage were five runs.

Nevertheless, more than 17,000 fans thronged the iconic Wankhede Stadium and witnessed Nepal punching far above their weight, with majority of them being from the Himalayan nation.

Skipper Rohit Paudel (39), Dipendra Singh Airee (39), Kushal Bhurtel (29) and Lokesh, who smashed four boundaries and two sixes in a late assault, fought valiantly but they could not take their side over the line.

Delhi biker's death: AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj detained while trying to light candles near pit

The AAP's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj was briefly detained in Janakpuri on Sunday, with police saying the action was taken as he was trying to stage a protest over the death of a biker who fell into a 15-feet deep pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board.

Kamal Dhyani, an employee of a private bank in Rohini's Sector 10, was returning home on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday when he fell into a pit dug by the DJB for a sewer pipeline restoration project.

On Sunday, Bharadwaj and his companions were trying to walk towards the pit to light candles in the memory of the biker when they were detained. A senior police officer said the action was taken as the AAP leaders were trying to stage a protest. "They were removed from the spot and were detained. They were taken to a nearby police station and later released," he said.

Later, in a post on X, Bharadwaj claimed that he and his companions had gone to offer condolences over the death of Kamal Dhyani. "The police erected barricades. We said no slogan shouting was being done and that we would return after lighting candles," he said.

Vaishnaw seeks Bengal govt's cooperation in completing railway projects

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday requested the West Bengal government to cooperate with the Centre for the completion of railway projects in the state by providing land and permissions as and when required.

Vaishnaw was speaking after virtually inaugurating two road overbridges at Siuri in Birbhum and Kumarpur in Paschim Bardhaman district and flagging off a MEMU train service between Asansol and Jharkhand's Bokaro.

Stating that there "would not be any dearth of funds" for West Bengal's development, Vaishnaw said the state government's cooperation will ensure completion of various ongoing railway projects in the state.

The railway minister pointed to the over-a-year-long imbroglio over the construction of a 366-metre viaduct at Chingrighata crossing here for the New Garia-Airport stretch of Kolkata Metro that passes through the city's IT hub, Salt Lake Sector V.

"Despite orders of the Calcutta High Court and the metro authorities having constructed a diversion road, the state government is not giving permission for the construction work," Vaishnaw said, adding that the delay is affecting the people of West Bengal.

Surajkund swing collapse: Hero cop cremated with state honours

The 58-year-old Haryana police inspector Jagdish Prasad, who died trying to save people at the Surajkund fairgrounds after a giant swing snapped mid-air and collapsed, was cremated with state honours in his native Dengar village in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

His last rites were performed with full rituals on the banks of the Yamuna River, where his son Gaurav lit the funeral pyre, said an official, adding that hundreds of people gathered for the funeral.

Paying tribute to the bravery of Prasad, Palwal SP Varun Singla said that every Indian is proud of his dedication and courage. The SP also consoled the family members of the late inspector.

On Saturday, about 19 people were riding the swing when it tilted around 6 pm before crashing onto the ground, leaving 11 injured.

Prasad, who joined the Haryana Armed Police in 1989 and was to retire in March after completing 36 years in the force, showed great bravery in trying to save those trapped in the swing but received severe injuries in the process, leading to his death, a senior officer said.

Surajkund swing collapse: Haryana CM tells officials to ensure such incident do not recur

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini Sunday said the death and injuries in the Surajkund swing tragedy in Faridabad were deeply painful and directed officials to ensure strict adherence to safety standards in the fair and other public events.

He said a probe has been ordered to find out the reason behind the collapse, and announced a government job to a family member of the police inspector who died while trying to save people.

Around 19 people were riding the swing when it tilted around 6 pm on Saturday before crashing onto the ground, leaving 11 injured and one dead. The dead was identified as Jagdish Prasad, a 58-year-old on-duty police inspector, who was awarded the Police Medal by the Haryana governor in 2019-20.

Saini announced that the seriously injured in the Surajkund incident would be provided financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each by the state government. Interacting with reporters in Kurukshetra on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the 41st State-Level Livestock Exhibition, the chief minister said swings at the Surajkund fair are checked every day, and a report is prepared in this matter.

UP: Five of family injured as e-rickshaw battery explodes while charging

Five members of a family, including two women and a newborn, were injured after an e-rickshaw battery exploded while being charged at their house in Khurja Nagar area in Bulandshahr on Sunday, police said.

The incident occurred around 5 am in Nehrupur locality when the battery explosion triggered a fire inside the house, they said, adding the family was asleep at the time of the explosion.

The five people, who sustained burns, were rushed to hospital after police reached the spot on receiving information. The injured have been identified as Roshan Lal, his son Rohit Kumar, daughter-in-law Anjali, newborn grandson, and Lal's daughter Meenakshi, the police said.

Khurja Nagar police station SHO Dharmendra Singh said the matter is being investigated. 

EPS slams DMK govt over TNPSC exam postponement

Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the DMK government following the postponement of the TNPSC Group II and IIA Main Examinations. Palaniswami called the postponement "administrative incompetence".

The examinations, which were scheduled to take place across Tamil Nadu on Sunday, were deferred at the last minute due to reported irregularities in hall tickets and confusion in the allocation of examination centres.

Terming the incident "unprecedented" in the history of the state’s public service commission, the AIADMK General Secretary said the postponement on the day of the exam exposes the "administrative collapse" under the current regime.

"For the first time, a highly significant examination like TNPSC Group II has been postponed on the very day it was to be held. This single incident reveals the true state of governance under the DMK regime," the AIADMK leader said in a statement.

ICC deputy chair on way to Lahore for talks with PCB over India match boycott

Imran Khwaja, deputy chair of the International Cricket Council, has left for Lahore to meet PCB officials as efforts to resolve the standoff over Pakistan's proposed boycott of the high stakes T20 World Cup match against India gather pace.

Khwaja, who represents Singapore in the ICC, is an influential figure in the world governing body and has voting rights on the board as an associate member director. A source close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Khwaja has been nominated by the ICC board as a mediator on the controversial subject.

"He has been in talks with Mohsin Naqvi for a while now and he is reaching Lahore today to first talk to the PCB chief and also the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President, Aminul Islam before the virtual meeting this evening," the source said.

Aminul is already in Lahore and has met Naqvi on Sunday. Aminul is expected to be part of the discussions aimed at persuading Pakistan to reconsider its decision not to play India in Colombo on February 15.

Naqvi has not commented much on the instructions from the government to boycott the India match but a reliable source said the situation has changed after the Sri Lankan cricket board sent an email to the PCB, urging them to end the boycott.