Kolkata, March 30 : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Shourie on Monday said that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh should not hesitate from joining BJP leader L. K. Advani in a public debate.

The public would know the ability of the person who deserves to be their prime minister, said Arun Shourie, who was here to participate in an interactive session organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Kolkata, Mar 30 : Sex workers in Kolkata have geared up to pressurise political parties for recognition of their profession and acceptance in society.

In the red light district of Sonagachi, which falls under the North Kolkata Constituency, the sex workers under the banner of Durbar Mahila Samanya Committee have placed a charter of demands before each political party of West Bengal in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha.

The main demand of these workers is application of labour rights for their profession.

Kolkata, Mar 30 : Despite a ban by the Election Commission of India on using wall graffiti as a medium of campaigning for the upcoming general elections, locals as well as artists in West Bengal support the cause.

The artists said they found their creative expression in it. Some of them take leave from their usual work to enjoy doing something creative with different colours.

British Airways authorities Sunday onwards suspended its direct services from Kolkata to London - practically applying its last year announcement - saying that the route was not making adequate profit! Coincidentally, the same day, Air India resumed its October 2008-suspended service on the Kolkata-London route, via Delhi.

With the last British Airways flight taking off at around 5 a. m. from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, the carrier's thrice a week service, direct form Kolkata to Heathrow Airport in London, has been scrapped.

Kolkata, March 26 : German-born Sister Mary Prema has been elected as the new superior general of the Missionaries of Charity (MC), the congregation founded by Mother Teresa in Kolkata.

The German-born nun replaces Sister Nirmala Joshi, who was re-elected for a third time on March 13 and has led the congregation since 1997, after the death of Mother Teresa.

According to the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, the nuns were keen to re-elect Sister Nirmala, but she requested to be relieved from her duties due to ill health.

Kolkata, Mar 22 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee hopes of popular mandate in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha.

After meeting with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee here on Saturday, Mukherjee asserted that the people of West Bengal would give their support to the alliance in the parliamentary elections.