Rome has printed one million bus and metro
tickets bearing Pope Francis' silhouette, the city's transport operator
said today. Atac said the limited edition tickets will go on sale
tomorrow and depicts the Argentinian pontiff as he greeted the crowd
from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica just after his appointment on
March 13. The tickets are valid for a limited period on all of Rome's
bus and metro services. "Atac pays homage to the new pope who
appreciates public transport," it said, referring to the Argentinian
pontiff's habit of using the bus- and metro system when he was the
archbishop of Buenos Aires. Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno welcomed the
news. "It's a beautiful initiative," he said. "It's a way of greeting
the new pontiff and wish him welcome." Just two weeks into his
pontificate, the pope has gained a strong following for his simple and
friendly manner, drawing large crowds to the Sunday Angelus prayer in St
Peter's Square. Upon the beatification of John Paul II two years ago,
Atac launched a similar initiative, issuing limited edition tickets that
were adorned with the late pope's portrait.
Legendary playback singer Manna Dey, who mesmerised generations of listeners with his inimitable voice for over five decades with hits like 'ay mere pyara watan', 'laaga chunri me daag' and 'poocho na kaise', died at a hospital here today at the age of 94 after prolonged illness. Dey, who was in and out of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in the last five months for respiratory and renal problems, died of cardiac arrest with his daughter Shumita Deb and son-in-law Jnanranjan Deb by his bedside when the end came at 3.50 AM. The condition of Dey, who had made Bangalore his home for the last many years, deteriorated since yesterday afternoon, hospital spokesman Vasuki said. With the demise of Dey, the void has become complete in the famous quartet of singers Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar, who dominated the Hindi music industry from 1950s to 1970s. The mortal remains of Dey, whose unique voice lent a rare dimension to his persona, were cremate...
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