Thirty-three bodies, including those of nine Armymen, have been recovered so far from the slush and debris of the flash flood in Teesta river that devastated Sikkim, while the search continued for the over 105 people who are still missing, officials said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Jalpaiguri district administration in West Bengal has said they have so far recovered 40 bodies from the downstream of the Teesta river. Officials said 10 bodies have so far been identified.

Officials at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, on Sunday clarified that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was not admitted to the hospital, even as some sources said he consulted doctors at the institute.

Tibetan spiritual head the Dalai Lama was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, on Sunday evening, sources said.

He is admitted in a private ward of the Cardio-Neuro Centre under Dr Rajiv

 The driver of a civic-run BEST bus fell unconscious at the wheel in Malad in the northern part of the metropolis and an accident was averted after the conductor managed to apply the hand brake and bring the vehicle with 35 passengers to a halt.

An Israeli tourist died after his health deteriorated while eating at a restaurant in Pushkar in Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Sunday, police said.

Ajmer Rural Circle Officer Manish Badgurjar said Chen Yezekiel (39) was taken to the Pushkar Government Hospital, from where he was referred to the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Hospital in Ajmer.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Sunday urged the Indians stranded in Israel, which is at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, to stay safe and to contact the Indian embassy there if they require any assistance.

Speaking to reporters here, Muraleedharan said the Indian embassy has already issued an advisory to Indians there to stay safe.

A businessman allegedly received an extortion call from an international number, with the caller identifying himself as gangster Goldy Brar, officials said on Sunday, adding that Uttar Pradesh Police has registered an FIR in the matter.

Canada-based gangster Brar is a wanted criminal by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and various states of the country. He is also wanted for the murder of Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala.

Appearing for class 10 and 12 board exams twice a year will not be mandatory and the concept is being introduced as an option to reduce students' stress caused by the fear of single opportunity, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said.

In an interview to PTI, Pradhan said the issue of 'dummy schools' cannot be ignored and the time has come to have a serious discussion about it.

According to the New Curriculum Framework (NCF) announced by the Ministry of Education in August, board examinations will be held at least twice a year to ensure that students have enough time and opportunity to perform well. They will also get the option to retain the best score.