Indian Sub-continent

Colombo, May 24 (PTI) The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved seeking a 500 million dollar loan from the Exim Bank of India for the purchase of petroleum products amid a severe foreign exchange crisis in the island nation.

Sri Lanka has been mulling different options to facilitate measures to prevent fuel pumps from going dry, as the country faces a severe foreign exchange crisis to pay for its imports.

Chandigarh, May 24 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said he has shunted out Health Minister Vijay Singla from the state cabinet.

Mann said he took the decision after learning that the minister was allegedly demanding one percent commission for tenders.

Police have been directed to register a case against him.

I am taking strict action against the minister. I am removing him from the cabinet, the chief minister said in a video message.

Dehradun, May 23 (PTI) The Kedarnath yatra was suspended amid heavy rains on Monday with devotees en route to the shrine halted at various places between Gaurikund and Kedarnath, an official said.

Conscious of the 2013 Kedarnath deluge tragedy, the Rudraprayag district administration appealed to pilgrims to stay put at their respective stations till the weather improves, he said.

Guwahati, May 24 (PTI) The flood situation in Assam has slightly abated even though the death toll rose to 25 as one more person died and over 6.5 lakh people remained affected by the deluge across 22 districts, an official bulletin said.

According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person in Silchar of Cachar district was lost to floodwaters.

With this, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslides has gone up to 25 across the state, it said on Monday.

Kanpur: Two bogies of goods trains going towards Bilhaur derailed near Chaubepur railway station here.

There was a commotion at this incident. The railway division has come into alert mode.

It was reported that the accident occurred owing to the cattle suddenly coming in front of the train near Hanuman temple in Chaubepur.

The driver slowly brought the train one kilometer ahead and stopped it at the station.

NEW DELHI, May 23 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 43,138,393 today, as 2,022 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data.

Besides, 46 deaths were reported from the pandemic across the country since yesterday morning, taking the total death toll to 524,459.

There are still 14,832 active COVID-19 cases in the country, with a fall of 123 active cases during the past 24 hours.

KABUL, May 23 (NNN-ANA) – Police have arrested three alleged drug smugglers, from Afghanistan’s eastern Wardak province, and confiscated 21 kg of morphine from their possessions, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported, today.

Quoting police officer, Sheikh Mohammad Sharif Halimi, the news agency added that, the smugglers were attempting to traffic the contraband to the southern Helmand province.

All the trio have been taken to police custody for investigation, the news agency contended.

KABUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Public Health of the Afghan caretaker government launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

"The fourth general polio vaccination campaign in 2022 is aimed at vaccinating 9.9 million children under the age of five," the ministry said.

The latest campaign was launched in collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the statement.

Mathura (UP), May 23 (PTI) A petitioner in the Shri Krishna Janmasthan-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute has sought permission from a local court to perform a Hindu ritual inside the mosque, claiming that the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was located there.

The petitioner submitted an application in the court of the Civil Judge on Monday seeking permission for purification of the sanctum sanctorum of the Keshav Dev temple, which he claimed was inside the mosque, his counsel said.

Islamabad, May 23 (PTI) Pakistan on Monday launched a nationwide anti-polio drive to vaccinate more than 43 million children after the third case of the crippling virus surfaced in the country last week.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the second polio campaign of the year 2022 at the Prime Minister's house and assured that the government would take all measures to eradicate the crippling disease, according to a statement.