Indian Sub-continent

Ahmedabad, Apr 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth took part in a roadshow here on Tuesday evening after arrival at the Ahmedabad airport.

The two traveled in separate vehicles as people lined up on both sides of the road. The two headed for the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar after taking part in the roadshow.

Modi's cavalcade passed first, followed by cars in the Mauritian prime minister's convoy, officials said. Modi, seated in a closed car, was seen waving at the people.

Hyderabad, Apr 19 (PTI) The Centre is following "regressive" agriculture policies and they are "dampening" farm sector growth in the country, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao alleged on Tuesday.

The Centre's improper policies would reduce output instead of giving a push to it, he claimed.

Rao made the comments during a meeting with state Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy and officials on the preparedness for the coming rainy season crops, according to an official release.

Guwahati, Apr 19 (PTI) A special court here Tuesday framed charges against 67 accused persons, inclduing former APSC chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul in the 'cash for job' scam in Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

Of the accused 60 are candidates who had appeared in the APSC exam and remaining seven are APSC members and staff.

Two of the accused - Sudeep Das and Rajib Paul were declared as absconders by the court.

Mumbai, Apr 19 (PTI) BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday said his party will not form an alliance with the Shiv Sena -- its former ally -- in future.

Speaking during his party's `Poll Khol' campaign against the Shiv Sena which controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), he said the BJP will now expose the Sena's "corruption" in the civic body.

BJP will not forge any alliance in future with Shiv Sena to attain power. We are here now to expose Sena's corrupt practices in BMC," Mungantiwar said.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Malika Bibi's hopes to secure a better future for her children shattered when her fruits and vegetables shop, the sole source of her income, was razed by civic authorities at violence-hit Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi on Wednesday.

A similar tale of woe was narrated by Nazma, whose sister Rahima "lost everything" as her tea shop near the C-Block mosque at Jahangirpuri was razed to the ground by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) during an anti-encroachment drive.

COLOMBO, Apr 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka’s state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), has increased its fuel prices from midnight last night, to a record high.

With the latest price hike, the price of Octane 92 petrol rose by 33.1 percent to a record 338 Sri Lankan rupees (1.04 U.S. dollars) a litre, and the price of auto diesel increased by 64.2 percent to 289 rupees.

This is on a par with the prices of Lanka IOC, a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation, which hiked its fuel prices from midnight Sunday.

Washington, Apr 19 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday met IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and discussed a range of issues, including impact of geopolitical situation on global growth.

During the meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the IMF chief highlighted India's well-targeted policy mix that has helped the country's economy remain resilient even with a limited fiscal space.

ISLAMABAD, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A 37-member federal cabinet of newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif took the oath during a ceremony held at the President House here on Tuesday.

Chairman of Pakistan's Senate Sadiq Sanjrani administered the oath to the cabinet members that include 31 federal ministers, three ministers of state and three advisers to the prime minister, according to a statement issued by the President House.

Lucknow, Apr 19 (PTI) Amid incidents of violence during festivals in some states, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that no religious procession should be taken out without permission and that usage of loudspeakers should not inconvenience others.

With Eid festival and Akshaya Tritiya likely to fall on the same day next month and many other festivals lined up in the coming days, Adityanath said the police needs to be extra cautious.

Bulandshahr (UP), Apr 18 (PTI) A man was arrested for allegedly raping his three-year-old niece in a village under Anoopshahr Police Station in the district, police said on Monday.

In a complaint, the girl's mother claimed that upon returning home on Sunday, she caught her brother-in-law in the act of raping her minor daughter who was alone at home.

When she raised an alarm, the accused thrashed her. The girl's father then caught hold of the accused but he threatened him and fled, according to the FIR.