Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at the latter's residence here on Monday.

Mufti spent some time with Gandhi and is learnt to have discussed the current political situation in the country with the Congress president.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Lt Gen Manoj Pande will take the reins as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff after incumbent Gen MM Naravane's tenure ends on April 30.

Lt Gen Pande, currently serving as the vice chief, will become the first commander from the Corps of Engineers to take charge of the 1.3-million-strong force as the position has been held so far by officers from infantry, artillery and armoured regiments.

Patna, Apr 18 (PTI) A woman who was facing marital problems allegedly consumed some poisonous substance outside the venue where Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar holds his weekly public interaction programme on Monday, a police officer said.

She was taken to a hospital and is now out of danger.

The incident took place in the evening and by the time, the Janata Ke Darbaar Mein Mukhyamantri programme was over, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manavjit Singh Dhillon said.

New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has raised its marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 10 basis points (bps) or 0.1 per cent across all tenures, a move that will lead to an increase in EMIs for borrowers.

The lending rate revision by SBI is likely to be followed by other banks in the days to come.

Mumbai, Apr 19 (PTI) The rupee fell 22 paise to close at 76.51 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, tracking a strong American currency in the overseas market and significant foreign fund outflows.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 76.34 against the American currency and settled at 76.51, down 22 paise from the previous close.

MIRPUR (AJK): Apr 18 (APP) : The PTI’s nominee Sardar Tanveer Illayas was elected unopposed as the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu Kashmir in a special session of Legislative Assembly held in State metropolis on Monday.

No any other candidate filed the nomination papers for top slot of chief executive of AJK government as new leader of the house of the 53 seats legislative assembly.

COLOMBO, April 18 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's embattled president announced 17 new ministerial appointments on Monday, notably leaving out members of his own family, and expressed regret for his government's handling of a devastating economic crisis that has led to widespread protests.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, will stay on despite demands from protesters and the opposition for them to quit. Rajapaksa has governed the South Asian island nation since 2019 with other family members in top government positions.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president appointed 17 new Cabinet ministers on Monday as he and his powerful family seek to resolve a political crisis resulting from the country’s dire economic state.

The appointments follow weeks of protests over fuel and food shortages and demands that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government resign.

The president’s older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, remains but some other relatives were dropped in what’s seen as an attempt to pacify the protesters without giving up the family’s hold on power.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Various auto-rickshaw, cab and taxi unions in the national capital went on a strike on Monday, demanding a CNG subsidy and a fare revision in the wake of rising fuel prices.

Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh General Secretary Rajendra Soni said they will also hold a protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines later in the day to press their demands.

Prayagraj (UP), Apr 17 (PTI) Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM has urged former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan to join the party, days after a close aide of the leader accused the Samajwadi Party of ignoring him.

"You are requested to join the AIMIM so that BJP and the SP could be eliminated from Uttar Pradesh," said AIMIM state spokesperson Mohammad Farhan in a letter to the Samajwadi Party MLA.