Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) As Sri Lanka reels under a severe economic crisis that triggered a political upheaval, India on Thursday said it stands ready to continue assisting the island nation to recover from the difficulties in line with its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has been keenly following the evolving economic situation and other developments in Sri Lanka.

New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) The Ghazipur slaughterhouse in east Delhi will be closed from April 8 to 10 coinciding with the last three days of Navratra festival, the area's mayor has said.

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Tuesday had said that the three-day closure of the abattoir was an annual exercise and "not a new order".

Gonda (UP), Apr 8 (PTI) The body of a 13-year-old missing girl was found on Friday in a car parked outside an ashram, built by supporters of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, police said here.

The deceased, a resident of Bimaur village, was reported missing on Thursday, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shivraj Prajapati said.

After the victim's family filed a missing complaint, a team was deployed to investigate the matter, the ASP said.

New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) Opposition parties that are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS should come together and discussions are ongoing on what should be its framework, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Friday after meeting RJD leader Sharad Yadav.

Addressing the media with the Congress leader by his side, Yadav said Gandhi should take over as the president of the Congress party.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan business leaders on Friday called for an end to the country’s political instability amid public demands for the president to resign over alleged economic mismanagement, warning that failure to do so would lead to economic catastrophe.

Leaders from 23 business associations representing export, import and logistics firms told reporters in the capital, Colombo, that they want lawmakers to “act responsibly and resolutely to implement remedial solutions to halt and then reverse the rapidly deteriorating situation.”

Kanpur: The Kanpur Dehat police slapped Goonda Act on the minor brother of a 17-year-old girl who consumed poison after months of alleged harassment by a youth in Rajpur town of Kanpur Dehat district.

After her suicide bid two days ago, the girl is reportedly battling for life at the LLR hospital here.

Kanpur: Work on the underground section-I of the Kanpur Metro is being progressed in a top-down format.

This hints at the construction of the top level is being done first and the downward levels will be built accordingly.

To put it simply, the construction of the concourse level and then the platform level will begin only after the roof slab is done and the road barricades are reduced.

The plan will permit the vehicles to move smoothly on the road while the construction of the lower grounds continues side by side. 

Kanpur: A video of the incident has surfaced on social media, with a senior police officer here thrashing a youth harassing a girl.

The police officer said that it would act as a deterrent for those indulging in such kind of crimes.

The incident took place near Merchant Chambers at the Civil Lines in Gwaltoli area here.

A youth allegedly followed a girl and harassed her, said Additional DCP (West) Brajesh Srivastava said on Thursday.

ACP (Colonelganj) Tirpurari Pandey stopped the youth and slapped him repeatedly amidst the public, he said.

MALE, April 7 (Reuters) - A day after coal and fertilizer billionaire Andrey Melnichenko was placed on the European Union's sanctions list on March 9, his superyacht Motor Yacht A stopped broadcasting its location while in Maldives' waters, maritime data shows.

In Italy, four days later, authorities seized another of Melnichenko's vessels – the world's largest sailing yacht, estimated by Italian financial police to be worth $578 million.

Switching off devices that allow authorities to track a ship's whereabouts can help keep yachts out of their sight.

COLOMBO, April 7 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka must look at restructuring a $1 billion sovereign debt due for payment in July, the outgoing finance minister told parliament on Thursday, urging an end to calls for a change in government amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

The opposition and some partners of the ruling coalition rejected calls this week for a unity government from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after he disbanded his cabinet, in the hope of quelling weeks-long street protests over shortages of fuel, power, food and medicine.