Indian Sub-continent

Panaji, Mar 20 (PTI) The BJP will meet the Goa governor on Monday and stake a claim to form the next government, state unit resident Sadanand Shet Tanavade said on Sunday.

The much-awaited BJP legislature party meeting will also be held on Monday to select the leader of the House, who will be the next chief minister.

"BJP president J P Nadda has informed that the legislature party meeting would be held on Monday after which party leaders will meet Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai and stake a claim to form the next government," Tanavade told a press conference.

Rewari, Mar 19 (PTI) A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a drunken youth after being lured to a railway godown on the pretext of being given a toffee in Haryana's Rewari, police said on Saturday.

When the girl's family raised an alarm, people gathered and nabbed the accused and handed him over to the police.

The incident took place on Saturday morning when the victim along with her two-and-half-year-old-brother went to a confectionery shop to buy a toffee.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said his country will invest $42 billion in India over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade.

Kishida met his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi during his maiden visit to India since assuming office. The two leaders held talks ranging from economy to security cooperation.

In a televised press statement, Kishida said the investment plan will bring huge benefits for several industries, from the development of urban infrastructure to green energy.

Srinagar, Mar 18 (PTI) The National Conference on Friday broke its silence on 'The Kashmir Files' saying while the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits was a "stain on Kashmiriyat", the movie was far from the truth as the film makers have ignored the sacrifices of the Muslims and Sikhs who had also suffered from militancy.

New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) As many as 52 students who studied at the Jamia Millia Islamia's Residential Coaching Academy have cleared the civil services mains exam, the varsity said.

These candidates will now appear for the personality test (interview), which will be held in April.

Allahabad, Mar 17 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has observed that there is no penal provision to hold political parties accountable if they fail to fulfil promises made in their election manifestoes.

The court clarified that a political party as a whole can't be made liable under the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 for adopting corrupt practices of the election.

New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) India announced a USD 1 billion line of credit to Sri Lanka on Thursday as part of its financial assistance to help the island nation deal with its economic crisis.

After an agreement to extend the line of credit was inked, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has always stood with the people of Sri Lanka and will continue to extend all possible support to the country.

Bhopal, Mar 18 (PTI) A professor of the Bhopal-based National Law Institute University was booked in two cases after a delegation of students told Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that the former had allegedly sexually harassed some of them.

The students from the prestigious institute had met Chouhan on March 11 after which a probe began, an official said on Friday.

Rourkela, Mar 18 (PTI) The managing director of a private microfinance firm has been arrested in Odisha's Sundargarh district for allegedly embezzling over Rs 100 crore on the pretext of giving loans, police said on Friday.

The Economic Offences Wing of the Odisha Police arrested Deepak Kindo, who was absconding for over a year and a lookout circular was issued, from his native Lulkidihi village in Talasara block of Sundargarh district on Thursday.

18 March 2022; MEMO: Scores of Afghans who escaped their country when the Taliban took over and were left in the UAE while their documents to travel to the US were processed have volunteered to return to Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The evacuees say their return could put them in danger but they have to support their families.