Indian Sub-continent

Mumbai, Apr 28 (PTI) Voters working in the private sector should get paid leave on polling day as it is a fundamental right and they should not face any restriction in exercising their franchise, said an Election Commission official Sunday.

Seventeen Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, including six in Mumbai, will go to polls on Monday.

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) Immigration system server was down at Delhi airport after midnight, resulting in long queues of people at immigration counters.

An Air India official told PTI that the immigration system server was down for more than 40 minutes since 12.20 am.

Dholpur (Raj), Apr 29 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday described the party's proposed minimum income guarantee scheme as "diesel for the engine" of the Indian economy.

Gandhi promised to give government jobs to 22 lakh youths in one year, make 10 lakh recruitment in panchayats and said no farmer will be jailed for not repaying loan, if the Congress is voted to power.

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) Congress President Rahul Gandhi filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday after it issued him a contempt notice for his remarks on the Rafale case verdict and expressed regret again for attributing the "chowkidar chor hai" remarks to the apex court.

Gandhi also sought dismissal of the contempt petition filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, saying it was an abuse of the process of the court.

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) The Election Commission Monday "strongly condemned" Union Minister Maneka Gandhi for her "ABCD" remark in Sultanpur where she warned voters that government work suffers in areas which do not vote for her.

The commission also warned her not to repeat "such misconduct in future".

The EC order said Maneka not only violated provisions of the model code, but also the Representation of the People Act dealing with "corrupt practice".

Mumbai, Apr 29 (PTI) Leading lights of India Inc in the financial capital exercised their franchise Monday, with many seeking to dispel the notion that coalition governments are bad for the economy.

Many captains of industry traded their impeccable suits for informal attire as they lined up outside polling booths, many of them located inside civic body-run schools.

COLOMBO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed an acting police chief, though police officials said that the incumbent Chief Pujith Jayasundara was yet to give in his resignation.

In a statement from the president's media division, it said that President Sirisena had appointed Deputy Inspector General C.D. Wickramaratne as the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP).

New Delhi, April 26; GANASHAKTI: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions expresses its solidarity to call given by All India Kisan Sabha(AIKS) to boycott of Lays and other potato products of PepsiCo till the vindictive cases against potato farmers of Gujarat are withdrawn.

Kolkata, April 26; GANASHAKTI: CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram  Yechury  today has hinted that  all the opposition parties in a combined manner can take legal recourse as they all are peeved as due  to Central Election Commissions blatant overlooking of continuous violation of Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his election campaign .

BEGUSARAI: Actress Shabana Azmi charged the BJP on Thursday with playing "communal politics" to divert public attention from its failure in providing jobs, security to women and fulfilling other promises it had made during the last general election.