Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) Amidst increasing cases and outbreaks of measles globally, the WHO Thursday called upon countries in its South-East Asia Region to accelerate efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere receives the lifesaving benefits of immunisation.

New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) The Congress blamed AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday for "botching up" the possibility of an alliance of the two parties for the Lok Sabha polls, with the two sides trading barbs on the issue that hogged the headlines for weeks prior to the nomination of candidates in Delhi.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Delhi PC Chacko told PTI that there is no possibility of an alliance between his party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) anymore as the last date for withdrawal of nominations in Delhi is Friday.

Begusarai (Bihar), Apr 25 (PTI) Union minister Giriraj Singh was on Thursday booked for violating model code of conduct by making controversial remarks against the Muslim community at a rally here a day ago where BJP national president Amit Shah, among others, was present.

Samastipur (Bihar), Apr 26 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday called NYAY scheme a surgical strike on poverty and allayed fears that the salaried middle class would have to foot the bill which he said would be entirely funded with the money that thieves like Anil Ambani have plundered with Narendra Modis help.

Launching a fresh attack on the NDA government at the Centre, Gandhi coined a slogan Kuchh nahin sab jhootha hai Narendra Modi ne loota hai, (all promises are proven false.

Narendra Modi has robbed people of whatever they had).

Chennai, Apr 26 (PTI) A 20-year old history-sheeter has been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl, police said here Friday.

Yashwanthraj was held Thursday for allegedly impregnating the 17-year old Class XI student by promising to marry her, the police said.

Based on her mother's complaint, all-woman police arrested him and a probe revealed he was a history-sheeter.

He was produced before a court and remanded in custody, they added.

New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) India's working age population or those above the age of 15 is seen to be expanding by 1.3 million a month and therefore, the country needs to create millions of jobs a year but the number depends on the estimates of the employment rate, says a new book.

"Jobonomics: India's Employment Crisis and What the Future Holds" by Goutam Das goes beyond the data or the lack of it to analyse the story of India's job and income scenario through real life stories.

Varanasi, Apr 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on Friday, accompanied by a galaxy of top BJP and NDA leaders in what was a massive show of strength for the country's ruling alliance.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar, Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray and Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal were with Modi at the Collectorate as Modi filed his papers, seeking a second term in the Lok Sabha from the temple town.

COLOMBO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on Friday that terrorists who carried out the Easter blasts have a link to drug trade.

The president told a press conference in Colombo that the attacks may have been carried out sooner than planned due to his anti-drug campaign.

Sirisena said, "Let's not forget the connection between the war against narcotics and terrorism."

Director General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe in a statement today said that death toll of last Sunday's attacks stands at 253, not 359 as earlier reported by the media.

Authorities have said that deaths resulting from Easter Sunday's bombings in Sri Lanka are not as high as initially thought. The original death toll was thought to be around 359.

New Delhi, Apr 25; PTI/GANASHAKTI: The Congress on Thursday fielded Ajay Rai from Varanasi to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ending speculation on a possible blockbuster electoral duel between Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the PM in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh.

The 'will she, won't she' suspense finally ended in a sort of anticlimax with the nomination of Rai, who unsuccessfully contested against Modi in 2014 and finished third in the contest after the BJP leader and Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal.