Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) Urmila Matondkar, leading Bollywood actor of the 90s who joined the Congress recently, says she has faced a lot of trolling on social media and personal attacks after her entry into politics, but asserted that she is here to stay.

Matondkar, who is contesting from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency -- a BJP stronghold, said these elections will decide the direction in which the country will go and if democracy will be saved.

24 Apr 2019; AFP: US President Donald Trump said Monday that Congress "can't impeach" him over the findings of the Mueller report into Russian election meddling and his alleged attempts to hamper the investigation.

Defiantly insisting that he did nothing wrong, Trump also denied a portrait of dysfunction in the White House where disobedient aides are said to have saved him from committing obstruction of justice by refusing to carry out his instructions.

Mumbai, Apr 23 (PTI) BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast, on Tuesday sought dismissal of the application seeking to bar her from contesting the Lok Sabha polls, even as the NIA distanced itself from the issue.

Thakur, through her lawyer, filed a reply before special judge for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases V S Padalkar, dubbing the application as "frivolous" and moved with a "political agenda".

GORKI, April 24. /TASS/. Research and development for the S-500 air defense system is in the final phase, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told the media on Wednesday.

"I’m talking about the completion of research and development and the subsequent beginning of batch production. I can now say that the R&D work is about to be completed," Manturov said.

Earlier, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the system would begin to be provided for the armed forces in 2020. The Aerospace Force Academy in Tver has been training operators for it since 2017.

KATHMANDU, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari left for a visit to China on Wednesday to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

During a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua in Kathmandu, the Nepali president said that Nepal is in the final stage of finalizing cooperation projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"I believe Nepal's engagement under the BRI framework and participation in this summit will help fulfill Nepali people's longing of development," she said.

Bijbehara (J-K), Apr 23 (PTI) A low voter turnout of just above two per cent was witnessed Tuesday in this assembly segment, the home of former chief minister and PDP candidate Mehbooba Mufti, in south Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, a militancy hotbed, where the election is being held in three phases due to security reasons.

The authorities clubbed seven polling booths of the town inside a building housing the office of the Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE), Bijbehara 45 kms from the summer capital Srinagar.

ST. PETERSBURG, April 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will develop relations with Ukraine taking into consideration statements and actions by new Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Anyway, the Russian president as a person who determines Russia’s foreign policy, including its Ukrainian vector, will communicate with Ukraine’s leadership based on [Zelensky’s] specific statements and actions," Peskov said.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Wednesday maintained Malaysia's 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast at 4.7 percent, but warned of the risks emanating from uncertainty in the external environment and increased fiscal reliance on oil-related proceeds might drag the growth.

The international financial institution said in its April 2019 edition of the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, private consumption will continue to be the main driver of Malaysia's growth, albeit expanding at a more measured pace.

24 Apr 2019; DW: German exports decreased again in the first quarter of this year — a decrease of 7.4 percent from the same point last year. Germany's Economy Ministry cites a "restrictive and responsible" export policy as the reason.

The German government approved arms exports worth €1.12 billion ($1.3 billion) in the first quarter of 2019, Germany's Economy Ministry reported on Tuesday.

UNITED NATIONS, April 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the Belt and Road Initiative is a "very important opportunity" to the world.

MOSCOW, April 23./TASS/. The US crackdown on Iranian oil exports won’t enhance the international standing of the US, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information and press department said in a communique on Tuesday.

"The US has obviously made a mistake in choosing tools, if it has decided to make Tehran an easy negotiator ready for any deals on American terms through suppressing it economically, dealing a blow to living conditions of ordinary Iranians," the commentary said.

24 Apr 2019; DW: New Zealand and France will host a meeting with tech companies and world leaders to block terrorists from social media. It comes in the wake of the March shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.

New Zealand and France will work together to banish terrorists from social media networks, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Wednesday.