Sri Lanka finance minister Ali Sabry resigned Tuesday - a day after being sworn in

HT Daily News Wrap

Sri Lanka finance minister Ali Sabry resigned Tuesday - a day after being sworn in, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “mischievously” distorting history, Ram Charan reportedly gifted gold coins to crew members from his recent film, SS Rajamouli's RRR.& other top news in today's bulletin.
Sri Lanka finance minister Ali Sabry resigned Tuesday – a day after being sworn in – amid public unrest over a worsening economic crisis. “I hereby tender my resignation from the post of Minister of Finance with immediate effect,” Sabry said in a letter, seen by Reuters, to president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who appointed Sabry after dropping his brother, Basil Rajapaksa, as finance minister. “Whilst I regret the inconvenience caused, I believe I have always acted in the best interests of the country,” Sabry said, adding ‘fresh and proactive and unconventional steps’ were needed to solve the country’s problems. The development came as Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition lost a majority in the parliament. Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday spoke on the use of loudspeakers amid a debate over the Azaan row that started in neighbouring Maharashtra last week. A day after Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa said “a solution should be found to address the concerns over the use of loudspeakers in mosques in the state”, the chief minister on Tuesday told reporters: “This is a high court order. It’s not forced. Everything has to be done by talking and explaining to people.” Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “mischievously” distorting history and said the “divisive and polarising” agenda of the ruling party and its leaders has become a regular feature of the political discourse in state after state. “History—not just ancient but also contemporary—is mischievously distorted and facts are maliciously invented to add fuel to this agenda. It is for us all to stand up and confront these forces of hate and prejudice.” Gandhi said they will not allow them to damage the bonds of amity and harmony sustained and enriched in India’s diverse society for centuries. The Indian Nursing Council has distanced itself from a textbook for Second-Year BSc students that lists the “merits and advantages” of the dowry system. In a notification issued on Monday, the national regulatory body for nurses and nurse education in India clarified that it “only prescribes syllabus for various nursing programs” which is published on its website. Ram Charan reportedly gifted gold coins to crew members from his recent film, SS Rajamouli’s RRR. According to reports, the coins were approximately 10 grams each. The film has already become the fifth-highest-grossing Indian film of all-time and as per trade analysts, would sit in the top three by the end of its theatrical run. Out-of-favour India Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara’s debut for Sussex has been delayed until next week due to visa issues and he will miss the side’s first County Championship match of the season starting Thursday. Pujara, who was dropped from India’s recent Test series against Sri Lanka, was due to play Sussex’s first six County Championship matches of the season before returning later in the season for the Royal London Cup and some additional four-day games.