NATIONAL 
EXPRESS

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Beijing of “unacceptable” conduct after reports a Chinese fighter jet fired flares in the flight path of an Australian navy helicopter over international waters. The MH60R Seahawk helicopter was flying above the Yellow Sea on Saturday as part of the United Nations’s efforts to enforce sanctions on North Korea when a Chinese Air Force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred metres ahead of it, Australia’s Department of Defence said late on Monday evening. “We’ve just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and that it’s unacceptable,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Australia’s Nine Network on Tuesday. Albanese said Australia has raised its concerns through diplomatic and military channels, although Beijing had yet to respond. The Australian Defence Force personnel were “in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behaviour, are enforced,” he said. “They shouldn’t have been at any risk,” he added. This is the second such incident in six months after Canberra in November said a Chinese destroyer had injured Australian Navy divers in Japanese waters by deliberately blasting them with sonar pulses. Beijing’s foreign ministry denied deploying the sonar, and said no harm had been caused. Albanese made a breakthrough trip to China last year, hailing improved economic ties after years of bickering and reprisals. But tensions remain when it comes to security, as Australia moves closer to the United States in an effort to counter China’s expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Australia next month, Albanese noted. “We will make our position clear as well in discussions,” he said. ‘Breach of international law’ On Monday, Defence Minister Richard Marles said the flares were 300 metres (986 ft) in front of the helicopter and 60 metres (197 ft) above it, forcing the pilot to “take evasive action in order to not be hit by those flares.” The minister said the consequence of being hit by the flares would have been significant. In the event, no injuries or damage were reported. Australian National University navy expert and former naval officer Jennifer Parker told the public broadcaster ABC that the Chinese use of flares was “incredibly dangerous” and could have led the engines to shut down. “This isn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination,” she said. “Impeding its flight path I would interpret as a breach of international law.” In 2022, Australia lodged a protest after a Chinese navy vessel pointed a laser at an Australian military aircraft close to Australia’s northern coast. In a separate incident in 2022, Australia said a Chinese fighter aircraft “dangerously intercepted” an Australian military surveillance plane above the disputed South China Sea, releasing a “bundle of chaff” containing pieces of aluminium that were ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engine. Chinese navy ships have been tracked off Australia.’

The United States and most European Union nations have said they will not send envoys to Tuesday’s inauguration of Vladimir Putin as Russian president. Putin, 71, secured a fifth term in office in a March election that critics said lacked democratic legitimacy. He gained 87.28 percent of the vote, weeks after the sudden death of his most vocal critic, Alexey Navalny, in an Arctic prison. “We will not have a representative at his inauguration,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. “We certainly did not consider that election free and fair but he is the president of Russia and he is going to continue in that capacity.” The United Kingdom and Canada said they would not send anyone to the ceremony, while a spokesperson for the European Union told the Reuters news agency the bloc’s ambassador to Russia would not attend the inauguration, in keeping with the position of most of the EU’s member states. The three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – which have withdrawn their ambassadors from Moscow – ruled out attending the inauguration. “We believe that the isolation of Russia, and especially of its criminal leader, must be continued,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said. “Participation in Putin’s inauguration is not acceptable for Lithuania. Our priority remains support for Ukraine and its people fighting against Russian aggression.” The Czech Republic is also expected to snub the ceremony, while Germany’s Foreign Office said its representative would not attend – it earlier recalled its ambassador over alleged Russian cyberattacks. An aide to Putin said the heads of all foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow including those from “unfriendly states” had been invited to attend the inauguration, which starts at noon (09:00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on Russian television. Putin is due to arrive in a luxury motorcade – state-run RT reported modifications to his armoured Aurus limousine including improved sound insulation and all-round cameras – at the Grand Kremlin Palace. The one-time KGB spy will then walk through the palace corridors to the ornate Saint Andrew Hall, where he will take the presidential oath and make a brief address. He will also received a blessing from the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The ceremony is taking place a day after Russia announced plans for a tactical nuclear weapons drill, blaming what it said were “provocative” moves by Western countries over Ukraine. Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. “Ukraine sees no legal grounds for recognising him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, it said, sought to create “the illusion of legality for the nearly lifelong stay in power of a person who has turned the Russian Federation into an aggressor state and the ruling regime into a dictatorship”. Despite the apparent boycotts, France, Hungary and Slovakia are all expected to send representatives to the ceremony, Reuters reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources. Speaking alongside China’s president on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “We are not at war with Russia or the Russian people, and we have no desire for regime change in Moscow.” The source said France had previously condemned the context of repression in which the election was held, depriving voters of a real choice, as well as the organisation of elections in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, which France considers a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. Franco-Russian relations have deteriorated in recent months as Paris has increased its support for Ukraine. Last week, Macron said it would be legitimate for France to send troops to Ukraine if Russia broke through the Ukrainian front lines and Kyiv requested assistance.

In Uttarakhand, 930 incidents of forest fires have been reported in Garhwal and Kumaon regions over the past six months, affecting a total of 1,196 hectares of forest land. Of the total incidents, 491 occurred in Kumaon and 365 in the Garhwal region, so far. Fires broke out in 20 places from Garhwal to Kumaon, burning over 52 hectares of forest area yesterday. Garhwal had the most incidents, with 10, while Kumaon had nine incidents. Air Force helicopters were deployed to extinguish fires in various parts of the Srinagar Assembly constituency in Pauri Garhwal. As a result, the forest fire was contained to a larger extent. It is worth mentioning that the army’s assistance was also sought to extinguish fires in the forests of the Kumaon region. Meanwhile ,Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that the Gangster Act will now be applied to those who repeatedly set fire to the forests. Additionally, those who set fire will also be held accountable for the damage caused to forest property. On the other hand, 4000 fire watchers have been deployed statewide, aided by other organizations, with nodal officers in every district.

Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi will visit Khargone and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh today. The Prime Minister will address a public meeting at Mela Ground Khargone. He will also address another public meeting at PG College Ground in Dhar district.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has asked the Home Ministry for an NIA probe against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly receiving political funding from banned terrorist organizations. In a letter addressed to the Home Secretary, Mr Saxena mentioned that he had received a complaint that Chief Minister Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party had allegedly acquired over 16 million dollars in political funding from pro-Khalistani groups. The complaint also claimed that Mr Kejriwal tried to facilitate the release of terror convict Devendra Pal Bhullar as part of the deal. Aam Aadmi Party has however denied such allegations. Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj highlighted that a PIL demanding high-level investigation in a similar matter was dismissed by the Delhi High Court earlier. Mr Bhardwaj also blamed Mr Saxena for misusing his constitutional office.

The death toll is rising as heavy rains continue to lash southern Brazil, driving floodwaters higher. The storms and flooding in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul have killed at least 78 people, local authorities said on Sunday, with more than 115,000 people displaced. Volunteers using boats, jet skis – and even swimming – have assisted in rescue efforts. In the state capital, Porto Alegre, Fabiano Saldanha said he and three friends used jet skis to save about 50 people from floodwaters since Friday. The death toll could still increase significantly, with 105 people reported missing on Sunday, up from about 70 the prior day, according to the state civil defence authority. It also said it was investigating whether four more deaths were related to the storms. Driven by the persistent heavy rains, flooding has affected more than two-thirds of the nearly 500 cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina, displacing hundreds of thousands of people, according to authorities. Roads and bridges have been damaged in several cities. Rains have also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power plant. More than 400,000 people were without power on Sunday evening, while nearly a third of the state’s population was without water, authorities said. In Porto Alegre, the Guaiba Lake breached its banks, hitting the highest water level on record, according to the Geological Survey of Brazil.

Jose Raul Mulino, a stand-in for a former president banned from running, has won the country’s presidential elections. Authorities unofficially called the race late on Sunday after three of Mulino’s closest competitors conceded defeat. The former security minister, who was a late entrant to the race after his mentor President Ricardo Martinelli was removed from power after being convicted of corruption, secured more than a third of the votes cast in the country of 4.4 million people. At stake for the new leader is the Central American country’s woes with government corruption, a severe drought that has affected maritime traffic in the economically important Panama Canal, as well as US-bound migrants passing through Panama’s jungles in droves. “Mission accomplished,” Mulino said after the early results were released. “This is perhaps the most important date of my life, and the greatest responsibility of a Panamanian falls on my shoulders and my family to lead the destiny of the nation.” Running on the ticket of the Achieving Goals and Alliance parties, the 64-year-old had led opinion polls ahead of the vote as he played up his connections to Martinelli, who was initially his running mate. The popular ex-president, who oversaw a booming economy from 2009 to 2014, was set to run with Mulino as his deputy. However, he was barred due to a money laundering conviction. The firebrand politician still dominated much of the race, campaigning for Mulino from inside the Nicaraguan embassy, in which he took refuge on February 8 after receiving political asylum. Mulino acknowledged Martinelli after his win, saying: “When you invited me to be vice president, I never imagined this.” More than 77 percent of three million eligible voters cast their ballots for a new president, parliament and local governments for the next five years. Anticorruption candidate Ricardo Lombana trailed Mulino in second place, ahead of former President Martin Torrijos and former chancellor Romulo Roux. The three conceded defeat on Sunday evening. Power behind the throne Mulino, who will serve as head of state and prime minister, for a single five-year term, is set to take office on July 1. Mulino has promised a return to strong economic growth. Many believe ex-president Martinelli will lead the country from behind the scenes. Voters were highly concerned about corruption and the economy. The term of outgoing President Laurentino Cortizo of the majority Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) was marred by allegations of widespread official corruption, declining foreign investment and high public debt. Last year, the country was roiled by protests, targeting a government concession for Canadian miner First Quantum to continue operating the Cobre Panama copper mine. Critics say that the mine endangers water sources; a particularly sensitive issue in Panama currently. Drought has effectively handicapped trade transit through the Panama Canal. The country also faces high income inequality, with unemployment close to 10 percent, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth is forecast to slow from 7.3 percent in 2023 to 2.5 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. Mulino will also have to tackle migration issues. Some half a million migrants have streamed through the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama. Activists warn that they face the threat of exploitation and physical danger.

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams will fly to space again tomorrow on first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner. She will make her long-awaited return to space aboard Starliner, as Boeing conducts the spacecraft’s maiden human spaceflight. Williams, will join fellow Nasa astronaut Barry Butch Wilmore, on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, the first crewed flight of the Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS).Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Willmore will launch on early hours tomorrow, Indian time. The duo will launch atop a United Launch Alliance, Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.This mission is a crucial step in certifying the Starliner system for regular crew rotations to the orbiting laboratory. It will provide Nasa with a second option for transporting astronauts to the ISS alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court today refused to grant bail to BRS leader K Kavitha in connection with the ED and CBI cases related to the excise policy case. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja rejected the bail petitions filed by Kavitha in the cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kavitha, was arrested by the ED on 15th March and subsequently remanded to CBI custody until 23rd March. Following this, the CBI arrested her on 11th April and detained her in Tihar jail. Besides K Kavitha, the ED has also arrested Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, as well as several liquor businessmen and others in the Delhi liquor policy case.

In Bangladesh, the purchasing power of marginal, middle class and lower middle class has decreased due to the direct impact of double-digit inflation, said Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue(CPD). He made this statement on the occasion of unveiling a survey report titled “New Government, National Budget and Citizen’s Aspirations” held on Sunday in Dhaka. Addressing the media on the occasion Dr Debpriya said “the inflation situation improved globally including the South Asian countries, while in Bangladesh the inflation situation is totally opposite, people are crying to manage their family expenditure as they have been experiencing a deteriorated inflation for two years”. He also urged the Bangladesh government to prioritize the needs and aspirations of the mass people in preparing the national budget for 2024-25 fiscal year, which is crucial for addressing Bangladesh’s socio-economic needs. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Citizen’s Platform for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Bangladesh. The experts also stressed on the importance of structural reforms in Bangladesh to enhance accountability, transparency, and efficiency in resource management across sectors. Moreover, measures such as import restrictions, monetary policy adjustments, and subsidy reductions in sectors like power and energy were discussed.

Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting at Kanishi under Gopalpur Assembly constituency in Ganjam district and another public meeting at Chikili ground in Nabarangpur district of Odisha today. This is the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to Odisha after announcement of polls for the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly which are going to be held simultaneously from 13th of May in four phases.

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Amit Shah will address a public meeting today in Samastipur district of Bihar. Mr. Shah will hold the election rally this afternoon in support of BJP candidate Nityanand Rai at Narghoghi in Sarairanjan under Ujiarpur parliamentary constituency. From the Grand Alliance, the RJD has fielded former state minister Alok Kumar Mehta from Ujiarpur seat. RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav will campaign in Saran and Siwan parliamentary constituencies.