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.

Geneva: An Israeli military incursion into Gaza's southern city of Rafah could lead to a "bloodbath", the World Health Organization warned Friday, announcing contingency plans. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to crush Hamas's remaining fighters in Rafah, where much of Gaza's population has sought refuge from nearly seven months of war. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of possible dire implications for the 1.2 million people sheltering in Rafah. "WHO is deeply concerned that a full-scale military operation in Rafah, Gaza, could lead to a bloodbath, and further weaken an already broken health system," Tedros said on X, formerly Twitter. In a statement, the WHO announced contingency efforts, but warned "the broken health system would not be able to cope with a surge in casualties and deaths that a Rafah incursion would cause". "This contingency plan is Band-Aids," Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, told reporters in Geneva. "It will absolutely not prevent the expected substantial additional mortality and morbidity caused by a military operation." According to the WHO, most of the besieged territory's health facilities have been damaged or destroyed amid heavy Israeli bombardment. Only 12 of Gaza's 36 hospitals and 22 of its 88 primary health facilities are "partially functional", the UN health agency said. "As part of contingency efforts, WHO and partners are urgently working to restore and resuscitate health services," the statement said. It added that Rafah's three currently operational hospitals would become unreachable "when hostilities intensify in their vicinity". Instead, the WHO is working to restore south Gaza's largest hospital, the Nasser Medical Complex in nearby Khan Yunis, and establish additional medical sites.  "The ailing health system will not be able to withstand the potential scale of devastation that the incursion will cause," Peeperkorn said. A military operation in Rafah could spark a new wave of displacement, leading to more overcrowding, limited access to food, water and sanitation and more outbreaks of disease, he added. In its statement, the WHO called "for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the removal of the obstacles to the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza, at the scale that is required." Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said that a military operation in Rafah "could lead to a slaughter". "For agencies already struggling to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, a ground invasion would strike a disastrous blow," he told reporters. "Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death." The bloodiest-ever Gaza war started after an unprecedented attack on southern Israel by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Operatives also took about 250 hostages, of whom Israel estimates 128 remain in Gaza. The army says 35 of them are dead. Israel's relentless retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza -- most of them women and children -- according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

President Draupadi Murmu arrived in Shimla this morning for her five-day tour of Himachal Pradesh. Upon landing at Kalyani Helipad near Shimla, she was received by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. President Draupadi Murmu was also accorded Guard of Honour. Later, she proceeded to the Rashtrapati Niwas Retreat in Mashobra. Akashvani’s correspondent reports, that tomorrow, on the 5th of May, the President will visit the Catchment Area in Kufri. On May 6th, President Draupadi Murmu will participate as the chief guest in the convocation ceremony of the Central University of Dharamshala. Next day on the 7th of May, she will also participate in a cultural programme at the historic Gaiety Theatre in Shimla. On the 8th of May, the President is scheduled to return to Delhi. Strong security arrangements have been made in Shimla City, Anadale, and Kalyani Helipad in view of her visit, with more than a thousand police personnel deployed, in addition to central security agencies. Extensive arrangements have been made to improve traffic management in the city as well.