NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Elon Musk lashed out at Australia's prime minister on Tuesday after a court ordered his social media company X to take down footage of an alleged terrorist attack in Sydney, and said the ruling meant any country could control "the entire internet". At a hearing overnight, Australia's Federal Court ordered X, formerly called Twitter, to temporarily hide posts showing video of the incident a week earlier, in which a teenager was charged with terrorism for knifing an Assyrian priest and others.

X said it had already blocked the posts from Australian users, but Australia's e-Safety Commissioner had said the content should be taken down since it showed explicit violence. "Does the PM think he should have jurisdiction over all of Earth?" Musk wrote in a post, referring to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The billionaire, who bought X in 2022 with a declared mission to save free speech, posted a meme on the platform that showed X stood for "free speech and truth" while other social media platforms represented "censorship and propaganda". Musk also wrote that "if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian 'eSafety Commissar' is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire Internet?"

The pushback by the world's third-richest person sets up a new front in the battle between the world's largest internet platforms and countries and nonprofits seeking more oversight of the content hosted on them. Last month, a U.S. judge threw out a lawsuit by X against the hate speech watchdog, Center for Countering Digital Hate. In Australia, the e-Safety Commissioner fined X A$610,500 last year for failing to cooperate with a probe on anti-child abuse practices; X is fighting that penalty in court.

Albanese hit back at Musk, saying the country would "do what's necessary to take on this arrogant billionaire who thinks he's above the law, but also above common decency". "The idea that someone would go to court for the right to put up violent content on a platform shows how out-of-touch Mr Musk is," Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Spokespeople for X and the e-Safety Commissioner were not immediately available for comment. Although Musk wrote in another post that X had "blocked the content in question for Australian IP addresses", the video could be seen on the platform by a Reuters journalist in Australia. A far-right senator also reposted the video on his X account.

On Tuesday, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said it had used "internal tools" to detect and block copies of videos of the church attack and an unrelated, deadly stabbing at a shopping mall in Sydney two days earlier. Meta said it was removing posts containing "any glorification or praise" of the incidents.

Alice Dawkins, executive director of internet policy non-profit Reset.Tech Australia, said Musk's comments fit "the company's chaotic and negligent approach to the most basic user safety considerations that under previous leadership, the platform used to take seriously."
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Two Indian students in the United States were killed in a traffic collision near Lake Pleasant in Arizona, police said.

The victims have been identified as 19-year-old Nivesh Mukka and 19-year-old Goutham Parsi, both from India. They were enrolled as international students.

According to the Peoria Police, the fatal traffic collision occurred around 6:18 pm on April 20, when they responded to an injury collision on Castle Hot Springs Road, just north of State Route 74. The collision involved two vehicles, a white 2024 Kia Forte and a red 2022 Ford F150.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Head of Israel’s military intelligence, Major General Aharon Haliva, has resigned over the failures leading to the October 7 Hamas militant attack that triggered months of war. Mr. Haliva said the intelligence directorate under his command did not live up to the task they were entrusted with. 

Major Haliva is the first top Israeli official to step down for failing to prevent the Hamas attack which brought intense scrutiny to Israel’s government and military.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Asia was among the world's most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water hazards in 2023, the United Nations said on Tuesday, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses in Asia, while the impact of heatwaves became more severe, according to a report launched by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Bangkok.

In 2023, over 80 per cent of reported hydrometeorological hazards in Asia were flood and storm events, the report said. According to the 'The State of the Climate in Asia 2023' report, prolonged heatwaves affected South and South-East Asia in early summer. In India, severe heatwaves in April and June resulted in about 110 fatalities due to heatstroke.

In 2023, the mean temperature over Asia was 0.91 degree Celsius above the 1991-2020 reference period, the second highest on record. Many parts of the region experienced extreme heat events last year. Precipitation is a key climate parameter, essential for society in terms of providing water for drinking and domestic purposes, agriculture, industry and hydropower. Variations in precipitation also drive major climate events such as droughts and floods.

In 2023, substantial precipitation deficits in the region were observed in the Turan Lowland (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan); the Hindu Kush (Afghanistan, Pakistan); the Himalayas; around the Ganges and lower course of the Brahmaputra Rivers (India and Bangladesh); the Arakan Mountains (Myanmar); and the lower course of the Mekong River. Precipitation was below normal in the Himalayas and in the Hindu Kush mountain range and the rains associated with the Indian summer monsoon were insufficient.

Elaborating on the several extreme precipitation events that took place in 2023, the report mentions that in July and August last year there were landslides in India due to intense monsoon rains. "In August 2023, widespread floods and landslides struck multiple states in India, including Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, claiming 25 lives and causing extensive damage to infrastructure and agriculture," it said.

The onset of the Indian summer monsoon was delayed in 2023. The Indian summer monsoon seasonal rainfall (ISMR), averaged over India as a whole, was 94 per cent of its climatological normal for the 1971-2020 period, the WMO report said. Below-normal rainfall during the Indian summer monsoon season led to a precipitation deficit in many parts of the Indian subcontinent. The Indian summer monsoon seasonal rainfall, averaged over India from June to September, was about 6 per cent below the 1971-2000 average (see also Asian monsoon section). For the second consecutive year, certain regions in south-west India, the Ganges catchment, and the lower course of the Brahmaputra received less-than-normal precipitation.

Due to emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases resulting from human activities, the global ocean has warmed. It has taken up more than 90 per cent of the excess heat in the climate system, making climate change irreversible on centennial to millennial timescales. Ocean warming contributes to about 40 per cent of the observed global mean sea-level rise and alters ocean currents. It also indirectly alters storm tracks, increases ocean stratification and can lead to changes in marine ecosystems. In 2023, the global average sea level continued to rise at a sustained rate (3.43 +- 0.3 mm/year over the period from January 1993 to May 2023) in response to ocean warming (via thermal expansion) and the melting of glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets. However, the rate of rise is not the same everywhere.

Both Asian parts of the north-west Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean are warming at a mean rate comparable to the global rate, the analysis showed. In 2023, the global average sea level continued to rise at a sustained rate (3.43 +- 0.3 mm/year over the period from January 1993 to May 2023.

"Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives" said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "Yet again, in 2023, vulnerable countries were disproportionately impacted. For example, tropical cyclone Mocha, the strongest cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in the last decade, hit Bangladesh and Myanmar" said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and underscored the the importance of regional approaches for early warning of transboundary hazards.

ESCAP and WMO, worked in partnership to produce the report. According to the report, the global annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia in the year 2023 was the second highest on record , 0.91 degree Celsius [0.84 degree Celsius-0.96 degree Celsius] above the 1991-2020 average and 1.87 degree Celsius [1.81 degree Celsius-1.92 degree Celsius] above the 1961-1990 average. Particularly above average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia and from eastern China to Japan. Japan and Kazakhstan each had record warm years.

Average temperatures were below normal in parts of the inland Indian Peninsula, it said.Even the sea was not spared from rising mercury. "The sea surface in the areas of the Kuroshio current system (west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin), the Arabian Sea, the Southern Barents Sea, the Southern Kara Sea, and the South-Eastern Laptev Sea is warming more than three times faster than the globally averaged sea surface temperature," according to the WMO analysis. Warming of the upper-ocean (0 m-700 m) is particularly strong in the North-Western Arabian Sea, the Philippine Sea and the seas east of Japan, more than three times faster than the global average; it further stated.

Many parts of the region experienced extreme heat in 2023. Prolonged heatwaves affected South and South-East Asia in early summer, the report stated. A major and prolonged heatwave affected much of South-East Asia in April and May, extending as far west as Bangladesh and eastern India. Glaciers in High-Mountain Asia have lost significant mass over the past 40 years, at an accelerating rate. In 2023, record-breaking high temperatures and drier conditions in the Eastern Himalayas and the Tien Shan (mountain range) exacerbated mass loss, the WMO report said.

Pointing out that lightning is a significant hazard that claims numerous lives each year, the WMO report said that in India, in recent years, lightning accompanied by thunderstorms has been a leading cause of fatalities. In 2023, thunderstorms and lightning claimed around 1200 lives in various parts of the country. Approximately 80 per cent of WMO Members in the region provide climate services to support disaster risk reduction activities. However, there is a gap in climate projections and tailored products (provided by less than 50 per cent of Members in WMO Regional Association II (Asia)) that are needed to inform risk management and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and its impacts. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]:  India's Gita Sabharwal has been appointed as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, with the host Government's approval.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Sabharwal to the post on Monday.

Sabharwal has 30 years of experience in development supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance and social policy, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals.

She has also served as UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and as Peacebuilding and Development Adviser for the UN in Sri Lanka.

Before joining the UN, Sabharwal was The Asia Foundation's Deputy Country Representative for the Maldives and Sri Lanka and has held positions as the Poverty and Policy Adviser for the UK's Department for International Development in India and Vietnam.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: A total of 11 people are missing after continuous heavy rainfall hit many parts of south China's Guangdong Province in recent days, the provincial emergency management department said Monday.

The search and rescue operations are still underway, the department said, adding that six of the missing individuals are from Jiangwan Township, Shaoguan City while the other five are from Dalong Village, Qingyuan City. The recent heavy rainfall has affected many cities including Shaoguan, Guangzhou, Heyuan, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan, Meizhou and Huizhou, resulting in damaged houses, blocked roads and landslides.

A total of 53,741 people have been relocated across the province, with 12,256 people being urgently resettled, the department said. So far, 36 houses have collapsed, 48 houses have been severely damaged, resulting in a direct economic loss of nearly 140.6 million yuan (about 19.8 million U.S. dollars).
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Five rockets were fired Sunday from Iraq toward a U.S. military base in neighboring Syria, a security source said. 

The rockets were launched by unidentified fighters from a village near the town of Zummar, some 60 km northwest of Mosul, the capital city of Iraqi Nineveh Governorate, toward the Syrian territories, the source from the provincial police told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. 

Later, a statement from the Security Media Cell, affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, said Iraqi security forces launched a search operation in the west of Mosul looking for outlawed attackers who fired rockets at 9:50 p.m. on Sunday (1850 GMT) on the U.S. coalition forces in Syria. The security forces found the rocket launcher on a vehicle and burned it, while the troops continued their search for the attackers to arrest them and bring them to justice, according to the statement.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: In Maldives, ruling party PNC of President Mohamed Muizzu is set to win a super majority in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, results showed.
 
Muizzu’s People’s National Congress won 66 of the first 86 seats declared, in the 93-member majlis, or parliament, according to the Elections Commission of Maldives results.
 
However, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, which previously had a super-majority, was headed for a defeat with just a dozen seats.
 
Parliamentary elections have been crucial in Maldives as elected governments have been keen to secure a majority in parliament to ensure smooth administration, secure the presidential tenure by avoiding parliamentary impeachment, and minimise the politicisation of policies during the presidential tenure.
 

MUMBAI [Maha Media]: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to "stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East," said his Spokesman.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that it is high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement on Friday issued after reports that Israel had carried out strikes on Iranian targets, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond," Dujarric added.

Tehran, which last week launched large-scale retaliatory attacks on Israel following Israel's bombing of its consulate in Syria, has played down Friday's attack.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: A major Russian missile attack on the central Dnipropetrovsk region killed at least eight people, injured 21 and damaged infrastructure facilities, local officials reported on Friday morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attack damaged multiple storeys of a residential building and a train station in the regional capital, Dnipro, as he called for additional air defences. "Russia must be held accountable for its terror, and every missile, every Shahed must be shot down," Zelenskiy said. "The world can guarantee this, and our partners have the necessary capabilities."

State-run Ukrainian railways company Ukrzaliznytsia said Russia's attack deliberately targeted its infrastructure in the region, injuring its workers. The company closed its station in Dnipro and rerouted trains set to pass through the city. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said at least eight people died in the attack, two in Dnipro and six in Synelnykivskyi district of the region, where more than a dozen homes were damaged.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would not speculate on reports Israel had carried out an attack on Iranian soil on Friday.

"It's a developing situation, it wouldn't be right for me to speculate until the facts become clearer and we're working to confirm the details together with allies," Sunak said. Sunak made the comments following a speech in central London.

"Significant escalation is not in anyone's interest. What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region," he added.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Israel has attacked Iran's Isfahan town, after which the latter activated its air defence system and suspended flights.

It comes few days after Iran had attacked Israel in response to an alleged attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus leading to the killing of seven top officers of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps including General Mohammed Reza Zahedi.

Iranian air defences were activated in the skies over the area, according to Iranian semi-official Fars News Agency.

Three explosions rocked the east of Isfahan and near the Isfahan International Airport.

Israeli media reported that a missile strike targetted Isfahan town. It said that several senior officials were present in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday morning.

However, Iran said that there were no missile attacks but only drone attacks.

Iranian state media on Friday reported that several small flying objects had been shot at in the skies over the central province of Isfahan.

The Iranian media reported that flights to Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz had been suspended as of Friday morning.

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would decide whether and how to respond to Iran's major air assault earlier this week, brushing off calls for restraint from close allies.

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's unprecedented attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Israel's allies have been urging Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral. The diplomatic pressure came as Iran's president warned that even the “tiniest” invasion of its territory would bring a “massive and harsh” response. 

Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel after an apparent Israeli strike killed two Iranian generals. Israel and Iran have waged a long shadow war, but the strike was Iran's first direct military attack on Israel. Israel says it and its partners intercepted nearly all the missiles and drones. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel against any retaliation as he addressed an annual army parade, which was moved from its usual route and not broadcast live on state TV — possibly to avoid being targeted. In remarks carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency, Raisi said the weekend attack was limited, and that if Iran had wanted to carry out a bigger attack, “nothing would remain from the Zionist regime.” 

Regional tensions have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,800 people, according to local health officials.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: China insists it "has always maintained an objective and impartial position" on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yet, contrary to these words of assurance, China is aiding and abetting Russia's war of aggression against the Ukrainian people. The rhetoric from China is sharply at odds with its actions. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman claimed last year that "As for military item exports, China has throughout adopted a prudent and responsible attitude". However, such statements are laughable in the face of mounting evidence that says otherwise.

As violence flares in the Middle East, exacerbated by Iran's barrage against Israel, some are naively suggesting that China should help mediate there too. As J. Michael Cole, Senior Advisor, Countering Foreign Authoritarian Influence at the Washington DC-based International Republican Institute, commented: "That sure hasn't worked with Russia over its war of aggression against Ukraine. Nor did it work with North Korea. When will the world stop living under the illusion that Beijing will be a partner for peace?" Disclosing previously classified intelligence, senior US officials have claimed that China is helping bankroll Russia's resurgent military-industrial complex. 

After starting cautiously after Vladimir Putin's invasion, China has been gradually ramping up clandestine support for Russia. It is helping plug gaps by rebuilding Russia's defence industrial base. Indeed, there is alarm that Russia is now achieving its most massive military-industrial expansion since the end of the Cold War. For instance, General Chris Cavoli, commander of the US European Command, recently testified that Russia has been "quite successful" at reconstituting its military.

Indeed, its capacity has largely "grown back" to what it was pre-invasion despite Western sanctions. President Joe Biden raised precisely this issue with Chairman Xi Jinping in a phone call on 2 April. According to a US readout of the conversation, Biden "raised concerns over the People's Republic of China's [PRC] support for Russia's defence industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security". There is now a concerted message from US government officials alleging that China is largely responsible for this build-up in Russia's defence industry. 

As one example, Moscow is now able to produce three times the artillery ammunition that the USA and Europe combined can.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Donald Trump will return to a New York courtroom Tuesday as a judge works to find a panel of jurors who will decide whether the former president is guilty of criminal charges alleging he falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal during the 2016 campaign. The first day of Trump's history-making trial in Manhattan ended with no one yet chosen to be on the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates. Dozens of people were dismissed after saying they didn't believe they could be fair, though dozens of other prospective jurors have yet to be questioned. 

It's the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial and may be the only one that could reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether the presumptive Republican presidential nominee should return to the White House. It puts Trump's legal problems at the center of the closely contested race against President Joe Biden, with Trump painting himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system working to deprive him of another term. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged effort to keep salacious - and, he says, bogus - stories about his sex life from emerging during his 2016 campaign. 

On Monday, Trump called the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg a "scam" and "witch hunt." The charges center on $130,000 in payments that Trump's company made to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen. He paid that sum on Trump's behalf to keep porn actor Stormy Daniels from going public with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied the sexual encounter ever happened. Prosecutors say the payments to Cohen were falsely logged as legal fees. Prosecutors have described it as part of a scheme to bury damaging stories Trump feared could help his opponent in the 2016 race, particularly as Trump's reputation was suffering at the time from comments he had made about women.

Trump has acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment and that it was designed to stop Daniels from going public about the alleged encounter. But Trump has previously said it had nothing to do with the campaign.

Jury selection could take several more days - or even weeks - in the heavily Democratic city where Trump grew up and catapulted to celebrity status decades before winning the White House.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath said on Tuesday that the world space community needs to develop skills to go far beyond Earth's orbit, like the Earth-moon systems and solar planetary exploration. "We also need to develop skills, especially when you are looking at future exploration, possibly not within the Earth's orbit, but also far beyond Earth's orbit, especially in the Earth-moon systems as well as in solar planetary exploration. I think all those areas are also becoming crowded. Especially domains like the moon are also becoming crowded. I believe that this group will be looking at that aspect as well in greater detail in the coming days...," Somanath said while speaking at the inaugural meet of the 42nd Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).

The ISRO chief also issued a declaration saying that India aims to create debris free space missions by 2030. "Debris free space missions by all Indian actors, governmental and non-governmental by 2030. India also encourages all other space actors to follow this initiative for long term sustainability in the outer space," Somanath said.

The ISRO Chief said that India is in the process of creating mechanisms and structures to ensure that debris is not generated. "We are creating mechanisms and structures within the space systems so that impact generated debris are not propagated substantially in large numbers. A lot of this has been going on in the last many years very well. We need all those activities much stronger in the coming days," Somanath said.

Speaking about re-orbiting the non-functional space objects, the ISRO chief said, "As far as ISRO is concerned we have a very clear laid out program in space exploration and space utilisation. Currently we have 54 spacecraft's in our orbit, plus there are non-functional objects. We have been taking very careful action wherever it is possible to dispose of or remove the space object from its active role once it is over and re-orbit and bring it to a safe location..." The ISRO cheif also proposed to ensure that the orbit around 400 kilometers are protected so that more space stations can come up to ensure sustained human presence in space.

"Our long-term space program definitely look at debris and its mitigation as one of the important topics. With the goal of building a space station in the coming days, we look at orbit where there are more space stations coming up at 400 km. I think this area should be protected for sustained human presence in space," Somanath said. Somanath also stressed on having a relook into all space agreements to ensure less debris generation by all prayers in space.

"We have to look at the agreement on all the space stations and all space actors including private space actors who comply with the guidelines of how to make sure space is sustainable and make sure we do not propagate activities so as to create more debris so that human beings continue exploration of space in the coming days," the ISRO chief said.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has postponed his visit to India this week in view of the evolving situation in West Asia following escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.

The senior Biden administration official was scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the progress in implementation of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) besides other issues.

It was the second time this year that Sullivan has postponed his trip to India.

''Due to ongoing events in the Middle East, NSA Sullivan has postponed his trip to India this week,'' a US embassy spokesperson said.

''NSA Sullivan looks forward to holding the iCET annual review at the next earliest possible date and remains personally committed to advancing our deeply consequential and multifaceted partnership with India,'' he said.

The spokesperson said US President Joe Biden too looks forward to the next meeting of Quad leaders.

''Similarly, the President looks forward to the next meeting of the Quad leaders and continuing our efforts with India to deliver results for the American and Indian people, as well as our partners, in support of our shared vision for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,'' he said.

The Quad leaders' summit was planned in India in January.

However, it could not take place as Washington conveyed to India that Biden would not be able to travel.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi has said that Iran will face the consequences of its action.

Halevi in a video statement on Monday, after visiting Nevatim air base in southern Israel, said that the ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel during early Sunday morning hours will be "met with a response." Nevatim air base was hit in an attack by Iran and suffered minor damages.

Stating that Israel is strong enough to defend itself. Halevi said: “Launching of so many missiles, UAVs into the territory of Israel will be met with a response.”

Iran had fired 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones and rockets into Israel on Sunday morning. The IDF has said that 99 per cent of these were intercepted and thwarted before they reached Israel territory.

The IDF Chief further said that the “Iron Shield” (The code name of Israel's defense against Iranian attack) had successfully thwarted the Iranian attacks.

He added that IDF was joined in the defence by the United States Central Command, British Armed Forces, French Armed Forces and other forces operated together in the air, on the ground and at sea.

Halevi said that Israel is closey assessing the situation and that IDF is ready to counter any threats and would defend its territory.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Landslides on Indonesia's Sulawesi island on the weekend killed at least 18 people with rescue efforts, including police sniffer dogs, still ongoing for two missing people, local authorities said on Monday.

The local government in South Sulawesi also reported that two people were in a critical condition in hospital. Landslides, triggered by high-intensity rains, affected two villages in the region of Tana Toraja, in South Sulawesi and destroyed four homes, according to the country's disaster mitigation data on Sunday.

Photos of affected villages provided by the agency showed rescuers trawling through the rubble for survivors, with homes flattened and reduced to planks of wood and concrete. Emergency response efforts have been complicated by poor weather conditions and damage to roads into the affected areas, making it difficult for vehicles, including ambulances to evacuate victims, the agency previously said.

Located in the centre of Sulawesi island, the mountainous region of Tana Toraja is about 300 km (186 miles) from the provincial capital, Makassar. Floods and landslides killed at least 26 people on Indonesia's Sumatra island last month, with torrential rains destroying hundreds of homes, and displacing thousands.

Indonesia's rainy season began in January with the meteorological agency forecasting a first-quarter peak, particularly on the islands of Java and Sumatra.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Kazakhstan has evacuated more than 108,000 people since floods began in the Central Asian nation last month, its emergencies ministry said on Monday.

Almost 5,000 houses remain flooded, a ministry spokesman told a briefing, although nearly 12,000 people have returned to their homes.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: The US destroyed more than 80 UAVs and at least six ballistic missiles launched by Iran at Israel, the Pentagon said Sunday.

This includes a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven UAVs destroyed on the ground in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen prior to their launch, the US Central Command said.

Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, which Tehran said was in response to the April 1 strike on its consulate in Syria.

Almost all Iranian drones and missiles were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets.

On Saturday and Sunday morning, US CENTCOM forces, supported by US European Command destroyers, successfully engaged and destroyed more than 80 one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen, the media note said.

"Iran's continued unprecedented, malign, and reckless behaviour endangers regional stability and the safety of U.S. and coalition forces. CENTCOM remains postured to support Israel's defense against these dangerous actions by Iran. We will continue to work with all our regional partners to increase regional security," it said.

The G-7 leaders on Sunday unequivocally condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct and unprecedented attack against Israel, saying the development risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation.

Israel described the attack as a "clear violation" of the UN Charter and international law, and accused Iran of stoking regional instability, calling on the Security Council to "unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations and immediately act to designate the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] as a terrorist organisation".

Iran said it had launched the operation in exercise of its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Addressing the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which was convened after Iranian drone and missile launches into Israel, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday said the 'Middle East' was on the brink, adding that neither the region nor the world can afford more war. "We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional--and indeed global--peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war," Guterres said in his statement.

"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint," he added. He also condemned the Iranian air raids into Israel to avenge the attack on its embassy in Syria, which left three of its top military generals dead, while calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

"I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran this evening. And I call for an immediate cessation of these hostilities," the UN said. "I remind all Member States that the Charter of the United Nations prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations," he added.

Guterres also dwelt on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, reiterating the UN's call for immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages. "We have a shared responsibility to secure an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid," he said.

"We have a shared responsibility to stop violence in the occupied West Bank, de-escalate the situation along the Blue Line, and re-establish safe navigation in the Red Sea," he added. Following the Iranian strike, Israel put in a request with the United Nations Security Council to immediately convene a meeting to unequivocally condemn Iran and designate its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

Israel said Iran poses a direct threat to the international peace and violated the UN Charter, adding that time has come for the Security Council to address the 'Iranian threat.' 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: At least 11 people, including nine bus passengers, were killed by unknown militants in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, authorities said on Saturday.

In the first incident, armed men stopped a bus on the highway in Noshki district and kidnapped nine men at gunpoint on Friday, police said.

"The bodies of these nine men were later found with bullet wounds in the nearby mountainous areas near a bridge," one official said.

"The bus was going from Quetta to Taftan when armed men stopped it and after identifying passengers took the nine men to the mountainous areas," he added.

In a separate incident a car was fired upon on the same highway in which two passengers were killed and two others injured.

Balochistan's Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said that the terrorists involved in the killing of the 11 people on Noshki highway would not be forgiven and hunted down soon.

Bugti that the terrorists involved in the attacks would be chased, adding that their aim was to sabotage the peace of Balochistan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the incident, saying that the government stands with the families of the deceased at this time.

''There is no room for such a tragic incident...,'' he added. No banned outfit has claimed responsibility for the killings but in recent weeks this year there has been a surge in terror attacks by banned outfits and terrorists in the province in which security forces and installations have also been brazenly targeted.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed to having carried out three major terror strikes in the province in recent weeks in Mach town, Gwadar port and a naval base in Turbat in which security forces killed some 17 militants.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: US. President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel "sooner, rather than later" and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden said simply, "Don't," and he underscored Washington's commitment to defend Israel.

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he said. Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of retaliation for an attack on Iran's embassy compound last week in Damascus that killed a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas Quds Force and six other officers.

Israel did not claim responsibility for the airstrike on April 1. But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Israel "must be punished and shall be" for an operation he said was equivalent to an attack on Iranian soil. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack by Iran could come "sooner, rather than later." He spoke to reporters at the White House after a virtual speech to a civil rights conference.

The U.S. rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct attack from Iran on Israel that could come as soon as Friday or Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The moves by the U.S. that are part of an effort to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East came after a warning from a person familiar with the matter about the timing and location of the potential Iranian attack, the newspaper said.

However, a person briefed by the Iranian leadership said that while plans to attack are being discussed, no final decision has been made, the Journal said. Countries including India, France, Poland and Russia have warned their citizens against travel to the region, already on edge over the war in Gaza, now in its seventh month. Germany on Friday called on its citizens to leave Iran.

Earlier, White House spokesperson John Kirby said the reportedly imminent attack by Iran on Israel was a real and viable threat, but gave no details about any possible timing. Kirby said the United States was looking at its own force posture in the region in light of Tehran's threat and was watching the situation very closely.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Gopi Thotakura, an entrepreneur and a pilot, is set to become the first Indian to venture into space as a tourist on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin's NS-25 mission. Thotakura was selected as one of the six crew members for the mission, making him the first Indian space tourist and the second Indian to venture into space after the Indian Army's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984.

The flight date is yet to be announced, the aerospace company said.

This mission will be the seventh human flight for the New Shepard programme and the 25th in its history. To date, the programme has flown 31 humans above the Karman line, the proposed conventional boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

New Shepard is a fully reusable sub-orbital launch vehicle developed for space tourism by Blue Origin. According to Blue Origin, ''Gopi is a pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive.'' He is the co-founder of Preserve Life Corp, a global centre for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In addition to flying jets commercially, he pilots bush, aerobatic, and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot. A lifelong traveller, his most recent adventure took him to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Andhra Pradesh-born Thotakura is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Other crew members of the flight include Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who was selected by President John F Kennedy in 1961 as the nation's first Black astronaut candidate but was never granted the opportunity to fly to space.

During the flight, each astronaut will carry a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future. This programme gives students access to space on Blue Origin's rockets, including an all-digital method to create and send postcards. The Club's mission is to inspire and mobilise future generations to pursue careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) for the benefit of Earth. From an environmental standpoint, nearly 99 per cent of New Shepard's dry mass is reused, including the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear, and parachutes. New Shepard's engine is fuelled by highly efficient liquid oxygen and hydrogen. During the flight, the only byproduct is water vapour with no carbon emissions, the company said.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed his readiness for dialogue with Ukraine, and that an aborted 2022 peace deal could serve as the basis for resuming the negotiation, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

In a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, Putin noted that Moscow is in favour of resuming negotiations, but such talks must not be aimed at "imposing any schemes that have nothing to do with reality".

Peskov on Friday added that the "Istanbul agreements," a draft peace pact reached in March 2022 between Russia and Ukraine, could serve as the basis for resuming talks, despite that there have been many changes since then, Xinhua news agency reported.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Two more victims of the explosion at an Italian power station were discovered on Thursday, bringing the official death toll to five people, authorities said. The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. local time at a hydroelectric power station on Lake Suviana in the Apennine Mountains, some 70 km south of Bologna. All those involved were employees of the plant when the explosion took place.

In the immediate aftermath, three victims, five seriously injured people, and four other people missing were confirmed. Search and rescue efforts have been ongoing since the early evening of Tuesday. The Fire Department confirmed they could identify the fourth and fifth victims found on Thursday. 

"The fourth victim was retrieved from under the rubbles at the ninth floor, one of those that had been flooded the first day," firefighter regional chief Francesco Notaro told Ansa news agency. At a press conference, ENEL Green Power chief executive officer Salvatore Bernabei said it was still too early to know what caused the explosion at the power station belonging to the company. Meanwhile, an eight-hour general strike was called on Thursday in the Emilia Romagna region. Approximately 1,500 people, including eight local mayors and the regional governor, staged a rally in Bologna. This added to a national strike among workers in public transport on the same day.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Three officers were killed Thursday after a military helicopter crashed in the eastern Cuban city of Santiago, the Ministry of Armed Forces (Minfar) reported.

The aircraft crashed at an airport in the country's second most populous city located about 860 km east of Havana, Minfar said in a statement, adding that three of its crew members were killed. "At present, a committee of the Revolutionary Armed Forces is investigating the cause of the accident," the statement said. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: The United States’ defence commitments to Japan and the Philippines are “ironclad”, US President Joe Biden said as he launched a new trilateral partnership in the Indo-Pacific among the nations.

In a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida here on Thursday, Biden also asserted that any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or its armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke “our mutual defence treaty”.

The US-Japan-Philippines trilateral comes after the creation of groupings in the Indo-Pacific, starting with the Quad, comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, and the AUKUS consisting of Australia, the US and the UK, amid increasing concerns over China’s military muscle-flexing in the region.

The US president said that “a great deal of history in our world will be written in the Indo-Pacific over the coming years”.

“Today we commit to writing that story in the future together to build an Indo-Pacific that is free, open, prosperous and secure for all,” Biden said as he described the US, Japan and the Philippines as “three allies, three steadfast partners and three proud democracies”. Biden said among the key areas where the countries are deepening ties are “first, technology and clean energy for securing our semiconductor supply chain”.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: At least nine Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah, eyewitnesses and medical sources said on Thursday.

An Israeli drone targeted a gathering of Palestinians near a cemetery east of Rafah with a missile, killing six people, local sources told Xinhua, adding the bodies were transferred to Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in the city, with some of them being dismembered.

In addition, three Palestinians were killed, and several others were injured in an Israeli raid in the al-Jneina neighborhood east of Rafah, according to the sources. The casualties were transferred to the same hospital, the sources said. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: The Supreme Court has voiced concern over misuse of social media platforms with posting of messages, comments and articles on subjudice matters.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose (now retired) and Bela Trivedi made the observation while initiating a contempt action against Assam MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya for his misleading Facebook post regarding a case reserved for judgment.

"It is a matter of serious concern that nowadays there has been a profuse misuse of social media platforms on which messages, comments, articles etc. are being posted in respect of matters pending in Court.

“Though our shoulders are broad enough to bear any blame or criticism, the comments or posts published in respect of matters pending in Court, through social media platforms under guise of right to freedom of speech and expression, which have the tendency of undermining the authority of the Courts or of interfering with the course of justice, deserves serious consideration,” the bench said.

The top court said it is very usual for judges to react during the course of arguments being made by lawyers, sometimes in favour of and sometimes against a party to the proceeding.

“However, that does not give any right or leeway to either of the parties or their lawyers to the proceedings to post comments or messages on social media distorting the facts or not disclosing correct facts of the proceedings.

“The matter is required to be taken up more seriously when any such attempt is sought to be made by the party to the proceedings,” the bench said while issuing contempt notice to the MLA and directing the presence of the MLA from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in the court.

The apex court listed the matter next after four weeks and asked the registry to place the matter before the CJI for appropriate orders on the administrative side for listing the case before the appropriate bench.

The SC initiated contempt proceedings against Barbhuiya for his Facebook post on March 20 in which he had falsely claimed a favourable ruling from the court in an election petition while the court had on that day only reserved its judgment in the matter.

Later on April 8, the apex court allowed Barbhuiya’s plea and quashed the election petition filed against him.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: The India-China border situation needs to be addressed urgently to resolve the "abnormality" in the bilateral interactions, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that the two countries share an important relationship.

A stable India-China relations are important for the entire world, PM Modi said in an interview with US's Newsweek magazine.

"For India, the relationship with China is important and significant. It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us," said the Prime Minister.

He also hoped that the two neighbours will be able to restore peace at its borders through positive engagement.

"Stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just our two countries but the entire region and world. I hope and believe that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, we will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquility in our borders," he said while speaking to the New York-based magazine.

Read | China Ties, Ram Mandir, Media's Role, Article 370: PM's Newsweek Interview

India-China ties deteriorated steeply in 2020 after clashes between their troops in the high-altitude Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region. As many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the clashes while China took an unspecified number of casualties, prompting top-level diplomatic and military talks.

PM Modi also commented on the India-Pakistan relations, which had taken a hit after the 2019 Pulwama attack that killed 40 Indian soldiers and was traced to terrorists from beyond the border.

"I have congratulated the Prime Minister of Pakistan on taking over office. India has always advocated for advancing peace, security, and prosperity in our region in an atmosphere free from terror and violence," he said.

Asked about the imprisonment of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, he refused to comment on internal matters of the neighbouring country.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday confirmed that his three sons and four grandchildren were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The grandchildren included three girls and a boy.

Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV said the car in which Haniyeh's sons were travelling was targeted in Al-Shati refugee camp near Gaza City when they were heading to a family gathering on Eid al-Fitr. 

Haniyeh is originally from Al-Shati. His family home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023.

The Israeli Defence Forces stated that Haniyeh's sons were "Hamas military operatives who conducted terrorist activity in the central Gaza Strip".

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA) identified the deceased as Amir Haniyeh, a cell commander in the Hamas military wing, besides low-ranking operatives Mohammad Haniyeh and Hazem Haniyeh. Haniyeh's surviving son, Abdel-Salam Haniyeh, who is the eldest, also confirmed the "martyrdom" of his brothers.

In a statement, Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, said the killing of his sons would not have impact on the negotiations. "Our demands are clear and specific and we will not make concessions on them. The enemy will be delusional if it thinks that targeting my sons, at the climax of the negotiations and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position," Reuters quoted Haniyeh as saying.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: US. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will showcase a strong and growing partnership during a White House state visit on Wednesday focused on joint defense cooperation to deter an aggressive China.

The summit kicks off with an official arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn, followed by a closed-door meeting, a joint news conference planned for the Rose Garden, a state dinner and a performance by musician Paul Simon. Kishida will address the U.S. Congress on Thursday and join Biden and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a meeting expected to focus on Beijing's South China Sea incursions.

The U.S. and Japan have hammered out about 70 agreements on defense cooperation, including moves to upgrade the U.S. military command structure in Japan to make it better able to work with Japanese forces in a crisis. Biden and Kishida are also expected to announce steps to allow more joint development of military and defense equipment.

The two leaders will announce plans for a joint lunar space mission and projects to work together on artificial intelligence research, U.S. officials said. Japan will now be a "full global partner" with the United States, with influence far beyond its region and into Europe and the Middle East a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Tuesday, summing up the deals.

China is attempting to isolate Japan and the Philippines. By meeting the leaders of those two nations this week in Washington, Biden is aiming to "flip the script and isolate China," the official said. On Thursday, Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Marcos, whom he welcomed in Washington just last year, before the pair will join Kishida for a trilateral summit.

The visit may give a political boost to Kishida, whose popularity has waned at home. He is being greeted with great fanfare, with Japanese flags on display throughout Washington. Besides the state dinner, Biden and his wife Jill took Kishida and his wife Yuko to a private dinner at a local restaurant on Tuesday night.

On Thursday, Kishida will become only the second Japanese leader to address a joint meeting of Congress after his assassinated predecessor, Shinzo Abe, gave a speech in 2015. Overshadowing the visit is a controversy over the planned $15 billion acquisition of American steel maker U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, a deal some say is "on life support" after criticism by Biden and former President Donald Trump, his rival in November's U.S. election.

Also looming are Japanese concerns that if Trump wins a second term he might seek a deal with China that could destabilize the region.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Chinese President Xi Jinping told former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday that there are no issues that cannot be discussed and no force could keep China and Taiwan apart, in video of their meeting shown on Taiwanese television.

Xi and Ma were meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: At least five people died in a fire on Wednesday morning at a residential building in Yau Ma Tei of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). 

At around 8 a.m. local time, the fire broke out at a gym in the building located on Jordan Road, Yau Ma Tei. Firefighters rescued trapped people using ariel ladders. The fire has led to at least five deaths and more than 10 people were injured. It has been brought under control.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: At least 14 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses said Tuesday. Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes targeted a house belonging to the Abu Yousef family in the camp, completely destroying the house and causing damage to nearby homes.

Medical sources told Xinhua that 14 people, including children, were killed in the airstrike, and several others sustained varying degrees of injuries. All the injured were transported to hospitals. Earlier in the day, the Gaza health ministry announced that the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip reached 33,360 since the start of the war on Oct. 7 last year. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Simon Harris for becoming Ireland's youngest prime minister and said he looks forward to working with him to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries.

Lawmaker Harris was elected Ireland's prime minister by a vote in parliament on Tuesday, becoming the country's youngest-ever leader at 37.

Harris takes over as the head of Ireland's three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who had announced his resignation last month.

In a post on X, Modi said, ''Congratulations @SimonHarrisTD on becoming youngest ever Prime Minister of Ireland. Highly value our historical ties that are based on shared belief in democratic values.'' Looking forward to working together to further strengthen India-Ireland bilateral partnership, Modi said.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: An explosion at an Italian power station on Tuesday killed at least three people and left 4 others missing. Another four people were hospitalized with serious burns. The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. local time at a hydroelectric power station on Lake Suviana in the Apennine Mountains, some 70 km south of Bologna. All those involved were working at the plant when the explosion took place. The bodies of the three victims were recovered in the afternoon, Bologna prefect Attilio Visconti told state-run Rai News 24 channel. As of Tuesday night, a search and rescue operation is underway to locate the four persons still unaccounted for, who had been on the ninth floor underground of the plant, the official said. The Fire Dept. reported that some 60 firefighters, including scuba drivers, were involved in the effort. The Civic Protection was also put on alert and would be ready to support, according to regional authorities.

According to initial reports, a fire broke out on the eighth floor underground some 30 meters deep in one of the two units of the plant, and the explosion followed shortly after. The dam reservoir at the plant was not damaged by the explosion and was safe, according to Enel Green Power, a company that manages the station. The company added that production at Suviana was halted, but the electricity supply at the local or national level was not impacted. Both President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent their condolences to those involved. A ceremony to commemorate the victims will be held at parliament on Wednesday. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: A 6.0 magnitude quake hit Indonesia's eastern province of West Papua on Tuesday, but did not trigger a tsunami warning, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The agency initially reported the quake's magnitude to be 6.1 before revising it, Xinhua news agency reported.

The earthquake occurred at 07.02 a.m. Jakarta time (0002 GMT) with its epicenter situated 46 km southeast of Ransiki town, and a depth of 11 km under the seabed, the agency said.

The intensity of the quake was felt at III to IV MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in the Ransiki town, it added.

The agency did not issue a tsunami warning as the tremors would not potentially trigger giant waves.

Indonesia, an archipelagic country, is prone to earthquakes because of its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Syedal Khan Nasir were elected as Pakistan's Senate chairman and deputy chairman, Dawn reported on Tuesday. Senate Secretary Qasim Samad Khan confirmed their election to the top roles in the upper house of Pakistan parliament, Dawn reported. As many as 41 newly elected Senators were sworn in as members of the House in a session of Pakistan's Senate on Tuesday. The lawmakers took oath amid a protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders.

The senators also signed the roll of members in the upper house of Pakistan's Parliament. On the floor of the House, PTI Senator Ali Zafar said that the session during which the chairperson and deputy chairperson would be elected should be postponed until the Senate elections are held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also said that PTI will not participate in electing the Senate chairperson and deputy chairperson.

Earlier in March, Pakistan's upper house became dysfunctional after the retirement of half of its members. Earlier this month, elections were held in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh. However, the Senate polls were not held in PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Senate polls were delayed due to provincial assembly Speaker Babar Swati's refusal to administer the oath to opposition lawmakers on reserved seats, as per the Dawn report.

The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition swept the Senate elections, securing 19 seats. The ruling coalition in the centre now controls 59 of the 85 seats, according to Dawn report. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who secured a win in a technocrat seat from Islamabad on April 2, is the presiding officer for the first session of the Senate, Dawn reported.

PTI Senator Mohammad Humayun Mohmand objected to Dar presiding over the Senate session. He said that a presiding officer should be someone who was already a Senator. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: A 25-year-old Indian student who had been missing since last month was found dead in the US city of Cleveland, the second death within a week in the country as the community grapples with a string of such tragedies. Mohammad Abdul Arfath, hailing from Nacharam, Hyderabad, arrived in the US last year in May to pursue a Masters in IT from Cleveland University. “Anguished to learn that Mr Mohammed Abdul Arfath, for whom search operation was underway, was found dead in Cleveland, Ohio,” the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X.

Offering “deepest condolences” to Arfath’s family, the Consulate said it is in touch with local agencies to ensure a thorough investigation into his death. “We are extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family to transport his mortal remains to India,” the Consulate added. Last month, the Consulate said that it was working with local law enforcement authorities to locate the Indian student.

According to a report in WKYC 3News last week, Arfath left his home at Reserve Square on March 5 and had not returned. Cleveland police told the news outlet that “they have concerns for his safety.” Police had also issued a “missing person” alert for Arfath that had described him as being 5'8'' tall, weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, red jacket and blue jeans.

The WKYC 3News report cited a statement from Cleveland State University which said that university records showed that Arfath “was no longer a registered Cleveland State student as of January 2024, nor did he live on campus while attending Cleveland State.” Cleveland State University Police Department was providing information as needed to assist the Cleveland Division of Police with their active investigation of Arfath’s disappearance. ''The University's thoughts are with his loved ones, and CSU PD will continue to serve as a resource to Cleveland police as needed,” the statement said.

Arfath’s father Mohammed Saleem had said that Arfath last spoke to him on March 7, and since then he has not been in touch with his family. His mobile phone is switched off as well.

“We are working with local law enforcement agencies to find him at the earliest,” the Consulate had said. Arfath’s roommates in the US had informed his father that they lodged a missing persons complaint with Cleveland Police. However, on March 19, Arfath’s family received a call from an unidentified person, who claimed that Arfath had been kidnapped allegedly by a gang selling drugs and demanded USD 1,200 to ''release'' him.

The caller also threatened to sell Arfath’s kidneys if the ransom wasn't paid, his father said. ''I got a call from an unknown number, and the caller informed me that my son had been kidnapped and demanded money. The caller did not mention the mode of payment but just asked to pay the amount. When I asked the caller to allow us to talk to my son, he refused,'' Saleem told PTI in Hyderabad last month. Arfath’s parents have requested the Central government to take necessary measures to locate and bring back their son safely. Saleem has also written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The incident is the latest in a string of troubling cases on the safety and security of Indian students in the US.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: The President of the UN General Assembly appealed on Monday for “all those with leverage” to use their power to bring an end to the six-month-long war in Gaza. 

Dennis Francis convened the UN’s most representative body, comprising all 193 Member States, following the Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution put forward by the United States last month.  

The debate was triggered by a 2022 Assembly resolution that calls for a meeting to be held within 10 working days whenever a veto is cast in the Council. 

“Once again, we convene under this initiative as conflict in Gaza rages into its sixth bloody month, as death and destruction rule the day, and as divisions among Member States, especially in the Council, persist,” Mr. Francis said. 

During the Security Council meeting on 22 March, China and Russia vetoed a US draft resolution which stated the "imperative" for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides”, facilitating “essential” aid delivery and supporting ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas towards an end to the hostilities, tied to the release of hostages.

Russia, China and the US are permanent members of the 15-member Council, together with France and the United Kingdom, and they all have the right to veto any decision. Non-permanent member Algeria also voted against the resolution. 
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Pakistan's President has summoned a session of the upper house of Parliament on April 9 for the election of Senate chairman and deputy chairman amid opposition by jailed former premier Imran Khan's party over voting for top slots in an “incomplete house”.

According to an announcement by the President House on Sunday night, President Zardari has summoned the Senate to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Tuesday at 09:00 am.

In the Senate session, newly-elected senators will take oath and an election for the constitutional post of chairman Senate and deputy chairman Senate will be held, The News International reported.

The presiding officer nominated by the prime minister will administer the oath to the newly-elected senators. Members elected in the bye-elections of the Senate on vacant seats will also be administered the oath.

In the house of 96 members, 85 senators will take oath as the elections on 11 seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were postponed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The Senate elections were held last week except in KP, where the polls were postponed as the provincial Assembly remained incomplete following the non-administration of oaths to members elected on the reserved seats.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which governs the province, has said the Election Commission’s decision to postpone the elections amounted to “poll robbery”.

It said that the delay was a “conspiracy” to tamper with the numbers in the upper house.

For top posts in the Senate, the Pakistan Peoples Party has nominated former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for the chairman Senate slot.
 

NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: More than 10,400 homes across Russia have been flooded, the RIA state news agency reported.

The most serious situation is in the Ural Mountains, the agency said.

The Ural River, which rises in the Ural Mountains and flows into the Caspian Sea, swelled several metres in just hours on Friday due to melt water, bursting through a dam embankment in the city of Orsk, 1,800 km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.