Beluga whale with Russian harness raises alarm in Norway
A beluga whale found with a tight harness that appeared to be Russian made has raised the alarm of Norwegian officials and prompted speculation that the animal may have escaped from a Russian military facility.
Joergen Ree Wiig of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries says “Equipment St. Petersburg” is written on the harness strap, which features a mount for an action camera.
Suspected militants blow themselves up during raid in Bangladesh
Security personnel walk near a militant den in the Bosila area where militants were killed in a blast in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 29, 2019.
Two suspected militants were killed on Monday after they blew themselves up during a raid at their hideout by the Bangladesh’s elite anti-terrorism unit in Mohammadpur area in Dhaka, officials said.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) surrounded a single-storey tin-shed house in Mohammadpur’s Basila area, on the outskirts of Dhaka, following a tip off.
Massive fire at chemical factory in Naraina
A major fire broke out at a chemical factory at Naraina area in New Delhi on Monday.
A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory located in Naraina Industrial area of west Delhi's on Monday afternoon.
Bollywood stars vote
Bachchan family show their inked fingers after casting votes at Jamunabai Narsi School, West Vileparle on April 29, 2019.
Several Bollywood stars, including Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor Khan, cast their vote as Mumbai went to polls in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
Polling is underway for 17 seats in the state, including six in Mumbai.
Aamir, Priyanka and Rekha were among the early voters.
Veteran singer Asha Bhosle, actors Hrithik Roshan, Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Varun Dhawan, Sanjay Dutt and wife Manyata, writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, filmmaker Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra and Prem Chopra also voted.
SSLC results announced in Tamil Nadu
SSLC students check their results at NKT National Girls Higher Secondary School in Triplicane, Chennai on April 29, 2019.
Tamil Nadu recorded a pass percentage of 95.2% in the SSLC examinations conducted in March. This is the highest pass percentage recorded in the last five years and a marginal increase when compared to the pass percentage of 94.5% recorded in 2018.
Nearly 9.37 lakh school students took the exam across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. This year, girls fared better than boys with a pass percentage of 97%. The boys recorded a pass percentage of 93.3%.
As many as 6,100 schools across the State recorded a 100% pass in the SSLC exams. While 92.48% of the government schools recorded a 100% pass percentage, 99.05% of the matriculation schools in the state have got 100% pass results.
Fourth phase of polling
People stand in queue to cast their vote in front of makeshift polling booth which was erected in a broken shed at Drukhana in in South Mumbai constituency on April 29, 2019.
Polling for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine States began on Monday. The stakes are high for the ruling BJP and its allies as it had swept 56 of these seats in 2014, leaving just two for the Congress and the rest for other opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress (six) and the Biju Janata Dal (six).
Election in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP had cornered all but two of the total 54 seats in 2014, will begin in this phase. The Congress appeared to make a comeback, forming the governments in the States after last year’s Assembly polls.
Sunny Deol files nomination papers
Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Gurdaspur parliament seat Sunny Deol (C) rings a bell as he pays respect at the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar on April 29, 2019.
Actor and BJP candidate Sunny Deol on Monday filed his nomination papers from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab.
After paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple in Amritsar in the morning, Mr. Deol filed his nomination in Gurdaspur.
He was accompanied by his brother and actor Bobby Deol.
Punjab BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Mailk, Haryana finance minister and party’s election incharge of Punjab Capt Abhimanyu and Akali leader Gurbachan Singh Babehali also accompanied him.
Floods in Indonesia kill 29, dozen missing
A flooded area is seen in Bengkulu, Indonesia, in this still image from video taken April 27, 2019, obtained from social media.
Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed 29 people in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation.
Landslides and floods are common, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.
On Monday, Indonesia's disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing after days of pounding storms on the island of Sumatra.
Some 12,000 others have been evacuated from water-logged Bengkulu province with hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads damaged.
2.99% turnout till 9 a.m. in Phase 4 of Lok Sabha elections
Mumbai North Congress Candidate Urmila Matondkar after casting her vote in St. Petit High School in Bandra.
Polling for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine States began on Monday. Actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar was one of the early voters in Mumbai.
The stakes are high for the ruling BJP and its allies as it had swept 56 of these seats in 2014, leaving just two for the Congress and the rest for other opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress (six) and the Biju Janata Dal (six).
Spain votes in early election marked by far-right resurgence
Santiago Abascal, leader of far right party Vox, gestures supporters gathered outside the party headquarters following the general election in Madrid, Sunday, April 28, 2019. A divided Spain voted Sunday in its third general election in four years, with all eyes on whether a far-right party will enter Parliament for the first time in decades and potentially help unseat the Socialist government.
Spain voted in an uncertain snap general election marked by a resurgence of the far-right after more than four decades on the outer margins of politics.
Opinion polls give outgoing socialist premier Pedro Sanchez a win but without the necessary majority to govern alone, meaning he will have to seek alliances in a political environment that has soured since Catalonia’s failed secession bid. - AFP
Serious flooding in Mozambique in wake of Cyclone Kenneth
A man helps a woman through a flooded neighbourhood in the aftermath of Cyclone Kenneth, in Pemba, Mozambique
Serious flooding began on Sunday in parts of northern Mozambique that were hit by Cyclone Kenneth three days ago, with waters waist-high in places, after the government urged many people to immediately seek higher ground.
Hundreds of thousands of people were at risk. Houses began to collapse and at least one rescue team was mobilized, United Nations staffers said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
