Southern Financial News

Heatwave alert issued in THESE states; heavy to very heavy rains in North East Maximum temperatures settled in the range of 43-46 degrees Celsius in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and 40-43 degrees in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Marathwada and north interior Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The IMD said the ongoing heatwave spell will continue until May 5-6 and abate thereafter in east India and the southern peninsular region.

celestial spectacle this weekend as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower graces the night sky with its dazzling display of shooting stars. Expected to reach its peak on Saturday night and early Sunday, stargazers can witness up to an impressive 50 shooting stars per hour… The American Meteor Society predicts increased meteor rates this year, possibly attributed to the gravitational influence of Jupiter. Phenomenon of «Shooting Stars»

Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli, his Wayanad rival Annie Raja cited that the Congress party should have informed the people of Wayanad of the possibility, even if it was a ‘last-minute decision’. Noting that it is a question of morality, the Communist Party of India candidate stated that Wayanad voters have the right to know that if he wins from both the constituencies, where would he resign from. "I am very sure that it is not a certain decision.

A post shared by NASA Webb Telescope (@nasawebb) Meanwhile, in another news, NASA said that earth received a laser transmission from "deep space". The transmission which originated from a record-breaking 140 million miles away, came from NASA's 2023 spacecraft "Psyche".

Cyprus has given Chevron another six months to come up with a revised plan to develop a sizeable natural gas deposit off the island nation’s southern coastline after an earlier plan was deemed lacking in a specific timetable

Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha seat is sweating it out in Dhubri. He is up against Congress’s Rakibul Hussain, a prominent leader from Muslim minority community and former minister. BJP’s ally in state government, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), has fielded Zabed Islam from Dhubri setting up a multi cornered contest in Dhubri.

Amit Shah also said that in West Bengal the BJP will win "at least thirty seats', where PM Modi and the saffron party is contesting against Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee. Acknowledging a close fight in southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, amil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, Amit Shah claimed that BJP would “open accounts in Kerala, and Tamil Nadu". Shah also convicted that BJP would be “ahead of Congress" in all four southern states combined.

Shashi Tharoor claimed that BJP will draw a blank in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh while performing worse than in 2019 in Karnataka. Shashi Tharoor, in his Lok Sabha Elections Result 2024 prediction, also noted that "it looks increasingly likely that the BJP-led NDA government will lose its majority." "They only had a 32-seat margin in 2019, an election where they maxed out in all their strong states.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena on Thursday published the final electoral roll of the state in the run-up to the forthcoming polls, pegging the total number of voters over 4.14 crore, which rose by nearly six lakh from January 1. In exact figures, the total number of voters in the southern state are 4,14,01,887, who include 2.02 crore male voters, 2.1 crore female voters, 3,421 third gender voters and 68,185 service electors. «Voter list has been finalised and frozen. On the day of freezing the list, April 25, including all categories of voters, service voters, male, female and third gender voters, there are 4,14,01,887 voters,» said Meena, addressing a press conference at the secretariat here. The CEO noted that the electoral rolls witnessed an increase by 5,94,631 voters between January 1, 2024 and April 1. The voter list was updated until the last day of receiving the nominations, April 25. Meena called on the electorate to check their names and polling stations at https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in/ and on the voter helpline app. Though more than 7.2 lakh voters are eligible for home voting under the categories of voters above 85 years of age and specially-abled, Meena said only 28,591 such voters availed this facility.

death toll from a highway collapse in southern China's Guangdong province has risen to 36, state media said Thursday, as rescue work continued. Heavy rains caused a stretch of road running from Meizhou city towards Dabu county to cave in at around 2:10 am on Wednesday (1810 GMT Tuesday), according to state news agency Xinhua.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has issued directives to ramp up weapons production for the war in Ukraine, following the recent approval of a delayed multibillion-dollar military aid package for the Ukrainian government by the United States, Al Jazeera reported. In a meeting with Russia's top military officials on Wednesday, Shoigu emphasised the imperative to enhance the volume, quality, and speed of arms production. He also instructed for the repair of units stationed on the front lines in Ukraine's eastern and southern regions to enhance their operational effectiveness, the Ministry of Defence said on the Telegram messaging app. «To maintain the required pace of the offensive… it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons,» Shoigu said.

Israel reopened the Erez Crossing with Gaza for the first time since October 7 with the passage of 30 trucks delivering food and medical supplies from Jordan to the northern area of the Strip. It is the only crossing located on Gaza's northern border. Before the war, it served as the only crossing point for pedestrian traffic. Before the attacks of October 7, it was primarily used by international personnel such as diplomats, aid workers, and journalists and also Palestinians with work or medical permits, while trucks used the Kerem Shalom crossing at the southern end of the Strip.

Muslim Reservation' debate, the Telugu Desham Party (TDP) has lent its support to the cause, advocating for reservation for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh. Speaking at a Praja Galam meeting in Guntur, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu emphasised that the TDP has actively fought for Muslim reservations in the state, asserting that it is the party's obligation to fulfil its promises. «We will preserve the 4 percent reservations for Muslims and will provide Rs 5,000 in financial assistance every month for mosque maintenance in the state,» he said.

tornadoes may hit different cities in the United States in regions from Kansas to Texas. The threat of dangerous storms and tornadoes was predicted last week as well across the central US and it ended up taking lives of at least five people in two states in the region. Another person was killed and many were injured after a tornado destroyed homes in Topeka, Kansas.

ALSO READ: ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ poster unveiled with Allu Arjun's menacing look, teaser tomorrow The lyrical 4-minutes-19-seconds long video is filled with the strong vibes, aimed to drive fans crazy. In the video, apart from the lyrics of the song superimposed on few glimpses of the movie, Allu Arjun has showed off a ‘shoe drop step’, ‘phone step’ and ‘chai step’.

Mint explores. The heatwaves sweeping eastern, central and southern states began two weeks back. A heatwave, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) says, happens when a rise in air temperature turns fatal for humans exposed to the heat—when maximum temperatures are at least 4.5-degree Celsius higher than normal.

Mint, “With the onset of early summer, beer demand has surged across India. "However, the industry is concerned that supplies may fall short. Prolonged elections and related restrictions are disrupting supply chains all over the country.

Blinken reiterated US opposition to an Israeli assault on the crowded Gaza city of Rafah in talks Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to press ahead, a US official said. Blinken «reiterated the United States' clear position on Rafah,» State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, two days after Blinken again voiced opposition to an assault over concerns for the safety of civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza city. Blinken, on his seventh trip to the Middle East since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, met Netanyahu for two and a half hours at his Jerusalem office, first alone and then with aides.

Karnataka government is under scrutiny for its delayed response to the sex video case involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, sparking a contentious debate between the Congress and BJP, with questions arising about political motivations. Congress's decision to postpone action until after the initial phase of voting in the state on April 26 is seen as a strategic move. Sources suggest the party aimed to avoid alienating Vokkaliga voters, predominant in phase 1, due to tensions with the Kurubas, represented by CM Siddaramaiah. The Gowda family, including Prajwal, holds significant influence among the Vokkaliga community, a TOI report stated. Following elections in southern Karnataka, where three members of the Gowda family contested, Siddaramaiah's government established a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Prajwal, the grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, is seeking re-election from Hassan as an NDA candidate, while his father, HD Revanna, serves as a JD(S) MLA for Holenarsipur. Both were named in an FIR filed recently, alleging sexual harassment by a former domestic help and her daughter.

RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has opined that only enlightened leadership at Centre and state levels can resolve the complex north-south divide in deciding on the distribution of the tax pool among states, saying it is beyond the remit of the Finance Commission. Subbarao, who held various positions including the finance secretary of Andhra Pradesh and Union finance secretary, and wrote extensively on issues in fiscal federalism in his new book titled 'Just A Mercenary?: Notes from My Life and Career' further said that horizontal sharing of the divisible pool of taxes has always been a contentious issue but will be even more so in this round. «This (north-south divide in deciding on the distribution of the tax pool among states) is a complex political challenge beyond the remit of the Finance Commission. »Resolving it will demand enlightened leadership at central and state levels that can look beyond politics and build a consensus around an optimal way forward," he told PTI.

renewable energy experts and industry players say. Collaborative efforts among policymakers, industry stakeholders, and civil society can accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions, paving the way for a cleaner and greener future. India's ambitious 'India Battery Manufacturing Vision' aims to achieve over 500 GWh capacity by 2035, attracting $35 billion in investments, they said. A report by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) highlighted that the southern states, namely Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, boast significant solar and wind energy potentials, collectively totaling 1,526 GW of solar energy potential and 1,124 GW of wind energy potential. However, achieving this potential requires substantial investments in strengthening the intra-region transmission infrastructure. The report suggests an investment of approximately Rs 9,245 crore by 2030, in addition to the ongoing transmission network strengthening initiatives by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).