West Bengal's first phase of assembly elections saw violence, voter intimidation, and EVM glitches. Crude bombs were hurled, clashes erupted between party workers, and a BJP candidate was allegedly attacked. Several polling stations experienced delays due to malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines, disrupting the electoral process across multiple districts.

BJP leader Agnimitra Paul's car was vandalized in a stone-pelting incident in Asansol after she exited a polling booth. Paul alleged a deliberate attempt to influence the elections and filed a complaint. Contesting from Asansol South, she expressed confidence in the BJP's prospects, calling the election a 'war to save Bengal' focused on jobs and development.

Tamil Nadu witnessed brisk voting across 234 constituencies, with high-profile leaders, celebrities, and first-time voters participating in large numbers. Actor Vijay's TVK sought extended polling hours due to delays, while a robot greeted voters at a Chennai booth. The election sees a three-way contest between DMK, AIADMK, and TVK.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has responded to an Election Commission notice regarding his «terrorist» remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kharge stated his party would reply to the EC's ultimatum, which warned of action if he failed to explain his stand within 24 hours. The controversial comment was made during campaigning in Chennai.

House prices in some of London's most expensive boroughs have suffered double-digit falls as a North-South divide opens up in the property market.

[allAfrica] The Zambian government has said that it has taken possession of the body of former president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa 10 months ago, against the wishes of the family.

After arriving in the Ukrainian capital secretly by train on Thursday morning, Harry, 41, spoke a security conference where he made a plea to Putin for peace, telling him he will never win.

House prices in some of London's most expensive boroughs have suffered double-digit falls as a North-South divide opens up in the property market.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was 'overhauling decades of practice' and has advised the public to not rely on passwords for protection due to the threat of hackers.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi has sharply rebuked Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu Namalomba over his decision to stop granting phone interviews to journalists, warning that the move strikes at the heart of transparency and public accountability. MISA Malawi chairperson Golden Matonga did not mince words, describing the directive as a dangerous […] The post MISA Calls Out Namalomba: “No Phone Interviews” Order Threatens Public’s Right to Know appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

A former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has delivered a blistering indictment of the Public Service Pension Trust Fund, calling for its licence to be revoked over what he described as a brazen and unlawful push to buy the controversial Amaryllis Hotel. Dr. MacDonald Mafuta Mwale, appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee […] The post Ex-RBM Boss Drops Hammer: Revoke Pension Fund Licence Over K128bn Amaryllis Scandal appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Standard Bank Plc has stepped up its environmental agenda, committing an additional MK50 million to re-afforestation efforts along the Dr. Saulos Chilima Highway and Mzimba Street in Lilongwe—areas impacted by the expansion of the road it helped finance. As the lead financier of Malawi’s first six-lane highway, the bank says the move is part of […] The post Standard Bank Injects MK50 Million Into Lilongwe Re-Greening Drive Along Chilima Highway appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Australian resources firm Lindian Resources, which is constructing the Kangankunde Mine in Balaka, has secured US$11.6-million equipment finance and working capital facility from NBS Bank to support construction of the mine. Lindian said in a statement that the NBS Bank facilities reinforce its deliberate strategy of building long-term partnerships with in country Malawian financial institutions […] The post NBS Bank finances Lindian US$11.6M equipment appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Former Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC), Colleen Zamba, is once again refusing to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, intensifying scrutiny over what lawmakers and analysts describe as a troubling pattern of defiance toward parliamentary oversight. Zamba has now declined to honour PAC summons three times, each instance accompanied by […] The post Zamba Snubs PAC Again, Defies Summons as Lawmakers Question ‘Above the Law’ Conduct appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, April 23rd

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced the adoption of decisions aimed at stabilizing wholesale prices on the exchange

Ali Akbar Jowkar added that Iran strongly condemns the military attacks on Caspian Sea ports and «expects other Caspian states to also condemn this unjustified aggression»

Alexey Meshkov noted that «the Non-Proliferation Treaty is actually the only major disarmament agreement that remains in effect at the present moment»

The fighter is being used in the special military operation in Ukraine

The impact assessment (IA) clearly identifies the initiative's central trade-off: the more flexibility manufacturers are granted, the lower their compliance costs – but the higher the running costs for vehicle users and society, because more non-zero-emission vehicles remain in the fleet. The IA assesses many options with different degrees of flexibility for car manufactures. It is based on a relatively rich methodology. It quantifies impacts for manufacturers, consumers, society and the environment based on a solid modelling set-up complemented by a total-cost-of-ownership approach. It captures distributional impacts and sectoral shifts. At the same time, considerable weaknesses remain. The intervention logic is weakened where problems are framed as risks relying significantly on stakeholders' perceptions, particularly on non-compliance, possible premiums and investment gaps. The objectives and monitoring framework remain largely broad, particularly at operational level, and the uncertainty analysis is limited to electricity- and battery-price sensitivities. Although the evaluations of impacts on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and on competitiveness are useful, they rely on limited and partly qualitative input, with no disaggregation by SME size class. More importantly, the final proposal departs from the IA in several respects – notably on 2035 targets, fuel and steel flexibilities, multiannual compliance, and 'made in the EU' conditionalities – without explaining the reasons or likely impacts of these differences. Finally, the IA, which usefully situates the proposal within the wider automotive package, would have benefited from an assessment of the combined effects of that package, providing clearer visibility on how its measures are expected to interact. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

[allAfrica]

Prime Minister Modi playfully responded to opposition criticism about his unscheduled jhalmuri stop in West Bengal, stating the state will celebrate BJP's victory with sweets and the popular snack. He suggested the TMC felt the «heat of chillies» from his brief break, while the TMC accused him of staging a «scripted drama» and humiliating an Adivasi leader.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a case on gender discrimination in temples, cautioned against relying on information from 'WhatsApp University.' A nine-judge bench, led by the Chief Justice, emphasized that while eminent authors' views are respected, personal opinions are not sufficient for judicial decisions. The court acknowledged the difficulty in defining essential religious practices.

Owen had been celebrating his 18th birthday and made staff aware of his allergies, but was not told the chicken was marinated in buttermilk.

The Mail on Sunday columnist cited a Labour 'power couple' who bought a home in an exclusive London neighbourhood in order to be within a specific school's catchment area.

Security footage from the Deli café on Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, captured the bespectacled man in his 50s walking through the front door and approaching a younger man tucking into his food.

The Duke of Sussex, 41, will speak at the Kyiv Security Conference on Thursday to tell Ukrainian delegates: 'The world sees you and respects you'.

The dangerous mishap emerged after the man in his 20s was detained by police after a number of children were approached outside Laleham Church of England Primary School in Surrey.

A 23-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on April 14 for attempting to smuggle drugs into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint in the boot of his car.In a joint statement on Thursday (April 23), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said the drugs seized — 5,127g of cannabis and 2,072g of methamphetamine, also known as Ice — have an estimated value of $547,000.ICA officers had directed the car for enhanced checks and found two plastic bags believed to contain controlled drugs in the boot.CNB officers were immediately alerted and conducted further checks.Through follow-up investigations, CNB officers launched an operation in the vicinity of Woodlands Industrial Park on the same day.Two Bangladeshi men, aged 42 and 36, were arrested for suspected drug offences.«The drugs seized have an estimated worth of more than $547,000 and could potentially feed the addiction of about 1,900 abusers for a week,» said ICA and CNB.Investigations are ongoing.

Singapore has blocked six websites masquerading as local mainstream news sources, but which are actually operated by foreign actors.The inauthentic sites were identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which assessed that they could be used to launch hostile information campaigns.In such campaigns, foreign attackers use sophisticated online tools and tactics in a coordinated manner to advance a country's interests, such as by influencing domestic political discourse.In a joint statement on Thursday (April 23), MHA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said the websites use spoofing or Singapore-associated terms in their domain name, and carry local news.«They are associated with other websites and networks which had previously been flagged by various international analysts as being inauthentic and carrying out mis- and dis-information activities,» the authorities added.Directions to Internet Access Service Providers (IASPs) to disable access to the six sites for Singapore users were issued by IMDA after it assessed MHA's findings.The blocked sites are:

A secondary school student seen bowing to motorists at a zebra crossing in a viral interaction simply wants to show her thanks, she told Lianhe Zaobao.Earlier in April, a Reddit user shared dashcam footage of a Bartley Secondary School student performing a deep bow as she crossed the road and waving at the car with a wide smile.The act of stopping and bow in front of cars at crossings — inspired from a Japanese greeting rooted in respect — had become an internet trend.Many netizens welcomed the culture and praised the schoolgirl for her courtesy and good manners.@asiaoneOthers wondered if she was doing the «bringing Japanese culture to Singapore» trend from TikTok. #sgnews #singapore #zebracrossing #pedestrians #car

In a rare departure from Jamaica’s parliamentary tradition, backbencher and former Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte on Tuesday cut through one of the most consequential pieces of legislation tabled by the Government in recent times and told members of the executive bluntly – go back and “rework” the bill.

The Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) is raising concerns over what it describes as a lack of consultation with local contractors in the establishment of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the agency tasked to lead Jamaica’s post-hurricane reconstruction.