Wildfires in South Korea's southeastern county of Uiseong appear to be getting out of control due to unpredictable strong winds and extremely dry weather, government officials said on Tuesday, citing a gradual drop in the area's fire extinguishing rate.

The forest area affected by the wildfires in Uiseong, about 180 kilometres southeast of Seoul, increased by over 4,000 hectares (ha) overnight to 12,699 ha as of early Tuesday morning, despite all-out firefighting efforts by authorities.

According to the Korea Forest Service, Uiseong's fire extinguishing rate has moved backwards over the past day, dropping from 60 per cent on Monday evening to 54 per cent as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.

A combination of unpredictable strong winds and extremely dry weather is hampering firefighting efforts there, the officials said.

Widespread protests flared in Pakistan's Karachi as the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) took to the streets against "state brutality and enforced disappearances" and demanded the release of the arrested Baloch leaders, including its chief Mahrang Baloch.

Pakistan has charged Mahrang Baloch and several other activists with terrorism after she led the sit-in protest against the illegal arrest and illegal police remand of the relatives of the victims of enforced disappearances.

Meanwhile, in a police crackdown, several individuals, including BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch, were taken into custody on Monday for allegedly violating section 144.

"Police scuttled the gathering, and around six protestors, including Sammi Deen Baloch, have been arrested on violation of Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code and locked up in Women Police Station," said Pakistan's Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza.

The Gabba, Brisbane’s iconic stadium, is set to be demolished following the 2032 Olympic Games, with cricket moving to a new 60,000-capacity venue in the Victoria Park area. This state-of-the-art stadium is being built as part of the Olympic infrastructure.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli unveiled the plans for the future of the state's sports venues on Tuesday, highlighting cricket’s central role in the decision. The sport had been in limbo due to the uncertainty surrounding the Gabba’s future after the state won the 2032 Olympics bid in 2021. This development provides much-needed clarity following years of speculation and shifting proposals.

Cricket Australia welcomed the announcement and said, "This decision gives us certainty about venues and scheduling which in turn allows us to ensure Brisbane hosts the very best possible international and domestic cricket. We strongly advocated building a stadium in Victoria Park together with Queensland Cricket, the AFL and Brisbane Lions, and cricket will play a major role in ensuring this significant investment delivers long-term benefits for cricket fans and the people of Queensland.

Hotel transactions in 2024 reached approximately Rs 2,900 crore in India and interestingly, tier 2 and 3 cities accounted for 50 per cent of the transactions, predominantly involving unbranded midscale properties, a report showed on Tuesday.

The investment landscape saw diverse participation, with high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), family offices, and private owners contributing 51 per cent of the investment volume, according to a JLL report.

In Q4 2024, the Indian hospitality sector demonstrated strong growth, with the top six markets experiencing year-over-year increases in both average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR).

Hyderabad emerged as the standout performer, recording the highest RevPAR growth at 23.3 per cent, primarily driven by a significant increase in ADR.

The total number of refills of LPG cylinders by poor households under the PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) have doubled in the past five years and the per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries has risen to nearly four-and-a-half cylinders per year, according to information tabled in the Parliament.

As on March 1, 2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country. The refill cylinders under the scheme have doubled in five years. As many as 41.95 crore refills were delivered in 11 months of the current financial year (FY25) till February, up from 39.38 crore refills in the 12 months of 2023-24 marking the success of the scheme, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas informed the Parliament.

The number of refills in 2019-20 stood at 22.80 crore, showing a nearly 100 per cent jump in this FY from five years ago.

Director and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran has made it clear that his ‘L2: Empuraan’, the second instalment from his eagerly awaited ‘Lucifer’ franchise featuring Mohanlal in the lead, will also be a stand-alone film and that even if an individual who hasn’t watched the first part of the franchise watches the upcoming second part, they would still be able to completely understand the plot, story and narrative.

The director, who participated in a press meet in Chennai, recently was asked if whether audiences who hadn’t watched the first part would be able to understand the story of the second part.

In another blow to Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh, security forces have neutralised three Naxalites in a fierce gunfight near the Dantewada-Bijapur border.

The encounter, which reportedly took place along the banks of the Indravati River, marks another significant success in the ongoing battle against extremism in the region.

Gaurav Rai, Superintendent of Police, Dantewada district confirmed the development and told, “Three Naxalites were killed early Tuesday morning, and their bodies have been recovered.”

He added that the forces have established a commanding presence in the area, with operations continuing to ensure complete control.

Localised and community initiatives like TB Mukt Bharat can play a crucial role in fighting the menace of tuberculosis in India, said Anurag Thakur, BJP MP.

In a media article, he reflected on the country’s journey towards eliminating TB -- the world’s deadliest infection.

“Localised initiatives are reshaping perceptions about TB across India, echoing our national commitment to systematically expand TB elimination efforts in every state,” he wrote.

Besides TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the government has also expanded diagnostic capabilities through the increased use of CBNAAT and TrueNat machines, as well as strengthened treatment protocols, Thakur said.

In addition, the recent fiscal allocation of Rs 4,200 crore for the National TB Elimination Programme will further help the efforts.

Showing a resilient economy in the Asia-Pacific region amid global uncertainties, India’s GDP will grow at 6.5 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday.

This assumes the upcoming monsoon season will be normal and that commodity — especially crude — prices will be soft,” said the global financial institution in its latest quarterly economic update for Asia-Pacific economies.

“Cooling food inflation, the tax benefits announced in the country’s budget for the fiscal year ending March 2026, and lower borrowing costs will support discretionary consumption,” it added.

As tariffs tend to be levied on goods, trade will be more resilient in economies where a substantial share of exports is of services. This is the case for the Philippines and, especially, India.

The family of the woman Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer whose body was found near a railway track here has suspected foul play and registered a police complaint.

The woman, identified as Megha, was found dead on Monday morning.

Sivadasan, the uncle of 24-year-old Megha, said they suspected foul play in her death.

He said she had no problems of depression as was being reported by a section of the media, as being the reason for her suicide.

“We do not have any reason to believe that she was undergoing depression. We have now registered a complaint with the local police station to conduct a proper probe. We also have written to the IB officials to ensure there is a proper probe,” said Sivadasan.