A vast dust storm moving across Australia has shrouded Sydney in a dense haze, sparking health alerts and underscoring the growing impact of climate extremes nationwide.

New South Wales (NSW) Health on Tuesday issued alerts for very poor air quality in some areas, as the haze, driven by drought and strong winds in South Australia, settles over NSW.

Experts said the event is a stark reminder of Australia's vulnerability to shifting weather patterns and land degradation.

According to Milton Speer, visiting fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, long-term atmospheric changes are contributing to both droughts in southern Australia and heavy rains along the east coast, news agency reported.

In a deeply personal reflection, actor Eijaz Khan opened up about his emotional journey and the lifelong process of understanding his own struggles.

From navigating a difficult childhood to confronting his evolving identity, the former Bigg Boss actor shared how each chapter of his life has shaped him—both as an individual and as an artist. Eijaz shared, “The deeper I try to understand acting, the more I realize that you have to understand the human condition. Whether I wanted to or not, I’ve spent my whole life trying to make sense of my own pain—my childhood, my injuries, my identity, my evolution. And now, perhaps it’s time to give back. That’s also why I want to be a producer. I wish, when I was coming up, there had been more people holding space for me—giving me the freedom to grow. Now, I think it’s my time to hold that space for others. To pay it forward.”

The Border Security Force (BSF), which played a critical role in 'Operation Sindoor' alongside the Indian armed forces, has released new visuals of the military action undertaken on May 7 against nine high-value terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

The offensive was launched in direct response to the brutal April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where four heavily armed terrorists from The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) affiliate, killed 26 innocent and unarmed people, mostly tourists from India.

The Indian armed forces, through multiple Press briefings, have kept the public informed about 'Operation Sindoor'.

In continuation of this, the BSF released a 5-minute, 21-second video capturing intense action by Indian forces on several terror infrastructure facilities across the border.

Accusing the government of avoiding serious questions, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday sought answers on the whereabouts of terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack and US President Donald Trump’s alleged role in the ‘ceasefire understanding’ between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

In a social media post on X, Ramesh said, “Even on Nehru's death anniversary, the nation's supreme (mis) leader and master distorian is active in Nehru-bashing. This is a pathetic attempt at diverting attention from very many serious issues that confront us today, which he must answer.”

He went on to raise four key questions which he claimed were important to bring before public the alleged diplomatic lapses related to Pakistan and China.

“Why is the PM quiet on the growing hyphenation of India with Pakistan and the failure of our diplomacy and our narrative to isolate Pakistan?” asked Ramesh at a time when New Delhi has launched a global diplomatic outreach by sending teams of MPs to friendly nations to explain the country’s anti-terror stand.

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, who will be next seen in the upcoming tentpole ‘Housefull 5’, has spoken up on the controversy surrounding Paresh Rawal’s exit from ‘Hera Pheri 3’.

The superstar attended the trailer launch of ‘Housefull 5’ in Mumbai on Tuesday, where he was asked to comment on the issue. It was reported that Akshay had sued Paresh for INR 25 crore after the latter announced his exit from the film over his lack of inspiration, and novelty in the character of Babu Bhaiyya, which is the central piece of the ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise.

When the media asked Akshay to comment on the matter, using the word “foolish” in the question, Akshay took offence at the word being used for such a senior actor.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has filed FIRs against two West Bengal government employees engaged in the electoral process in the state, on charges of irregularities in the voters’ lists in the block they were responsible for.

One is Sudipto Biswas, an inspector attached to the West Bengal co-operation department and the other is Avijit Patra, a clerk attached to the same department.

Both were engaged in the electoral process at Namkhana block in South 24 Parganas district.

Earlier this week, the ECI suspended Arun Gorain, assistant system manager attached to Kakdwip sub-division also in South 24 Parganas district, on charges of inappropriate behaviour, which according to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) West Bengal, “tantamounts to gross misconduct in the discharge of duties.”

The Indian stock market closed in the red on Tuesday due to profit booking, driven by valuation concerns and weakness across the Asian markets.

At the end of trading, Sensex was down 624.82 points or 0.76 per cent at 81,551.63 and Nifty was down 174.95 points or 0.70 per cent at 24,826.20.

The decline was led by FMCG, IT, auto and metal sectors. Nifty Auto index closed down 0.70 per cent, Nifty IT index 0.75 per cent, Nifty Financial Service index 0.64 per cent and Nifty FMCG index 0.88 per cent.

Unlike largecap, buying was seen in smallcap and midcap indexes. The Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 87.25 points, or 0.15 per cent, to close at 57,154.50, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index rose 17.35 points, or 0.10 per cent, to close at 17,725.15.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Tuesday reported a net profit of Rs 280 crore for the January-March quarter, making it the second consecutive profitable quarter after the loss-making telecom major surged out of the red for the first time in the October-December quarter of 2024-25.

BSNL had made a loss of Rs 849 crore in the fourth quarter of the previous financial year. The company’s loss for the full financial year 2024-25 has now been reduced by 58 per cent to Rs 2,247 crore in FY-25 from Rs 5,370 crore in FY-24.

The government-owned telecom major’s total income shot by 10 per cent to Rs 23,427 crore during 2024-25 from Rs 21,302 crore in 2023 -24.

The government’s support through strategic revival initiatives, including spectrum allocation, and capital infusion have played a key role in bolstering the company’s operations.

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) on Tuesday said the country is projected to reach the export figure of $1 trillion by the end of this fiscal (FY26).

This will constitute merchandise exports at $525-535 billion -- a growth of about 12 per cent from last fiscal -- and services exports at $465-475 billion, a growth of nearly 20 per cent.

India's export sector achieved a significant milestone in the fiscal year 2024–25, with total exports reaching a record $824.9 billion, marking a 6.01 per cent increase from the previous year's $778.1 billion.

Services exports surged 13.6 per cent to $387.5 billion in FY25, driven by strong performances in IT, business, financial and travel-related services.

Amid the surging number of cancer cases in women, a new study on Tuesday found its association with increasing global warming conditions.

In the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, scientists found that global warming in the Middle East and North Africa is making breast, ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer more common and more deadly.

While the rise in rates is small it is statistically significant and suggests a notable increase in cancer risk and fatalities over time.

“As temperatures rise, cancer mortality among women also rises -- particularly for ovarian and breast cancers,” said Dr Wafa Abuelkheir Mataria of the American University in Cairo.