January 23, 2026
Local
Local
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Two foreign nationals have become the first individuals in Malaysia to be charged in court for littering under the newly enforced anti-littering law, according to a report by The Star.
PATNA, April 12 — Intense thunderstorms sweeping across India’s eastern Bihar state and neighboring Nepal have claimed at least 69 lives this week, officials confirmed today.
Though flash floods and lightning strikes already account for thousands of deaths annually, scientists continue to warn that rising global temperatures are intensifying the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
Bihar disaster authorities reported that 61 people were killed during powerful thunderstorms accompanied by lightning on Thursday and Friday.
In Nepal, disaster officials said eight fatalities were recorded due to lightning strikes on Wednesday and Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast more heavy rainfall in Bihar on Saturday.
Experts have previously raised alarms over the growing threat of lightning in India, linking the trend to climate change. Last year, studies indicated that lightning strikes now claim nearly 1,900 lives annually in the country.
According to research led by Fakir Mohan University in Odisha, lightning was responsible for 101,309 deaths between 1967 and 2020, with a significant surge occurring from 2010 to 2020. — AFP
