NewsBytes

The southwest monsoon hit Kerala on Saturday, marking its earliest arrival over the Indian mainland since 2009 when it reached the southern state on May 23, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Normally, the southwest monsoon makes its onset over Kerala by June 1 and covers the entire country by July 8. It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 and withdraws completely by October 15. The monsoon had set in over the southern state on May 30 last year; June 8 in 2023; May 29 in 2022; June 3 in 2021; June 1 in 2020; June 8 in 2019; and May 29 in 2018, IMD data showed. Data available since 1975 showed that the monsoon reached Kerala the earliest in 1990 (on May 19), 13 days before the usual date. According to meteorologists, there is no direct relationship between the onset date and the total rainfall over the country during the season.

Muhammad Yunus will remain as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, an adviser in his cabinet said, two days after a key ally said he had mulled resignation. "He (Yunus) didn't say he will leave. He said that while we face many obstacles in carrying out the work and responsibilities assigned to us, we are overcoming them,” Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud told reporters after an unscheduled meeting of the advisory council. “He (Yunus) is definitely staying," Mahmud said. He said none of the advisers were going anywhere as “the responsibility entrusted to us is a significant one; we cannot abandon this duty". The chief adviser's decision to stay in office came two days after he told student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders that he was mulling resignation as he felt “the situation is such that he cannot work", citing difficulties in working amid the failure of political parties to find common ground for change.

A CPM-ruled panchayat in Kerala has decided to approach the state government with a request to change the decades-old name of a village junction in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan conflict. Kunnathoor Panchayat in this district unanimously agreed to forward a proposal to rename "Pakistan Mukku" following a formal request from a BJP ward member, during a recent meeting. According to Panchayat president Valsala Kumari K, the panchayat does not have the authority to rename places and therefore decided to forward the request to the government. During the discussion, some members suggested renaming the junction as "Ivarkala". The panchayat president said the junction has been known as "Pakistan Mukku" for several decades. A number of Muslim families reside in the area and there is a mosque.

Thousands of stainless steel players from across the globe will come together to discuss various opportunities and challenges including issues related to imports at the Global Stainless-Steel Expo 2025 (GSSE 2025) beginning June 4. India's stainless steel imports rose by about 3 per cent year-on-year to 1.73 million tonnes in FY25, with China, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea being the major contributors to the shipments, according to research firm BigMint.  Imports of steel products at cheaper rates adversely affect domestic manufacturers. Over 10,000 industry professionals directly affiliated with the stainless steel industry will discuss and share their suggestions over the imports, which is one of the key challenges facing the sector, organiser Virgo Communications and Exhibitions (VCE) said in a statement.