The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration told staffers he will step down this summer, further expanding the leadership vacuum at the agency.

Acting Administrator Billy Nolen wrote in a memo that it is “time for a new captain to guide the FAA.”

“I told Sec. Buttigieg and notified the White House that I will depart as a new nominee is named this summer,” Nolen wrote. “I have given everything to this agency, and now it’s time to do the same for my family, who have sacrificed so much and supported me during my time at the FAA.”

The Biden administration’s first nominee, Phil Washington, failed to muster sufficient support in the Senate. That left Nolen, previously the agency’s safety chief, running the FAA since the Trump-appointed head stepped down in March 2022 halfway through his five-year term.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement that Nolen “has kept safety as the FAA’s north star through one of the most complex periods in modern aviation.” That period has included a series of close calls at airport runways that prompted Nolen to call a rare public safety summit earlier this year and a meltdown of the agency’s NOTAM system that caused a nationwide ground stop.

Nolen wrote in his memo that FAA officials “have not been afraid to act to preserve the safest era in aviation history but to also say that our current record is not good enough.”

“We should build a system so safe it doesn’t require heroic intervention,” he wrote.

The Biden administration has not yet signaled its next nominee to lead the agency.

An Indian court on Thursday acquitted 69 Hindus, including a former minister from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of the murder of 11 Muslims during communal riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002.

The killings occurred in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, a day after a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, setting off one of independent India’s worst outbreaks of religious bloodshed.

A total of 86 Hindus were accused of the killings in the Naroda Gam district of Ahmedabad, 17 of whom died during trial. All the accused were free on bail.

“We have been saying from the first day that they were framed,” defense lawyer Chetan Shah, who represented 82 of the accused, said. “Some of the accused were not present at the scene on the day of the incident.”

Shamshad Pathan, who represented the victims, said they would challenge the court’s decision in a higher court.

“Justice has eluded the victims once again. We will study the grounds on which the court has acquitted the accused persons,” Pathan said.

Those acquitted include Maya Kodnani, a former minister of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, who was a lawmaker at the time of the riots, former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Jaydeep Patel.

Bajrang Dal and VHP are Hindu nationalist groups and have close links to the BJP.

Kodnani was also an accused in a case in which 97 people were killed in the 2002 riots. She was convicted but later acquitted by a higher court.

At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed across Gujarat in the 2002 riots. Activists put the toll at over twice that number.

Critics accused Modi, who was chief minister at the time, of failing to protect Muslims. Modi denied the allegations and a Supreme Court-ordered investigation found no evidence to prosecute him.

The acquittal comes eight months after 11 men jailed for life for the gang-rape of a pregnant Muslim woman during the riots were freed on remission, according to Reuters, drawing condemnation from the victim’s widower, lawyers and politicians.

The men were convicted in early 2008 and released from jail in Panchmahals in the western state of Gujarat on August 15, when India celebrated 75 years since the end of British rule.

Panchmahals’ top bureaucrat told Reuters that the district jail advisory committee had recommended the release after considering the time the 11 had spent in jail and their good behavior.

“We’re all in – 100%,” US billionaire businessman Todd Boehly told Chelsea fans upon his arrival at the club in May 2022.

Fast forward almost a year, it is safe to say that the American has stuck to his word – though at some cost.

The 49-year-old said his consortium would be “acquiring the best talent” and would “invest in the club for the long-term.”

Alongside Clearlake Capital, the investment fund involved in the takeover, Boehly did just that – financing over $600 million on transfers – but as a businessman, you’d likely be expecting some return on your investment.

Except Boehly – a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Sparks – is quickly finding out that the soccer business is tricky to master.

In a season that has lurched from tragedy to farce at times – Chelsea has had four managers this season – the club has absolutely nothing to show for it when it comes to results on the pitch.

Following the Blues’ 4-0 aggregate loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, Chelsea is out of all cup competitions and, lingering mid-table in the Premier League, has no chance of playing European soccer next season, which can be very financially lucrative.

Speaking after the Real defeat, interim head coach Frank Lampard said he “won’t let anyone off the hook in terms of seeing this season out,” but fans of the club could be forgiven if their attention has already turned to next season.

“We need to stop”

Chelsea was previously owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who put the club up for sale in early March 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying at the time it was “in the best interest of the Club.”

In May, the UK government added Abramovich to its list of sanctioned individuals as part of its efforts to “isolate” Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Under the current regime, Chelsea has had a policy of spend, spend, spend and, while this might show Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali’s financial commitment to the cause, the huge outlay hasn’t produced immediate dividends and has created a number of short-term and possibly long-term problems.

Chelsea’s squad has ballooned in size over the past year, and not only has this given the various managers unwanted selection headaches, but changes at the club have also had to be made to accommodate the surplus of talent.

In the January transfer window, a month famously difficult to get big deals over the line, Chelsea broke all conventions and spent big – very big.

The club brought in Enzo Fernández in a British-record $132 million deal, as well as Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoît Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana with João Félix also arriving on loan.

Following the loss against Real Madrid, Chelsea captain Thiago Silva spoke candidly to reporters on the issues that come with this kind of spending.

The veteran defender said: “I think the first step has been made, an incorrect step, but it has been made. We can’t be blaming the managers if we don’t take responsibility. It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.

“Change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad.”

There have been long-running jokes on social media about the size of Chelsea’s squad this season and a player talking so openly about the problems shows fans would appear to be not too far off in their assessments.

The Brazilian then spoke on the mentality of players who have been impacted by the swollen squad.

“A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad, but on the other hand, there are always players that are going to be unhappy. There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something – that’s tough.

“Some can’t make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place, otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes.”

One potential problem for Chelsea is that a large number of new arrivals were signed on long-term contracts.

“You are then committed to paying the players’ wages over that six, seven, eight-year period.”

Maguire continued: “Chelsea are normally in the top three, certainly in the top four, wage commitments of Premier League clubs.”

With the problems that are persisting on the pitch, Chelsea will have to find a way to move these wages around, but Maguire said this could prove to be difficult.

“So, finding another club who’s willing to take the player off of Chelsea’s hands and pay them a level of remuneration to which the player is happy is going to be quite challenging.”

Managerial comings and goings

Boehly’s stewardship started with Thomas Tuchel in charge, then Graham Potter came and went, Bruno Saltor took over for a game, before Lampard rejoined the club on an interim basis. Lampard’s tenure has been nothing short of disastrous – Chelsea have played four games and lost all of them.

Excluding Saltor’s one game in charge, each manager has clearly had different ideologies and principles they have sought to implement, but Boehly’s patience has seemed to run thin when things don’t go to plan.

Boehly’s next managerial appointment will be key in how his time at Chelsea is defined and another disappointing spell could lead to further fan disquiet – Boehly had been confronted by Chelsea fans following the side’s 2-1 home loss against Brighton.

Problems on the pitch

The managerial merry-go-round has been accompanied by dizzying inconsistency on the pitch.

Besides Kai Havertz and Marc Cucurella, no Chelsea outfield player has started more than 20 games in the Premier League this season.

In the must-win game against Real Madrid, five signings brought in this season were warming the bench, including star players João Félix and Raheem Sterling, and big-money signing Mudryk. The new signings were also joined by Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount.

For Chelsea to get anywhere near its form of old, its next manager will have to find some consistency in team selections and a way to keep big players happy while they are on the sidelines.

Football is a simple game when it is boiled down to its purest form: whoever scores more goals wins – and this could help explain Chelsea’s struggles.

The Blues are on course to have their lowest scoring season in Premier League history with their current total of 30 goals. The club’s current goalscoring low for a single campaign is 46 and, with games running out, Lampard’s side will struggle to match this.

This makes Chelsea’s spending even more confusing with signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David Datro Fofana currently not in the side’s plans and Kai Havertz operating as a makeshift center forward.

With goals hard to come by and results not looking like improving soon, Boehly and Eghbali may have to continue to offer rallying cries in the Chelsea changing room until performances pick up.

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics have signed a binding purchase agreement for land near the Las Vegas Strip, where the team plans to construct a Major League ballpark, according to reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Athletic, citing Athletics team president Dave Kaval.

“For a while, we were on parallel paths (with Oakland), but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A’s and find a long-term home,” Kaval told the Review-Journal on Wednesday. “Oakland has been a great home for us for over 50 years, but we really need this 20-year saga completed and we feel there’s a path here in Southern Nevada to do that.”

According to the Review-Journal, the agreement is for a 49-acre plot of land, owned by Red Rock Resorts, parent company of Station Casinos.

The Athletics, who have played in the city of Oakland since 1968, plan to build a 30,000-seat stadium, featuring a partially retractable roof, along with ancillary developments on the site, in a project that will cost $1.5 billion, Koval told the Review-Journal. He said the team would have the option to purchase eight more acres at a later date.

“It’s really exciting to have a site,” Kaval told the Review-Journal Wednesday. “We’ve spent almost two years doing our due diligence, working with community leaders, elected officials and everyone in town to really determine a location that could be a win for the A’s as well as the community and public officials.”

The new ballpark would be over a mile north of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders Allegiant Stadium, and about a mile west of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces’ T-Mobile Arena.

In comments to The Athletic on Thursday, Kaval indicated there was still negotiation to be done.

“We’re not all the way there in Nevada,” he told The Athletic. He said they are looking for an incentive package.

“We’re working with them. And we’re having very good conversations,” Kaval said, adding that there could be a vote before the Nevada state legislature ends its session in July.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his support on the Athletics’ plans to relocate to Las Vegas. “We support the A’s turning their focus on Las Vegas and look forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year,” Manfred said in a statement to the Review-Journal.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo called the prospects of the Athletics’ move to Southern Nevada “great news,” while highlighting the positive economic impact the move would have for the city and the state.

“Welcoming the A’s to Las Vegas would be great news for Southern Nevada as well as our entire state,” Lombardo said in a statement to the Review-Journal. “The prospect of bringing new jobs, more economic development and a historic MLB franchise to Las Vegas is exciting on many levels.

“As we continue to navigate this opportunity, I’m in regular communication with the A’s, Major League Baseball, legislative leadership and local and state stakeholders.”

In contrast, news of the binding purchase agreement wasn’t well received by Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who criticized the Athletics’ decision and said the city was “ceasing negotiations” with the team.

“I am deeply disappointed that the A’s have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team,” Thao said in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “The City has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A’s in Oakland.

“In the last three months, we’ve made significant strides to close the deal. Yet, it is clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game – the fans and our residents deserve better.”

Schumacher has not been seen in public since he suffered a brain injury in a skiing accident in December 2013.

On April 15, Die Aktuelle, a weekly magazine in Germany, published a smiling picture of the 54-year-old on the front cover with the headline: “Michael Schumacher, the first interview.”

Paired with the headline is a subheading that reads: “It sounded deceptively real.”

The fake interview appears on page eight of the magazine with the headline, “My life has changed completely,” and includes fictitious quotes attributed to Schumacher, discussing his family life since the accident and his medical condition.

Only toward the end of the article does it become apparent that the interview was produced by AI.

Dennis Barkhausen, the spokesperson of the Funke-Mediengruppe which publishes Die Aktuelle, declined to comment.

Since the accident, the Schumacher family has kept updates about the health of the motorsport legend to a minimum to protect their privacy.

In September 2021, Corinna Schumacher discussed her husband’s condition in a Netflix documentary about his Formula One career.

“He still shows me how strong he is every day,” she said at the time.

“We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.

“And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.

“‘Private is private,’ as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”

Schumacher’s son Mick is also a Formula One driver and is currently a reserve for Mercedes after two seasons driving for Haas.

More severe storms are threatening some 50 million people from Texas to Wisconsin after the same system left at least three people dead in Oklahoma, with a dozen tornadoes reported across three states and search-and-rescue still underway in some places.

Numerous severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect Thursday from Texas to Illinois as thunderstorms are producing large hail and strong winds.

A tornado warning is in effect in Illinois for a storm about 30 miles southwest of Peoria, and conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin through the evening hours.

Someone hurt in Pottawatomie County in central Oklahoma also died at a hospital, Gibbons said.

Get the latest on your forecast here

The same system that spawned Wednesday’s severe storms is heading east Thursday, with rain, hail, damaging winds and some tornadoes and flash flooding possible. Areas from the hill country of Texas to southern Illinois – including Dallas, Houston and Chicago, plus Little Rock, Arkansas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Jefferson City and Springfield, Missouri – face a Level 2 out of 5 “slight risk” of severe weather, the Storm Prediction Center said.

A tornado watch is in effect for more than 14 million people in northern Illinois, eastern Iowa and southern Wisconsin, including Chicago and Milwaukee, until 8 p.m. CDT Thursday, according to the center.

A few tornadoes, wind gusts up to 75 mph and large hail up to 2 inches in diameter are possible with these storms this afternoon and evening.

Severe thunderstorm watches are in effect for central Illinois to central Texas. St. Louis; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Shreveport, Louisiana, are included in the watches, which extend into the evening. Strong winds and large hall are the primary concerns in these areas, but isolated tornadoes are also possible.

Wednesday’s worst storms were reported across Oklahoma – where eight tornadoes have been confirmed by the National Weather Service office in Norman – while Kansas and Iowa also were hit. About 17,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma had no power midday Thursday.

A reported tornado in Cole, home to more than 600 people about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City, appears to have been one of the most significant. To resident Barry Harbison, it felt like a roller-coaster when the storm lifted his trailer home off the ground and tossed it – while he was stuck in it, he said.

The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, plans to survey Cole, Shawnee and the Etowah-Pink-Stella area Thursday.

In addition to nine reports of tornadoes in Oklahoma, four tornado reports were recorded in Iowa and three in Kansas on Wednesday; of those, two tornadoes in Iowa and one in Kansas were preliminarily confirmed.

‘Blessed everybody is alive’

About 60 miles east of Cole, a large and very dangerous tornado traipsed through Shawnee, a city of about 30,000 people in Pottawatomie County. The storm was moving erratically north of the city around 10 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Norman said.

Shawnee Public Schools canceled classes Thursday, the district announced on Facebook.

More than 30 residents at Brookdale Senior Living, an assisted living facility in Shawnee, Oklahoma, were evacuated after the building’s windows were blown out and water seeped inside, according to Shelee Stewart, the executive director.

“We’ve been blessed everybody is alive,” Stewart told KOCO, noting there were no major injuries.

Stewart described the staff who helped guide residents to the bathrooms while the storm passed as “heroes,” adding some had minor scratches.

As crews spread out in the county to respond to the storms, the Pottawatomie County emergency management agency warned residents not to leave their homes to observe the damage, noting that hinders response efforts.

“There is tremendous amounts of ponding on areas storms have come through so please do not drive through the water!” the agency said.

“Our county was hit hard and it will take a while for every area to be checked,” the agency later said.

“If you can, check on your neighbors, but be mindful of potential gas leaks and possibly downed power lines,” Shawnee Police said Wednesday evening in a Facebook post.

Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee also canceled classes Thursday and Friday after urging students to avoid being outdoors. No injuries were reported, but the campus was significantly damaged, the university said.

“Authorities are advising students to stay in their housing units through the night,” due to downed power lines and scattered debris, the school said.

More severe storms expected Thursday

The main threats from Thursday’s severe weather will be large hail and strong winds – and tornadoes can’t be ruled out.

“The areas of most concern are eastern North Texas (including the DFW Metro) and much of Central Texas, though areas east of I-35 will see the higher likelihood for severe storms,” said the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding in some locations. Most areas will see 1 to 3 inches of rain, with more in isolated spots.

There is also a much broader Level 1 out of 5 “marginal risk” of storms Thursday from South Texas to the Midwest, including Memphis, Tennessee.

These areas could also see strong winds, damaging hail and an isolated tornado.

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) announced their intention to launch a joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday.

The announcement came the same day as global governing body FIFA’s deadline to submit expressions of interest to host the competition. The FIFA-set deadline to officially launch a bid is May 19.

In the announcement, US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said: “The United States has always been a global leader for the women’s game, and we would be honored to co-host the world’s premier event for women’s soccer along with Mexico.

“Hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup provides us an incredible opportunity to cap off two historic years of World Cup soccer in the Concacaf region, helping us continue to grow the game among our confederation associations.”

Yon de Luisa, president of the FMF, added: “Women’s football in Mexico has experienced sustained growth over the last five years and its development, both on and off the field, coupled with the female empowerment it has achieved and will continue to achieve, is one of the strategic priorities of the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol.

“It is with pleasure that we are teaming up again with the U.S. Soccer Federation in the pursuit of this World Cup for our region, which will undoubtedly be historic.”

Mexico has never hosted the Women’s World Cup, while the tournament has taken place twice in the USA – in 1999 and 2003.

The USSF and FMF successfully joined forces, along with Canada Soccer, to win the hosting rights to the men’s World Cup in 2026.

Canada Soccer issued a statement in support of the USSF and FMF bid, remarking that it didn’t join this effort as a result of having hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, two editions ago.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup begins in Australia and New Zealand on July 20, with the final set for August 20.

Thursday’s hybrid solar eclipse will last for 62 seconds. But for a small town in rural northwest Australia, the effects could linger on for a lifetime.

That’s the hope for Exmouth and the surrounding Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia, which are hoping that April 20th’s once-in-a-decade natural phenomenon could kick off a tourism boom that lasts well beyond the eclipse.

The town – whose name is pronounced “ex-mowth” – has 3,000 residents but will swell to 20,000 this week, based on accommodation bookings and information from the local tourism authority.

Exmouth will have possibly the world’s best view of the April 20 solar event.

There will be a partial view of the eclipse beginning at 10:04 a.m. local time, then the totality – where the sun appears completely blocked out from the sky – will occur at 11:29 a.m. The partial view then ends at 1:02 p.m.

At the moment of totality, the sun, earth and moon will all align to awe-inspiring effect.

The Ningaloo area has been working on its eclipse-related tourism offerings for more than a year, according to Cook.

There’s a range of events to keep newfound friends busy, including outdoor music performances, stargazing tours, photography lessons and astronomy education programs for kids.

On top of that, the local Baiyungu community, the traditional owners of the land, have organized the first-ever Jamba Nyinayi Festival.

Held in nearby Coral Bay, the festival includes Indigenous storytelling, music, dance, food and fire and ends with a drone show on Thursday night.

Investing in the future

Exmouth is some 1,250 km (777 miles) north of Western Australia’s capital, Perth, and is geographically closer to Papua New Guinea than Sydney or Melbourne.

But now that a swell of hopeful stargazers is coming to see the eclipse, local tourism officials are hoping that these guests will fall in love with the area, then go home and tell their friends and family about it.

One of the area’s biggest draws is the UNESCO-listed Ningaloo Coast, a 604,500-hectare stretch known for an exceptional coral reef as well as for being the home of whale sharks and sea turtles.

Additional park rangers have been brought in to support the wave of new visitors. Altogether, Western Australia state spent 20 million AUD ($13.5 million) on infrastructure updates for the eclipse, which included everything from water and sanitation services to additional parking.

Local residents may be antsy about their big moment in the sun (or, briefly out of the sun), but Cook points out how many opportunities could come in the months and years beyond the solar eclipse.

“They see it as a great opportunity to showcase their town and the environment in which they live, and the great tourism opportunity it might present not just people who come this week but people who are watching from around the world.”

Temperature records are being shattered in countries across Asia as a brutal April heat wave continues to grip large portions of the continent, with little relief in sight.

In Southeast Asia, some countries posted their highest ever recorded temperatures this week, while searing heat in the Indian subcontinent has killed more than a dozen people.

Laos is the latest country to set a new all-time record as Luang Prabang reached 42.7°C (109°F) Tuesday, according to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera.

Over the weekend, Thailand topped 45°C (113°F) for the first time in its history, according to Herrera, using data from the Thai Meteorological Department. The northwest city of Tak reached 45.4°C Saturday, but large portions of the country have been in the upper 30s to low 40s since late March.

Earlier this month, Thai authorities issued a health alert for several provinces as the heat index was forecast to reach 50.2°C in the Bang Na district of the capital Bangkok. The heat index is what the temperature “feels like” and considers both air temperature and humidity to measure its impact.

On Tuesday, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed concern over “dangerously high temperatures in various parts of Thailand” and said in Bangkok’s Bang Na area, temperatures “could reach 52.3°C,” according to a statement from the prime ministers office.

Neighboring Myanmar set an April temperature record on Monday as Kalewa, in central Sagaing region, reached 44°C (111°F), Herrera tweeted.

April and May are typically the hottest months of the year for South and Southeast Asia as temperatures rise before monsoon rains begin and bring some relief.

But the heat in Thailand has been compounded by an intense smoggy season that has caused pollution levels to spike.

The tourist hotspot of Chiang Mai in the north ranked as the world’s most polluted city for seven straight days as smoke from forest fires and widespread crop burning deteriorated the air quality. At least one hospital in the city said it had reached “full ward capacity” as patients sought medical treatment for respiratory issues.

The scorching temperatures have also been widespread across China.

On Tuesday, the country saw temperatures as high as 42.4°C (108°F) in Yuanyang, in the southeast – only 0.3°C from the country-wide record for April, according to Herrera.

On Monday, more than 100 weather stations in 12 provinces broke their April temperature record, according to climatologist Jim Yang.

Although not record-breaking in most cases, the heat has also been prevalent – and deadly – across South Asia. Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh have all seen temperatures topping 40°C (104°F) for many days.

According to India’s Meteorological Department, 48 weather stations recorded temperatures over 42°C on Tuesday, with the highest at 44.2°C in the eastern state of Odisha.

In western Maharashtra state, at least 13 people died from heatstroke after attending a state award ceremony on Sunday. More than 1 million people attended the event in Navi Mumbai and between 50 to 60 people were hospitalized, according to a city police official.

Meanwhile, at least two states, Tripura in the northeast and West Bengal in the east, ordered schools to shut this week, as temperatures rose more than 5 degrees Celsius above normal, state governments said, Reuters reported.

The Indian Ministry of Labor issued an advisory to all states and regions to ensure the safety of workers – especially outdoor laborers and miners – in the extreme heat. That includes providing adequate drinking water, emergency ice packs, and frequent rest breaks.

Heat waves in India usually take place between March and July, but in recent years these hot spells have become more intense, more frequent and longer.

Last year, India experienced a searing heatwave, where parts of the country reached more than 49°C (120°F). As the impacts of the human-caused climate crisis accelerate and global temperatures continue to rise, scientists say heat waves will only become more common.

A 2022 study found that dangerous heat waves will be between three and 10 times more often by the turn of the century.

In the tropics, which encompasses much of Asia, people could be exposed to dangerous heat most days of the year, the study found. Days of “extremely dangerous heat” – which is defined as 51°C (124°F) – could double and experts say those levels of heat push the limits of human survivability.

Extremely hot temperatures across South and Southeast Asia are expected to continue. Meanwhile, cooler conditions are on the way for much of China as temperatures are forecast to fall from around 10°C (18°F) above average to 10°C (18° F) below average this weekend.

Global fans reacted with shock and grief over the death of 25-year-old K-pop star Moon Bin, a member of the popular boy band Astro.

His music label, Fantagio, confirmed Moon Bin’s death Thursday, and said he has “suddenly left us and became a star in the sky.”

“All Astro members, Fantagio colleagues, executives and employees who’ve been together for a long time are deeply mourning the deceased in such great sadness and shock,” the music label said, adding Moon Bin “always loved and thought of the fans more than anyone else.”

The star was found dead in his home in southern Seoul by his manager at around 8:10 p.m. Wednesday night, according to an official at Gangnam Police Station.

Social media filled with condolences as fans expressed their upset at the celebrity’s death, the latest to cast a spotlight on the often intense pressures celebrities face in the competitive and stressful Korean entertainment industry.

The hashtag #moonbin on Twitter was trending globally with over 2.6 million tweets, some posts written in English, Spanish, Indonesian, Tagalog and Thai.

Meanwhile, social media videos showed fans in Chile setting up a memorial for the late star, lining a wall with white and purple balloons, the theme colors of Astro.

A fan who commented on the video shared on Twitter said: “Rest in peace Moonbin… You had words of [comfort] for others. I wish you had talked about your pain… Rest sweet angel.”

“You’re a star in the sky now and watching over the people you love. Hearts and thoughts go out to his loved ones and all AROHAs,” MTV Asia tweeted, referring to name Astro’s fans call themselves.

“We lost a bright light, who was really contributing to the lives of his family and his friends and his fans and that bright light is gone,” said CedarBough Saeji, assistant professor of Korean and East Asian Studies at Pusan National University.

Saeji, a self-confessed Moon Bin fan, said amid the discussion on the pressures of Korean society and its celebrity industry, it was also important to remember the accomplishments of the young star.

“Moonbin was phenomenally talented dancer and singer. In recent years, he’d started writing some of the material for Astro as well. And he’d also been acting in a bunch of web dramas that had been quite popular. There’s really no limit to how far he could have gone if he continued his career and continue to mature as a performer,” Saeji said.

Child stars

Many K-pop icons start training as young teens, honing their singing, dancing and acting skills for years before they are even allowed a chance to debut their first song.

K-pop idols are known to be subject to intense pressure from their strict management, which has been linked to a mental health crisis in the industry.

South Korea has the highest rate of youth suicide among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations.

In 2021, the suicide rate in South Korea was 26 out of every 100,000 people, and while the country’s overall suicide rate is falling, deaths of those in their twenties are rising, according to the country’s Health and Welfare Ministry.

Moon Bin debuted with Astro in 2016. The other members of the group are Jinjin, MJ, Cha Eun-woo and Yoon San-ha.

He also performed as part of a subgroup called Moon Bin & Sanha, which toured in Asia in recent months.

Prior to his death the duo had been expected to perform next month in Busan, as part of the port city’s bid to promote the 2030 World Expo, and in Jakarta on May 13.

Moon Bin entered the entertainment industry as a child actor, making his debut in 2009 in the Korean Broadcasting System TV drama “Boys Over Flowers.” The series was widely popular and its dubbed version aired globally, gaining lots of fans from Southeast Asia.

His sister, Moon Sua, is also a K-pop celebrity, performing as part of the girl group Billlie.

How to get help: In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also can provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.