MYANMAR: A powerful earthquake killed at least 144 people and at least three in neighbouring Thailand today, with hundreds more injured.

Photos and video from two hard-hit cities in Myanmar showed many collapsed buildings and other destruction, raising fears that many were killed or injured.

The 7.7 magnitude quake, with an epicentre near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, struck at midday and was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock.

INDIA: At least four police officers and three suspected militants were killed in a protracted gunbattle in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said today.

The fighting began on Thursday after police counterinsurgency officers and soldiers cordoned off a forested area in Jammu region’s southern Kathua district following a tip-off that separatist insurgents were hiding there, police said.

AUSTRALIA: A general election will take place on May 3, with the high cost of living and a shortage of housing likely to weigh against the government as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labour Party seeks a second three-year term.

Mr Albanese drove to Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s official residence today to trigger the election, before announcing the date at a news conference at Parliament House.

NORTHERN IRELAND: Teaching unions announced today that their members had rejected a 5.5 per cent pay offer for 2024-25.

The unions’ rejection, via the Northern Ireland Teachers Council, could lead to strike action.

The employers said they were “disappointed” at the outcome, but National Education Union regional secretary Pauline Buchanan said that the unions were “determined to find a resolution and … ready to pursue further talks.”