Heavy summer heat wave in India could set electricity demand at record highs. And due to lack of such supply, the government fears that the electricity shortage in June could be the highest in 14 years.

The Central Electricity Authority has said that the maximum power shortage at night in June this year may reach 14 GW. Due to solar power generation being stopped in the evening and night and water power not being as expected, there is a risk of increasing the deficit level.

According to government statistics, India's electricity demand and supply deficit is at its highest since 2009-10. Hydroelectric production is at a four-decade low.

Alternative power generation has not grown that way. All gas-based power generation plants in India have already been ordered to operate at full speed.

In this situation, Power Minister RK Singh sat in an emergency meeting last week to check the situation. In the meeting, it was decided to postpone the maintenance work of the power plant. It has also been said that the closed thermal power plants of 5 GW will be restarted.

Last September, India's electricity demand reached a record peak of 243 GW. Centre's estimate, this time April-June it could be 260 GW.

According to Grid India Projects, the peak demand at night in June could stand at 235 GW. Out of this, 187 GW is supposed to come from thermal power. About 34 GW could come from non-conventional electricity.

In such a situation, the central government is taking various steps including postponing the maintenance of production plants to meet the deficit in June.

A truce could take effect tomorrow if Hamas releases its hostages — the Palestinian independence group Hamas has criticized US President Joe Biden's comments, saying the comments have set back progress on ceasefire talks.

Reuters reported that Hassam said these things in a statement on Sunday (May 12). News from AFP.

It said, 'We condemn this position of the US President. We consider his comments as a blow to the progress of the recent phases of ceasefire talks.

US President Joe Biden said that it is possible to implement the ceasefire tomorrow. However, for this purpose, he imposed the burden of conditions on the Palestinian independence group Hamas.

"As I said, it's up to Hamas now," he said at a fundraiser in Seattle, Washington state last Saturday. If they want to implement it (ceasefire), they can end it (by releasing the hostages) tomorrow. If you do this, the ceasefire can start tomorrow.

Earlier, Biden confirmed that his country will not provide any weapons to Israel for the Rafah operation.

Ongoing talks between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US appear to have stalled amid Israeli military operations in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Hamas says Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying hard to reverse the progress of the talks by attacking Rafah. Hamas accuses Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of obstructing ceasefire talks. Netanyahu is using the talks as a shield to cover up the attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Meanwhile, the families of five American citizens held hostage by Hamas in Gaza met with the country's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk last Friday.

In a statement, the families said they were disappointed by yet another stalemate in ceasefire efforts. In particular, this frustration has been exacerbated by the recent videos Hamas released of the hostages, showing them immobile, thin, pale and depressed.

Israeli forces have ordered residents of the central Rafah area of Palestine to evacuate to the northeast. Israel signaled a larger operation in Rafah, news agency AFP reported on Saturday (May 11).

Critics said the Israeli attack increases the risk of lakhs more people becoming homeless in Rafah. In addition, ground operations in the middle of Rafah will see further devastation. Many more people will become homeless. In this way, the Israeli forces will advance in the entire city.

Earlier last week, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered people in the eastern Rafah area to evacuate. They then took control of the Rafah crossing near the Egyptian border. The IDF said they were conducting "a thorough, precise operation" in Rafah.

The Israeli army said 300,000 people had left Rafah for the al-Mawasir humanitarian area after ordering people to evacuate the eastern town of Rafah last Monday. Earlier on Friday, the United Nations said that 100,000 people had left Rafa. Meanwhile, Israel yesterday ordered people to leave the eastern and northern areas of the city, except for central Rafah. Such instructions are given through leaflets, messages, phone calls, social media posts.

The Ministry of Health of Gaza reported yesterday that the number of people killed in Israel's attacks since October 7 has reached 34,971.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US pressure to end the attack on the town of Rafah. He said, there are top leaders of Hamas in Rafah. The power of Hamas is also there.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has advised Australian MPs and dignitaries to use Burner mobile phones while traveling to India. The same advice has been issued to travelers from China and Ukraine. Warning, their phones can be hacked by the Chinese and Russians.

Australian media The Nightly reported this news in a report.

DFAT's message highlighted the tension between Australia and the Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Recently, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) also said that in 2020, some of the spies involved in the conspiracy and their expulsion from Australia were Indian.

Australian rules require Australian VIPs to leave their mobile phones at home when traveling to countries outside the Five Ice alliance. However, the country's intelligence officers have emphasized this in the case of India.

DFAT officials did not comment on the security advisory.

Burner phone is a type of mobile that can generate temporary and anonymous numbers. Once used, the number can be deleted forever. These types of mobile phones are also cheap in price. Burner mobiles are purchased with prepaid minutes without a formal contract. These phones are especially used by drug dealers.

India has long been considered a friendly country by Australia. But the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijja in British Columbia, Canada last year and the attempted assassination of Sikh leader Pannun in the United States have created bitterness in India's relationship with the Five-Ice alliance and the Quad allies. Due to which the bitterness of the country is created with Australia.

The Five-Ice Alliance and the Quad Allies are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A prominent Australian who regularly travels to India, who did not want to be named, said he has been advised to take a Burner phone when traveling to India.

Ian Hall, professor of international relations at Griffith University and an India expert, said he hoped the security advice would lead Australia to a more pragmatic foreign policy towards India.

India's recent actions on such suggestions by citizens, summoning the Canadian ambassador, New Delhi's response to US requests, he said. He hopes India will move away from the over-hyped rhetoric seen in recent years to a more measured and interest-based policy.