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Finland’s leaders Thursday came out in favor of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within days, in a historic realignment on the continent 2 1/2 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow’s neighbors, Associated Press reported.

The Kremlin reacted by warning it will be forced to take retaliatory “military-technical” steps.

On the ground, meanwhile, Russian forces pounded areas in central, northern and eastern Ukraine, including the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, as part its offensive to take the industrial Donbas region, while Ukraine recaptured some towns and villages in the northeast.

The first war-crimes trial of a Russian soldier since the start of the conflict is set to open Friday in Kyiv. A 21-year-old captured member of a tank unit is accused of shooting to death a civilian on a bicycle during the opening week of the war.

Finland’s president and prime minister announced that the Nordic country should apply right away for membership in NATO, the military defense pact founded in part to counter the Soviet Union, according to the Associated Press.

“You (Russia) caused this. Look in the mirror,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said this week.

While the country’s Parliament still has to weigh in, the announcement means Finland is all but certain to apply — and gain admission — though the process could take months to complete. Sweden, likewise, is considering putting itself under NATO’s protection.

That would represent a major change in Europe’s security landscape: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II.

Public opinion in both nations shifted dramatically in favor of NATO membership after the invasion, which stirred fears in countries along Russia’s flank that they could be next.

Such an expansion of the alliance would leave Russia surrounded by NATO countries in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic and would amount to a stinging setback for Putin, who had hoped to divide and roll back NATO in Europe but is instead seeing the opposite happen, Associated Press reported.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance would welcome Finland and Sweden with open arms.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow “will be forced to take retaliatory steps of military-technical and other characteristics in order to counter the emerging threats to its national security.”

NATO’s funneling of weapons and other military support to Ukraine already has been critical to Kyiv’s surprising success in stymieing the invasion, and the Kremlin warned anew in chilling terms Thursday that the aid could lead to direct conflict between NATO and Russia.

“There is always a risk of such conflict turning into a full-scale nuclear war, a scenario that will be catastrophic for all,” said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council.

While Russia’s advance in the Donbas has been slow, its forces have gained some ground and taken some villages, according to the Associated Press.

Local level elections have started across the country in a single phase on Friday.

Voting started at 7 am today for the second time after the implementation of federalism in the country.

At least 36, 059, 299 new  voters are casting their votes this time.

There are six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, 460 rural municipalities and 6, 743 wards in the country.

Among these local bodies, elections are being held for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor in metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities and municipalities and chairperson, vice-chairperson in rural municipalities and ward chairperson and members in wards.

According to the Election Commission, the total number of voters who have completed 18 years of age till May 12 is 17, 733, 723.

Of them 8, 992, 010 are males, 8, 741, 530 are females and 183 have been registered under the 'others' category.

Similarly, the Commission said that it has set up 10, 756 polling stations and 21, 955 voting booths across the country.

As many as 35, 221 representatives will be elected for 753 local units.

Of the total candidates, 95, 253 are men and 57, 967 are female.

The main opposition CPN-UML has 33, 503 candidates, Nepali Congress has 31, 425 and CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) have 22, 279 and 11, 330 candidates respectively.

Likewise, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal has 9, 481 candidates and Democratic Socialist Party has 4, 761.

Similarly, 12, 789 persons have filed independent candidacies.

Nepal reported four new Covid-19 cases on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 463 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which four returned positive. Likewise, 354 people underwent antigen tests, of which no one were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 18 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 173 active cases in the country.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 18. 64 points to close at 2, 350. 42 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive dropped by 2. 70 points to close at 453. 96 points.

A total of 5, 227, 359 units of the shares of 228 companies were traded for Rs 2. 32 billion.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 34 trillion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Lumbini on May 16, 2022 on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at the invitation of Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba. This will be Prime Minister’s fifth visit to Nepal since 2014.

At Lumbini, Prime Minister Modi's will visit the sacred Mayadevi temple to offer prayers. Prime Minister will also deliver an address at a Buddha Jayanti event organized by the Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal, read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of India on Thursday.

Separately, Prime Minister will participate in the "Shilanyas” ceremony for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage, in a plot belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi within the Lumbini Monastic Zone. Both Prime Ministers will hold a bilateral meeting, the Ministry said.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit continues the tradition of regular high level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our Neighbourhood First policy. It underscores the shared civilizational heritage of the people of both countries, the statement further read.

Nepali Congress has suspended five persons for carrying out activities against the party's policy in Chitwan.

Five persons including former lawmaker Bhim Bahadur Shrestha were suspended for working against the party's directive and the candidate of the five-party alliance.

The party's central office has suspended former president of Tarun Dal Chitwan Sambhu Aryal, former secretary Ananda Raut, party regional representative Surya Basnet and Dr Keshav Paudel from the party.

As many as 800 security personnel have been mobilized in Rasuwa for tomorrow's local level elections.

Chief District Officer Nawaraj Jaisi said that 801 security personnel have been deployed in the district this time.

He said that Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and temporary police personnel have been mobilized for the security.

According to Jaisi, 294 Nepal Police, 288 temporary police and 219 Armed Police Force personnel have been mobilized in the district.

All the security personnel will give security to the voting centers and will also patrol the areas.

It has been learnt that 255 staffers have been deployed for the elections in the district.

There are 38, 545 voters in the district.

Rescuers in India's western Gujarat state are picking up dozens of exhausted and dehydrated birds dropping everyday as a scorching heatwave dries out water sources in the state's biggest city, veterinary doctors and animal rescuers say, Reuters reported.

Large swathes of South Asia are drying up in the hottest pre-summer months in recent years, prompting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn of rising fire risks.

Doctors in an animal hospital managed by non-profit Jivdaya Charitable Trust in Ahmedabad said they have treated thousands of birds in the last few weeks, adding that rescuers bring dozens of high flying birds such as pigeons or kites everyday.

"This year has been one of the worst in the recent times. We have seen a 10% increase in the number of birds that need rescuing," Manoj Bhavsar, who works closely with the trust and has been rescuing birds for over a decade, according to Reuters.

Animal doctors at the trust-run hospital were seen feeding birds multi-vitamin tablets and injecting water into their mouths using syringes on Wednesday.

Health officials in Gujarat have issued advisories to hospitals to set up special wards for heat stroke and other heat-related diseases due to the rise in temperatures, Reuters reported.