SAN SALVADOR, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Nayib Bukele declared victory in El Salvador's presidential elections on Sunday after securing a decisive lead over his two main rivals.

According to preliminary results from the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), with more than 87 percent of ballots counted, the 37-year-old former mayor of San Salvador garnered a commanding 53.8 percent of the votes, enough to win the first round.

In second place was Carlos Calleja, candidate of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance, with 31 percent of the votes.

04 Feb 2019; AFP: Australia's military has been deployed to tackle devastating "once-in-a-century" floods that have inundated homes, schools and airports in the country's northeast, forcing hundreds to flee and bringing crocodiles onto the streets.

The Australian Defence Forces delivered 70,000 sandbags, deployed amphibious cargo vehicles and helped pluck flashlight-wielding residents from their rooftops Monday, as monsoon rains drenched the northern state of Queensland.

DAMASCUS, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian authorities will evacuate 4,000 families from damaged buildings in Aleppo city in northern Syria, following the death of 11 civilians when their building collapsed recently, a pro-government newspaper reported Monday.

The authorities will secure alternative housing to the 4,000 families which are living in around 10,000 damaged buildings in Aleppo, said al-Watan newspaper.

It added that measure will help the people until their homes are fixed or rebuilt.

New Delhi, Feb 4 : The Supreme Court Monday agreed to give an urgent hearing to applications moved by the CBI alleging destruction of electronic evidence related to the Saradha chit fund scam case by the Kolkata Police commissioner.

The top court will hear the probe agency's applications on Tuesday.

The CBI alleged that it has moved the application as an extraordinary situation has arisen in which the top police officials of the West Bengal Police are sitting on a dharna along with a political party in Kolkata.

Bengaluru, Feb 4 (PTI) Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has said the massive standoff between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams, reminded him of the Emergency days.

The JD(S) patriarch sympathised with the Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee and said he was shocked to learn about the CBI rushing to arrest the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the subsequent developments.

Kolkata, Feb 3 (PTI) After the CBI made an unsuccessful bid to question the Kolkata Police commissioner in chit fund scam cases Sunday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Centre and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of trying to organise a coup in the state.

Alleging the CBI action was "politically vindictive" and an attack on constitutional norms, Banerjee later began a dharna at Esplanade.

New Delhi, Feb 4; PTI: The Union Home Ministry will examine the role of some IPS officers in the alleged obstruction put up against a CBI team probing the Saradha ponzi scam in Kolkata and whether they violated the service conduct rules while preventing questioning of city police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, officials said on Monday.

The Union home ministry is the cadre-controlling authority of the Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the country.

Ralegan Siddhi (Maha), Feb 3 (PTI) Social activist Anna Hazare, whose indefinite hunger strike entered the fifth day on Sunday, warned that if the Narendra Modi government did not fulfil its promises, he would return his Padma Bhushan.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party ally Shiv Sena came out in Hazare's support, urging him to emulate socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan and lead an agitation against corruption.

Patna, Feb 3 (PTI) Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Sunday said the Centre's crop insurance scheme is aimed at taking away farmers income to fill up pockets of big businessmen.

At his first rally in Bihar after taking over as party president, Gandhi accused the Nitish Kumar government in the state of making "empty promises" like Modi.

He promised that if the Congress is voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls a number of steps would be taken to deal with farm distress and unemployment.

Patna, Feb 4 (PTI) Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Monday fired a fresh salvo at the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of playing with fire by targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee whom he called a tried and tested mass leader.

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) The proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned for nearly 45 minutes on Monday morning amid protests by Trinamool Congress members over alleged "misuse" of the CBI by the central government.

As soon as the House paid obituaries to former members who had died in the recent past, members of the TMC raised the issue, saying they have given notice for an adjournment motion to discuss the issue.

Muzaffarnagar, Feb 4 (PTI) Nine people have been booked in connection with cases of cow slaughter here, police said Monday.

The cases, they were involved in, are registered at the New Mandi police station, they said.

Circle Officer Yogender Kumar said the nine people were booked on Sunday under provisions of the Gangster Act and charged with involvement in cow slaughter.