A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Karnataka Assembly elections to be held on May 12, votes to be counted on May 15, announces EC: The Congress will attempt to retain power in the only major state where it heads the government.
  2. Radio jockey stabbed to death in Kerala, his friend injured: RJ Rajesh received over 20 stab wounds and died in hospital.   
  3. China says Doklam is its territory, India should learn from the 2017 standoff: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was responding to India’s remarks that the Doklam row was caused by China ‘changing the status quo’.
  4. Three more parties move no-confidence motion against Narendra Modi-led government: So far, six parties – CPI (M), Revolutionary Socialist Party, Indian Union Muslim League, TDP, YSR Congress and Congress – have served no-trust motions.
  5. Congress claims its official app was defunct for months and was only used for social media updates: The party’s social media chief Divya Spandana added that the party collects members’ data from its website, which is encrypted.
  6. US expels 60 Russian diplomats over nerve agent attack on former spy in UK: The United States said it would also close a Russian consulate in Seattle.
  7. Two more people killed in clashes during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal: Violence broke out in Kankinara, Raniganj and Murshidabad on Monday.
  8. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have visited China, say reports: Speculation arose after a Japanese agency said a special train, possibly carrying a high-ranking North Korean official, passed through a Chinese border city.   
  9. Central banks’ independence dependent on their actions and not just law, says Arvind Subramanian: The chief economic adviser’s statement came days after RBI Governor Urjit Patel said the bank has ‘very limited authority’ to hold state-run banks accountable.   
  10. Former DIG Prisons D Roopa declines Namma Bengaluru Award: Roopa said government servants had to maintain neutrality and equal distance from all quasi-political bodies.