A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. Reduce VAT on fuel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states: His directions were specifically for Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.
  2. Congress intends to work on Prashant Kishor’s proposals, says P Chidambaram: His remarks came a day after Kishor declined to join Congress as a member of its Empowered Action Group 2024. The group is meant to address the political challenges for the party ahead of the 2024 General Assembly elections.
  3. Malayalam actor Vijay Babu charged in sexual assault case: The woman, who is also an actor, alleged that Babu sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions on the pretext of offering roles in films. A case was filed on April 22 based on her complaint.
  4. Delhi temperature could hit 46 degrees Celsius on Thursday: The highest-ever maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded on April 29, 1941, when it touched 45.6 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, the Safdarjung Observatory weather station had recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius.
  5. LIC IPO to open on May 4, price band set at Rs 902-Rs 949 per share: The price band will be Rs 902 to Rs 949 per equity share. The state-owned company is likely to be listed on stock exchanges on May 17. The Union government hopes to raise Rs 21,000 crore through the public offer.
  6. Narratives created by Umar Khalid cannot be looked into as defence for bail plea, says Delhi police: The police made the submission in a reply opposing Khalid’s bail plea in a case related to the North East Delhi riots of 2020.
  7. ‘Hate-in-India and Make-in-India cannot coexist,’ Rahul Gandhi tells Narendra Modi: The Congress leader also urged the prime minister to focus on the country’s ‘devastating unemployment crisis’.
  8. China condemns killing of its citizens in Karachi University suicide bombing: The attack was premeditated and targeted Chinese citizens who were in Pakistan to promote cultural exchange, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. He has demanded a thorough investigation into the explosion.
  9. Kerala makes wearing masks compulsory in public places amid rise in Covid-19 cases: Those found violating the mandate will be punished under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act. On Tuesday, the state reported 341 coronavirus infections and 36 deaths, up by 86 from 255 cases recorded a day ago, data on Kerala Directorate of Health Services showed. 
  10. Myanmar court sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in prison for corruption: Suu Kyi was ousted following a military takeover in February 2021 and has been under house arrest since then. On Wednesday, a junta court convicted her for accepting a bribe of $6,00,000, or over Rs 4.59 crore, in gold bars and cash from the former head of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and region.