A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. Amid Covid-19 surge in China, Centre tells states to send all positive samples for genome sequencing: The health ministry said that this would ensure timely detection of newer variants, if any.
  2. Uproar in Parliament as BJP demands apology from Mallikarjun Kharge for his ‘dog’ comments: Kharge had said that while Congress leaders made supreme sacrifices during the freedom struggle, the BJP ‘did not even lose a dog’ for the country.
  3. Taj Mahal gets notices for property, water taxes for first time: Archeological Survey officials, however, have said it is a mistake and will be rectified soon.
  4. Delhi LG orders chief secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from AAP for political advertisements: VK Saxena has accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led party of using the exchequer’s money for publishing political advertisements as government ads.
  5. Possibility of expanding Security Council now seriously on the table, says UN chief: Antonio Guterres, however, added that he is not sure whether the expansion would include the right to veto.
  6. IAS, IPS officers who say ‘Union government’ will face Adityanath, bulldozer, says Tamil Nadu BJP leader: The DMK has been using the term ‘Union government’ instead of ‘Central government’, arguing that the Constitution describes India as a ‘Union of States’.
  7. Nepal bans import of medicines from 16 Indian firms: The companies allegedly do not adhere to the World Health Organization’s good manufacturing practices.
  8. Haryana notifies rules under anti-conversion law, district magistrates to seek public objections: The state Assembly had passed the Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill in March.
  9. Karnataka Chief Minister M Basavaraj Bommai says absence of ex-ministers from Assembly cannot be seen as boycott: Karnataka chief minister must be answered in his language, NCP tells Maharashtra government amid border dispute.
  10. Elon Musk says only Twitter Blue users will be able to vote in policy polls: The decision came after more than half of 17.5 million users voted in favour of Musk stepping down as the micro-blogging platform’s chief.