A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Delhi has 24,000 new coronavirus cases today, situation is very serious, says Arvind Kejriwal:Maharashtra also reported a record high of over 67,000 new cases, and the Mumbai mayor suggested a complete lockdown to manage the surge. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s office also alleged that the prime minister could not speak to him because he was too busy campaigning in West Bengal.
  2. Coronavirus pandemic caught us off guard again due to Centre’s gross unpreparedness, says Sonia Gandhi: Even as the Congress chief expressed concern over shortages of medical equipment, and the Centre’s preferential treatment to states ruled by the BJP, Odisha’s CM called for vaccines to be available in open market.
  3. In West Bengal polls, 78.36% voter turnout reported; Modi and Amit Shah hold rallies: The BJP released an audio clip of Mamata Banerjee on Cooch Behar firing, which the TMC called it ‘bogus’:, and the EC sent a notice to TMC leader Sujata Mondal Khan for her comments on the Scheduled Caste community.
  4. Prime Minister Modi suggests that the Kumbh Mela be held as a ‘symbolic event’:Covid testing delays have been reported across the country, with private labs in Lucknow saying they are turning away residents, citing government orders.
  5. Lalu Yadav gets bail in Dumka Treasury case, will be out of jail: The Bihar chief minister had been granted bail in other fodder scam cases, including the Chaibasa Treasury case and the Deoghar Treasury case.
  6. Woman special police officer in J&K arrested under UAPA for questioning Army raids at her house: The police’s action came after a purported video of the woman objecting to the searches went viral on social media.
  7. Twitter services down globally as users have trouble logging in, downloading tweets: Sixty-eight per cent of users were facing problems with the Twitter website, while 19% of them reported errors with the Android app.
  8. Four Sikhs among the eight killed in shooting at FedEx facility in Indianapolis: A local resident said the FedEx operations center was known for providing employment to older members of the Sikh community.
  9. Cuba’s Raul Castro steps down as Communist Party chief, marking end of family’s reign: For the first time since the 1959 revolution, the country will have a leader who is not a Castro.
  10. Tamil actor Vivekh dies in Chennai at 59: He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the SIMS hospital in Chennai after he suffered a heart attack on Friday morning.