India yet again saw the biggest daily surge in Covid cases with 81,466 fresh infections reported since yesterday, taking the tally to 1.23 crore. The country saw 469 daily new fatalities, the highest since December 6, the data updated at 8 am showed.
On Thursday, Mumbai reported the highest COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period, government data shows. The financial capital reported 8,646 cases of COVID-19 infection in the last 24 hours, making it the highest one-day spike since the pandemic reached the city early last year. 18 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
COVID-19 cases have been rising fast in Maharashtra and the state has been taking steps like enforcing safety guidelines more strictly. The Maharashtra government on Wednesday brought down the rates of coronavirus RT-PCR tests to Rs 500 from Rs 1,000. The charges for rapid antigen tests were also brought down.
Meanwhile, alcoholic drinks will be prohibited in French parks and other outdoor public spaces as part of the new limited nationwide lockdown to stem the COVID-19 crisis, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday.
Addressing the National Assembly, Castex also said authorities would be quick to disperse groups of more than six people on riverbanks or squares after the new restrictions unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron late Wednesday, AFP reported.
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Amid an intense poll battle in West Bengal, actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty hit out at the ruling Trinamool Congress government over its "poribortan" slogan, stating that there has been "no change in the state and the slogan was just a lie".
Shishupal, 46, has been working at a unit of automotive manufacturer Toyota in Gurugram for the last 3 years. He spends eight hours everyday cleaning cars and earns around Rs 10,000 each month.
US Capitol On Lockdown Over Security Incident: Reports
Maharashtra on Friday recorded 47,827 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since the coronavirus pandemic began, reported news agency PTI.
Mumbai reported yet another highest spike in COVID-19 cases today, amid spiralling active infections for the last few weeks. The city today reported 8,648 cases in a 24-hour period, surpassing any previous high. 20 have died, government data shows.
The coronavirus tally in West Bengal mounted to 5,89,922 on Friday, as another 1,733 people tested positive for the infection, the highest single-day rise this year, a health department bulletin said, reported news agency PTI.
As a warning against those stepping out without a mask, authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district have set up two temporary jails to confine violators, reported news agency PTI.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday took a jibe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's prediction of BJP winning 200 seats in West Bengal, saying he is never right in his election predictions.
Two men, wanted in murder, attempt-to-murder and robbery cases, were arrested from the Begumpur area here following a brief exchange of fire in the early hours of Friday, the police said.
Rebel BJP leader Ladulal Pitliya today withdrew his nomination for the Sahara Assembly seat of Rajasthan's Bhilwara, according to state party leaders, reported news agency PTI.
This is being seen as a big relief for the BJP as Mr Pitliya's rebellion after he was denied the party ticket in the 2018 Assembly elections had cost the party the seat.
He had jumped into the fray as an Independent, receiving 30,573 votes and finishing third. Congress candidate Kailash Chandra Trivedi had won the seat, defeating BJP's Rooplal Jat by a margin of around 7,000 votes.
Nearly a month ago, Mr Pitliya had rejoined the BJP. When the party announced Ratanlal Jat as its candidate for the April 17 bypolls, Mr Pitliya again filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate.
A BJP spokesperson in Jaipur said Ladulal Pitliya withdrew his nomination and decided to serve the party, expressing faith in public welfare policies of the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Karnataka has cancelled physical classes for secondary school, higher education and professional courses amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. The state reported 4,991 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Six have died.
Kerala logged 2,508 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 10 health workers and 14 related deaths on Friday, pushing the caseload to 11.29 lakh and the death count to 4,646, reported news agency PTI.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said India has taken the lead in sending vaccines abroad with over 640 lakh doses supplied to more than 80 countries so far and asserted that the country has not imposed any export ban on Covid vaccines.
The expert panel of India's drug regulator DCGI has allowed Bharat Biotech to give a third dose of Covaxin to a few volunteers in its clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine, sources said.
The Congress on Friday questioned the Election Commission after a BJP candidate's vehicle was found transporting a polled EVM in Assam and said if the poll body does not wake up now and remains "complicit", it will be fatal for democracy.
BJP leader Narayan Rane on Friday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had failed to tackle the surge in COVID-19 cases and was "threatening" people with another lockdown.
A case has been registered in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki after the documents of an ambulance with UP registration number, used to transport gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to a Mohali court, were found to be fake, officials said on Friday.
No plans for a lockdown. If need arises, a decision will be taken after discussion with you: Arvind Kejriwal on second wave of Covid in Delhi.
Two sides continue to remain in touch through military and diplomatic channels, the External Affairs Ministry said on India-China border row in eastern Ladakh, reported news agency PTI.
Delhi High Court has granted bail to a doctor of Safdarjung Hospital, accused of raping a woman on the promise of marriage, on the ground that it was "not a case of forceful sexual assault".
A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly creating fake profiles of a girl, sending her obscene messages and posting her morphed nude photographs on social media, the police said on Friday.
A high level Trinamool Congress delegation, led by Yashwant Sinha, former Cabinet minister and now Trinamool vice president and state minister Subrata Mukherjee, today met the Election Commission.
Dharmadam, the home turf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the politically volatile northern Kannur district, is also one such constituency in poll-bound Kerala, where the election result seems to be too predictable.
Top Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband, Robert Vadra, are in self-isolation at their Delhi home after Mr Vadra tested positive for coronavirus. The businessman made the announcement on Facebook, saying that he is asymptomatic so far. Ms Vadra has cancelled her trips to Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for election campaigns in the three states.
"As per the Covid guidelines, Priyanka and I are self-isolating although she has tested negative," he said in his social media post.
In a video on Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, 49, said though she tested negative for the virus yesterday, she is self-isolating for a few days on the advice of doctors. She was scheduled to travel to Assam today, Tamil Nadu tomorrow and Kerala on Sunday. Read
Arrested Mumbai cop Sachin Waze was running his alleged extortion racket from a room in a Nariman Point five-star hotel booked for him for 100 days at a cost of ₹ 12 lakh by a businessman, the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) probe has revealed. The policeman had used a fake identity to check into the property, it shows. The probe body, looking into the recent bomb threat against industrialist Mukesh Ambani, has also questioned several police officers in connection with their now-suspended colleague's affairs. Some of them could possibly be arrested in the near future, NIA officials have said.
The probe shows that Mr Waze, a shootout specialist, was operating out of room number 1964 of the hotel, which he checked into using a forged Aadhaar card and the fictitious name Sushant Sadashiv Khamkar.
"A businessman had booked this hotel for 100 days and for ₹ 12 lakh. Waze was helping this businessman in some dispute," a senior NIA official claimed. The booking was done through a travel agent, the officer said, adding that the suspended cop had stayed there in February while reporting for duty at the Crime Branch. Read
In Tamil Nadu to campaign for the AIADMK-BJP alliance ahead of next week's election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi played the 'Jallikattu' card to appeal to voters in Madurai - where the controversial activity is popular - as he accused the DMK and Congress of disrespecting and outlawing the practice, and lying to the people of the state.
The Prime Minister - who spoke in English, with a translator by his side - also praised the Tamil language, hailing it as the world's oldest and Madurai's connection to Tamil literature and culture.
"When there was a DMK government here and a UPA government at the centre, they banned Jallikattu. An UPA minister said it is a barbaric practice... is that right? Is that how one speaks about an age-old tradition that is so important to Tamil culture?" he asked voters.
Faced with an alarming spike in Covid cases the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Friday afternoon ordered a 12-hour curfew starting 6 am tomorrow for a period of at least one week.
In addition, religious places, hotels and bars, shopping malls and movie theatres have also been directed to shut down for seven days. PMC bus services will also be shut for the next week.
Among the premises searched by taxmen was a home in Neelangarai, just outside Chennai, where Mr Stalin's daughter Senthamarai lives with Sabareesan. Tax department sources told NDTV there were inputs on the movement of cash related to the election campaign.
Five days after testing positive for COVID-19, legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been hospitalised for "abundant precaution under medical advice".
Last Saturday, Tendulkar had informed that he tested positive for coronavirus and added that all other members at his home have returned a negative COVID result.
On Friday, he tweeted: "Thank you for your wishes and prayers. As a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice, I have been hospitalised. I hope to be back home in a few days. Take care and stay safe everyone."
A set of newborn twins have tested positive for Covid-19 infection in Gujarat's Vadodara.
The newborns are currently stable and are being given supportive treatment in the hospital, senior doctor Sheel Iyer said.
"The babies were brought back to the hospital after 15 days of being discharged with severe diarrhea and dehydration. We initially looked for all the normal causes of infections, but later when we got them tested for Covid-19 infection, and their reports came positive," the doctor said on Thursday.
India yet again saw the biggest daily surge in Covid cases with 81,466 fresh infections reported since yesterday, taking the tally to 1.23 crore. The country saw 469 daily new fatalities, the highest since December 6, the data updated at 8 am showed. Read
BREAKING NEWS: 81,466 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, biggest one-day jump since start of October.
As many as 34.28 lakh people were vaccinated on Thursday, highest in a day, health ministry said.
Actress Alia Bhatt has tested positive for COVID-19, as revealed by her in an Instagram story. In a statement shared late night on Thursday, the 28-year-old actress wrote: "Hello all, I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have immediately isolated myself and will be under home quarantine. I am following all safety protocols under the advice of my doctors." Alia also thanked concerned fans in her post, adding: "Grateful for all your love and support. Please stay safe and take care." Alia Bhatt has been busy filming Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi in Mumbai.
The huge tension at Nadigram's Boyal -- from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to be rescued by the Central forces -- found no mention in the investigation report sought by the Election Commission on Thursday. The two general observers sent by the Commission have reported that the polling process went on smoothly at the station, without any word on the drama that went on for nearly two hours and had to be resolved by hundreds of security forces.
"Polling at PS no 7 ( Boyal Moktab Primary School) is going on smoothly. Hon'ble CM, who is also a contesting candidate, has left the place at about 3.35 pm after staying here for nearly one and half hour.
It may kindly be noted that polling was not disrupted at any moment," read the report by the observers, the Commission said in a statement. Read
The death count from the virus rose by 31 to 8,843, the ministry said in a statement.