1. India’s coronavirus count rose to 57,32,519 on Thursday, after the health ministry reported 86,508 new cases in 24 hours. The toll rose by 1,129 to 91,149. As many as 46.74 lakh people have recovered so far. The country’s mortality rate is 1.59%. The country recorded a higher number of coronavirus recoveries than the number of new infections for the sixth consecutive day.
  2. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal quoted experts to say that the Capital has peaked in the second wave of coronavirus infections. “On September 16, Delhi recorded approximately 4,500 cases,” he said. “After that, the cases started to decline and in the last 24 hours, 3,700 cases have come up in the national capital. In the coming days, the numbers will decline further.”
  3. Karnataka Congress MLA B Narayan Rao died of the coronavirus. He was 65. Maharashtra Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, meanwhile, tested positive for the infection. He had attended a state Cabinet meeting last week and urged all those who had come in contact with him to get themselves tested.
  4. The Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre and the Union Public Service Commission, asking them to respond to a plea seeking the postponement of the civil services exam amid the coronavirus crisis. The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination is scheduled to take place on October 4.
  5. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the second wave of the coronavirus has entered the country. “We have the power to get this second wave under control,” the prime minister said. “I know we can do it because we’ve already done it once before.”
  6. Johnson & Johnson announced that it has begun the third phase of clinical trials for its experimental vaccine against the coronavirus. The trial will enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across more than 200 sites in the United States and around the world.
  7. Actor-politician Vijayakant was diagnosed with Covid-19, a statement from his political outfit Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam said. “Vijayakant visits a private hospital in Chennai every six months for a routine medical check-up,” the statement said. “And during one such visit recently, he had tested positive for coronavirus.”
  8. The Bombay High Court has quashed a first information report and chargesheet filed against eight Myanmar nationals who attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area of Delhi during the coronavirus-induced lockdown in March. The court said there was no evidence to show they indulged in any act, which was likely to spread the infection.
  9. The West Bengal government decided to extend the period of austerity measures it had taken to meet the expenditure for combating the coronavirus-induced crisis to March 31, 2021. The period was to end on September 30.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 3.17 crore people and killed 9,75,038, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of worldwide recoveries is more than 2.18 crore.