The big news: Maharashtra imposes lockdown, fresh curbs amid Covid surge, and 9 other top stories
Other headlines: Two more MLAs quit ahead of the Puducherry government’s floor test tomorrow, and Sonia Gandhi urged PM Modi to roll back the fuel price hike.
A look at the headlines right now:
- Maharashtra bans gatherings amid coronavirus surge, lockdown in Amravati: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he will have to enforce a lockdown in case the situation deteriorates.
- Two Puducherry MLAs quit ahead of government’s floor test: K Lakshminarayanan, one of the MLAs, complained about not being made a minister despite his seniority.
- ‘Centre profiting off people’s suffering,’ says Sonia Gandhi in letter to PM Modi on fuel prices: The Congress president said that levying excessive excise duty on petrol and diesel was nothing short of extortion.
- CBI team visits TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s house in Kolkata, issues summons in alleged coal scam: Banerjee said that he had “full faith in the law of the land”.
- Novak Djokovic wins 18th Major with straight-sets demolition of Daniil Medvedev: Djokovic demolished the fourth seed 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in front of 7,400 fans on Rod Laver Arena to end the Russian’s unbeaten run at 20 matches.
- Uttarakhand glacier disaster toll rises to 68, more than 135 people still missing: The Navy and the IAF launched a joint operation to measure the depth of the glacial lake formed upstream from Tapovan after the flash flood.
- PM Narendra Modi participates in poll strategy session ahead of elections in five states: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry are going to vote in the next few months.
- India registers 14,264 new coronavirus cases – highest in 23 days: The Centre directed states to ramp up testing and monitor mutant strains amid a surge in cases.
- India, Maldives sign $50 million defence deal to boost maritime capabilities: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in Male on a two-day visit, also held a meeting with Maldives’ Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
- UP Police file FIR against ‘Mojo Story’, 7 more Twitter handles for alleged ‘fake stories’ related to Unnao Dalit girls’ deaths: The ‘Mojo Story’ called the FIR a ‘blatant case of harassment and intimidation’ and defended its coverage of the incident.