Marking a rare admission from China over the effectiveness of its Covid-19 vaccine, the country's Centers for Disease Control said that the efficacy of Chinese coronavirus vaccines is "not high" and they may require improvements, The Washington Post reported.

This odd acknowledgement from China CDC director George Gao comes as Beijing has distributed millions of doses to other countries even though Chinese pharmaceutical firms have not released detailed clinical trial data about their efficacy. 

Addressing a conference in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Gao said that China is "formally considering" options to change its vaccines to "solve the problem that the efficacy of the existing vaccines is not high."

Soon after Gao's remarks went out in public, words started spreading quickly spread through Chinese social media before being mostly censored.

Maharashtra minister Aslam Sheikh said on Sunday all stakeholders agree there is a need to impose a lockdown in the state, which has the highest number of coronavirus disease cases in the country. 

Aslam Sheikhs comments came a day after Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray hinted at the possibility of a strict lockdown in the state amid the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases. 

Uddhav Thackeray during an all-party meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the state also pointed out that lives need to saved and that the government will have to clamp strict restrictions to break the chain of transmission.

In today's meeting with the state Covid-19 task dorce, everyone was of the view to impose lockdown in the state. SOPs and guidelines for it will be discussed, Aslam Sheikh was quoted as saying.

Thackeray will also hold a meeting with other stakeholders over the next few days and the decision on the duration of the Maharashtra lockdown may be announced soon. The government may impose the lockdown in Maharashtra at least for two weeks.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will begin campaigning in West Bengal from April 14 and address rallies in Goalpokhar and Matigara-Naxalbari in the state, the party sources said.

The former Congress president will start the campaign after four phases of polling for assembly elections has ended in the state where the party is contesting on 92 seats in alliance with the Left. 

Meanwhile, 45 assembly segments will go to polls in the fifth phase which is scheduled for April 17. The sixth round for 43 seats would be held on April 22. 

In the seventh phase, polling will be held for 35 constituencies on April 26.

The eighth and final round of elections is scheduled for April 29, when the remaining 35 assembly segments would go to the polls. The results will be declared on May 2. 

Actor Sonu Sood has been made the brand ambassador for Punjab's anti-coronavirus vaccination programme.

During the coronavirus-induced lockdown last year, the actor had helped migrants reach their home states.

Sood catapulted to the national spotlight for feeding thousands of underprivileged people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was viewed as a messiah of sorts for migrants.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday made the announcement, a day after his meeting with the actor who called on him at his residence.

"Happy to share that actor & philanthropist @SonuSood will be the Brand Ambassador of our #Covid19 vaccination drive. I thank him for supporting our campaign to reach out to, and protect, every Punjabi, and appeal to all to get vaccinated at the earliest," the chief minister tweeted.

Singh said there is no one more ideally suited to inspire and influence people to take the vaccine.

"There is a lot of hesitancy among people here in Punjab. Sonu's popularity among them, and his exemplary role in helping tens of thousands of migrants reach safely home since the pandemic broke out last year, will help counter their reservations," he said in an official statement here.

"When people hear this 'Punjab da puttar' talk about the benefits of the vaccine, and how safe and essential it is, they will believe him. Because they trust him," he added.

Sood said he was happy and honoured to be appointed the brand ambassador for the vaccination programme.

"I feel blessed to be playing any part in this huge campaign of the Punjab government to protect the lives of the people of my home state," he added.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has described the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, as having left a "huge void in her life", their son Prince Andrew, the Duke of York said on Sunday.

As he left a memorial service for his late father, who passed away aged 99 on Friday, Prince Andrew said his passing was a "terrible loss" and the family was grateful for all the messages of support and condolence.

"It's a great loss. We've lost almost the grandfather of the nation," Prince Andrew told reporters.

"I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother, who's feeling it more than everybody else. The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person and she described his passing as a miracle, and she's contemplating. She described it as having left a huge void in her life. We as a family are rallying around to support her," he said, on being asked about his mother's emotions.

About his late father, he added: "He was a remarkable man. I loved him as a father. He was always somebody you could go to and he would always listen."

NCP chief Sharad Pawar was on Sunday admitted to a hospital for the gall bladder

surgery scheduled on Monday, party leader Nawab Malik said.

"Sharad Pawar was advised to rest for seven days after he underwent a medical procedure (last month). It was then decided that the surgery for the removal of his gall bladder will be performed after 15 days. Accordingly, Pawar was

admitted to Breach Candy hospital on Sunday," he said.

Pawar, 80, had undergone an emergency endoscopy for the removal of a stone from his bile duct at the Breach Candy hospital on March 30, a doctor had said.

Under the medical procedure, an endoscope is used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or body cavity. 

As Maharashtra observed the first day of a weekend lockdown after five days of daytime restrictions and night curfews, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray indicated that the state government would likely impose a longer lockdown of up to 15 days to break the chain of infection, starting Monday, April 12.

At a meeting of representatives from the ruling three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi, and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, he sought the cooperation of all parties for any decision that the state will take in this regard. Thackeray was assured support by all those present, including former Chief Minister and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis.

Fadnavis demanded that the government spell out a detailed plan to allay the fears of people about job losses and livelihood issues during the lockdown.

Maharashtra on Saturday recorded 55,411 fresh Covid-19 cases with 9,330 cases in Mumbai. Both the state and city have seen a marginal drop in fresh infections due to restrictions introduced in public movement over the week. The active caseload in the state is 5.36 lakh. Deaths have risen since March with 309 fatalities on Saturday alone. Since the last four days, Maharashtra has recorded over 300 Covid-19 deaths.

The Centre on Sunday prohibited the export of injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients till Covid-19 situation in the country improves. 

This comes amid growing demand of the injection due to rising cases of coronavirus disease.

Powerstar Pawan Kalyan has quarantined himself at his home in Hyderabad after some of his close staff members tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

After their diagnosis, Pawan Kalyan's doctors advised him to isolate himself as a precautionary measure. 

On April 9, Pawan Kalyan made his comeback to the silver screen after three years with Vakeel Saab.

Pawan Kalyan, actor and president of Janasena, has quarantined himself after his executives, security personnel and most of the personal staff contracted the coronavirus. A source close to the actor said, "Everyone in his entourage has been suffering from coronavirus for the past week. He is staying in a calm environment as per the doctor's recommendation."

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 10 crore mark on Sunday with over 35 lakh doses given in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said.

India continues to administer the highest average doses per day, as per the ministry. According to the ministry, cumulatively, 10,15,95,147 vaccine doses have been administered through 15,17,963 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today.

These include 90,04,063 healthcare workers who have taken the first dose and 55,08,289 HCWs who have taken the second dose, 99,53,615 Frontline workers (first dose), 47,59,209 FLWs (second dose), 3,96,51,630 first dose beneficiaries and 18,00,206 second dose beneficiaries more than 60 years old and 3,02,76,653 (first dose) and 6,41,482 (second dose) beneficiaries aged 45 to 60.

Over 35 lakh vaccination doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

A 15-day lockdown is likely to be imposed in Maharashtra, sources said as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is set to meet the state Covid-19 task force to take a final decision on stricter curbs amid steep rise in coronavirus cases. A detailed plan may be worked out in the meeting, a source said.

Amid the upsurge in cases, CM Thackeray said, The number of patients is increasing so fast that if we do not decide on a lockdown today, a lockdown-like situation will automatically arise tomorrow. 

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole blamed the rise in coronavirus positive cases in the state on the poor supply of vaccines. The row over shortage of vials continues even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent out a categorial message that he doesnt endorse any kind of political blame game while fighting the pandemic.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, a year after she was released from jail temporarily amidst the pandemic, according to media reports.

 

The 75-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief's samples were sent to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, for testing on Saturday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted Public Relations Officer, Health Ministry, Maidul Islam Prodhan as saying.

"It came back as positive today [Sunday], which has been updated on the database of the Directorate of Health Services," he told Dhaka Tribune.

The newspaper reported that one of Zia's relatives, who had met her last week, had later tested positive for the coronavirus.

"That is why madam's [Zia] family took steps for her COVID-19 test, though she has no major symptoms," a source close to the family told the Dhaka Tribune.

The Land Rover that will be used to transport the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin in a ceremonial funeral procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle next week was designed with help from him, it has emerged.

In a tribute to Prince Philip, the cortege will see a purpose-built vehicle used that was specially modified to carry a coffin in a project that the duke helped with more than a decade ago.

The vehicle is believed to be a modified Defender 130 Gun Bus, which was commissioned in 2005. In 2016, Foley Specialist Vehicles said it delivered a totally rebuilt Gun Bus to Philip for use on his estates.

It was made to his specifications in traditional deep bronze green, and built onto a galvanised chassis and handbuilt rear body.

The Land Rover will process through the grounds of the castle ahead of the duke's funeral on Saturday at St George's Chapel.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the violence that erupted during the fourth phase of polling in Cooch Behar saying that she had incited the people against the Central forces.

Violence erupted at a polling booth in Cooch Behar during the fourth round of polling. Trinamool Congress alleged that Central Forces opened fire twice at polling booths in Cooch Behar where people are casting their votes, killing four party workers.

However, the Election Commission has given a clean cheat to the central forces saying that they opened fire in self-defence. 

Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of doing dirty politics over the incident, Shah said that the Central Industrial Security Force fired in its self-defence. 

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote to Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Sunday seeking cancellation of the CBSE Board exams, saying it will be impossible to ensure safety of students at crowded exam centres.

  

In her letter to the minister, she said by forcing children to sit for these exams during a raging pandemic, the Government and the CBSE board will be held responsible if any exam centre becomes a hotspot with a large numbers of children becoming infected with the disease.

"The Government and the CBSE board might want to consider whether they are prepared to own the legal liability for students or others who might be severely affected by the disease in this manner," she said.

She said with over one lakh cases of COVID-19 being reported across the country, lakhs of children and parents have expressed fear and apprehension about assembling at exam centres to sit for the exams in the middle of the second wave of COVID-19.

Vadra said the apprehensions of students are well founded, as giving exams under the spectre of a deadly disease will cause unnecessary anxiety to children and impact their ability to perform as well.

"They are rightfully requesting that the exams be cancelled under the prevailing circumstances.

"I do hope that the government will engage in a dialogue with schools, students and their parents so that a safer way for them to fulfil their educational obligations can be found. Rather than forcing them into a potentially dangerous situation, it would be in the fitness of things for them to be given the support, encouragement and protection that is due to them at this very trying time," Vadra said in her letter.

She also pointed out that it is our responsibility as political leaders to protect and guide the young.

As state after state issues guidelines preventing the assembly of large numbers of people in public places, what moral grounds can we stand on, while forcing young children to do exactly that, she asked.

 According to the revised date sheet for CBSE board exams 2021, the Class 10 exams would be held between May 4 and June 7 and those for Class 12 would be held between May 4 and June 15. 

CBSE officials have said that exam centres across the country have been increased by 40-50 per cent to ensure social distancing among students. 

Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to administer more than 10 million doses of the vaccine against the coronavirus disease, the state health department announced on Sunday. 

As of April 11 morning, the state "administered 10,038,421 doses, highest in the country so far," Dr Pradeep Vyas, the principal secretary of Maharashtras health department, said.

This comes as the state is in the middle in a row with the Centre over claims of a vaccine shortage. Earlier this week, Maharashtra health minister Rakesh Tope flagged that the state may not be able to continue the vaccination drive due to the shortage of doses. Tope also accused the Centre of discriminating against Maharashtra while supplying vaccine.

However, the Centre has dismissed the allegation and said that sufficient quantities of vaccine doses have been allocated to all the states and more will be supplied over the coming days. In response to the states allegations over the Covid-19 vaccine shortage, Union minister Prakash Javadekar blamed the Maharashtra government for wasting more than 500,000 doses. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said the country has enough doses and urged state governments to put an end to fear-mongering.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has called up Sun Pharma's chief to arrange for 10,000 injections of Remdesivir in Nagpur in view of a shortage of the medicine

in Maharashtra.

Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19, especially in adult patients with severe complications.

A press release from Gadkari's office said the Lok Sabha member from Nagpur spoke to Sun Pharma's Managing Director Dilip Shanghvi over phone to inform him

about the situation here and appealed to him to make available the Remdesivir injections.

The pharma company chief assured Gadkari of making available 5,000 injections immediately and the remaining 5,000 in next two-three days, the release said.

Gadkari also appealed to the people of Nagpur to follow all COVID-19 prevention protocols.

With Maharashtra witnessing a spurt in COVID-19 cases, Remdesivir injections are in high demand in the state.

Two days after fielding her in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party has cancelled Sangeeta Sengar's ticket. 

Sangeeta Sengar is former MLA and Unnao rape convict Kuldeep Sengar's wife. 

The party had earlier fielded Sangeeta from Fatehpur Chaurasi Tritaya seat.

Hitting out at the central government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the Centre could neither control the COVID pandemic nor address the problems of farmers and labourers.

"No control on the corona, not enough vaccines, no employment...Neither the farmers and the labourers are addressed, nor Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises safe. No middle class is satisfied...It was okay to eat mangoes, but you could have left the common man," read Rahul's tweet translated from Hindi. 

Rahul's remarks come against the backdrop when India reported more than 1.52 lakh new COVID-19 cases on Sunday. This is the fifth consecutive day when more than one lakh cases have been reported in the country.

Meanwhile, the four-day-long 'Tika Utsav', a mass Covid-19 vaccine programme, has started in the country on Sunday (Jyotirao Phule's birth anniversary) to April 14 (B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary), following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for the same.

A BJP delegation led by Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, along with other leaders will meet Election Commission in Delhi on Sunday.

BJP's Dalit leaders Hans Raj Hans and Dushyant Gautam will also be part of the delegation. As per sources, among other issues, BJP will raise its concerns about the political situation in West Bengal in front of the poll body.

Violence erupted at a polling booth in Cooch Behar during the fourth round of polling on Saturday.

TMC has alleged that four party workers were killed after Central Forces opened fire on them.

BJP leader Locket Chatterjee's car was also attacked by locals in Hooghly during the fourth phase of the West Bengal assembly polls.

After the attack, Chatterjee had spoken to a poll body official over the phone and said that she was attacked by locals at polling booth number 66 in Hooghly. She had also said that journalists were attacked too and demanded that additional forces be sent there. 

Telangana has joined several states in flagging a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines to the centre, and has written to Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan saying that the state's vaccine stocks would last only for three more days.

In a letter sent to Bhushan on Saturday, Telangana chief secretary Somesh Kumar asked for 30 lakh doses of vaccines for the next 15 days.

He said the state has only 5.66 lakh doses left which would "last for three days at maximum."

The letter said that the number of vaccinations crossed 1.15 lakh per day on Friday and the state wants to increase this capacity to 2 lakh per day.

"Therefore, I would like to request you to urgently provide at least 30 lakh doses of vaccine to Telangana for the next 15 days," Mr Kumar wrote in the letter.

Apart from Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and Jharkhand had also warned the centre of fast-depleting coronavirus vaccine stocks, even as a deadly second wave of infections -- over 1.45 lakh were reported on Saturday in India -- threatens to overrun the country and its already-creaking medical infrastructure.

Telangana reported nearly 3,000 coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest single-day spike this year, pushing the tally to over 3.24 lakh, while the death count rose to 1,752 with six more fatalities.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting for supply of 25 lakh doses of the vaccine for the "Tika Utsav" (vaccine festival) to be held between April 11 and April 14.

The issue of shortage of vaccine stocks was headlined by Maharashtra -- the worst-affected state -- where over two dozen centres have been shut in Mumbai and more than 100 in Pune.

The Centre, however, has stressed that vaccines are not in short supply.

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday summoned two personal assistants of Maharashtra's former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the corruption charges levelled against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The CBI is investigating the allegations of extortion made by Singh against Deshmukh. On Friday, the agency had recorded the statement of Mahesh Shetty, a bar owner who is close to suspended Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, in the same matter.

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, had dismissed the petitions filed by Deshmukh challenging the Bombay High Court order directing a preliminary enquiry by the CBI into the allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled against him by Singh.

Deshmukh tendered his resignation to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on April 5 after the Bombay High Court order. The court also directed the agency to register an FIR if any cognisable offence is found.

In his letter to Thackeray, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked Waze to collect Rs 100 crores every month.

The COVID-19 situation in Delhi is "very serious" with 10,732 fresh cases of infection being reported in the last 24 hours, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.

 

He asked people not to go out of their homes unless it is urgent, and use face masks and sanitisers and maintain social distance.

The chief minister said his government does not want to impose lockdown.

"I believe lockdown is not a solution to deal with COVID-19. It should only be imposed if the hospital system collapses," he said.

He, however, asked people to remain in home isolation if infected with the virus instead of rushing to hospitals.

"The hospital beds should be left vacant for serious patients. It should not be so that people rush to hospitals and all beds are occupied and then lockdown is to be imposed," he said in a press conference.

Kejriwal asked all political parties to work together to fight the coronavirus spread, saying it was not time to do politics and point fingers. 

Terming the killing of four TMC workers by Central forces in Cooch Behar during the fourth phase of polling on Saturday as 'genocide', West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the prime minister and Home Minister of the country 'incompetent'.

Addressing the mediapersons, Mamata alleged, "It is genocide. We have decided to observe today as a black day. The forces fired on them directly. The CISF is trained to provide security to industries and not to control a mob. I could not sleep last night but the prime minister was eating sweets. Such an incompetent government, incompetent prime minister, incompetent home minister." 

"I could not meet the families. I will meet them on April 14. I cannot be stopped. I respect the Election Commission. But they are changing the rules. This is now the BJP Code of Conduct. The system cannot be changed with the interest of a party. The institution will continue forever and the system is to be maintained. Everybody wants a free and fair election," added the TMC chief.

The CM had said that she will hold a protest rally in Cooch Behar on Sunday against the firing incident and visit the homes of the deceased.

The Election Commission on Saturday gave directions that no political leader from any party should be allowed to enter the geographical boundaries of Cooch Behar district for the next 72 hours where four persons were killed in poll violence on Saturday during the fourth round of polling in West Bengal.

On first day of 'tika utsav', Prime Minister Narednra Modi makes several suggestions, calls for 'each one vaccinate one'.

The PM calls for helping others in COVID treatment, protection from virus by promoting mask; says 'each one, protect one' and 'each one, save one'.

He urged families and society to take lead in setting up micro containment zones in case of any COVID-19 infection.

"We're going to begin 'Tika Utsav' today nationwide.

"I urge countrymen to abide by 4 things -- assist those who need help getting inoculated, help people in COVID treatment, wear masks and motivate others and if someone tests positive, create micro-containment zone in the area," the PM said.

'Tika utsav' marks second big war on corona; we have to stress on personal and social hygiene, he said.   -- PTI/ANI

Police recovered bombs, bomb-making equipment, gun powder and bullets in the Madral Joychanditala area of Bhatpara on Saturday.

Police registered a case under the Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act. Further investigation is underway.

The Election Commission has intensified the vigilance across West Bengal to check any untoward incident in the poll season.

The voting in the Bhatpara constituency in North 24 Parganas will be held in the sixth phase of the state assembly polls on April 22.

West Bengal has a history of violence during elections.

Keeping this in mind, EC has been conducting the assembly elections this time in eight phases.

The first four phases of the eight-phased elections have taken place on March 27, April 1, April 6 and April 10.

The counting of the votes will take place on May 2. -- ANI

IMAGE: Paramilitary personnel stand guard at a polling booth during the fourth phase of the West Bengal Assembly election, in Kolkata on Saturday. Photograph: ANI Photo

A clash broke out allegedly between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party workers in Damjur when the EVMs were being sealed after the phase IV polling in West Bengal assembly elections concluded on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, BJP candidate from Domjur, Rajib Banerjee said, "Suddenly some TMC goons attacked our people here. The attackers belong to other community."

The fourth phase of the West Bengal assembly elections culminated today evening with a voter turnout of 76.16 per cent.

Violence erupted at a polling booth in Cooch Behar during the fourth round of polling.

The ruling TMC alleged that Central forces opened fire twice at polling booths in Cooch Behar where people are casting their votes, killing four party workers.

Official sources in Cooch Behar confirmed the death of four people in the district.

Following the incident, the EC ordered the adjourning of the poll in PS 126 of Sitalkurchi AC, Cooch Behar based on an interim report from Special Observers.

The EC will seek a detailed report from them and the Chief Election Officer by 5 pm on Saturday.Since the incident, the Election Commission has barred the entry of any political leader in the Cooch Behar district for the next 72 hours. -- ANI