India reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus infections for a 12th straight day yesterday to take its overall number of cases to just shy of 20 million, as scientists predicted a peak in the pandemic in the coming days.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who led her party to a landslide victory in West Bengal assembly elections, will be sworn in as Chief Minister for a third straight term on May 5 (Wednesday), party Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said today.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced a series of incentives to boost the availability of an adequate number of medical personnel to help tackle the devastating second wave of Covid-19.

Twenty-four patients, including 23 suffering from Covid-19, died in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district due to alleged oxygen shortage in the district hospital in the past 24 hours, officials said today.

India struggled to contain one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks with nearly 400,000 new infections reported yesterday, as more international aid arrived in the South Asian nation to help end the crisis.

A forum of scientists of the Indian government today termed “incorrect” a media report that suggested that they had cautioned in early March about the more contagious second wave of Covid-19 but no attention was paid to it.

“Eta Banglar joi. Banglar manusher joi. Bangla gota Bharat-ke Baanchiyechey,” West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee declared today after her party’s landslide victory in the state assembly elections.

West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee looks set to win a third term, the DMK is heading for victory in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is leading in Assam and the LDF in Kerala in the counting of votes for state polls, according to NDTV.

A sense of anguish, hopelessness and anger has settled over India, which is going through a second wave that has devastated families and is overwhelming the health infrastructure around the country.

At least 18 Covid-19 patients were killed as a fire ravaged a hospital in Bharuch in the western Indian state of Gujarat early today, police officials said.

US President Joe Biden is expected to impose new travel restrictions on India starting Tuesday in light of the COVID-19 epidemic, barring most non-US citizens from entering the United States, a White House official told Reuters.

Several Indian states have run out of coronavirus vaccines a day before a planned widening of a nationwide inoculation drive, authorities said yesterday, as new infections surged to another daily record.

The West Bengal government tonight imposed a partial lockdown in the state with immediate effect amid mounting cases of Covid-19.

Several Indian states have run out of Covid-19 vaccines a day before a planned widening of a nationwide inoculation drive, authorities said on Friday, as new infections in the crisis-hit country surged to another daily record.

Assam state police arrested two members of the banned Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in Assam's Dhubri district.

Mamata Banerjee is set to retain power in West Bengal with her Trinamool Congress winning 156 of the state’s 294 seats, predicted NDTV’s poll of exit polls as the marathon eight-phase state assembly elections ended yesterday.

The World Health Organization issued a stark warning to nations yesterday, saying that relaxing Covid measures too early could spark a “perfect storm” allowing cases to spiral -- as seen in India.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) is projected to retain power in West Bengal for the third consecutive time in the assembly polls by beating its closes challengers Bharatiya Janata Party, NDTV projected in their exit polls this evening.

Facebook has restored the #ResignModi hashtag, which calls for the resignation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports CNET.

The United States is sending supplies worth more than $100 million to India to help it fight a surge of Covid-19 cases, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.