The new KP.2 Covid-19 variant appears to be more transmissible, but is not virulent, said doctors on Monday, amid reports of 91 cases being detected in Maharashtra. KP.1.1, and KP.2 strains are part of the new variant dubbed FLiRT, based on the technical names for their mutations, one of which includes the letters "F" and "L", and another of which includes the letters "R" and "T". Genome sequencing of March and April revealed 91 cases of KP.2 in Maharashtra -- Pune (51), Thane (20), Amravati (7), Aurangabad (7), Solapur (2), Ahmednagar (1), Nashik (1), Latur (1), and Sangli (1).

Sporadic incidents of violence, including between a YSRCP MLA and a voter, marred the polling in Andhra Pradesh for simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha on Monday. Supporters of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) clashed in a few places. The violence disrupted the polling process for some time at a couple of polling centres. In Tenali in Guntur district, YSRCP MLA and candidate for Assembly elections, A. Sivakumar attacked a voter at a polling station. The voter raised an objection when the YSRCP MLA allegedly jumped the line. After a heated exchange, the YSRCP leader slapped him. When the voter hit the MLA back, the latter's supporters thrashed him. The incident sent panic among voters, including women. Police intervened to bring the situation under control.

Elon Musk-run Tesla has regained the top position in BEV (battery electric vehicle) sales in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, despite a 9 per cent (year-on-year) decline, a new report showed on Monday. Tesla takes the top spot in BEV sales with a 19 per cent market share in Q1, according to Counterpoint Research. Among the top three OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), only BYD Group achieved growth with 13 per cent (year-on-year), while both Tesla and Volkswagen experienced drops of 9 per cent and 4 per cent (year-on-year), respectively.

A massive dust storm engulfed large parts of Mumbai and suburbs besides adjoining Thane and Navi Mumbai with the visibility dropping drastically forcing the closure of operations at Mumbai Airport, here on Monday. The dust storm, something rare for coastal Mumbai, whipped up suddenly with strong gusty winds around 3 pm and within minutes enveloped almost the entire city, dipping visibility, darkening the atmosphere and hampering the movement of traffic and pedestrians.

The death toll due to cold lava flood in Indonesia's West Sumatra province has mounted to 44, a senior official of a local disaster agency said on Monday. Although many big stones and waste materials from the flooding hampered the search for the victims, rescuers discovered another seven bodies in the affected areas, said Fajar Sukma, head of the emergency unit of the disaster management and mitigation agency of West Sumatra province.

Announcing to start the 'Patar Award' in memory of Punjabi poet, writer and Padma Shri recipient Surjit Patar, who died at the age of 79, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday attended the funeral. Patar was cremated with full state honours in Ludhiana. The last journey of Patar was taken out from his house to the cremation ground in Model Town. CM Mann also reached there and shouldered the bier. He also met the family of Patar and shared condolences. He got emotional while shouldering the bier.

Desh Bhagat University's Faculty of Nursing proudly marked International Nurses Day on May 13, honoring the profound contributions of nurses globally. The event was graced by Chief Guest Gurdial Singh Buttar, President of the Nursing Training Institutes Association, Punjab, along with distinguished personalities from the university and the nursing fraternity. 

Another Indian Premier League (IPL) season passes by as the Punjab Kings' 10-year playoff drought carries on. Tom Moody, the first head coach of the PBKS (formerly known as Kings XI Punjab) blames the team's struggles on its "inconsistency in leadership". These comments stem from the fact that the franchise has appointed 15 different captains in 17 seasons of the IPL.

An uneasy calm prevails in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Muzaffarabad as the government announced a holiday for one more day in offices and educational institutions of the region amid fears of more riots and violence. A complete shutterdown and wheel jam strike is being observed in the city in support of a long march being taken out by the Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Joint Action Committee aka People Action Committee, which is marching towards Muzaffarabad from Rawalakot and other parts of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), protesting against rising inflation and high electricity bills.

India Inc saw robust deal-making activity in April, with three major domestic consolidations by the Adani Group valued at $2 billion, representing 38 per cent of the total deal values, a new report showed on Monday. The month saw 191 deals worth $9.4 billion, a 21 per cent increase in volumes, but a 37 per cent decrease in values compared to March, according to report. The month saw 12 high-value deals (of more than $100 million), totalling $3.8 billion.