1. Covid cases spike again in the national capital: Delhi witnessed the highest daily spike in Covid cases in nearly seven months. The national capital recorded 2,726 fresh covid cases on Thursday.
2. GST on home rent: The government has clarified that the 18% GST on house rent is applicable for those renting residential property for commercial purposes only and not for personal use.
3. Salman Rushdie stabbed on stage: Author Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. He was moved to a hospital by helicopter. However, his condition is not known yet.
4. MEA slams China’s double standards on terrorism: After China blocked India’s efforts to designate JeM’s deputy chief Abdul Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist in the UN security council, MEA said there should be no double standards in dealing with terrorists.
5. Migrant laborer from Bihar killed in J&K: A non-local laborer from Bihar, Muhammad Amrez, was shot dead at close range at 1 pm in North Kashmir’s Bandipora.
6. Salman Khan replies to court: Actor Salman Khan told the Bombay High Court that videos uploaded by his Panvel farmhouse neighbor Mr. Ketan Kakkad are communally provocative. Kakkad has alleged that the actor was a member of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
7. J&J to stop selling talc-based baby powder: Johnson and Johnson have said it will end its talc-based baby powder by 2023 and shift to a cornstarch-based powder portfolio. The decision comes amid lawsuits stating talc caused cancer.
8. China extends grant to Nepal: China has extended a $118 million grant to Nepal for the current financial year after an 11-member delegation led by Kathmandu’s Foreign Affairs minister Narayan Khada visited China for bilateral talks.
9. Taliban cleric killed in a suicide attack claimed by ISIS: Senior Taliban Cleric Rahimullah Haqqani, who recently spoke in favor of allowing girls to school, was killed in a suicide attack by ISIS.
10. UN seeks demilitarized zone around Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: With shelling happening around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has called for “a safe perimeter of demilitarization to ensure the safety of the area.”