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India on Monday reported 3,157 new Covid-19 cases, a decline from the 3,324 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said, adding that the country's daily positivity rate has crossed the 1 per cent mark, Business Standard reported.

According to the Ministry, the daily positivity rate as of Monday morning stood at 1.07 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 0.70 per cent.

Also in the last 24 hours, 26 new Covid fatalities increased the overall death toll to 5,23,869.

The active caseload also rose to 19,500, accounting for 0.05 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 2,723 patients in the period took the cumulative tally to 4,25,38,976. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.74 per cent, according to Business Standard.

A total of 2,95,588 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall to 83.82 crore.

As of Monday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 189.23 crore, achieved via 2,33,82,216 sessions.

Over 2.91 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket, Business Standard reported.

China's capital Beijing tightened Covid restrictions on Sunday as it battled an outbreak, while Shanghai let some of its 25 million residents venture out for light and air after reporting a second day of zero infections outside of quarantine areas, Reuters reported.

Shanghai's outbreak, which began in March, has been China's worst since the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Hundreds of thousands have been infected and the city has forbidden residents from leaving their homes, to great public anger.

The outbreak in China's most populous city and the risk of a spread in Beijing are testing the government's zero-Covid approach in a year when Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term as president.

Beijing, with dozens of daily infections in an outbreak now in its 10th day, has not locked down. More than 300 locally transmitted cases have been logged since April 22.

But on Sunday the capital tightened social distancing rules and launched a fresh round of mass testing in its most populous and worst-hit district.

The city of 22 million has in the past week conducted mass testing in most of its 16 districts, suspended all entertainment venues and banned restaurant dining, according to Reuters.

"The impact of all this on us is too great - 20,000 yuan ($3,000) in a day gone, just like that!" said Jia, a manager at a normally popular burger restaurant in the east of Beijing.

"Our boss is stressing out about this too," Jia said, asking to be identified only by his surname. "We have three branches in Shanghai. They've all been shut and losing cash for a month. And now this."

Beijing's sprawling Universal Studios theme park closed on Sunday, while in the highly visited Badaling section of the Great Wall, visitors were told to show proof of negative Covid test results before entering.

Chaoyang district, accounting for the biggest share of infections in Beijing's outbreak, launched an additional round of mass testing, with public health workers knocking on doors to remind residents to get tested.

"I do the PCR test everyday and I know I am not sick," said a Chaoyang resident surnamed Ma, whose local health app on her mobile phone had marked her profile as abnormal, Reuters reported.

"I feel caged, like I am sick. These restrictions are too excessive," said Ma, who works in finance.

Anger in Shanghai

Shanghai's citywide lockdown since early April has upended the daily lives of its residents, sparking worries about food and concern about being taken to crowded quarantine centres should they catch the virus.

Extreme measures taken to seal up residential compounds, including fencing up entrances of buildings, have prompted outrage.

Some residents have turned to social media to vent their frustration, some clanged pots and pans outside their windows, and others clashed with public health workers.

The song "Do you hear the people sing?" from the musical Les Miserables has become a popular protest anthem. On Saturday, an online video of a Chinese orchestra playing the song, with the musicians performing from their respective homes, went viral with nearly 19,000 shares before it was blocked, according to Reuters.

While much of the city remains in lockdown, Shanghai officials, striking a confident tone, said on Sunday that curbs on some areas would be eased after the city reined in Covid transmission risks at the community level, excluding cases in quarantine centres.

Six of its 16 districts attained zero-Covid status, meaning three consecutive days with no new daily increases in infections, senior city government official Gu Honghui told a virtual news conference.

Public transport will be allowed to resume in five districts, but residents must remain in their districts as they visit supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals, a health official told the news conference, according to Reuters.

A man died when a truck hit a motorbike he was riding on at Kanepokhari in Morang on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as bike rider Rupak Shrestha (29) of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-16.

Morang traffic police Inspector Raj Kumar Karki said that the truck (Na 3 Kha 676) heading towards west from east hit the motorbike (Province 1-02-049 Pa 8971) coming from the opposite direction at Kanepokhari Rural Municipality-7 of Morng along the East-West Highway.

Critically injured in the incident, Shrestha was taken to the Neuro Hospital of Biratnagar but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival at around 8:30 pm.

Inspector Karki said that the fatal incident might have occurred because of over speeding. 

Police said that they have impounded the truck and arrested its driver Rabin Kumar Rai (44) of Khotang. 

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

Newly appointed Inspector General of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were conferred insignia on Monday.

Nepal Police IG Dhiraj Pratap Singh and Armed Police Force IG Raju Aryal were conferred with the insignia by Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey at Singha Durbar amidst a program this morning.

Singh and Aryal were promoted to the top post of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force as their predecessors Shailesh Thapa Kshetri and Pushpa Ram KC respectively retired on Sunday after completing 30 years in the service.

Nepal Police Inspector General Dhiraj Pratap Singh

Armed Police Force Inspector General Raju Aryal

Annapurna Media Network Chairman Captain Rameshwar Thapa said that all should protect the sentiment of nation and nationality.

He said so while celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Annapurna Post, the flagship publication of Annapurna Media Network, at the meeting hall of the Annapurna Corporate Tower in Tinkune on Sunday.

"We have a good relationship with everyone. But we cannot be slaves to anyone. We cannot remain silent if anyone raises questions on the issue of nationality," he said.

"National and international issues we have raised are clear to all and everyone is praising the works," Captain Thapa said.

He claimed that the Annapurna Post was the only national daily which had published the facts about the historically established "chuchhe map" (new political map) of Nepal.

"The work was very challenging. Many newspapers tried but in vain. We became successful because of our constant efforts," he said.

On the occasion, Editor Akhanda Bhandari said that the Annapurna Post is the mirror of society.

"Journalism is the mirror of society. We are showing the mirror the Annapurna Post," he said.

He further said that the Annapurna Post is the voice of voiceless people.

Similarly, Annapurna Media Network Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sanat Neupane said that courage and decency needed in journalism. 

"We have both of them. We have been working without caring about the fear and threats of anyone," he said. 

The Nepali daily has been in publication continuously since May 03, 2002.

Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 13 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday, The Economic Times reported.

 Ruturaj Gaikwad returned to form with a sublime 99, while Devon Conwaysmashed a quickfire 85 to guide CSK to an imposing 202 for two after being sent into bat.

Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls), struggling for runs throughout the season, finally came to light with a sparkling innings but fell one short of the three figure mark. 

He was ably supported by Conway, who made an unbeaten 85 off 55 balls.

The duo shared 182 runs in 17.5 overs for the opening stand as SRH skipper Kane Williamson's decision to bowl first after winning the toss backfired, according to The Economic Times.

T Natarajan (2/42) picked up both the CSK wickets. 

CSK ably defended the target, restricting SRH to 189 for six.

Everton forward Richarlison threw a lit flare after picking it up from the field while celebrating scoring to secure a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday that helped his team’s push to avoid relegation from the Premier League, Associated Press reported.

In the celebrations that followed Richarlison’s goal, a lit blue smoke canister was thrown on to the pitch by supporters. Richarlison responded by picking the object up and throwing it off the field, although it was unclear where it landed.

“We will look into the matter but, as far we are concerned, Richarlison was attempting to throw it out of the ground,” an Everton spokesperson was quoted as saying by Britain’s Press Association. 

Everton moved two points from safety with five matches remaining and a game in hand over both Leeds and Burnley.

The goal came 59 seconds into the second half at Goodison Park. Richarlison and Demarai Gray pressured Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta into losing possession and the Brazilian benefited by sweeping a shot past goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. 

Chelsea remained third in the standings despite losing to the team managed by its former player and coach, Frank Lampard, according to the Associated Press.

Richarlison’s four goals in his last five league matches is as many as he scored in his first 21 games of the season. They are helping Everton’s bid to extend its 67-year stay in the top division.

But it relied on Jordan Pickford’s saves to preserve the win, having faced no shots on target for almost an hour.

There was a superb denial of Azpilicueta after Pickford scrambled across his goal, having been beaten by Mason Mount.

Then came a one-handed save from Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot and a low save in stoppage time to block Thiago Silva’s effort, Associated Press reported.

A long-awaited evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was under way Sunday, as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed that she visited Ukraine’s president to show unflinching American support for the country’s defense against Russia’s invasion, Associated Press reported.

Video posted online by Ukrainian forces showed elderly women and mothers with small children bundled in winter clothing being helped as they climbed a steep pile of debris from the sprawling Azovstal steel plant’s rubble, and then eventually boarded a bus. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 100 civilians, primarily women and children, were expected to arrive in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday.

“Today, for the first time in all the days of the war, this vitally needed (humanitarian) corridor has started working,” he said in a pre-recorded address published on his Telegram messaging app channel.

The Mariupol City Council said on Telegram that the evacuation of civilians from other parts of the city would begin Monday morning. People fleeing Russian-occupied areas in the past have described their vehicles being fired on, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Russian forces of shelling evacuation routes on which the two sides had agreed.

Later Sunday, one of the plant’s defenders said Russian forces resumed shelling the plant as soon as the evacuation of a group of civilians was completed, according to the Associated Press.

Denys Shlega, the commander of the 12th Operational Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard, said in a televised interview Sunday night that several hundred civilians remain trapped alongside nearly 500 wounded soldiers and “numerous” dead bodies.

“Several dozen small children are still in the bunkers underneath the plant,” Shlega said. “We need one or two more rounds of evacuation.”

Sviastoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, which is helping defend the steel plant, told The Associated Press in an interview from Mariupol on Sunday that it has been difficult even to reach some of the wounded inside the plant.

“There’s rubble. We have no special equipment. It`s hard for soldiers to pick up slabs weighing tons only with their arms,” he said. “We hear voices of people who are still alive” inside shattered buildings.

As many as 100,000 people may still be in blockaded Mariupol, including up to 1,000 civilians hunkered down with an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters beneath the Soviet-era steel plant — the only part of the city not occupied by the Russians. 

Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov, is a key target because of its strategic location near the Crimea Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, Associated Press reported.

UN humanitarian spokesman Saviano Abreu said civilians who have been stranded for nearly two months at the plant would receive immediate humanitarian support, including psychological services, once they arrive in Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol.

Mariupol has seen some of the worst suffering. A maternity hospital was hit with a lethal Russian airstrike in the opening weeks of the war, and about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theater where civilians were taking shelter.

A Doctors Without Borders team was at a reception center for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, in preparation for the U.N. convoy’s arrival. Stress, exhaustion and low food supplies have likely weakened civilians trapped underground at the plant. 

Ukrainian regiment Deputy Commander Sviatoslav Palamar, meanwhile, called for the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian fighters as well as civilians. “We don’t know why they are not taken away, and their evacuation to the territory controlled by Ukraine is not being discussed,” he said in a video posted Saturday on the regiment’s Telegram channel, according to the Associated Press.