Millions vote in final phase of marathon India poll
World
April 30, 2021
KOLKATA: Millions voted in the final phase of a marathon election in India’s West Bengal on Thursday, despite a record-breaking spike in Covid-19 infections and deaths that has devastated the country.
Long queues of voters appeared outside polling booths as temperatures soared. Many in rural parts of the state failed to observe social distancing rules, with some wearing masks but others hanging them loosely on their chins or from their ears.
Sporadic violence was reported from several constituencies, with crude bombs thrown and vehicles damaged. Thousands have been killed in political violence in West Bengal over the decades, and this year’s polls held in eight phases over the course of a month have also triggered deadly clashes between rival parties.
Shortages, confusion in India s vaccination drive
Issued on:
29/04/2021 - 13:10 As the country reels from a brutal explosion of cases, an estimated 500-600 million Indians will become eligible when the drive is opened to all adults TAUSEEF MUSTAFA AFP 3 min
New Delhi (AFP)
India s mammoth push to beat its raging Covid surge with vaccinations looks troubled, with its vast inoculation programme plagued by shortages, confusion and political squabbles.
From Saturday, just as the country reels from a brutal explosion of cases, an estimated 500-600 million Indians will become eligible when the drive is opened to all adults.
Until now, only frontline workers like medical staff, people over 45 and those with existing illnesses have been given the AstraZeneca shot or Bharat Biotech s homegrown Covaxin.
Millions vote in final phase of marathon India poll as virus cases soar
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KOLKATA, April 29, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Millions voted in the final phase of a marathon election in India’s West Bengal on Thursday, despite a record-breaking spike in Covid-19 infections and deaths that has devastated the country.
Long queues of voters appeared outside polling booths as temperatures soared.
Many in rural parts of the state failed to observe social distancing rules, with some wearing masks but others hanging them loosely on their chins or from their ears.
Sporadic violence was reported from several constituencies, with crude bombs thrown and vehicles damaged.
WSJ
Apr 29, 2021 2:00 PM ET
The country hit a new global high for the pandemic on Wednesday reporting more than 360,000 new daily cases. It recorded 3,293 deaths, the highest single-day toll for the country.
Satyendra Das, an 82-year-old Hindu priest in the city of Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh, said most of the tens of thousands of holy men who went for ritual bathing in the Ganges were from other Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. He skipped the festival this year because of Covid-19, but he said he knows of at least two holy men in Ayodhya who became infected after attending Kumbh Mela.
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