Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
1. Bengal Panchayat Polls: 11 Dead in Violence, MHA Seeks Govt Report
At least 11 people were killed and scores of others sustained injuries in violence that broke out at several places in West Bengal, hours after voting began for panchayat polls in 20 districts on Monday, 14 May.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has now sought a report from the West Bengal government regarding the incidents of violence.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) have accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of allowing the violence to spread across the state.
Track live updates here.
2. 71 Dead in 5 States Due to Lightning, Thunderstorms
As many as 71 people lost their lives in five states, including 42 in Uttar Pradesh, due to lightning and thunderstorms since yesterday, the Home Ministry said on Monday.
Among the dead, 42 were in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in West Bengal, 12 in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand, a ministry spokesperson said. Altogether 83 people were injured in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Delhi and two in Uttarakhand.
A total of 24 districts in Uttar Pradesh, six in West Bengal, three in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand were hit by the lightning and thunderstorms, the spokesperson said.
The Met department has predicted thunderstorm accompanied by light rainfall for huge parts of Northern India over the next two-three days.
Catch live updates here.
3. Counting of Votes for Karnataka Assembly Polls Tomorrow
Counting of votes will be taken up on Tuesday, 15 May, for the Karnataka Assembly elections, which pollsters have said would likely go down to the wire, with a neck and neck race between the state's ruling Congress and challenger BJP.
Several exit polls have predicted a hung Assembly, and said former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S) would play the role of the kingmaker.
In one of the most high-profile and bitterly fought elections in recent times, 222 of the 224 seats went to polls on 12 May.
Counting of votes would begin at 8 am in nearly 40 counting centres.
Meanwhile, after a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus, petrol price was on Monday, 14 May hiked by 17 paise a litre and diesel by 21 paise, as PSU oil firms began passing on the spike witnessed in international rates to consumers.
Soon after the news of the price rise surfaced, the opposition slammed it as "poll politics".
Click here for all the political gunpowder from Karnataka.
4. ‘Raazi’: Real ‘Sehmat’ Died Last Month & We’ll See Her Photo in June
Harinder Sikka, author of ‘Calling Sehmat’, is a content man. Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Raazi’, which is based on his book, has already won a resounding applause from the film fraternity and the critics alike. Penguin will release a new imprint of his 2008 book next month.
Along with it, Sikka has promised to reveal the identity of ‘Sehmat’ — the Indian spy who passed on critical information about Pakistan Navy’s movement during the 1971 war.
Here is a glimpse of Sehmat’s life in Sikka’s words.
5. It’s Mark Zuckerberg’s Birthday! Here’s Wishing Him The Quint Way
For someone who hasn’t hasn’t had a very jovial 2018, it’s pretty tough wishing him a ‘happy’ birthday. But still, we at The Quint are putting our best foot forward and wishing Facebook CEO a very happy birthday!
From giving us new ways to tell ‘Stories’, to flying a drone to provide internet to the most remote parts of the world, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbeg has giving the world a means to communicate and express. And that too FREE!
So, regardless of whatever has happened in the recent months with the social network website, one should not ignore Mark’s contribution to the society.
Which is why we at the The Quint wanted to make sure he had a special day.
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