Here are today’s top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

ICMR tells states to scale up rapid antigen testing

The chief of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has asked states to scale up testing in districts, using the antigen-based method. The medical body also told states to identify centres that will conduct these tests, saying it had received requests from public sector undertakings (PSUs), government and private facilities, temples and others to initiate antigen-based testing for the diagnosis of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Read more

Rs 50 lakh to family of those dying during Covid-19 duty in Odisha

The Odisha government on Friday announced the family members and next of kin of anyone drafted into Covid-19 duty who succumbs to the infection would be eligible for the ex-gratia assistance of Rs 50 lakh. Similarly, the family members of the ASHA and Anganwadi workers will get the monthly pension till their retirement age. Read more

Four eastern states emerge as worries in anti-Covid battle

Four states in eastern India have emerged as the biggest concerns for the Narendra Modi government in tackling the Covid-19 crisis. West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Bihar have shown high case positivity rates despite low levels of testing, and the emergence of new virus clusters and several new cases within containment zones have underlined gaps in containment strategy. Read more

United States carries out third federal execution in four days

The US Justice Department on Friday (local time) carried out its third federal execution in four days after the punishment was revived by the Trump administration following a 17-year hiatus. Officials executed Dustin Lee Honken at a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Friday afternoon. Read more

Covid-19 aftermath: IPL 2020 all set to move out of India

Covid-19 could push the Indian Premier League (IPL) out of India and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) again after 2014. The Apex Council of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was apprised of the challenges of holding IPL in India in the time of rising novel coronavirus cases. Read more

Priyanka Chopra will mint millions in 2020: A rundown of every project she’s working on

Priyanka Chopra is probably looking at the most eventful year of her professional career, as the actor turns 38 on Saturday. Priyanka recently signed a two-year multimillion-dollar deal with Amazon to produce a variety of content, in different languages. Read more

Is that sanitiser bottle safe for you to carry?

Sanitiser is a necessity today. But, how safe is it to have a sanitiser in say a car that’s parked in a high temperature zone or in a luggage that will be checked in during air travel? Isn’t the alcohol content in sanitisers high enough to be a cause of accidents such as fire hazards? Read more

Meghalaya Police posts puntastic tweet about busting truck carrying 500 kg of marijuana

Meghalaya police has caught the attention of tweeple after sharing a tweet riddled with puns about a recent drug bust. In their tweet, Meghalaya police mentioned how they caught a truck carrying 500 kg of marijuana. However, instead of sharing a simple tweet about the incident, they posted one which has since left people laughing out loud. Read more

Watch: Namit Das, Anindita Bose on dealing with competition, rejection | Aur Batao

In the latest episode of ‘Aur Batao’ RJ Stutee speaks to Namit Das and Anindita Bose about their new web series, Mafia. The actors open up on dealing with competition and rejection. Aur Batao is not your regular photoshopped chat show but makes hanging out with celebs a different (and fun) ballgame. Watch here