Bengaluru: Dry run, an exercise for end-to-end testing of the COVID-19 vaccination process, was held "smoothly" in five districts of Karnataka on Saturday.

 The winner of the 2019 Pa Go (Padyana Gopalakrishna) Rural Correspondent Award conferred by Dakshina Kannada Working Journalist’s Association, Journalist Vijay Kotian set an example by donating the winning award money to the Karunya Scheme run by M. Friends Charitable Trust. 

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Saturday termed the COVID-19 vaccines to be rolled out in the country as "vaccine of the BJP" and said he would not take the shot, drawing a sharp retort from the ruling party which accused him of "insulting" the doctors and scientists.

Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was arrested on Saturday in Pakistan on terror financing charges, according to an official statement, amidst growing international pressure on Islamabad to bring to justice terrorists roaming free in the country.

 Discussions on the much-awaited expansion or reshuffle of Karnataka cabinet have once again come to the fore with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday saying he will hold talks in this connection with BJP national General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Singh.

Munawar Faruqui, a stand-up comedian from Gujarat, was arrested along with four others after the son of a BJP MLA complained against him for alleged indecent remarks made against Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show at Indore in Madhya Pradesh, a police official said on Saturday.

Cricket board president and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly was hospitalised Saturday after he complained of chest pain, a hospital official said.

Former Union home minister Buta Singh, who remained in public service for a long time and served under four prime ministers, died at the AIIMS here on Saturday morning. He was 86.