Top news of the day: Experts urge caution as new coronavirus variant emerges in South Africa; Farmers in hundreds descend at protest sites to mark anniversary, and more

The major news headlines of the day, and more.

Experts urge caution as new coronavirus variant emerges in South Africa

With a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, scientists and health experts in India have said that new waves of infection are anticipated and unless we act quickly and efficiently, the country will possibly see repeat waves.

Won’t do anything to bring on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has made it clear that it will not do anything to bring on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy even as it asked a petitioner to serve a copy of his plea to direct the Government for active surveillance of immunised people and publication of the exact number of deaths which occurred within 30 days of inoculation.

Farmers in hundreds descend at protest sites to mark anniversary

Hundreds of tractors bedecked with lights and posters rolled through the Singhu border protest site as loud Punjabi and Haryanvi songs filled the air to mark one year of the protest against the three farm laws that the government is set to formally withdraw. At the Ghazipur site, farmers held special prayers to pay tributes to those who died during the course of the protest.

Bihar has most poor people in India: Niti Aayog

As per the Niti Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index, 51.91% population of Bihar is poor, followed 42.16% in Jharkhand, 37.79% in Uttar Pradesh. While Madhya Pradesh (36.65%) has been placed fourth in the index, Meghalaya (32.67%) is at the fifth spot. Kerala (0.71%), Goa (3.76%), Sikkim (3.82%), Tamil Nadu (4.89%) and Punjab (5.59%) have registered the lowest poverty across India and are at the bottom of the index.

India heads towards ‘crisis’ in the form of family-based parties: Modi on Constitution Day

The Prime Minister, during his address in Parliament on the occasion of “Constitution Day”, said that the day was for paying homage to the House, but that India was heading to a “crisis” in the form of family-based parties, in an obvious dig at the opposition, many of whom had boycotted the event.

Disruption cannot be permanent Parliamentary strategy: RJD leader Manoj Jha

In an interview, he talks about the need to prioritise people’s issues such as inflation and unemployment. The floor management cannot be dictated by the immediate interests of any one political party.

Heavy rain pounds several parts of Tamil Nadu

Chennai woke up to a heavy downpour and thunderstorms as many weather stations in and around the city registered moderate to heavy spells of rains. Following heavy rains, a holiday was declared for schools in many districts, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram and Tiruvannamalai.

Magnitude 6.1 quake jolts northeast, parts of West Bengal

The jolts were experienced in several places in Assam, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura, as well as in West Bengal, including Kolkata, Alipurduar, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, officials said.

India asks Pakistan to expedite trial in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case

In a note verbale handed over to a senior Pakistani diplomat, the Ministry of External Affairs asked Pakistan to abide by its commitment to not allow territories under its control for terrorism against India.

As Europe’s COVID-19 cases surge, U.K. ploughs on with its new normal

Britain’s hospitals have not been overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, though they are extremely busy as the health system struggles to clear a huge backlog built up during the pandemic.

Sensex nosedives 1,688 points amid global selloff; Nifty sinks below 17,100

IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tanking over 6%, followed by Maruti, Tata Steel, NTPC, Bajaj Finance, HDFC and Titan.

Sindhu fights her way into Indonesia Open semifinal; Satwik-Chirag also through

India’s two-time Olympic medal-winning shuttler P.V. Sindhu came back from a game down to beat South Korea’s Sim Yujin and enter the semifinals of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 tournament in Bali. The men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty later beat Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 21-19 21-19 in straight games to also make the semifinals of the tournament, making it a great day for the Indian contingent.

Shreyas Iyer becomes 16th Indian to slam hundred on Test debut

The elegant right-hander, who hails from Mumbai’s Worli area, achieved the feat in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand on the second day of the match

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