Here are the top 5 news of January 11, 2021:
Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari battled pain and a hostile Australian bowling attack while resolutely displaying the largely extinct art of Test-saving batsmanship to snatch a remarkable draw for India after Rishabh Pant raised visions of an improbable at the Sydney Cricket Ground today. Chasing a herculean target of 407, Pant (97 off 118 balls) and the ever-steady Cheteshwar Pujara (77 off 205 balls) produced an amazing 148-run stand before India were forced to down the shutters finishing on 334 for 5 in 131 overs when players shook hands.
The series stands at 1-1 going into the fourth Test in Brisbane but an Indian team which has turned into a 'mini-hospital' would be walking away with a lot of pride. They put up a proper fight in adverse circumstances already soured by racist chants and abuses from the crowd during the course of the game.
The Supreme Court today pulled up the Centre for its handling of the farmers protest against the new farm laws saying it is "extremely disappointed" with the way negotiations between them were going and it will constitute a committee headed by a former Chief Justice of India to resolve the impasse. Indicating amply that it may go to the extent of staying the implementation of the contentious farm laws, the apex court refused to grant extra time to the Centre to explore the possibility of amicable solution saying it has already granted the government a "long rope".
"We have given you long rope, Mr Attorney General, please don't lecture us on patience," a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that the top court has made "harsh observations" regarding handling of the situation by the government. "That was the most innocuous factual thing for us to say," the bench said.
Maharashtra has become the eighth state in the country to confirm cases of bird flu. The ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), test reports said that chickens, crows, pond egrets, and parrots have died due to bird flu in Mumbai, Thane, Parbhani, Beed, and Dapoli. However, Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar said that contrary to rumours there is no ban on sale of poultry products like eggs or chicken as of now and the state government is in a state of high alert.
The state health authorities held a high-level meeting of officials from different departments to assess the situation arising out of the new threat to both animals and humans amid reports of similar poultry birds' deaths from various districts.
The upcoming Budget scheduled for February 1 will go paperless as the Finance Ministry has decided not to print the budget documents amid the pandemic. This is a historic move as it will be for the first time in the history of independent India that the Budget papers will not be printed.
Reportedly, the decision has been taken as the printing process would require several people to stay at the press for around a fortnight amid the coronavirus fears. The budget documents are generally printed at the Finance Ministry's in-house printing press in the North Block. Last year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did away with a colonial-era tradition of carrying Budget papers in a briefcase, and introduced the Budget 'Bahi Khata' or a ledger, enclosed in a red cloth folder and tied with a string.
Actor-producer Anushka Sharma and her cricketer husband Virat Kohli became parents to a baby girl today. The Indian skipper announced the arrival of their first child on Twitter and said both the baby and Sharma were healthy. "We are thrilled to share with you that we have been blessed with a baby girl this afternoon. We thank you all for your love, prayers and good wishes. "Anushka and the baby are both healthy and we are feeling beyond blessed to start this new chapter of our lives. We hope that you can respect our privacy at this time. Love, Virat," Kohli said in a statement.
Last year in August, the adorable couple had announced that they were expecting their first child in January 2021. The ethereal couple got married in a fairytale wedding which was only attended by the couple's family and friends on December 11 in 2017. Post their nuptials in Italy, the couple hosted grand receptions in Delhi and Mumbai.
(With input from agencies)
