Here are the top 5 news updates of December 13, 2021:
Whenever an Aurangzeb has arisen in India, a Shivaji has also emerged as the soil of this country is different from the rest of the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today after he inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi. Addressing the gathering, Modi lauded the civilisational heritage of Varanasi, and said many sultanates rose and collapsed but Benaras remained. "Invaders attacked this city, tried to destroy it. History is witness to Aurangzeb's atrocities, his terror. He tried to change civilisation by the sword. He tried to crush culture with fanaticism. But the soil of this country is different from the rest of the world. Here if an (Mughal Emperor) Aurangzeb comes, a (Maratha warrior) Shivaji also rises," Modi said.
Ahead of the Goa Assembly polls, the NCP's lone MLA in the state, Churchill Alemao, today claimed he has merged the party's state legislative unit with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. Alemao (72), who represented the state's Benaulim Assembly segment, also told reporters that he will formally join the TMC in the presence of Mamata Banerjee, who is on a two-day visit to the coastal state. The TMC has already said it would contest all the 40 seats in the state Assembly elections due early next year. Alemao (72) met Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar today and informed him that he has merged the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Goa legislative wing with the TMC.
While appreciating Maharashtra government’s efforts in tackling the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bombay High Court has said that we must still not let our guards down as the threat still persists. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and justice MS Karnik today remarked that the state of Maharashtra was one of the pioneers in successfully tackling the crisis that ensued because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The HC’s observation came while it disposed off a bunch of public interest litigations that were filed last year seeking several directions to the state government for tackling the second wave of pandemic early this year.
Actor-model Harnaaz Sandhu made history on today as she was crowned Miss Universe 2021 -- beating contestants from 80 countries -- 21 years after India last brought home the title. Only two Indians before Sandhu have won the title of Miss Universe - actors Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000. The 70th edition of the event was held in Eilat, Israel, where the 21-year-old bagged the coveted pageant. The Chandigarh-based model, who is pursuing her master's degree in public administration, was crowned by her predecessor Andrea Meza of Mexico, who won the pageant in 2020. Meanwhile, Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira finished second and South Africa's Lalela Mswane came third.
Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled 503 points today, weighed by losses in index majors Reliance Industries, HDFC and Bajaj Finance amid a mixed trend in global markets. The 30-share index slumped 503.25 points or 0.86 per cent to settle at 58,283.42. Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 143.05 points or 0.82 per cent to 17,368.25. Bajaj Finance was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 3 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, Reliance Industries, M&M, Nestle India and SBI. On the other hand, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, PowerGrid and Maruti were among the gainers.
