Here are the top 5 news updates of February 24, 2021:
The third phase of COVID-19 vaccination for people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities will commence on March 1, the Central government announced today. The third phase of vaccination, to be done at 10,000 government and over 20,000 private centres, is likely to cover over 27 crore people. The vaccine will be given free of cost at govt centres, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal to impose President's Rule in Puducherry, days after a Congress-led government in the union territory lost power during a vote of confidence. Announcing the Cabinet decision, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the decision was taken as no party claimed to form a government in Puducherry following the resignation of the chief minister there. Subsequently, the Lieutenant Governor had recommended President's Rule in Puducherry and the Union Cabinet has approved the same, the minister said.
The Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera near Ahmedabad was today renamed as the Narendra Modi Stadium. The stadium, popularly known as the Motera Stadium was recently re-opened after extensive renovation which increased seating capacity to a record 1,10,000. It hosts its first international cricket match starting today with India taking on England in a day-night Test match. The stadium's new name was announced during an inauguration ceremony that was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Home Minister Amit Shah, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah among others.
Legendary golfer Tiger Woods was involved in a severe car accident on Tuesday. He is recovering in a hospital after undergoing surgery for serious leg injuries he sustained during the crash, the family said in a statement. Woods was driving in a Los Angeles suburb when his car crashed, rolling several times. The officials claimed that looking at the severity of the accident, Woods was lucky to survive. "He is currently awake, responsive, and recovering in his hospital room," Woods' family said in a statement posted on Twitter.
The BSE Sensex soared over 1,000 points today afternoon after the trading session for the equities and equities derivatives segment was extended till 5 p.m. Around 4.30 p.m., the Sensex was at 50,782.40, higher by 1,030.99 points or 2.07 per cent from the previous close of 49,751.41. It had opened at 49,763.94 and has touched an intra-day high of 50,817.10 and a low of 49,648.78 points. The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange was at 14,991.60, higher by 283.80 points or 1.93 per cent from its previous close.
(With input from agencies)
