Here are the top 5 news updates of September 22, 2021:
United Kingdom government today in its revised travel advisory said that Covishield is qualified as an approved vaccine. Earlier, the UK government did not accept people vaccinated with Covishield and considered them as unvaccinated. The need for them to go through 10-day quarantine was criticised in India. The new travel advisory by the UK stated that the four listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines. The advisory also said that the individual must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine of at least 14 days before the individual arrives in England.
Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan has tested positive for COVID-19 but the team's IPL match against Delhi Capitals today will go ahead as scheduled, the BCCI said. Left-arm pacer Natarajan, who is coming back from a knee surgery, has been isolated along with six close contacts which also include out of favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar. "Sunrisers Hyderabad player T Natarajan tested positive for COVID-19 at a scheduled RT-PCR test. The player has isolated himself from the rest of the squad. He is currently asymptomatic," a BCCI release stated. "The rest of the contingent including the close contacts underwent RT-PCR tests at 5AM local time this morning and the test reports are negative. As a result, tonight's game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals will go ahead at the Dubai International Stadium," it added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his visit to the United States would be an occasion to strengthen the Indo-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and consolidate ties with Japan and Australia. In a statement just before leaving for the US, Modi said he will conclude his visit with an address at the United Nations General Assembly focussing on the pressing global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues. "I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology," he said.
The Supreme Court today refused to accept the Centre's request to allow women candidates to appear for the entrance exam to the NDA from next year, saying it doesn't want women to be denied their right. The induction of women cannot be posted by one year, it said. The Centre had told the top court that a notification allowing women candidates to appear for the entrance exam to the National Defence Academy will be out by May next year. A bench headed by Justice S K Kaul said the armed forces are the best response team to deal with emergency situations and it is hopeful that necessary arrangements will be put in place to pave the way for the induction of women in NDA without delay. It said the needful should be done by the defence department in collaboration with the UPSC.
Equity benchmark Sensex ended 78 points lower after a choppy session today, tracking losses in index majors HDFC twins, ICICI Bank and Kotak Bank as investors turned cautious ahead of the US Fed's policy decision. The 30-share BSE index slipped 77.94 points or 0.13 per cent to close at 58,927.33. The NSE Nifty declined 15.35 points or 0.09 per cent to 17,546.65. HDFC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by Nestle India, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, M&M, HCL Tech and Bajaj Auto were among the gainers.
