A look at the top headlines right now:

  1. Rajya Sabha passes Bill to link Aadhaar with voter IDs amid Opposition walkout: Members of the Opposition parties raised objections as Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh did not allow a division of votes on the Bill. They also demanded that the Bill should be sent to a Select Committee of Parliament for further consideration.
  2. Omicron three times more transmissible than Delta variant, says Centre: The government advised states and Union Territories to take measures to contain the spread of the new variant. Meanwhile, Omicron has now become the dominant strain of the virus in the United States.
  3. Trinamool Congress wins 134 out of 144 wards in Kolkata civic body polls, Left secures more votes than BJP: The Bharatiya Janata Party candidates won three seats, the Left parties and the Congress two each and Independents secured three seats.
  4. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien suspended from Parliament for the rest of Winter Session: The Rajya Sabha MP had allegedly thrown a copy of the Parliament rule book at the Chair during a discussion on a Bill on electoral reforms.
  5. Centre blocks 20 YouTube channels, two websites for allegedly spreading ‘anti-India propaganda’: The action was taken under provisions of Rule 16 of the new Information Technology Rules which allows authorities to block content ‘in case of emergency’. The government claimed that 15 of the 20 YouTube channels that have been asked to be blocked are part of network of a body called “The Naya Pakistan Group”.
  6. Three dead, 44 injured after fire breaks out at Indian Oil Corporation refinery in West Bengal’s Haldia: In a statement, the petroleum refining company said that the fire has been extinguished and the situation is under control. The incident took place during shutdown-related works at the refinery, it said. 
  7. Nobody booked for murder of two men in Punjab sacrilege cases: On the contrary, the police have charged both the deceased men with allegations of hurting religious sentiments, and one of them with attempt to murder.
  8. Centre introduces marriage age Bill in Lok Sabha, Opposition criticises move: The Bill, which seeks to increase the legal age for marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, was sent to the Standing Committee.
  9. Karnataka’s anti-conversion Bill tabled in Assembly, Congress leader tears up copy: The draft Bill proposes for a maximum punishment of a jail term of 10 years for forcible religious conversion of women, minors and people from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes
  10. AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine protection wanes three months after second dose, says Lancet study: Booster doses should be considered for those who received the shots, the research said.