A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Sixth round of talks cancelled, says farmer leader after meeting with Amit Shah: NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that the Opposition parties will take a collective stand on the matter before meeting the President on Wednesday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad were among some leaders who were detained at their homes before they joined the Bharat Bandh.
  2. Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute have applied for emergency use of coronavirus vaccine, confirms Centre: US drug regulator FDA said Pfizer’s vaccine provides strong protection after first dose. A couple of Indian origin would be among the first to get a vaccine for the coronavirus, when the United Kingdom begins its inoculation programme. Four lions at a Spanish zoo tested positive.
  3. China says it is working with India for ‘further de-escalation’ of border standoff: A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said both sides will have consultations to determine specific arrangements for the next round of talks.
  4. Niti Aayog’s Amitabh Kant denies saying India is ‘too much of a democracy’, Twitter users share event clip: Social media users pointed out that his statement during an online event was actually in line with the report he claimed had miquoted him.
  5. ‘Humanity is most important,’ says Bombay HC on Gautam Navlakha not getting his spectacles in jail: The court said there was a need to sensitise the prison staff to the needs of inmates.
  6. Mount Everest is 0.86 metres higher than previous measurement, announce Nepal and China: Both the countries share a border on Mount Everest and there has been a long-running conflict over its height.
  7. Modi’s push for simultaneous polls will damage India’s federal structure, say 90 former bureaucrats: The former officers said that the Narendra Modi government needs to undertake electoral reforms, instead of calling for a ‘one nation, one election’ system.
  8. Mehbooba Mufti alleges she is illegally detained at Srinagar residence: Mufti was scheduled to visit Budgam area to meet people, who are being evicted from their lands and homes, after the administration scrapped the Roshni Act.
  9. Reliance Jio to roll out 5G in second half of 2021, announces Mukesh Ambani: The Reliance Industries chairperson urged the Centre to take policy-related steps to accelerate the process for the early launch of the service.
  10. Fitch Ratings revises India’s growth forecast from -10.5% to -9.4% in 2020-’21: The American agency said a brighter economic outlook for India was attributed to the expected rollout of various vaccines against the coronavirus by next year.