Here are the top 5 news updates of March 4, 2021:
1. Shiv Sena not to contest West Bengal polls, stands in solidarity with Mamata Banerjee
Wishing ‘roaring’ success to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena party has decided not to contest the West Bengal Assembly polls, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut announced today. The decision was taken after a discussion with Thackeray. Raut had on January 17 said Shiv Sena will contest the West Bengal Assembly Elections but today he said the party will stand in solidarity with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
2. Kerala Assembly polls: BJP names ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan as CM face
Kerala BJP chief today announced that ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming state Assembly polls. Surendran said the people of Kerala will elect his party to power and he is expecting a “big” victory in the Assembly elections. The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6 and the counting of votes will be held on May 2.
3. Bomb scare at Taj Mahal following hoax call; caller detained: Police
The Taj Mahal complex in Agra was vacated today morning following a hoax bomb call, police said. The caller, identified as Vimal Kumar Singh, has been detained for questioning in Firozabad. Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Agra zone, A Satish Ganesh said Singh called the 112 emergency response number of the Uttar Pradesh police at around 9 am and claimed that a bomb was kept inside the monument that is conserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and protected by armed personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The police immediately informed the CISF personnel, who asked the visitors to vacate the premises of the iconic 17th-century monument and launched anti-sabotage checks around 9:15 am. Nothing suspicious was found during the checks at the monument, a CISF officer said in Delhi.
4. PCB postpones PSL after seven cricketers test positive for COVID-19
The ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) was today postponed with immediate effect after three more cricketers tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases in the T20 event to seven. Out of the seven cases, six are players while one is a support staff member. The domestic T20 tournament has been rocked by a series of COVID-19 cases with the governing body confirming that three unnamed players from two different teams tested positive for the virus and will now self-isolate themselves for 10 days.
5. Sensex tumbles 599 points in line with global meltdown, Nifty 50 by 164 points
Snapping its three-session winning run, the BSE Sensex plunged by around 599 points to crack below the key 51,000-level today amid a meltdown in global shares triggered by a surge in US bond yields. Intra-day, the 30-share BSE index fell as much as 905 points before ending the session at 50,846.08, showing a decline of 598.57 points or 1.16 per cent. The broader NSE Nifty too closed with a loss of 164.85 points or 1.08 per cent at 15,080.75.
(With input from agencies)