India is seeing a second wave of Covid-19 infections since February 15, which may last for 100 days, said State Bank of India’s (SBI) research in a report. The rise in cases is leading to a decline in the Business Activity Index, it said, but warned against fresh lockdowns.

Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE began testing their COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12, with hopes of expanding vaccination to that age range by early 2022, the U.S. drugmaker said on Thursday.

The first volunteers in the early-stage trial were given their first injections on Wednesday, Pfizer spokesperson Sharon Castillo said.

To mark the completion of four months of their protest against the government's farm laws, farmers are observing 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday. The shutdown, called by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), will be observed till 6 pm.

Traffic movement is likely to be affected as all trains and roads will be blocked and all services except ambulance and other essential services will remain suspended.

In a tragic incident, at least two people were killed after a fire broke out at a mall in Mumbai that also houses a private COVID-19 hospital.

The massive fire broke out at Dream Mall in Bhandup, Mumbai on Thursday night. On the third floor of the mall is Sunrise Hospital and the fire rapidly spread to it as well. More than 20 fire brigade vehicles arrived on the spot to douse the flames as soon as the news of the fire is received.

Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily has slammed the AIADMK-led government over unemployment in the state and claimed that the DMK-Congress alliance will emerge victorious in Assembly elections.

Every year, after finishing the degree, 5 lakh graduates are coming out. They are all against AIADMK due to no job creation. Unemployment is at an all-time high in Tamil Nadu, he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP of backing a new political party to eat into minority votes during the upcoming assembly polls.

Without naming any party or any person, Banerjee also claimed at an election rally in South 24 Parganas district the founder of that outfit receives money from the BJP.

Around 88 per cent of Covid fatalities in India were of those aged 45 and above, health ministry data showed. It is for this age group that vaccination has been opened up from April 1.

The Union health ministry said the case fatality ratio for the age group over 45 was 2.85 per cent.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Deepak Kochhar, husband of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Kocchar had approached the high court after a special court in the city rejected his bail in December last year.

Pokarna shares, on Thursday, surged 16 per cent and hit an over three-year high of Rs 266.50 in intra-day trade on the BSE after Pokarna Engineered Stone Limited (PESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, announced the commencement of commercial operations of its second state-of-the-art quartz surface manufacturing facility in the country. The new plant is located at Mekaguda Village in Telangana, India.

Markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday ordered attachment of bank accounts as well as share and mut­ual fund holdings of Rana Kapoor (pictured), former MD and CEO of YES Bank, to recover dues of over Rs 1 crore. The decision has been taken after Kapoor failed to pay the fine imposed on him.

Sebi, in September 2020, had levied a fine of Rs 1 crore on Kapoor for not making disclosures regarding a transaction of Morgan Credit, which was an unlisted promoter entity of Yes Bank.

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