Left, Right & Centre

The BJP has said that the J&K local poll results are a victory of hope and democracy and that people have shown their support to the BJP. On Left, Right and Centre, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah says that if the people had supported the BJP, it would have won and that it is they who have got a resounding verdict.

While Gupkar alliance leaders say that if the people had supported the BJP, it would have won and that they have got a resounding verdict, the BJP says they have got the largest number of votes in J&K and that people have rejected the Gupkar gang.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's India visit - he is to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in Delhi next month - may not take place because of concerns over the rapidly-spreading mutated version of the novel coronavirus in that country, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the Chair of the Council of the British Medical Association, told NDTV Tuesday. He said that while it was still too early for the British government to decide on Mr Johnson's visit, the trip "may not be possible, particularly if this level of infection and spread continues".

The government says that at the moment, there are no signs of the mutant strain of coronavirus in India. It is, however, creating havoc in the UK and there is a strong possibility that until the UK does bring its increasingly desperate situation under control, the travel ban from Britain may last for some time.

The new 'superspreader' Covid strain has caused panic across the world, leading many nations including India to ban flights from the UK. We ask experts what this means for the fight against the pandemic. Will the vaccines being developed be effective against these variants?

Professor Devi Sridhar talked to NDTV on the new coronavirus strain that is said to be more contagious. "The worry is - are the existing restrictions going to be enough, or do we need harsher ones so that we don't see an increase in numbers?" she said.

A mutant strain of the novel coronavirus - first identified in the UK in September and which is rapidly replacing other variations of the virus - may already be present in several countries, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation, told NDTV Monday night. However, she also said it is still too early to draw conclusions about the new strain - which initial data suggests is up to 70 per cent more transmissible - and that it is "unlikely a couple of mutations" could affect the immune system's response to one of the existing Covid vaccines.

Winding up his two-day visit in West Bengal with the promise of 'Shonar Bangla', Home Minister Amit Shah spared no opportunity to attack the ruling Trinamool Congress for corruption. And while the massive turnout at his rally in Bolpur attests to its success, Mamata Banerjee is also seen preparing for the big political challenge.

"You will be left all alone by the end of this," Union Minister Amit Shah warned Mamata Banerjee as he welcomed Trinamool Congress rebel Suvendu Adhikari and other leaders into the BJP.

It is not wise to have a fixed deadline for the vaccine approval process, Dr VK Paul, chairman of the Covid-19 task force in India, told NDTV. Dr Paul said that people need to be ready to wait for months before they can get the vaccine as "data scrutiny is a detailed process". On the vaccination drive, Dr Paul highlighted the importance of a public health approach rather than an individualistic approach.