News in Short

• Pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to severe Covid-19 symptoms and there is no evidence that the virus can pass to a baby during pregnancy, according to new studies.
• Pregnant women have altered immune systems, which can leave them at a higher risk for severe complications if exposed to viruses like the flu.
• While the data is currently limited it is reassuring that there is no evidence that the virus can pass to a baby during pregnancy.

• Amjad Khan’s brother and Bollywood actor Imtiaz Khan passed away in Mumbai. He was 78.
• Imtiaz Khan starred in movies like Yaadon Ki Baraat, Dharmatama, Dayavan and Noor Jahan among more.

• The Supreme Court cleared permanent commission for women in the Navy and asked the Centre to complete the modalities within three months.
• The Benchrejected the Centre’s stand that sea sailing duties cannot be granted to SSC (Short Service Commission) women officers in the Navy because its Russian vessels do not have washrooms for them.
• The court said there cannot be gender discrimination in granting permanent commission to women officers in the Navy after the statutory bar was lifted by the Centre to allow entry of women.

• The Telangana Legislative Assembly has opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR), and National Register of Citizens (NRC), by passing a resolution.
• With this, Telangana Assembly has become the seventh State Legislature to pass resolution against the CAA, NPR, and NRC after West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and Bihar.
• The resolution urged the Central government to amend Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 in order to remove all references to any religion or to any foreign country.

• President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha.
• Justice Gogoi, who retired in November, headed the five-judge Bench that delivered the verdict in the sensitive Ayodhya land title dispute.
• He also headed various important benches for hearing cases such as Rafale deal, Sabarimala case and RTI ambit of office of CJI.