News 18 Evening Digest: Five More Omicron Cases Detected in Bengal; Maha Govt May Close Schools, Colleges Again and Other Stories

India vs South Africa 2021-22: Head Coach Rahul Dravid Rings Bell At Start of Play

India head coach Rahul Dravid was handed the honour of ringing the bell which marks the start of play in Centurion. The venue is playing the host for the second Test match between India and South Africa. Ringing the bell is an old tradition in England which was the birthplace of the game. Other countries including South Africa have joined the bandwagon as well. Earlier this tradition was started in India as well with the iconic stadium of Eden Gardens taking the lead. READ MORE

Five More Omicron Cases Detected in West Bengal, Tally Rises to 11

At least five more persons in West Bengal tested positive for Omicron on Wednesday, taking the total number of patients infected by the new variant of coronavirus in the state to 11, a senior health department official said. READ MORE

UK Emerges as Most Popular Destination for Study Abroad Aspirants: Leap Scholar

UK has ranked as the most popular study abroad destination followed by Canada and the USA, according to data of over 75,000 applications processed by Leap Scholar, an overseas study abroad platform. READ MORE

Maharashtra Govt May Close Schools, Colleges Again, Decision Within 15 Days

In the wake of rising Covid-19 cases again, the Maharashtra state government will soon take a decision on the reopening of schools and colleges. As coronavirus cases are increasing in India, the state government is reconsidering reopening schools and colleges. READ MORE

Tamil Filmmaker Aacharya Ravi Dies Due to Heart Attack

Veteran filmmaker Aacharya Ravi passed away, on December 28, at a private hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu following cardiac arrest. Ravi was suffering from liver-related ailments for the past few months and he was admitted to the hospital after his condition deteriorated. READ MORE

Amazon’s Alexa Told 10-Year-Old Child to Do a Life-Threatening ‘Challenge’

Amazon Alexa told a 10-year-old girl to touch a live plug with a penny when the child asked the ‘artificially-intelligent’ voice assistant for challenges to do. The child’s mother Kristin Livdahl shared the incident on Twitter along with a screenshot of her Alexa activity, in which the voice assistant could be seen suggesting the potentially lethal challenge. READ MORE

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