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The UK has become the first country to approve a vaccine—developed by Pfizer/BioNTech—for the virus that causes COVID-19 which has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally. The two-dose injectable vaccine rollout is expected within weeks.

Malayalam film Jallikattu is India’s official Oscar entry, in the Best International Feature Film category. The film traces the path of a buffalo that runs amok, dragging an entire village into a trail of mayhem.

Veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, considered Sonia Gandhi’s closest political advisers, has died at the age of 71 due to post-Covid complications. Patel was a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat.

Faqir Chand C. Kohli, considered the father of the Indian IT industry, has died at the age of 96. A Padma Bhushan awardee Kohli was the first CEO of Tata Consultancy Services which he joined in 1969.

David Prowse, best known for playing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died aged 85. The title of his 2011 autobiography, Straight from the Force’s Mouth, was a take on the film’s tagline, “May the force be with you”.