Highlights

Following are the top stories at 9 pm: NATION DEL80 PM-VACCINATION-3RDLD LAUNCH PM Modi to launch COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch India's COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 via video conferencing and adequate doses of the two made-in-India vaccines have been delivered to all states and Union Territories, the government said on Thursday.

DEL79 PM-YEARBOOK-REFORMS Trinity of education, agri, labour reforms to immensely help students, farmers, youth: PM New Delhi: The ''trinity of reforms'' undertaken by his government in the education, agriculture and labour sectors will immensely help students, farmers and youth of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said while asserting that reforms used to be hostage to ''political expediencies'' earlier but ''political calculations matter only when a nation is aiming low''.

DEL72 MEA-SINOINDIA India & China continue to maintain close communication: MEA on Ladakh standoff New Delhi: India and China continue to maintain close communication through diplomatic and military channels with the objective of ensuring complete disengagement at all friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) said on Thursday.

MDS21 KA-LD RAJNATH Befitting reply if any ''superpower'' hurts national pride: Rajnath Singh Bengaluru: India does not want a war but its soldiers are capable of giving befitting reply if any 'superpower' hurts the country's pride, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday amid the eight-month-old border standoff with China.

DEL70 MEA-RDAY-GUEST India will not have R-Day chief guest due to global coronavirus situation: MEA New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday announced that there will be no foreign leader as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations due to the global situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic.

DEL57 NEPAL-INDIA-GYAWALI Nepal Foreign Minister arrives in India on three-day visit New Delhi: Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit during which he will attend the India-Nepal Joint Commission meeting and is expected to discuss COVID-19 cooperation, the boundary issue along with the entire gamut of bilateral relations with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

DEL12 VIRUS-LD CASES COVID-19: India records 16,946 new cases New Delhi: India's COVID-19 caseload increased to 1,05,12,093 with 16,946 infections being reported in a day, while recoveries have surged to 1,01,46,763, according to Union health ministry data updated on Thursday.

DEL78 PAR-SESSION Budget session of Parliament from January 29 New Delhi: The Budget session of Parliament will begin on January 29 with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of both the Houses and the Union Budget will be presented on February 1.

DEL64 PB-FARMERS-3RDLD MANN BKU leader Mann recuses himself from SC committee on farm laws Chandigarh: Bhartiya Kisan Union national president Bhupinder Singh Mann on Thursday said he is recusing himself from the four-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to resolve the deadlock between farmers and the Centre over the new agri-marketing laws.

DEL16 BIZ-PETROL-PRICE HIKE Petrol, diesel prices hiked again, scale new highs New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices on Thursday were hiked by 25 paise per litre each, the second straight day of increase in rates that took the prices to new highs.

LEGAL LGD5 DL-COURT-AKBAR #MeToo: Ramani had no right to accuse me of sexual harassment as she had no proof, Akbar tells court New Delhi: Former Union minister M J Akbar told a Delhi court on Thursday that journalist Priya Ramani had "no right" to accuse him of sexual misconduct that allegedly took place decades ago as she could not prove it. LGD1 DL-HC-RIOTS-VIDEOS Delhi riots: Police tells HC plea for giving videos of protests against CAA not maintainable New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) The city police has told the Delhi High Court that a plea moved by JNU student and Pinjra Tod activist Devangana Kalita, accused in a case related to northeast Delhi riots, seeking copies of videos of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was not maintainable.

LGD10 DL-COURT-RIOTS-KHALID Delhi riots: Design by media to prejudice opinion against me, Khalid tells court New Delhi: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid alleged before a court here on Thursday there was a "deliberate design" by the media and a "concerted effort" to prejudice opinion against him in a north-east Delhi riots case.

FOREIGN FGN37 US-TRUMP-LDALL IMPEACHMENT US House impeaches President Donald Trump for 'incitement of insurrection' at Capitol Washington: Donald Trump became the first president in US history to be impeached twice when 10 of his fellow Republican Congressmen joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to charge him with inciting an unprecedented insurrection at the US Capitol last week. By Lalit K Jha FGN26 UK-KASHMIR-DEBATE India deplores 'false assertions' in UK Parliament Kashmir debate London: India has expressed its dismay at some of the parliamentarians who participated in a debate on Kashmir in the Houses of Parliament complex in London relying on ''false assertions'' and unsubstantiated allegations propagated by a ''third country'' – an apparent reference to Pakistan. By Aditi Khanna PTI TDSTDS

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