Breaking News January 7 | Highlights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the newly-built Kevadia railway station near the Statue of Unity in Narmada district and the
railway line connecting Vadodara with Kevadia on January 16, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Thursday.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan arrives in Chennai to personally review the dry run for administering COVID-19 vaccine in Tamil Nadu.

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway will remain closed on Friday due to landslides and shooting stones triggered by snow and incessant rains, officials said on Thursday.

"Tomorrow on January 8, no vehicular movement shall be allowed on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice-versa in view of landslides/shooting stones at Samroli, Cafeteria Morh and slippery road condition from Jawahar Tunnel to Zig (Qazigund)," traffic police said.

Supplies of the Oxford University vaccine produced by AstraZeneca began expanding to General Practice (GP) led services in the UK from Thursday to make it easier to protect care home residents and other vulnerable people against COVID-19, the British government said.

Delhi: Former Independent MLA and Haryana Yuva Kisan Sangharsh Samiti chairman, Naresh Yadav - along with a delegation of farmers - met Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar over Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) issue today.

South Africa will receive one million COVID-19 vaccines from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India this month, followed by an additional 500,000 doses in February, the health minister told Parliament on Thursday, amid a spike in coronavirus deaths and infections in the country.

Indian economy is estimated to contract 7.7 per cent in 2020-21 compared to 4.2 per cent growth in the previous fiscal, mainly on account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Thursday announced the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2021 examination date and the eligibility criteria for admission into Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) today. The exam will be held on July 3 while the 75 percent eligibility criteria will not be applicable this year. The exam will be conducted by IIT Kharagpur. READ MORE

Delhi on Thursday ordered the re-opening of medical colleges under the UT government with immediate effect, citing a reduction in the number of coronavirus cases and assessment of the current situation in the national capital. READ MORE

World War II Imphal Campaign Foundation sets up a museum in Imphal. "We have explored around 16 battlefield sites and there are many more that need further research. We have identified the hotspots which will attract tourists," said the President of the foundation.

35 new COVID19 cases, 47 recovered cases, and 1 death reported in Puducherry today.

• Total number of cases: 38,369
• Total active cases: 359
• Total recovered cases: 37,374
• Death toll: 636

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed the media over the Covid-19 vaccine. Here are the highlights from his presser. 

• Feedback on a dry run of COVID vaccine in 4 states was reviewed.  We have made improvements based on the feedback. Tomorrow dry run will be done in 33 states and Union Territories.
• Maharashtra, Kerala, and Chhattisgarh have seen a sudden spike in coronavirus cases recently. This gives us a warning that we shouldn't forget precautions and continue our fight against COVID-19.
• COVID-19 vaccines 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin' are on the verge of being available in the country. Our efforts are to ensure seamless last-mile delivery of the vaccine.
• January 17 to be observed as national immunization day. 

RSS leader Krishna Gopal addressed a press conference in Gandhinagar.

Odisha recorded 230 new COVID-19 cases and 1 death on January 6, while 230 patients have recovered. The number of active cases in the state is 2202. 

Washington DC Police said 52 have been arrested, following the violence at the US Capitol. Police say four people died as Trump supporters occupied the US Capitol in Washington DC. One woman was shot by the US Capitol police as a mob tried to break through a barricaded door, and three died in medical emergencies.

We are on alert as avian influenza has caused the deaths of hundreds of birds in the states of Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. Around 10-12 birds had died in Thane, samples of carcasses have tested negative for bird flu, said Maharashtra Minister for Animal Husbandry Sunil Kedar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates 306 km Rewari-Madar section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor and flags off Double Stack Long Haul (1.5 km in length) container train run.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly discharged from Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata. He said, "I thank the doctors at the hospital for the treatment. I am absolutely fine." 

National Investigation Agency conducted raids at six locations in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, in connection with narcotics and weapons case. 

Rajasthan's Mount Abu recorded the minimum temperature of minus 1 degree Celsius today, as per the India Meteorological Centre, Jaipur. 

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has filed a police complaint against actor Sonu Sood for allegedly converting a six-storey residential building in Juhu into a hotel without BMC's permission.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday extended public emergency for 15 more days after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election.

About 100 people from the Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh allegedly kidnapped 38 people, including women and children from a village in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district. "All of them have been rescued and 6 people have been detained," said SP Kiran Kang Sidhu.