Top 10 headlines: Chargesheet filed in Lakhimpur case, COVID vaccine drive for kids & more

PM Modi Pays Tribute To Sivaganga Queen Rani Velu Nachiyar; Hails Her Indomitable Courage

Remembering Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to the Sivaganga queen and lauded her indomitable courage and commitment to fight against colonialism. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi called her a queen personifying women empowerment and said that her fight against colonialism was remarkable and her courage will keep motivating the coming generations. 

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COVID-19: India Gears Up To Vaccinate Kids; Here's How States Are Conducting The Drive

As COVID-19 vaccination for teenagers aged between 15 to 18 years kicks off today, January 3, states across the country have made extensive arrangements and set up daily targets to inoculate as many children as possible. For this, education departments have set up vaccination centres at a number of schools and encouraged children to come forward and make the drive successful. 

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Satya Pal Malik Says PM Modi Was 'Arrogant' When He Raised Farmers' Deaths; Congress Balks

Stirring yet another controversy, Meghalaya governor Satya Pal Malik claimed that PM Modi had arrogantly dismissed the news of 500 farmers' deaths in protests when he raised the issue. In a video, which has gone viral on Monday, Malik is heard saying that PM Modi had questioned 'did they die for me?'. Addressing reporters in Haryana's Charkhi Dadri, Malik is further heard saying that Home Minister Amit Shah termed the PM 'mad'.

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Imran Khan's Ex-wife Reham Slams Pak PM After Alleged Attack: 'Welcome To State Of Thugs'

Pakistan Prime Minister’s ex wife, a 42-year-old TV journalist Reham Khan on Monday launched a scathing attack at Imran Khan after her vehicle was allegedly "held at gunpoint" while she was returning from her nephew’s marriage. Hurling insults at the Pakistan Prime Minister Khan for this “New Pakistan”, Reham, in a series of tweets, labelled Islamabad as a country of “cowards, thugs and the greedy” as she informed that she was almost attacked by gunmen and claimed that an FIR has still not been registered.

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Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: SIT Files Chargesheet; MoS' Son Ashish Mishra Named Main Accused

In a key development on Monday, the Uttar Pradesh Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a chargesheet spanning 5000 pages in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. The opposition which has sought Union MoS Ajay Mishra's ouster received a big boost as the latter's son Ashish Mishra has been named as the main accused in this case. Moreover, Ajay Mishra's relative Virendra Shukla who is the Palia block head has also been arraigned as an accused. 

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Yogi Adityanath Kicks Off COVID Vaccine Drive For Kids In UP, Thanks Centre For Free Jabs

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday inaugurated the COVID-19 vaccination drive for children aged 15 to 18 from a Civil Hospital in Lucknow. As many as 2,150 booths have been set up across the state to inoculate 1.4 crore children in this age group. CM Yogi thanked the Central government for providing vaccines free of cost to children as it did for adults. Speaking to reporters after launching the vaccine drive, Yogi said, "There are 1.4 crore children in the age group of 15-18 in the state and 2,150 booths have been set up for their vaccination." 

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Chandrashekhar Azad Stopped At Bhopal Airport; Stopped From Protesting OBC Quota Rollback

Enraged at the Madhya Pradesh govt for rolling back the 27% OBC reservation, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and his Bhima Army members planned to hold a protest rally in Bhopal. However, he was stopped at Bhopal airport itself and was not allowed to hold his protest. Azad had planned a protest from Bhopal airport to New Market.

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Karnataka BJP Lashes Out At Congress For Opposing Bill To Free Temples From Govt Control

A day after Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar expressed his opposition towards the state government's decision to introduce a new law for freeing temples and Hindu religious institutions from government control, Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Congress over their opposition and further said that they don't have a mindset for addressing issues concerning minority communities.

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Ukraine Soldier Killed In Fight With Pro-Russia Separatists As Tensions With Moscow Soar

Amid soaring tensions with Russia, the Ukrainian Army recently informed that one of its soldiers was killed in fighting with pro-Moscow separatists. A day before Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky’s phone call with his US counterpart Joe Biden, the Ukrainian military, in a statement, said that one serviceman of the Joint Forces was “fatally wounded”. As per the press note, it added that the pro-Russia separatists had launched three attacks within 24 hours on Saturday, using grenade launchers and small arms. 

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NCB Arrests Two Women In Connection With Drug Trafficking In Goa On New Year's Eve

The Narcotics Control Bureau conducted raids on new years eve in Goa and arrested two in connection with drugs trafficking. Both the accused arrested in the case are women and were detained on Sunday. They were produced before the court and have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, NCB said.

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Image: Republic World