Here are top stories this Thursday morning: 

PM Modi Congratulates Kamala Harris On 'historic Occasion'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Kamala Harris as she was sworn-in as the 49th Vice President of the United States by calling it a historic occasion. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said that he is 'looking forward to interacting with her to make India-USA relations more robust'. "The India-USA partnership is beneficial for our planet," PM Modi added. 

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Delhi conducts over 1 cr COVID-19 tests

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday informed that the national capital has created a new record as it has successfully conducted over 1 crore COVID-19 tests. Taking to Twitter, the Chief Minister said that the Coronavirus tests done till date in Delhi is equivalent to 50 per cent of Delhi's population. "With a focus on increased testing and treatment, Delhi has successfully contained the scale and spread of COVID-19 infection, " Arvind Kejriwal added. 

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Health Minister says 'no vial of COVID-19 vaccine...' 

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday clarified that no vial of COVID-19 vaccine or a session is wasted if pre-registered beneficiaries do not turn up for the inoculation. In that case, the jabs are allotted to another beneficiary, he said. Taking to Twitter, Vardhan cleared misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccination drive. Responding to questions raised over vials being wasted with people not turning up for inoculation, Vardhan said no vial of the vaccine or session is wasted and are being allotted to another beneficiary in case of absenteeism.

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All Assam Students' Union to protest against CAA 

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Assam on January 23, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has decided to launch a state-wide protest on the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Ex-BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah will also make his second visit to the poll-bound state within a month's time, on January 24. AASU has said that it has planned a three-day protest and it will burn copies of the citizenship law, and hold torch rallies during their visit.

AASU President Dipanka Kumar Nath announced, "On January 22, all the district units of AASU will hold a torchlight rally. On January 23, we will wear black badges ahead of PM Modi's first visit to the state this year. During the visit of the Union Home Minister on January 24, we will hoist black flags and burn copies of CAA across the state."  "The BJP-led government had promised to seal the porous Indo-Bangladesh border. However, that has not materialized. The government has failed to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord," he added.

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Biden announce US will re-enter Paris climate accord

The new United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that the US plans to re-enter the Paris climate accord hours after swearing-in. The accord was a  landmark international agreement which was signed in 2015 to limit global warming, Under the Donald Trump administration, the US had left the agreement in 2020. However, the new President Joe Biden signed an executive order to rejoin into the Paris climate agreement on Wednesday, as per reports. "We are going to combat climate change in a way we have not done so far," he said in his inaugural speech.

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