India

AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) - Some Indian states on Monday began a trial run of COVID-19 vaccine delivery systems, with health authorities checking everything from their technology platforms to the storage infrastructure that will be required to inoculate millions.

India wants to deliver 600 million coronavirus shots in the next six to eight months starting in January, with emergency use approval for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine expected within days.

Pilibhit (UP), Dec 28 (PTI) A minor girl was allegedly held hostage and raped by her relative in a village here, police said on Monday.

The girl was grazing goats in the village when the relative forcibly took her to a sugarcane field and allegedly raped her after tying her with a rope on Saturday, SHO, Gajraula, Jaiprakash Singh said citing the complaint given by the father of the victim.

The girl managed to free herself and reached home, Singh said, adding that an FIR has been lodged and hunt was on to trace the culprit.

Kolkata, Dec 28 (PTI) Nobel laureate Amartya Sen Monday thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for supporting him after his family was accused by the Visva Bharati of being in "illegal" possession of land on the campus, and said her strong voice is a tremendous source of strength.

In his letter, the eminent economist thanked Banerjee for taking out time from her busy schedule, and "reassuring people under attack".

Chandigarh, Dec 27 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's appeal to protesting farmers to not damage telecom infrastructure seems to have failed to deter new attacks, with more than 176 signal transmitting sites being vandalised in the last 24 hours, sources said on Sunday.

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) A cold wave is likely to grip parts of Delhi over the next four days as frosty winds from the Himalayas have started blowing towards the plains, weather department officials said on Monday.

The minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius as against 6 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi left for abroad on Sunday for a short personal visit, the party said.

Though the Congress did not disclose Gandhi's destination, the chief spokesperson of the party, Randeep Surjewala, confirmed that he will be away for a few days.

Durg, Dec 27 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday alleged that the BJP was involved in "horse-trading" in the poll-bound West Bengal.

Slamming Singh, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pandey tweeted in Hindi:" When you (Singh) were Chief Minister (of Madhya Pradesh), then what were you buying in the hotel in Khajuraho in 1995 to topple the BJP government in Gujarat.

Why were you putting your black money as a 'charagah' (pasture)".

New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) Thousands of farmers agitating against the three new Central agriculture laws stayed put at their agitations venues near Delhi, which is going through a harsh spell of winter, unrelenting in their demand of withdrawal of the legislations.

The farmers had reached Singhu border over a month ago.

The protesting farmer unions had on Saturday decided to resume their dialogue with the Centre, and proposed December 29 for the next round of talks.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) The protesting farmer unions on Saturday decided to resume their dialogue with the government and have proposed December 29 as the date for the next round of talks to resolve the deadlock over the Centre's three farm laws.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points against the new agriculture laws.

Bareilly (UP) Dec 26 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh police has offered security to two interfaith couples after two Muslim women married youths after converting to Hinduism in Bareilly district.

Both the women have claimed themselves to be adults on the basis of official documents and married youths of other community on their own accord. These incidents have nothing to do with love jihad, Bareilly's Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajvan said on Saturday.