Latest LIVE: Gujarat court acquits 22 accused in post-Godhra riots case

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A court at Halol town in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Tuesday acquitted 22 persons, accused of killing 17 members of a minority community, including two children, for want of evidence in a case stemming from the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots in the state.

At least four families are believed to be trapped under the debris in Lucknow's Hazratganj, officials at the site said. Three have been rescued, reports NDTV

‘Naatu Naatu’, the chartbuster which gradually became a foot-tapping anthem against oppression worldwide and had audiences across nations grooving to its beat, continues its winning spree with an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Original Song.

Actor Kangana Ranaut is back on Twitter, nearly two years after her account was permanently suspended in May 2021. "Hello everyone, it's nice to be back here," she tweeted this evening.

Election for the post of Delhi mayor were postponed again on Tuesday after the House was adjourned sine die following a ruckus by BJP and AAP members, as per reports


Not familiar with BBC documentary, very familiar with shared democratic values' with India: US State Department
The US is not familiar with the BBC documentary, but it is familiar with the shared democratic values that connects Washington and New Delhi, a US State Department spokesperson has said. The two-part BBC series, titled "India: The Modi Question", has claimed that it investigated certain aspects relating to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state. Addressing a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington shares an exceptionally deep partnership with New Delhi based on values that are common to both the US and Indian democracies.

FBI, CBI officials meet to discuss cooperation on technology-based crimes
Officials from the top internal investigating agencies of India and the US, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation, and those from the US Department of Justice met to discuss continued cooperation in addressing dynamic and evolving technology-based crimes. The meeting between FBI and CBI officials were held in New Delhi last week, the Department of Justice said on Monday.

Large companies must take responsibility to handhold MSMEs: Piyush Goyal
Union minister Piyush Goyal has said that large companies must take responsibility to handhold MSMEs, help them adopt best practices and integrate them into the supply chain ecosystem. He was speaking at the fourth Plenary Session of the B20 India Inception Meeting on Building Resilient Global Value Chains in Gandhinagar. Goyal noted that MSMEs flourish around a larger unit or anchor. Citing an example, he said, as Apple's manufacturing plant comes up, thousands of MSME units flourish in the ecosystem as mini value chain suppliers to Apple. 

11:30 PM

AAP making mockery of country's democracy, alleges BJP's Manoj Tiwari

BJP Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari on Tuesday accused the councillors of the Aam Aadmi Party of disrupting the election of Delhi Mayor and said that their actions lead to many questions.

 

Tiwari said that people saw what had happened in the MCD house on January 6 and asked why the AAP is so afraid to give Delhi its Mayor.

11:16 PM

Ensure BJP clinches 'hat-trick' by winning all 26 LS seats in Guj in 2024: state chief Paatil

Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil on Tuesday asked the cadres at the state executive committee meeting to ensure a "hat-trick" for the party by winning all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections.

 

Addressing the concluding session of the two-day meeting here, he also told BJP workers to ensure that rival candidates lose their deposits in these constituencies.

 

11:08 PM

UAE supports India's ambition of 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030: Official

The UAE's expanded cooperation with India in the area of climate and clean energy aims to support New Delhi's ambition to achieve 450 gigawatts of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, a senior official said on Tuesday.

 

President and CEO of Dubai Chambers of Commerce, Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, said both the countries were old energy partners, with India being the third leading importer and consumer of UAE crude oil.

10:47 PM

Multi-storey building collapses in Lucknow; 9 rescued, many feared trapped

Several people are feared trapped after a four-storey residential building collapsed in Lucknow's Hazratganj on Tuesday, officials said.

 

At least nine people have been pulled out of the rubble and sent to hospitals, even as the rescue operation is on, they said.

10:23 PM

AAP's Raghav Chadha to get India UK Outstanding Achievers Honour

Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has been selected for the "Outstanding Achiever" honour at the India UK Achievers Honours in London for the "Government and Politics" category. The honour recognises individuals who demonstrate "excellence in how democracy and justice are experienced and how challenging societal problems are tackled together for the good of people and the planet", reports NDTV

10:20 PM

AAP, BJP forcing presiding officer to postpone mayoral election: Delhi Cong

The Delhi Congress on Tuesday lashed out at the AAP and BJP, accusing them of disrupting the MCD house by "forcing" the presiding officer to postpone the mayoral election.

 

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was adjourned on Tuesday without electing a mayor and deputy mayor amid a ruckus by some councillors.

10:17 PM

Air India reviews in-flight alcohol policy after 'pee-gate' incident

Air India has reviewed its existing in-flight alcohol service policy, and made some adjustments for better clarity.

 

The move came after the airline drew flak following the 'pee-gate' incident, wherein a flyer named Shankar Mishra reportedly urinated on an elderly female passenger in a drunk state on board a New York-New Delhi flight in Novermber last year. Mishra is presently under judicial custody.

 

10:13 PM

NSE co-location case: Sebi likely to file appeal in Supreme Court against SAT order

Sebi is considering filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against an order by the Securities Appellate Tribunal that set aside the capital markets regulator's disgorgement directive in the NSE co-location case.

 

The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) on Monday set aside Sebi's order for disgorging profit worth Rs 625 crore in the co-location case but directed the exchange to pay Rs 100 crore to the regulator for the lack of due diligence in the matter.

9:43 PM

Farmers are backbone of India's economy, says Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

India will become self-reliant only when farmers adopt innovations, new techniques and trends in agriculture to ensure maximum production from minimum land and investment, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Tuesday.

 

Birla, along with Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, inaugurated a two-day agriculture fair and exhibition at the Dusshera Ground in Kota.

9:40 PM

Journalist deaths jumped 50 per cent in 2022, led by Ukraine, Mexico

Killings of journalists around the world jumped by 50 per cent in 2022 compared to the previous year, driven largely by attacks in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti.

 

According to a report on Tuesday by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 67 news media workers were killed worldwide in 2022, the highest number since 2018. Journalists in the three countries say the increased danger has forced them to work under extreme stress.

9:13 PM

Govt calls all-party meeting on Jan 30 on eve of Budget Session

The government has convened an all-party meeting on January 30 -- on the eve of the Budget Session, sources aware of the developments said on Tuesday.

 

The customary meeting has been convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi just ahead of the budget session, which begins on January 31.

8:26 PM

Hold armed forces in highest esteem, my questions were to govt and not defence officials: Digvijaya

Slammed by his own party and the BJP for his remarks on surgical strikes, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday sought to damage control, saying he held the armed forces in highest esteem and his questions were pointed at the government and not defence officials.

 

He said he was not questioning the armed forces but the Modi government as he as a responsible citizen has the right to know the facts.

 

8:25 PM

Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SC to pronounce order on Ashish Mishra's bail plea on Wednesday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Wednesday its order on the bail plea of Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

 

As per the cause list of January 25 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and J K Maheshwari will pronounce the order

8:21 PM

Govt, judiciary will have to come together to bring down pendency of cases: Rijiju

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said with nearly 4.90 crore cases pending in various courts, the government and the judiciary will have to come together so that justice is delivered at the fastest possible pace and technology will play a crucial role.

 

He also lauded the contribution of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud as the head of the Supreme Court e-Committee.

8:18 PM

Volvo Cars recalls around 106,900 cars worldwide, reports Reuters

Sweden-based Volvo Cars is recalling around 106,900 cars worldwide over a suspected fault related to the brakes, a Volvo Cars spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The vehicles being recalled are of the 2023 year model of the C40, XC40, S60, V60, XC60, V90 and XC90 models, the spokesperson said.