LIVE: Biden says fastest way to remove Trump is to inaugurate him

Lakhvi pleaded before the court that he was falsely implicated in this case. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

12:22 PM

DGGI arrests firm's director, accountant for fraudulently availing ITC

The Chennai Zonal Unit of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has arrested the director of a firm and an accountant for fraudulently availing Input Tax Credit (ITC) of Rs 21 crore through fake GST invoices.

 

The department said that Srimarg Human Resource Pvt Ltd (SHRPL), Chennai was engaged in providing manpower to various industries and manufacturing units located in Chennai and Tada.

 

After officials came to know that the company had been fraudulently availing ITC without any actual receipt of goods/ services from several non-existent firms, simultaneous searches were conducted at various premises including the residential premises of the company's directors on January 6, 2021 and incriminating evidence was seized. Read on...

11:57 AM

Trump's education, transport secretaries resign over Capitol Hill violence

Two of the US Cabinet members -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transport Secretary Elaine Chao -- have resigned over the storming of the Capitol by President Donald Trump's supporters.

 

DeVos, whose resignation comes into effect on Friday, said the insurrection on Capitol Hill was an "inflection point" for her, while Chao said she was deeply troubled by the violence. Chao's resignation will come into effect on Monday.

 

In her resignation letter to President Trump on Thursday, DeVos said, We should be highlighting and celebrating your administration's many accomplishments on behalf of the American people. Instead we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters overrunning the US Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people's business."

11:55 AM

Now TikTok removes videos of Trump inciting supporters

Facing the ire of the Donald Trump administration, Chinese short-video making platform TikTok has removed videos of President Trumps speech inciting supporters to mob the US Capitol, stressing these violate the misinformation policy.

 

"Hateful behaviour and violence have no place on TikTok. Content or accounts that seek to incite, glorify, or promote violence violate our Community Guidelines and will be removed," the company said in a statement on Thursday.

 

According to a report in TechCrunch, TikTok will still let people post "counter speech" videos that dispute incorrect claims.

11:54 AM

US Transportation Secy resigns in protest over Capitol violence

US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has announced her resignation in protest over the chaos and violence that rocked Capitol Hill.

 

With her resignation announced on Thursday, Chao, who is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, became the first member of outgoing President Donald Trump's cabinet to step down in the wake of Wednesday's protests, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

In a letter to her colleagues at the Department of Transportation, Chao said her resignation will take effect on January 11.

11:53 AM

George Clooney says Capitol attack put Trump family 'into the dustbin of history'

Hollywood star George Clooney has condemned the attack on the Capitol Hill in the US by thousands of supporters of Donald Trump saying that the president's name will now forever be associated with "insurrection".

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, during an appearance on the The Business weekly podcast, "The Midnight Sky" star said it was "devastating" to watch the people's house being "desecrated".

 

"This puts Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. Ivanka, all of them, into the dustbin of history. That name will now forever be associated with insurrection," Clooney said.

 

The Trump supporters on Wednesday clashed with police at the Capitol, where members of the Congress were going through the process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes.

11:14 AM

75 persons detected with new UK mutant strain in India

The total number of people who tested positive for the new UK strain of the Coronavirus reached 75 on Thursday, the special surveillance report issued by the central government said.

 

As per the report, a total of 4,858 people have been traced who travelled between India and the UK after the cases of infection by new variant came to light.

 

"A total 1,211 travellers from the UK have completed 28 days from their arrival in India. out of 75 people infected with UK variant of COVID-19, 33 were found in Mumbai, 14 in Pune, eight in Thane, nine in Nagpur, two each in Nashik, Aurangabad, Raigad and Buldhana, and one each in Osmanabad, Nanded and Washim," the report said.

10:33 AM

Ruckus by Opposition in Kerala Assembly as Governor Arif Mohammad Khan delivers his address

10:25 AM

Indian flag seen at pro-Trump rally which some Indian-Americans joined

An Indian flag was seen amid a sea of American and Trump flags in a footage, as well as images, of the violent protests at the US Capitol that went viral on social media.

 

An Indian-American Republican political activist, Vincent Xavier, tweeted on Thursday pictures of the flags India, South Korea and Iran at the protest.

 

The Iranian flag was from the pre-Islamic revolution era.

 

His tweet said: "American patriots - Vietnamese, Indian, Korean & Iranian origins, & from so many other nations & races, who believe massive voter fraud has happened joined rally yesterday in solidarity with Trump. Peaceful protestors who were exercising our rights."

 

On his Facebook page, Xavier posted a video of a person at the protest with an Indian flag.

10:01 AM

Capitol Hill violence result of Trump's 'contempt for democracy', says Biden

9:46 AM

Mexico president condemns Twitter, Facebook for blocking Donald Trump

Mexico's president on Thursday condemned the decision by social media platforms to block the accounts of US President Donald Trump.

 

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the same time declined to condemn the assault by Trump supporters on the US Capitol on Wednesday, citing his policy of not interfering in other countries' affairs. He said only that he regretted the loss of lives.

 

But Lopez Obrador, who is seen as friendly to Trump, was quick to criticise what he called the censorship of the US president.

 

I don't like anybody being censored or taking away from the the right to post a message on Twitter or Face(book). I don't agree with that, I don't accept that, Lpez Obrador said. Read on...

8:34 AM

Pelosi, Schumer, Republican Congressman join calls to oust Trump from office

Reeling from the mob attack on Congress, the nation's two highest-ranking Democrats and a Republican Congressman have demanded that Vice President Mike Pence act to remove President Donald Trump from office.

 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Party leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday said that he could pose a danger to the country in the 13 days left for him to be in office and Pence and the cabinet should invoke the constitution to declare him unfit to function as president and oust him.

 

A Republican member of the House of Representatives, Adam Kinzinger also called for Trump's removal from office.

8:26 AM

Oil prices hit 11-month high on Saudi cuts, shrugs off US political turmoil

Oil prices settled higher on Thursday, hitting 11-month peaks, as markets remained focused on Saudi Arabia's unexpected pledge to deepen its oil cuts and firmer equities, shrugging off political turmoil in the United States.

 

Brent crude settled up 8 cents to $54.38 a barrel after touching $54.90, a high not seen since before the first COVID-19 lockdowns in the West. Read on...

7:49 AM

Nancy Pelosi calls for invoking 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday (local time) called Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to remove President Donald Trump from office by invoking the 25th Amendment.

 

Speaking at a news conference, Pelosi said that if the 25th Amendment is not invoked against Trump, Congress will move forward with the impeachment of the president, reported CNN.

 

"I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove President by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment. If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus and the American people," she said. Read on...