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67 accused in Naroda Gam case acquitted after 21 years and 6 trials

All accused in Naroda Gam riots that killed 11 people acquitted. A special court in Ahmedabad on Thursday acquitted all the 69 accused in the Naroda Gam massacre where 11 people had been killed 21 years ago during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Judge Subhada

Baxi acquitted all of them from all charges, in a verbal order. The detailed order wasn’t immediately available. The acquitted include former BJP legislator and exGujarat minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal activist Babu Bajrangi and former VHP leader Jaydeep Patel.

Slogans of “Jai Shree Ram” filled the air as they came out of the courtroom Thursday evening.

Another 17 people who were also accused died while the trial was going on The Naroda Gam massacre was one of the nine major cases of the 2002 Gujarat riots which were handed over to a SIT constituted by the Supreme Court under former CBI director RK Raghavan. According to the case, 11 members of the Muslim community, including four women, had been burnt to death by a mob.

India approves construction of its own LIGO

The Indian government has granted the final approvals necessary for construction to begin on LIGO-India, a nearly identical version of the twin LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) facilities that made history after making the first direct detection of ripples in space and time known as gravitational waves in 2015. The Indian government will spend about $320 million to build LIGO-India, with first observations expected by the end of the decade.

“We’ve worked very hard over the past few years to bring a LIGO detector to India,” says David Reitze, the executive director of the LIGO Laboratory at Caltech. “Receiving the green light from the Indian government is a very welcome development that will benefit not only India but the entire international

Earlier, Kodnani and Bajrangi were convicted by the special SIT court in the Naroda Patiya massacre case. While Kodnani was later acquitted by the HC, Bajrangi’s conviction was upheld.

After coming out of the court, Kodnani told the media that truth has prevailed. The case was registered in 2009 and six judges have presided over the trial before the order came on Thursday.

Mon-Fri - 12:00 - 9:30

Sat-Sun - 12:00 - 10:00

NOW ORDER ONLINE: gravitational-wave community.”

“As the newest gravitational-wave detector, LIGO-India will have all of our latest and best techniques incorporated from the get-go,” says Rana Adhikari, a professor of physics at Caltech who helps lead the development of LIGO-India along with Reitze and others on the LIGO team, in collaboration with Indian scientists.

LIGO-India is a collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory—operated by Caltech and MIT and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)—and India’s Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), and the Department of Atomic Energy Directorate of Construction Services

Australia’s University of Wollongong denies ban on applications from Indian students

It was reported that UOW was one of the five universities that had placed ban or restriction on students from some Indian states in response to a surge in fraudulent applications seeking to work, and not study, in the country. The UOW said in a statement that it does not have any restrictions on student applications from India other.

Australia’s University of Wollongong (UOW) said on Thursday that it has not placed any ban or restriction on applications from Indian students, nor on students from any specific Indian states or regions.

It was reported that UOW was one of the five universities that had placed ban or restriction on students from some Indian states in response to a surge in fraudulent applications seeking to work, and not study, in the country.

The UOW said in a statement that it “does not have any restrictions on student applications from India other than the standard entry criteria we apply to all international students and the requirements of the Australian Department of Home Affairs”.

Instead of introducing restrictions, UOW said it has streamlined its application process for all international students,

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In front of Lohar’s stall is a small box with a speaker and a machine-readable QR code. Her customers use the code to make an online payment and the speaker, which connects to the internet via a built-in SIM card, reads out a payment confirmation message, letting sellers and buyers know the money has been received. These QR codes and sound boxes can now be found throughout India, as the country of 1.4 billion people transitions from a cash-first to a cashless society.

“Most of the people who come here use the code to buy the pots,” Lohar said. “Very few people are carrying cash now.” Lohar, whose family lives in the shacks they built on the same road, does not have a bank account. It was a family friend who suggested they set up a QR code last year. He made one for them using his own bank account and Aadhaar, a government identification number. She now tracks her money through an app, and retrieves cash from him when needed. “For the first few days I tried it, the technology was a bit confusing,” she added. “But over time, I learned to use my phone and it has become simple and more convenient than cash sometimes.”Asean planning regional payments network that could benefit migrant workersThe codes are part of a home-grown scan-and-pay system that has transformed the way businesses in India operate. Hundreds of millions of people across the country can access this online transaction system, using apps like Paytm and PhonePe.

For years, India had been lagging behind other Asian economies such as Singapore, South Korea and China,

70-Year-Old woman forced to walk to collect pension

In a shocking incident from Odisha, a 70-year-old woman was seen walking barefoot for several kilometres only to collect her pension from a bank.

According to a video which has gone viral on social media, the frail woman can be seen walking barefoot in scorching heat with the support of a broken chair. The incident happened in the Jharigaon block of Nabrangpur district of Odisha on April 17.

The elderly woman, Surya Harijan, is very poor. Her older son is working as a migrant labourer in a different state. She is staying with her younger son’s family and he makes his living grazing other people’s cattle. The family has no land to plough and lives in a hut.

The lady went to the bank to get the pension, but she was told that her thumb is not matching the records, and she was forced to return home.

Reacting to the incident, the State Bank of India (SBI) manager has claimed that she is facing trouble in withdrawing money because of her “broken fingers” and the bank is working to resolve the problem.

“Her fingers are broken, so she is facing trouble withdrawing money. She has been given ₹ 3,000 manually from the bank. We will resolve the problem soon,” the SBI manager of the Jharigaon branch said.

The Sarpanch of her village also said that they have discussed listing such helpless people in the village and providing pension money to them.

Shashi Tharoor on court dismissing Rahul’s plea

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reacted to the Surat Court’s dismissal of Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the 2019 defamation case. Tharoor said the Surat court said Rahul Gandhi has not been able to show any exceptional circumstances to grant astay on conviction. “Isn’t it exceptional enough to get a 2 years sentence for criminal defamation? Just long enough to be disqualified from Parliament,” Tharoor tweeted.

BJP’s Sambit Patra at a press conference on Thursday said the rejection of Rahul Gandhi’s petition is a victory of the common people and a defeat of the arrogance and the ecosystem of the Congress. “The Congress did a mobilisation after Rahul Gandhi’s conviction across the country and abroad,” Sambit Patra said.

The Congress on Thursday said it will explore all other legal avenues available in front of it. Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Sinhvi will address a press conference at 4pm.

If the sessions court stayed the conviction, Rahul Gandhi would have been reinstated in Parliament. Complainant Purnesh Modi’s lawyer Harshit Toliya said the sessions court observed that this is not an exceptional case and merely being an MP is not a ground for the suspension of the conviction. In his appeal, Rahul Gandhi said that the trial was not fair and that his disqualification from Parliament meant an irreparable loss. Purnesh Modi, on the other hand, opposed the plea and said Rahul Gandhi is a repeat offender and is not regretful for his ‘Modi surname’ remark.

Kejriwal appeals to people to vote for his party

Ahead of next month’s Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election, AAP party national convener Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people of the constituency to vote for his party if they want development, claiming the Congress did nothing for them in 60 years.

“We are doing good work and with honesty,”hesaid,addressingagatheringhere. “Vote for us in place of Congress...give us one chance,” the Delhi chief minister added.

“For past 60 years, Jalandhar has been represented by a Congress MP. For 60 years, you voted for the Congress. What did you get? Did the Congress give you anything? Nothing,” Arvind Kejriwal said.

He said people of Punjab gave AAP a chance in last year’s assembly polls and the party formed the government with overwhelming majority. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present.

“And the second thing, if you vote for the Congress, what benefit will you get?

In Punjab, it is our government, we have to get the work done. If you vote for the Congress, they will fight and indulge in ‘Tu Tu Mein Mein’. If you want fights, vote for them, but if you have to get all your work done, get roads built, landfills cleaned, then give one chance to AAP,” Mr Kejriwal said. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in January. The Congress has fielded his wife Karamjit Kaur, while AAP has fielded Sushil Kumar Rinku, a former Congress leader who recently joined the ruling party in the state.

Arvind Kejriwal told the people of Jalandhar that he was giving them a guarantee that all their work would be completed by the AAP government. After AAP came to power in Punjab, during past one year, “we have started to fulfil these promises, guarantees”, he said.

Punjab

Vigilance Bureau arrests dismissed AIG under Corruption Act

Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested a dismissed AIG Raj Jit Singh under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly owning disproportionate assets.

The Vigilance Bureau FIR is based on three reports by Special Investigation Team on Raj Jit’s collusion with drug- tainted and dismissed cop Inderjit Singh.

The SIT reports and stated there was a surge in Raj Jit’s properties in the year 2013 (when Inderjit was working under him in Tarn Taran as CIA in-charge) The FIR quoting the reports said Raj Jit while buying the properties under-valued those in the registration deeds.

Amritpal Singh’s wife stopped from flying to London

The immigration authorities stopped Kirandeep Kaur, wife of fugitive pro Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh, from boarding the flight for UK at Sri Guru Ram Dass ji International airport here on Thursday. She was questioned by the

Amritsar rural police authorities along with officials of different intelligence agencies. Where is Amritpal Singh? One month on, no sight of pro-Khalistan activisit except in CCTV footage

Ambala girl & father apologise days after controversy at Golden Temple

Days after a controversy erupted when a girl claimed that she was denied entry into the Golden Temple, she and her father today said the issue was blown out of proportion. The girl and her father said they had no intentions to create any controversy. They apologised in case anybody’s feelings were hurt.

The girl from an Ambala village said she had sent a video on WhatsApp groups just as a proof of safety in case anything went wrong later. “We had no idea that it will go viral and be taken in a wrong manner,” she said, adding, “When I went there, I was asked to adjust my dress, which I did. A “sewadar” saw the flag on my face and then whatever happened can be seen in the video. I apologise if I have hurt anyone’s feelings.”

Pakistan

Top diplomat plans to visit India

Foreign Minister, Bilawal Zardari will attend an international conference in India next month, the first official visit by any one of top diplomats visiting India, since 2016.

Bilawal Zardari will go to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa from May 4 to 5, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told in a news briefing.

Islamabad suspended trade and diplomatic ties with India in 2019 when New Delhi imposed direct rule on the part of Muslim-majority Kashmir it controls and enforced a heavy security lockdown.

Both countries withdrew their top diplomats and several consular staff were expelledorwithdrawnintit-for-tatmeasures.

Although it is not clear if Bhutto will have any bilateral meetings with Indian officials on the sidelines of the SCO meeting,

We cannot undo the verdict, says Chief Justice

Three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial ordered State Bank of Pakistan to issue funds for the forthcoming elections. After examining reports submitted by the officials, the bench ordered that funds should be issued by State Bank of Pakistan directly to the Election Commission. A full order would be issued after Friday noon.

“The State Bank of Pakistan shall from Account I lying under its control and management (and which constitutes the principal component of the Federal Consolidated Fund) forthwith allocate and release Rs. 21 Billion for purposes of the general elections to the Punjab and KP Assemblies,” the order said.

The order says that the Ministry of Finance should give directions to the AGPR to raise the ceiling of the Election Commission’s funding.

“Likewise, the Election Commission shall on 18.04.2023 file a report with this Court confirming that Rs.21 Billion have become available to it in terms as stated above.”

Attorney General Mansoor Awan presented the government’s version to the bench, saying that any amount from the Federal Consolidated Fund cannot be issued without the parliament’s approval.

Supreme Court declares govt’s plea seeking all elections simultaneously inadmissible

Supreme Court on Wednesday declared as inadmissible for hearing the defence ministry’s plea to hold general elections across the Country upon completion of term of interm govt as well as province of Sindh and Balochistan Legislative Assemblies.

The apex court also warned the government of “serious consequences” if it failed to release the funds required for conducting election in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while hearing the defence ministry’s request.

A members’ bench of Judeges comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mr Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar heard the petition.

A day earlier, the defence ministry filed an application in the SC, requesting the top court to recall its April 4 order that had fixed May 14 as the election date for the Punjab Assembly. The application asked the apex court to issue directives that general elections to the national and all provincial assemblies be held on the same date.

Fiji is facing triple threat: Naidu

The chair of the Fiscal Review Committee Richard Naidu warns that Fiji is facing a triple threat.

Speaking at the National Economic Summit, Naidu stresses that the high debtto-GDP ratio will constrain Fiji’s borrowing that is needed to undertake investments.

“But we must still urgently invest in physical and human capital. If not our quality of life and our long-term economic growth is threatened. Even the assumptions that we make today about our road and bridge network surviving, about there being water in our taps. Those are the things that we assume will continue. Those are actually at risk.”

A 2021 National Survey jointly conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Fiji’s Bureau of Statistics have found that over 5,000 people were known to be “hidden victims” of human trafficking in the country from 2017 to 2021; New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs Carmel Sepuloni visits Fiji as part of a Pacific Mission to strengthen bilateral ties.

Fiji & New Zealand focus on strengthening bilateral ties will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki te kanohi with Government leaders and reaffirm the close links that already exist between Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta

‘We must all work together’ says US ambassador

Participants of three-day Pacific Regional Forum on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants conference in Suva emphasized on ‘We must all work together’. United States ambassador to Fiji Marie Damour also attended the event.

Joint collaboration between multiple agencies nationally and regionally are vital in combatting human trafficking.

This was the point highlighted by Dr Rebecca Miller, the regional coordinator for human trafficking and migrant smuggling at the United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

She is one of the facilitators in Suva this week for the three-day Pacific Regional Forum on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants conference which began in Suva on Tuesday.

“It’s an issue in Fiji but it’s an issue in all countries around the world,” she said.

“This is part of the work that UNODC does to help countries throughout the southeast Asia Pacific region to strengthen their data collection systems, understand what human trafficking is, and really

Germany unveiled draft reforms on immigration, skills training and promoting immigration from countries outside the European Union, a bid by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to plug labour shortages in Europe’s largest economy.

“Securing our skilled labour base is one of Germany’s biggest economic tasks for the coming decades,” Labour Minister Hubertus Heil said. The number of job vacancies in 2022 was at a record high of close to 2 million, according to the ministry.

“With this, we are laying the foundation for a new start in migration policy,” Finance Minister Christian Lindner tweeted after the cabinet approved the reforms. “Anyone who can contribute to the country’s economic success as a skilled worker is welcome.”

The draft law says the reform could increase the number of workers from countries outside the EU by 60,000 people a year, according to a report by Reuters.

NDP wastes time prioritizing politics over people

As B.C. faces multiple crises, from affordability, to housing, to healthcare and crime, David Eby and the NDP have chosen to use time in the Legislature to play petty, divisive pandemic politics, calling a vote on an anti-vaccine protest motion, instead of delivering the results British Columbians need and deserve.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that the NDP would leverage the pandemic for political reasons, focusing on the divisiveness of the past, rather than how to move forward as a province,” said Shirley Bond, BC United Shadow Minister for Health. “It is irresponsible for this government to spend our limited time in the Legislature voting on issues with the sole purpose of further dividing people and inflaming conflict rather than working together to address the critical issues impacting British Columbians every single day.”

In the Legislature this afternoon the NDP forced a vote on a motion regarding anti-vaccine protests that has been widely decried by media and pundits as divisive and unproductive, taking time away from debates on housing, transportation, and economic development.

“The housing crisis in B.C. is the worst it has ever been, anywhere in the country. The overdose crisis has tragically claimed the lives of 11,000 British Columbians, with no end to the devastation in sight, and the deadly health care crisis continues in every single corner of our province. Homelessness continues to increase, and the problem of repeat violent offenders has never been worse in B.C.‘s history. In the face of so many serious problems, and so much suffering across our province, it is more important than ever for government to have the right priorities. The NDP should be spending more time working to save lives and keeping people safe than scoring cheap political points.”

Media Contact: Abigail Uher Senior Communications Officer BC United Caucus 250-896-5337 abigail.uher@leg.bc.ca

Housing affordability worse than ever under NDP

Press release

During a debate on housing affordability in the Legislature in which not a single NDP MLA rose to speak, BC United MLA Shirley Bond called out government for their lack of progress on such a critical issue.

Bond highlighted the continued worsening of the housing crisis, which has B.C. renters paying over $4,000 more in rent every year than they did when the NDP first came to power. Vancouver is now the least affordable rental market in the country, with Victoria and Kelowna now third and fourth worst, respectively.

Despite the NDP’s promises to make life more affordable for British Columbians, it’s clear the opposite has happened under their leadership.

The debate on housing affordability took place after the NDP worked with BC Conservative Leader John Rustad to shut down discussion of a motion expressing support for small businesses impacted by crime.

Press release