HIGHLIGHTS AT 9 PM

Following are the top stories at 9 pm:

NATION

DEL93 LDALL NIRBHAYA Nirbhaya case: Court issues fresh death warrants against 4 convicts, orders hanging on Feb 1, 6 am

New Delhi: Fresh death warrants were issued by a Delhi court on Friday for the execution of the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case on February 1, shortly after the President quickly rejected the mercy petition of one of them.

DEL97 PB-CAA-4THLD RESOLUTION Punjab Assembly adopts resolution against Citizenship Amendment Act, state to move SC against it

Chandigarh: Calling the Citizenship (Amendment) Act "inherently discriminatory", the Punjab Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution seeking its immediate repeal and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced that his government would approach the Supreme Court against it, the second state after Kerala to do so.

DEL102 MHA-LD NPR Non-BJP-ruled states raise objections to NPR methodology at MHA-convened meet

New Delhi: A few non-BJP-ruled states on Friday raised objections over the new methodology to be adopted in the NPR exercise but the central government defended the steps saying certain responses to be given by people are not mandatory but voluntary.

MDS19 KA-4THLD SATELLITE ISRO's GSAT-30 satellite successfully launched by Ariane rocket

Bengaluru: India's communication satellite GSAT-30, aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services, was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana early on Friday.

DEL99 RUSSIA-2NDLD INDIA

We do not have any doubt about India's approach on Kashmir: Russian Ambassador New Delhi: Russia is not eager to know what is happening in Kashmir and those having doubts over New Delhi's policy for the region as well as the situation in the Valley can visit it, Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev said on Friday.

DEL101 2NDLD BJP-DELHI-CANDIDATES

BJP release list of 57 candidates for Delhi polls; repeats several nominations New Delhi: The BJP has banked on experience to take on the ruling AAP in the Delhi assembly polls, scheduled for next month, as it released on Friday its first list of 57 candidates, which included four former mayors, and many councilors.

DEL66 UP-LD-BLAST-CONVICT

Missing Mumbai blasts convict arrested by UP Police Lucknow, Jan 17 (PTI) Mumbai serial blasts convict Jalees Ansari, who went missing while on parole, was on Friday arrested in Kanpur by the Uttar Pradesh special task force, state DGP O P Singh said.

CAL13 VISVA BHARTI-2NDLD PANEL

Students on warpath with Visva Bharati authority after it sets up panel to probe BJP MP's confinement New Delhi/ Santiniketan (WB): The Visva Bharati University on Friday set up a 3-member panel to probe the incident of alleged confinement of BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta on the campus on January 8, setting off a storm, with students demanding that an inquiry be first conducted into alleged assault on them two days back.

CAL10 NL-ASSEMBLY-LD NAGA ISSUE

Nagas "very close" to settlement of vexed political issue: Guv Kohima: The talks to end the decades-old Naga insurgency have "successfully concluded" and Nagaland could be "very close" to a resolution of the conflict, Governor R N Ravi told the state assembly on Friday, raising fresh hopes among people of return to normal life.

MDS24 KA-SDPI-LD ARREST

Terror module busted, 6 SDPI members held in Bengaluru Bengaluru: A Bengaluru terror module has been busted with the arrest of six members of the Social Democratic Party of India who had allegedly attempted to kill an RSS worker on December 22 for taking part in a pro-CAA rally, police said on Friday.

LEGAL

LGD48 SC-LD NIRBHAYA Nirbhaya case: Convict moves SC against HC order rejecting his juvenility claim

New Delhi: One of the death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case moved the Supreme Court Friday challenging the Delhi High Court's order dismissing his claim of being a juvenile at the time of commission of offence in December 2012.

LGD15 SC-MAHATMA SC declines PIL seeking Bharat Ratna for Mahatma Gandhi; says he is beyond formal recognition

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking conferment of 'Bharat Ratna' on Mahatma Gandhi saying that people hold the father of the nation in "high esteem", beyond any formal recognition.

FOREIGN

FGN45 MYANMAR-XI-LDALL VISIT

Xi vows to bolster ties with Myanmar to 'new level' as China eyes opening into Indian Ocean Nay Pyi Taw: President Xi Jinping on Friday vowed to take China's ties with Myanmar to a "new level" during his maiden visit, which aims at boosting the Communist giant's investments in mammoth infrastructure projects, including a USD 1.3-million port deal that will provide Beijing a stepping stone to the Indian Ocean.

FGN46 IRAN-KHAMENEI-3RDLD US

Iran's top leader strikes defiant tone amid month of turmoil Tehran: Iran's supreme leader lashed out at Western countries as he led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight years, dismissing "American clowns" who he said pretend to support the Iranian nation but want to stick their "poisoned dagger" into its back. (AP)

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