Policy & Regulation

Ghaziabad–Jewar rapid rail back on track; Delhi alignment idea dropped

The Ghaziabad-to-Jewar rapid rail corridor to Noida International Airport is proceeding on its original alignment after a brief proposal to reroute it via Delhi was explored and then dropped. Plans also include integrating parts of Noida Metro extensions into the RRTS network, while officials cite travel-time, congestion, and emissions benefits from the broader RRTS system.

Japan PM Sanae Takaichi calls snap election three months taking office

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will dissolve parliament on Friday, triggering an early general election on 8 February to seek a public mandate for her government.

DGCA fines IndiGo ₹22.20 crore for December flight disruption and warns senior management

India’s aviation regulator DGCA imposed a ₹22.20 crore penalty on IndiGo for large-scale flight disruptions in December 2025, citing multiple CAR violations and continued non-compliance with revised FDTL norms, and issued warnings to senior management.

A.P. liquor scam: ED summons former MP Vijayasai Reddy

India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Rajya Sabha MP V. Vijayasai Reddy to appear on January 22 in connection with the alleged Andhra Pradesh liquor scam, focusing on suspected money laundering linked to an estimated ₹3,500-crore fraud.

Mother of Elon Musk’s child sues xAI over Grok-generated sexually exploitative deepfakes

Ashley St Clair, mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, sued Musk’s AI company xAI alleging Grok enabled users to generate nonconsensual sexualised deepfake images of her. The suit comes as California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent xAI a cease-and-desist demand to stop creation and distribution of such imagery, growing international scrutiny of Grok.

Google appeals US antitrust ruling on online search monopoly

Google appealed a US district judge’s antitrust ruling that found it illegally held a monopoly in online search and asked to pause implementation of court-ordered remedies.

Vande Bharat sleeper train launch from Malda on the Howrah–Guwahati route

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train from Malda Town station, starting service between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya).

Indian national sentenced in U.S. for conspiracy to illegally export controlled aviation components to Russia

Sanjay Kaushik, a 58-year-old Indian national, was sentenced in the U.S. to 30 months in federal prison for conspiring to illegally export controlled aviation components from Oregon to end users in Russia.

Japan probes X over Grok image generation and seeks immediate changes

Japan began probing X over Elon Musk’s Grok AI service and said it would consider legal measures to prevent the generation of inappropriate images.

Airspace restrictions at Delhi airport during Republic Day events

Delhi airport will impose airspace curbs on January 26 and 29, restricting non-scheduled flights during specified hours for Republic Day events.

GRAP Stage-III curbs enforced in Delhi-NCR as air quality worsens

GRAP Stage-III curbs were enforced across Delhi-NCR as the AQI rose into the ‘very poor’ range and forecasts indicated it could enter the ‘severe’ category in coming days.

Australia’s under-16 social media ban leads to 4.7 million accounts being revoked

Social media companies revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children in Australia under a law banning social media use for users under 16, officials said.

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