A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Centre allows farmers to buy seeds with demonetised Rs 500 notes from government-run outlets: The Reserve Bank of India provided an extra 60-day period to repay housing, car, farm and other loans.
  2. I-T Department raids Janardhan Reddy’s offices days after his daughter’s Rs 500-crore wedding: Investigator’s are reportedly examining documents seized from the former Karnataka minister’s Bellary mining firm, following a complaint filed by an activist.
  3. Lodha panel seeks dismissal of top BCCI officials, GK Pillai’s appointment as an observer: The committee told the Supreme Court that the Union home secretary could oversee the board’s functioning.
  4. Pope Francis allows Catholic priests to forgive ‘grave sin’ of abortion beyond Year of Mercy: The pontiff, however, maintained that terminating a pregnancy was putting ‘an end to an innocent life’.
  5. IAF fighter jets land on Agra-Lucknow Expressway as Akhilesh Yadav inaugurates it: Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav were present at the launch of India’s longest expressway.
  6. Paytm achieves $5-billion mark of total sales, sets record of seven million daily transactions: Rival online wallet MobiKwik said it had witnessed a 400% increase in use in Gujarat alone, which accounts for 10% of its user base.
  7. More than 30 people killed in blast at Shia mosque in Kabul, Islamic State group claims responsibility: A suicide bomber had detonated an explosive device when a congregation had gathered for prayers, the police said.
  8. Rashtriya Lok Dal, JD(U) announce alliance with smaller local outfits ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls: The new followed Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s statement dismissing reports of any coalition before the Assembly elections.
  9. CBI obtains non-bailable warrant against Vijay Mallya, begins process to extradite him from UK: The order was issued by a special Mumbai court in connection with the case in which the businessman owes Rs 9,000 crore to 17 Indian banks.
  10. India beat England by 246 runs in second Test as spinners complete the job: The hosts went up 1-0 up in the five-match series.