A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Demonetisation causes diplomatic row as Pakistan High Commission lodges protest on staffers’ pay: A senior diplomat said they were ‘finding it difficult’ to perform their duties because the bank handling their accounts was refusing to let them withdraw cash.
  2. Government employee killed during anti-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district: Police officers said the militants managed to escape from the area where the encounter took place.
  3. American woman files complaint accusing five men of gangraping her at five-star hotel in Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has discussed the matter with Lieutenant General Najeeb Jung and asked the police to register a case at the earliest.
  4. Centre hikes limit of cash-absorbing Market Stabilisation Scheme bond to Rs 6 lakh crore: The move will help banks to invest the liquidity surplus they have received because of the amount of deposits made after the demonetisation of high-value notes.
  5. I-T officials seize undisclosed income worth Rs 152 crore from two PWD chief engineers in Karnataka: State Home Minister G Parameshwara said the bureaucrats had been suspended, even as the ACB sought details of their assets from income tax officials.
  6. Visually impaired professor and 11 others win Helen Keller Award: Sanjeev Sonawane’s education model has helped bring hundreds of students with disabilities to the mainstream.
  7. At least Rs 1.64 crore, other inconsistencies found in Jan Dhan accounts during I-T investigations: As per official data, approximately Rs 21,000 crore has been deposited in such accounts till November 23 following the demonetisation of high-value currency.
  8. Usain Bolt sets record by winning World Athlete of the Year award for sixth time: Long-distance runner Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia bagged the same for female athletes for winning the 10,000m gold in Rio Games this year.
  9. Arun Jaitley cites constitutional compulsion to roll out GST by September 16 next year: The finance minister also urged states not to oppose the new tax regime only for the sake of opposition.
  10. Donald Trump speaks with Taiwan president, risking relations with China: This was the first time since 1979 that the leader of the island and the US president or president-elect has communicated with each other.