A look at the headlines right now:

  1. ‘No chance of an earthquake’, says Narendra Modi as he takes on Rahul Gandhi in Varanasi speech: The prime minister said he was bearing the burden of previous governments’ legacies in dealing with poverty.
  2. Girija Vaidyanathan appointed Tamil Nadu’s new chief secretary, say reports: However, there is no official confirmation yet if P Ramamohan Rao has been removed from the post.
  3. Ravichandran Ashwin named ICC Cricketer of the Year: He also won the ICC Test cricketer of the Year award.
  4. Businessman Parasmal Lodha arrested for converting Rs 25 crore in old notes to new currency: Income Tax sleuths had earlier detained him in connection with cash seized from the office of Delhi lawyer Rohit Tandon.
  5. Tata Steel shareholders vote out independent director Nusli Wadia: The company submitted a statement to the stock exchanges announcing his removal on Thursday.
  6. Aleppo evacuations resume after brief halt following fallout between rebels and government forces: At least 25,000 people have been evacuated from Aleppo and 750 more from the Foua and Kefraya villages, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
  7. Manipur BJP MLA joins ruling Congress to protest Centre’s inaction: BJP members, however, maintained that his resignation ‘will not affect the party’s prospects’ in the upcoming Assembly elections.
  8. NIA registers case in cross-LoC almonds trade allegedly financing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir: The officials have carried out searches at the trade facilitation centres in Salamabad in Baramulla district and Chakan-da-bagh in Poonch district.
  9. Pakistan to release 439 Indian fishermen in two batches, says NGO: The Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy also called on New Delhi to reciprocate the ‘goodwill gesture’.
  10. Robot camera finds colourful creatures under Antarctic sea ice: Footage captured by the Australian Antarctic Division showed sponges, sea spiders, urchins, sea cucumbers and sea stars.