A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Samajwadi Party rift is a ‘family drama’, BJP says it is UP’s only option: Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said the Akhilesh-Mulayam Singh Yadav row will result in a ‘total pack up’ of the ruling party in the poll-bound state.
  2. SBI reduces lending rate by 90 basis points across maturities: The step would make home, auto and personal loans cheaper.
  3. India’s bid to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar is ‘politically motivated’, says Pakistan: Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the country’s proposal to the UN Security Council was ‘replete with frivolous information’.
  4. Narendra Modi’s New Year’s Eve speech a ‘sham’, issue white paper on demonetisation, says Arvind Kejriwal: The Delhi chief minister called the currency ban a ‘scam of all scams’ and reiterated that the BJP had informed ‘its rich friends’ before the move.
  5. Two Indians among 39 killed in mass shooting at Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Eve: The attacker, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, began his siege shortly after midnight.
  6. Petrol price increased by Rs 1.29/litre, diesel up by 97 paise: The new fuel rates will be in effect from Sunday midnight.
  7. US warns North Korea against ‘provocative actions’ after claims of a nuclear missile test launch: Kim Jong-un announced the test launch of a ballistic missile capable of reaching American shores and declared his country the ‘military power of the East’.
  8. At least 23 people dead after ferry catches fire near Jakarta, Indonesia: The passenger vessel was on its way to a resort island when the fire started, reportedly from a short circuit in the power generator.
  9. Five Delhi Police personnel suspended, charged with culpable homicide after suspect dies in custody: The officers are believed to have beaten up the victim, a fruit seller, after which he died jumping off the fourth floor of the Adarsh Nagar Police Station.
  10. Somdev Devvarman announces retirement from professional tennis: The 31-year-old Asian Games gold medalist said he was starting 2017 on a new note.