A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Opposition parties unite in protest against Union Budget being announced before state elections: he Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Left wrote a letter to the President and the CEC saying the move would influence polls in favour of the ruling party.
  2. Banks reportedly received 94% of Rs 15.4 lakh crore in old notes: The Rs 14.5 lakh crore figure is expected to rise as NRIs and those who were abroad in the 50-day window still have time to deposit the scrapped bills.
  3. Police detain seven in Bengaluru’s Kammanahalli groping case: An investigation found the mobile phone of one of the men active at the site of the crime at the same time.
  4. MS Dhoni steps down as captain of Indian cricket team: However, he will play in the upcoming One-day Internationals and Twenty20 series against England.
  5. Election Commission announces poll dates for five states, first phase of UP elections on February 11: Manipur’s polls will be held in two phases, on March 4 and March 8, and the model code of conduct has come into effect.
  6. Matter of dual control of tax remains undecided, GST council to meet again on January 16: Kerala’s finance minister said the uniform tax might be introduced in September this year.
  7. Citizens protest after Reserve Bank of India refuses to exchange demonetised notes: Protesters argued that Narendra Modi had announced that old currency could be exchanged at the apex bank up to March 31.
  8. Will withdraw as CM candidate if Congress allies with Samajwadi Party, says Sheila Dikshit: The three-time chief minister of Delhi told NDTV that Akhilesh Yadav was a ‘much better’ candidate for the post in Uttar Pradesh.
  9. 66 weapons and more than 7,000 rounds of ammunition looted in Kashmir since Burhan Wani’s death: The information was released by the state Home Ministry.
  10. Isro to launch record 103 satellites on one rocket in February: The space agency said that no other country had attempted a mission of this scale so far.