A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Candidates must disclose their sources of income, Election Commission tells Supreme Court: The poll panel said a candidate must be disqualified in case they or their family member has an existing contract with the government.  
  2. Demonetisation may temporarily slow down the economy, says President Pranab Mukherjee: In his New Year address to governors and lieutenant governors, he said the poor would need some help ‘to alleviate their suffering’.
  3. 30 seconds of confusion projected as mass molestation, Bengaluru’s police commissioner tells BBC: There is no evidence to prove that ‘sex attacks’ took place in the city’s MG Road-Brigade Road area on New Year’s Eve, Praveed Sood said.
  4. Two killed and at least 10 injured in blast near Izmir court in Turkey, say reports: Turkish police reportedly shot down two shooters and are looking for a third suspect.
  5. Opposition meets Election Commission, asks for Union Budget to be delayed: Fair elections cannot be held if the budget is tabled three days before the states votes, said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
  6. Aadhaar data collection by private agencies is not a great idea, observes Supreme Court: The court was hearing petitions filed challenging the constitutional validity of the Unique Identification Authority of India scheme.  
  7. Tax collections for 2016-2017 will exceed Budget estimate of Rs 16.3 lakh crore, says Arun Jaitley: The finance minister said demonetisation had not affected revenue collections, even as states asked the Centre to relax borrowing limits.
  8. EC asks Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav to reply on the party symbol dispute by Jan 9: Meanwhile, the two leaders were busy amassing supporters to retain the cycle, which has long been associated with the Samajwadi Party.
  9. Delhi’s former principal secretary accuses CBI of harassment, seeks early retirement: In a letter, Rajendra Kumar claimed investigators tried to force him to implicate Arvind Kejriwal for corruption.  
  10. Meghalaya court issues non-bailable warrant against MLA accused of raping 14-year-old girl: Julius Dorphang went into hiding after the police registered a case against him following his failure to appear before the investigating officer in the case.