A look at the headlines right now:

  1. ‘Acche din’ will come when Congress returns to power in 2019, says Rahul Gandhi: The party’s vice president accused the Narendra Modi government of ‘breaking the economy’s backbone with the ruse of demonetisation’. 
  2. ‘Let’s be vigilant, but not afraid’, says US President Barack Obama in his farewell speech: The outgoing president, who will hand over charge to Donald Trump in 10 days, said for every two steps forward, it had felt like one step back.
  3. Demonetisation has opened up economy, put India back on global radar, says Arun Jaitley: The Union finance minister said the Goods and Services Tax would help further by making the country ‘one common marketplace’.
  4. World Bank reduces India’s GDP forecast from 7.6% to 7% for 2016-2017 after demonetisation: The report said the Centre’s note ban would continue to affect business and household economic activities in the short term.
  5. Will not let Samajwadi Party split, Mulayam Singh Yadav tells supporters: He blamed the faction led by his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of trying to form a separate unit.
  6. AIADMK chief Sasikala Natarajan writes to PM seeking ordinance to allow jallikattu this Pongal: A delegation of party MPs will meet Narendra Modi to seek permission to organise the bull-taming sport, banned by the Supreme Court in 2014.
  7. Cholera vaccination administered to 140 Indian peacekeepers in Haiti, India will bear cost, says UN: The United Nations said that it was the responsibility of the countries sending their troops ‘to ensure their personnel receive all vaccines before deployment’.
  8. US intelligence agencies tell Donald Trump that Russia has material to blackmail him: A dossier presented to the US president-elect suggested that Russian agencies had compromising personal and financial information about him.
  9. Court extends Jessica Lall murder convict Manu Sharma’s parole to pursue law course, register marriage: He has been given parole six times since September 2009.
  10. Suspended Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh interrogated by CBI in Saradha chit fund scam: The lawmaker was questioned for 12 hours on Monday.