A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Supreme Court refuses to pass judgment on jallikattu before Pongal: The bench said the draft of the verdict was ready but could not be delivered before Saturday.
  2. Will stop ‘misuse’ of H-1B and L1 work visas, vows Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee: Senator Jeff Sessions said Americans should not suffer for ‘someone willing to take a job for less pay’.
  3. India launches second Scorpene-class submarine, Khanderi: It will undergo trials till December before it is commissioned into the Indian Navy.
  4. Cold wave grips north India, Delhi temperatures dip to 3.4°C: In Shimla, water supply has been hit because of repeated power failures and a majority of pipes being frozen.
  5. 6,430 turtles rescued, kingpin of reptile smuggling racket arrested in Uttar Pradesh: The meat of the animal is used to produce aphrodisiacs, while their bones are used in traditional medicines.
  6. Demonetisation has created ‘super emergency’-like situation, Trinamool leaders tell president: They submitted a memorandum, in which they accused the Narendra Modi government of engaging in ‘vendetta politics’.
  7. National Green Tribunal tells Delhi government to clear dues of sanitation workers without delay: The East Delhi Municipal Corporation staffers held protests outside the corporation’s office on Thursday as their agitation entered its eighth day.
  8. Volkswagen will pay $4.3-billion fine in emission cheating case: A US federal court charged six former executives of the German automaker with fraud in connection with the 2015 case.
  9. Mexico will absolutely not pay for wall on US border, says president: Enrique Pena Nieto, however, said his country wanted better relations with its neighbour, and sensitive matters would be negotiated with the new administration.
  10. Writer declines Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award because of ‘continuing atmosphere of intolerance’: G Rajashekhar has decided to turn down the award as a mark of solidarity with the writers who had returned theirs in 2015.