A look at the headlines right now:

  1. ‘Bihar Ki Beti’ Meira Kumar is nominated only to lose, says Nitish Kumar: The Bihar chief minister said the Janata Dal (United) will not reconsider their decision to back NDA’s candidate Ram Nath Kovind.  
  2. Punjab circumvents SC ruling, passes amendment allowing sale of liquor in hotels on highway: Besides hotels, restaurants and clubs, other vendors serving alcohol within 500 metres of state and national highways will have to be shut.  
  3. Don’t test forces’ patience, says Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after a police officer is lynched in Srinagar: Opposition leader Omar Abdullah called the incident a tragedy.
  4. Saudi Arabia asks Qatar to cut ties with Iran, hand over extremists and shut down Al Jazeera: Kuwait, which is mediating the crisis, handed over the 13-point list prepared by the Arab countries to Doha.  
  5. Passports will now be issued in both Hindi and English, says Sushma Swaraj: The external affairs minister also announced a 10% slash in the fee for applicants who are under eight and over 60 years of age.
  6. GJM chief Bimal Gurung resigns as head of GTA, wants CBI inquiry into police firing: Earlier on Friday, at least 43 members resigned from the GTA.  
  7. Ballabgarh fight not over beef rumours but argument over train seats, says cousin of man who died: The police have registered a case of murder and criminal assault.
  8. At least 13 killed, 70 injured in twin blasts in Pakistan’s Parachinar: Government official Wazir Khan Wazir said the blasts went off within three minutes of each other.
  9. Won’t hesitate to ignore villages that don’t vote for TDP, says Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu: He said people who do not support his party should not enjoy pension benefits or use the roads he has built.  
  10. There were two Harry Potters, reveals JK Rowling: Harry, that the world knows, had a great grandfather called Henry Potter, who was known as Harry to friends, Rowling wrote in a post on Pottermore.