A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Standard & Poor’s keeps India’s credit rating at a low BBB- with a ‘stable’ outlook, praises reforms: A BBB- rating is just a grade above junk status and has remained unchanged for India for a decade.
  2. Winter Session of Parliament to be held from December 15 to January 5: The session will begin a day after the second phase of voting for the Gujarat Assembly elections.
  3. Three dead after Goa-Patna train derails in UP’s Chitrakoot district: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced an investigation into the accident in which 10 people were injured.
  4. Anti-Padmavati slogans found near body of man hanging in Jaipur fort: The nature of his death and its connection with the protests against the film have not been established yet.
  5. Bye-election for former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s constituency, four other seats on December 21: The EC made the announcement a day after deciding that the chief minister-led faction of the state’s ruling party will get to use the AIADMK’s symbol.
  6. Hafiz Saeed released from house arrest, set to address followers at Jamaat-ud-Dawa headquarters: The Pakistan government withdrew jail staff from his residence in Lahore’s Johar Town area late on Thursday.
  7. Peter and Indrani Mukerjea stashed Rs 773 crore abroad using hawala channels, claims ED: The agency is set to question Indrani, former owner of the media group and primary accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, on Friday and December 6.
  8. BJP wants women cops to verify identity of burqa-clad voters in UP civic body elections: The party had made a similar demand during the Assembly elections in the state earlier this year.
  9. Former US national security adviser’s lawyers break ties with Trump’s team in Russia investigation: This indicates that Michael Flynn is either cooperating with the prosecutors or negotiating a deal, media reports said.
  10. JNU event bars books published before 2016 – except for those on Deendayal Upadhyay and BR Ambedkar: The event was held on November 14, though the university says Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday had nothing to do with it.