A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Assam government publishes first draft of National Register of Citizens, verifies 1.9 crore people: The list was a key election promise of the BJP before it won the state elections in 2016.
  2. Five jawans killed after suspected JeM militants attack CRPF camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama: Another soldier died after Pakistan allegedly violated the ceasefire in Nowshera sector.
  3. Delhi airport suspends operations due to dense fog, passengers left stranded: Five domestic and seven international flights were delayed and one was cancelled.
  4. Rajinikanth confirms his entry into politics, says the last year brought shame to Tamil Nadu: While Twitter users cheered the actor’s decision, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that he will move to another state if his party allies with Rajinikanth.
  5. Triple talaq case petitioner Ishrat Jahan joins BJP: She was one of the five women who challenged the practice before the Supreme Court.
  6. BMC seals 30 restaurants in Mumbai on Day 2 of demolition drive after Kamala Mills fire: The civic body inspected 615 hotels and restaurants and took action against 355 of them.
  7. ‘Nuclear button is always on my desk,’ says Kim Jong-un in his New Year message: The North Korean leader suggested he would continue to accelerate his weapons programme and warned the US that ‘this was not blackmail’.
  8. Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel agrees to take charge after phone call with Amit Shah: The BJP national president told Patel, who was unhappy about not getting three important portfolios, that he would be allotted suitable departments.
  9. Two anti-government protestors killed and dozens detained in Iran, authorities warn of ‘iron fist’: The government denied the involvement of the police in the two deaths, and blamed Sunni groups and ‘foreign agents’ instead.
  10. WhatsApp goes offline for an hour across the world on New Year’s Eve: In India – its largest market – the app was down soon after midnight.