A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Narendra Modi speaks to Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu amid row over special status for state: The Telugu Desam Party’s two MLAs resigned from the Union Cabinet earlier on Thursday, leading to reciprocal action by BJP ministers in Naidu’s Cabinet.
  2. Supreme Court restores Hadiya’s marriage, says ‘personal relationships are core of India’s plurality’: The bench, however, allowed the NIA to continue its investigation into the allegations of forced conversion.
  3. CBI moves Supreme Court challenging Talwars’ acquittal in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case: The Law Ministry had granted the agency permission to appeal against the Allahabad High Court’s verdict from October.   
  4. Mehul Choksi tells CBI he cannot appear for questioning because of a ‘persisting health problem’: The jeweller, who is an accused in the Rs 12,703-crore Punjab National Bank scam, criticised the agency for causing prejudice against him by seizing his assets.   
  5. Mobs continue to run amok in Sri Lanka, authorities lift curfew in Kandy for a few hours: The military claimed that the city was quiet on Wednesday night and early Thursday, but local residents said otherwise.    
  6. Karnataka government unveils new state flag, will send it to Centre for approval: The flag, which has yellow, white and red strips, has the state emblem – the ‘Ganda Bherunda’, a two-headed mythical bird – in the middle.  
  7. Mothers-in-law should take the initiative to protect the girl child, says Narendra Modi: The current generation has to correct the mistakes their elders made when it came to the girl child, the prime minister said in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu city.   
  8. Convoy carrying relief supplies for Syria’s Eastern Ghouta enclave stopped amid reports of chlorine attack: There were reports that government forces had carried out a chlorine gas strike in its fight to weed out rebel groups from the region.    
  9. Centre says it will soon invite informal offers from firms seeking to invest in Air India: Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said the government also wanted to invite buyers for national helicopter carrier Pawan Hans.   
  10. Police baton-charge protestors seeking CBI inquiry into Kathua rape and murder, many injured: One person was in critical condition after he was hit by a bus during the protest, the police said.