A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Centre approves ordinance providing death penalty for rape of girls below 12 years of age: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, will be amended to introduce these changes.
  2. ‘I am taking sanyas from party politics’, says Yashwant Sinha as he quits BJP: The veteran leader, who has been criticising his party’s leadership in the past few months, recently launched the political action group Rashtra Manch.
  3. Kiren Rijiju says Congress does not trust India and its institutions, while Arun Jaitley said ‘Congress and its friends are using impeachment as a political tool’: The Opposition moved a motion to impeach Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.
  4. Mumbai blasts convict Abu Salem’s parole request to get married denied: Salem had sent his application to the prison department for a 45-day parole from Taloja jail to marry Kausar Bahar.
  5. Indore man arrested for raping and murdering infant who was sleeping outside Rajwada fort: The police said they used CCTV footage to help them track down the suspect.
  6. ‘Mauni Baba Modi only talks of India’s problems abroad’, says Shiv Sena editorial: It also criticised the prime minister for ‘painting India as an unsafe country’.  
  7. Centre wants stricter Supreme Court guidelines on female genital cutting, an offence under IPC: The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Sunita Tiwari seeking a ban on the practice.  
  8. Now, Tripura CM claims India’s space programme proves internet existed in Mahabharata era: Proof of India’s scientific advancement lies in the Narendra Modi government’s achievement of sending ‘104 satellites a year to space’, Biplab Kumar Deb said.  
  9. Kim Jong-un says North Korea is suspending nuclear tests, shutting down test site: ‘As weaponisation of nuclear weapons has been verified, it is not necessary for us to conduct any more nuclear tests,’ the leader said.  
  10. Prince Charles to take over as head of the Commonwealth after Queen Elizabeth II: While the role is not hereditary and can be rotated among the Commonwealth leaders, the queen had said it was her ‘sincere wish’ that Charles will succeed her.