A look at the headlines right now:

  1. RBI hikes repo rate to 6.25%, reverse repo rate to 6%: This was the first increase in repo rates since January 2014.
  2. BJP President Amit Shah meets Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai: The BJP chief earlier called on actor Madhuri Dixit and industrialist Ratan Tata, but could not meet singer Lata Mangeshkar.  
  3. Government is not considering a review of daily fuel price revision, says Dharmendra Pradhan: The petroleum minister said he would not allow petrol and diesel prices to go out of the common man’s reach.  
  4. Several dead in twin blasts near a Shia mosque in Baghdad: Around 90 people sustained injuries in the blast.
  5. At least 46 Ethiopian refugees drown as boat capsizes off Yemen’s coast, says United Nations: At least 16 people are missing reported to be missing.
  6. ‘Congress government will waive farmer loans in 10 days if voted to power’, says Rahul Gandhi in Mandsaur: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley criticised the Congress president for his speech and wondered if Gandhi was being “inadequately briefed”.
  7. Blaze engulfs 115-year-old Mandarin Oriental hotel, no casualties reported: The London Fire Brigade tweeted that the fire was now under control. 
  8. Maneka Gandhi pulls up Twitter for failing to remove abusive posts threatening women: The Union minister raised the matter at a round-table conference on cyber crimes against women and children.  
  9. Supreme Court refuses to stay release of Rajinikanth’s film ‘Kaala’ over copyright claims: The actor-turned-politician appealed to his fans to allow the release of his film in Karnataka.
  10. Churches in India are conspiring with the Vatican to destabilise the government, claims VHP: VHP Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain said the churches protest only when a BJP-led government is in power.