A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Mumbai man imprisoned in Pakistan for illegally entering the country returns to India: Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar welcomed Hamid Nehal Ansari’s repatriation.  
  2. ‘We won’t let Narendra Modi sleep at night till he waives farm loans all over India,’ says Rahul Gandhi: A complete farm loan waiver will be part of the Congress’ manifesto in 2019 elections, he said.  
  3. Centre never asked for Urjit Patel’s resignation, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley: Jaitley also rubbished speculation that the government was eyeing money held by the RBI in its reserves to announce a big scheme ahaead of the 2019 polls.  
  4. Cyclone Phetai hits parts of Odisha, more than 11,000 people evacuated: The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in southern Odisha till Wednesday.  
  5. There is no proposal to extend NRC exercise to states other than Assam, Centre tells Lok Sabha: Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir was responding to Trinamool Congress MP Prasun Banerjee.  
  6. A day after two children died in a school wall collapse, police arrest principal in Uttar Pradesh: This is the first arrest made in the incident.
  7. Alleged middleman in case against CBI chief Rakesh Asthana granted bail: Dubai-based businessman Manoj Prasad is accused of facilitating the payment of kickbacks to the CBI special director in the Moin Qureshi corruption case.  
  8. Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka: The former president resigned as prime minister on December 15, putting an end to weeks of instability.
  9. Manipur journalist sentenced to one year in jail under NSA for Facebook post against Modi, BJP: Kishorechandra Wangkhem’s lawyer said that his family will challenge his sentencing on Wednesday.
  10. British Airways to resume flights to Pakistan a decade after suspension: In 2008, operations were suspended after a terrorist attack on the Marriot hotel in Islamabad.