A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Defence ministry objected to parallel talks held by PMO in Rafale deal in 2015, says report: Nirmala Sitharaman said the PMO checking up on a ministry cannot be called interference and claimed the report was ‘flogging a dead horse’, while Rahul Gandhi claimed Modi lied to the country, and former defence minister AK Antony claimed it was a shocking revelation. The Parliament was also adjourned amid protests over the report.
  2. Mamata Banerjee is shielding those involved in chit fund scams, PM Modi claims at rally in West Bengal: The chief minister claimed the prime minister was the ‘master of corruption’.
  3. Supreme Court refuses to stay law providing quota for poor people among the upper castes, asks Centre to respond to petition: On January 25, the court had said it would start hearing a batch of petitions challenging the law in four weeks.
  4. Jammu and Kashmir government orders creation of separate division for Ladakh: Omar Abdullah said Chenab valley and Pir Panjal regions will also get the status if his party is elected in 2019 Assembly elections.
  5. Twitter says it doesn’t enforce policies based on political ideology after being accused of bias: Facebook, meanwhile, announced that Political ads will carry disclaimers by advertisers ahead of elections in India.
  6. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accuses tabloid of blackmailing him with his private photos: He claimed that the publication wanted him to publicly claim that its coverage was not politically motivated.
  7. Madhya Pradesh Police book two more people under NSA for allegedly transporting cows illegally: A court in Agar Malwa district sent the accused to a jail in Ujjain.
  8. Rescue team recovers bodies of seven people trapped in J&K avalanche: Three people were rescued.
  9. Clothing giant Gucci apologises after backlash over ‘blackface sweater’: The luxury fashion brand pulled the jumper from sale, saying it was a ‘powerful learning moment for the team’.
  10. Arun Jaitley calls Congress promise to scrap triple talaq legislation a ‘retrograde step’: Jaitley said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had made a ‘monumental mistake’ by overturning the Shah Bano judgement.