A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Pakistan will release IAF pilot Abhinandan on Friday as a peace gesture, says PM Imran Khan: On Thursday, Indian officials had said that there would be no deal with Pakistan about the pilot, and that he must be returned immediately. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, meanwhile, expressed his desire to receive the pilot at the Attari border.
  2. Centre must share details of IAF air strike with Opposition, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee: The Armed forces, in an official briefing, said Pakistani bombs fell in Indian Army compounds on Wednesday but they didn’t cause damage. Meanwhile, China urged restraint after Pakistan briefed it on the border tension with India, and Pakistan reportedly violate ceasefire in Rajouri and Poonch.
  3. Centre bans Jamaat-e-Islami group, declares it ‘unlawful association’: The government said the Jammu and Kashmir-based outfit has the potential to disrupt the unity and integrity of the country.
  4. Election Commission says photo voter slips cannot be used as standalone IDs for voting: The poll body said it made the decision after receiving complaints that photo voter slips do not possess any security feature.
  5. NREGA workers in nine states file police complaints against Narendra Modi for ‘false promises’: The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha accused Modi of making false promises to make workers perform their jobs, cheating them of their wages and violating the law.
  6. Cabinet approves reservations for those living near international border in Jammu and Kashmir: The Cabinet also approved an ordinance to make Aadhaar voluntary for phones and banking.
  7. Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu to be indicted on charges of corruption, he calls it a ‘witch hunt’: This comes weeks before he will seek a fifth term as prime minister in the country’s April 9 general election.
  8. India’s GDP growth slowed to five-quarter low of 6.6% in October-December: The growth in economic output in 2018-’19 is now estimated at 7%.
  9. Supreme Court stays order evicting families of Adivasis, forest-dwellers across 16 states: The court asked states to submit details on how claims over forest land were processed.
  10. ‘Isolate those desperate to win polls,’ says Imran Khan’s party on Yeddyurappa’s remarks: Indian minister VK Singh had earlier condemned Yeddyurappa for saying that the BJP will win 22 seats in Karnataka as a result of the IAF air strike.