A look at the headlines right now:

  1. ‘We keep ourselves away from politics,’ says Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat: He added that the armed forces acted according to the central government’s directives.
  2. Two Army soldiers killed in gunfight along LoC in J&K’s Rajouri district: The soldiers were killed after initiating a cordon-and-search operation in Nowshera sector to stop suspected infiltrators.  
  3. Train tickets become costlier as Railway announces price hike: It will not be applicable for suburban train services, which constitutes 66% of the Railways’ passengers.
  4. PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, other leaders convey New Year wishes: Meanwhile, thousands of CAA protestors stood together in the bitter cold and ushered in the New Year with the national anthem at South Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh.
  5. AMU VC expresses regret for police violence on campus, says they were called in ‘good faith’: Tariq Mansoor said he would ‘fully share’ the students’ concerns about any subject, provided it was done ‘in a peaceful and democratic manner’.
  6. Current account deficit improves to 0.9% of GDP in July-September quarter, says RBI: Experts claimed that the improvement in current account deficit was not sustainable.  
  7. SMS services in Jammu and Kashmir, blocked since August, restored at midnight: The Union Territory’s administration has also decided to restore internet services in hospitals.  
  8. Kerala Assembly passes resolution demanding withdrawal of Citizenship Amendment Act: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, said the law was against the secular outlook and fabric of the country. Union minister RS Prasad said only Parliament can frame citizenship laws.
  9. Cold wave continues in Rajasthan, Sikar’s minimum temperature down to 1 degree Celsius: In Uttar Pradesh, Kanpur recorded a minimum temperature at the freezing point of zero degrees Celsius on Tuesday, eight degrees below normal.
  10. Jadavpur University professor attacked by alleged BJP activists in Kolkata: Photographer and filmmaker Ronny Sen said he was attacked with a machete and threatened by a person who identified as a ‘Hindu nationalist’.