A look at the headlines right now:

  1. PM Modi criticises Mamata Banerjee for not implementing PM-Kisan, CM flags Centre’s dues: Modi made the accusation while disbursing funds for the latest tranche of the PM-Kisan scheme.
  2. Centre to conduct coronavirus vaccination dry run in Assam, Andhra, Gujarat and Punjab next week: The exercise will include all steps involved in the vaccination process, except for administering the shot.
  3. Mumbai’s Dharavi slum reports no new coronavirus cases for the first time since April: The area’s active cases reduced to 12.
  4. PM-CARES ‘controlled by government’, but doesn’t come under RTI Act, says Centre in new response: Confusion over the fund’s ownership has increased over the last few months.
  5. China says no link between stranded Indian cargo ships at its ports and bilateral ties: Cargo vessels MV Jag Anand and MV Anastasia, with 39 sailors, have been stranded in Chinese ports since June and September.
  6. Ex-BARC chief sent to police custody in TRP scam case, audit shows ratings were rigged to aid Republic TV: A forensic audit of BARC’s ratings data in 2017 showed numbers of Republic TV were kept unchanged, while those of its competitors were suppressed.
  7. 21-year-old set to become Thiruvananthapuram mayor, youngest in the country: Arya Rajendran, a CPI(M) member, won the civic body elections from Mudavanmugal ward.
  8. South Africa dismisses UK’s claim that its coronavirus strain is more dangerous: On Wednesday, UK had suspended travel from South Africa, that the variant there was ‘more transmissible and mutated further’.
  9. Blow to Nitish Kumar as 6 JD(U) MLAs join BJP in Arunachal Pradesh: The JD(U) now has just one MLA in the 60-member Assembly of Arunachal Pradesh, while the BJP has 48.
  10. ‘Corporates won’t be able to snatch farmers’ lands while Modi is PM,’ says Amit Shah: Several BJP leaders, including Cabinet ministers, addressed meetings on Friday to counter the ongoing farmers’ protest, which has been on for a month now.