A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Delhi reports 1,904 coronavirus cases in sharpest daily rise since mid-December: Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 5,888 new cases and the tally in Nagpur went up by 3,177 cases. The Karnataka government ruled out the possibility of a fresh lockdown, even as the state logged 2,792 new cases.
  2. Stranded ship Ever Given set afloat, traffic resumes, says Suez Canal authority: According to ship-tracking service VesselFinder, Ever Given was sailing at a speed of 9.2 knots as of 9.15 pm (IST) on Friday and the ship’s status was set as “under way”.
  3. Trinamool Congress, BJP trade barbs as contest heats up after first phase of WB polls: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee hit out at each other over the death of an 85-year old woman. Banerjee also mocked Shah over his claim of winning 26 seats in the first phase, suggesting the BJP will get “a big rosogolla”. In another rally, she targeted aide-turned-rival BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, warning him against “too much greed”.
  4. Bill to give Delhi LG more power gets President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent: The legislation was cleared in both Houses of Parliament amid strong protests from the Opposition, which said the proposed reforms were against the federal structure of India’s democracy.
  5. Auto-payment for OTT platforms, phone bills likely to get stuck in April due to new rule, says report: The new rule, mandated by the RBI, will require customers’ approval before the transaction is carried out through credit and debit cards.
  6. Mehbooba Mufti says government denied her passport based on CID report citing national security: The Jammu and Kashmir Police had earlier opposed giving her a passport, citing “adverse reports”.
  7. Kerala HC stays poll panel order, allows distribution of rice at subsidised rates: The Pinarayi Vijayan-led government had issued an order on February 4 announcing the distribution of 10 kg special rice above the regular ration limit to blue and white cardholders at Rs 15.
  8. ‘No secret meeting took place between Sharad Pawar and Amit Shah,’ says Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut: Shah himself had refrained from speaking about the rumoured meeting, saying “everything cannot be made public”.
  9. Centre pulls up Assam for seeking more funds to complete NRC work beyond March 31: In a letter on March 4, the Assam government had sought an additional Rs 3.22 crore monthly allocation beyond March 31 for completion of the pending work.
  10. NIA recovers items allegedly dumped by suspended police officer in Ambani bomb scare case: The NIA recovered a digital video recorder, a laptop, central processing units, and two number plates allegedly belonging to suspended police officer Sachin Vaze.