A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Focus to be on farming sector, fiscal deficit and tax sops this Budget: Optimism ahead of Budget lifted the Sensex over 200 points, the Nifty inched closer to 11,100.  
  2. IAF officer taken into custody for allegedly leaking classified information: Investigators believe the officer was in touch with a woman through social media and had shared sensitive documents with her.  
  3. Congress leads in Rajasthan’s Alwar byepoll, Ajmer; TMC ahead in both West Bengal seats: The Bharatiya Janata Party was ahead in Assembly seat Mandalgarh in Rajasthan.
  4. Google celebrates publication of Indian author Kamala Das’s autobiography My Story: The autobiography was published in Malayalam as Ente Katha on February 1, 1973.  
  5. Super blue blood moon mesmerises skywatchers across the world: In India, this will be seen for the first time in 35 years. 
  6. ‘One Part Woman’ translator Aniruddhan Vasudevan declines Sahitya Akademi Award: Aniruddhan Vasudevan said that he saw the petitions against the prize as an ongoing effort to harass author Perumal Murugan.  
  7. India slips 10 places to 42 on Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index: It was the sharpest decline after Indonesia, which was the worst-performing nation.  
  8. Police arrest man for brutally beating his son and daughter in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan: A video of the incident showed Chain Singh Rawat tying a rope around his son’s neck and caning him.
  9. One killed as train carrying US Republican lawmakers hits truck in Virginia: The White House said no members of the Congress were seriously injured.  
  10. India’s core sector growth declines to 4% in December 2017: Cement production rose the most in December at 19.6%.