A look at the top headlines right now:

  1. Election Commission extends ban on physical rallies, roadshows till January 22 amid coronavirus crisis: The poll panel allowed political parties to hold indoor meetings of up to 300 people or 50% of the venue’s capacity. The West Bengal Election Commission also postponed civic polls to February 12.
  2. BJP fields Adityanath from Gorakhpur for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls: Only 10 women candidates have been included in the first list. No Muslim has been given ticket.
  3. Virat Kohli steps down as India’s Test captain: A day after South Africa gained a series-clinching win in the third Test at Newlands, Virat Kohli decided to step down as India’s Test skipper.
  4. Delhi reports 20,718 new Covid cases, Mumbai’s toll highest in six months: Only 67,624 tests were conducted in the national capital on Friday and the dip in cases can be attributed to this.
  5. Kashmiri journalist Sajad Gul gets bail after nine days in custody: The police arrested him after he uploaded a video of a protest against the killing of a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander.
  6. In Punjab polls, Charanjit Channi to contest from Chamkaur Sahib, Navjot Sidhu from Amritsar East: The Congress denied tickets to four sitting MLAs as it released its first list of candidates. One of them later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
  7. Bhim Army chief says no alliance with Samajwadi Party: Chandrashekhar Azad said that Yadav only wanted the Dalit vote bank.
  8. Former journalist Prashant Rahi acquitted in 2007 Maoist case 14 years after his arrest: A court in Uttarakhand pointed out several loopholes in the police investigation.
  9. Kashmiri rights activist Ahsan Untoo arrested for ‘spreading secessionist agenda’ on social media: The police have also accused him of inciting the youth to resort to violence and indulge in unlawful activities.
  10. Hindutva politics, India’s unilateral actions harm ties, says Pakistan’s new security policy: The document said a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute was at the core of the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad.