A look at the headlines right now:

  1. BJP’s alliance with Janata Dal (United) will continue in Bihar, says Amit Shah: The Bharatiya Janata Party chief met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Thursday morning.   
  2. After Shashi Tharoor’s ‘Hindu Pakistan’ remark, Congress urges its leaders to pick words responsibly: Party leaders should not get provoked by the BJP’s ‘polarising and divisive statements’, a spokesperson said.   
  3. Six workers die after gas leak at private steel mill in Andhra Pradesh’s Tadipatri town: The incident took place while testing was being conducted following maintenance operations.   
  4. Donald Trump says NATO member states have agreed to increase defence spending: The United States president said it was ‘presently unnecessary’ for Washington to quit the military alliance.   
  5. Nawaz Sharif will be arrested once he lands in Lahore, warns minister: The former prime minister and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who were sentenced in a corruption case last week, are expected to return to Pakistan on Friday.   
  6. Sensex closes at all-time high, Nifty maintains 11,000 level: The rupee ended the day at 68.52 against the dollar.   
  7. Priests cannot refuse to perform rituals for those from lower castes, rules Uttarakhand High Court: The bench said any person who is properly trained and qualified, irrespective of caste, can serve as a priest in temples.   
  8. UK’s Theresa May government publishes white paper on Brexit: The British prime minister promised to push through her plan to keep Britain closely tied to the European Union’s single market. 
  9. SC criticises Delhi L-G over waste management, says ‘You say you are Superman but you don’t do anything’: The lieutenant governor, who is in charge of Delhi’s municipal corporations, should have found a solution to the garbage problem, the top court said.    
  10. Centre increases threshold for tax ligitation in tribunals, courts; 29,580 cases could be withdrawn: The move will also reduce the amount locked up in such litigation by Rs 5,600 crore, the government said.