A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Police arrest three people for alleged cow slaughter and two for violence that followed in Bulandshahr: The prime accused in both cases, a person called Haroon and Bajrang Dal’s Bulandshahr convenor Yogesh Raj, are absconding.   
  2. RBI and government should work in harmony, says former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: Singh, who faced criticism for being silent on critical issues while serving as the prime minister, said he was never afraid of talking to the press.   
  3. Gujarat government waives power bill dues worth Rs 645 crore of over 6 lakh rural residents: The announcement came a day after the Congress wrote off loans of farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh within hours of forming government.   
  4. Trinamool Congress leader rules out pre-election alliance with Congress: Subrata Mukherjee, who is a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, added that his party would keep all options open after the Lok Sabha polls.   
  5. Cabinet promotes interim CBI chief Nageshwar Rao to rank of additional director: The Supreme Court had ordered Rao to refrain from taking any major decisions as interim chief of the agency.   
  6. Donald Trump signs order to create US space command: A more ‘comprehensive list of authorities and responsibilities’ for the new force will be released soon, the American president said in a memorandum.   
  7. Mumbai man imprisoned in Pakistan for illegally entering the country returns to India: Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar welcomed Hamid Nehal Ansari’s repatriation.   
  8. Six days on, people in Meghalaya’s Saipung coal mine still trapped; rescue operations continue: Rescue officials are strugggling as water is gushing into the mine from a number of places. 
  9. Manipur journalist sentenced to one year in jail under NSA for Facebook post against Modi, BJP: Kishorechandra Wangkhem’s lawyer said that his family will challenge his sentencing on Wednesday.   
  10. Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed leader of Sri Lanka’s Opposition: The former president resigned as prime minister on December 15, putting an end to weeks of instability.