A look at the headlines right now:

  1. General elections will be the second freedom struggle, MK Stalin says at Opposition unity rally in Kolkata: Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Farooq Abdullah are among the leaders who have addressed the rally till now.  
  2. Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa asks MLAs holed up in Gurugram hotel to return to Bengaluru: The saffron party will not destabilise the government ‘at any cost’, Yeddyurappa told reporters.
  3. Delhi Court questions police for filing chargesheet without government approval in JNU ‘sedition’ case: The police told the court they will get sanction from the state government within 10 days.  
  4. Maintaining financial stability is top priority, says RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das: Das, who spoke at the Vibrant Gujarat summit on Friday, said growth – fuelled by private consumption and investment – was expected to be sustainable.
  5. SC collegium recalls proposal to elevate lawyer to Allahabad HC after Centre’s repeated objection: The collegium cleared the recommendation to appoint Amit Negi to the High Court in August, and again in December after the ministry of law sent it back.
  6. Woman shot dead in Gurugram for allegedly refusing to withdraw rape case: The 23-year-old, who was reportedly in a relationship with the accused for a couple of years, filed the case in 2017 after learning that he was married.  
  7. At least 21 people killed in pipeline explosion in Mexico: The blast in the town of Tlahuelilpan was caused by an illegal tap used to steal fuel from the Tuxpan-Tula pipeline, said state-run energy company Pemex.
  8. Two women abandon second attempt to enter hill shrine due to possibility of protests: Reshma Nishant and Shaneela Sajesh, who had attempted to offer prayers to enter the temple on January 16, were dissuaded by the police.  
  9. Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat says Congress will build Ram temple if it is voted to power at Centre: The Congress leader and former chief minister was criticised by party colleague and Leader of the Opposition Indira Hridayesh.
  10. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to hold second summit in February, says White House: The US president met Kim Yong Chol, North Korea’s lead negotiator on nuclear talks, at the Oval Office on Friday.