A look at the headlines right now:

  1. BS Yeddyurappa claims allegations about his ‘diary’ are false, threatens to file defamation case: Congress demanded an inquiry into allegations that BS Yeddyurappa paid Rs 1,500 crore to top BJP leaders. ‘The Caravan’ had reported that diary entries indicating that the money was paid have been with the income tax department since 2017. The CBDT, meanwhile, said the seized papers prima-facie appeared to be of a doubtful nature.
  2. RJD to contest from 20 seats in Bihar, Congress gets nine for Lok Sabha elections: The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and the Hindustani Awam Morcha are also part of the grand alliance.
  3. PM Modi criticises Sam Pitroda for questioning air strikes, says ‘Congress unwilling to respond to terror’: Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, said the Modi government must stop pretending to be the Indian Army. Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Modi based on a report about delayed salaries for Jharkhand chowkidars, while Mayawati asked if the country needed a chowkidar who hid data on unemployment and farming crisis.
  4. Centre bans Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front: The Yasin Malik-led outfit has been at the forefront of separatist activities and violence since 1988, the Centre said.
  5. Facebook admits storing millions of user passwords in plain text, accessible to employees: A majority of the accounts that were affected used Facebook Lite, a version used in regions with slower connectivity.
  6. Dainik Bhaskar, T-Series get EC notice for advertisement of Narendra Modi biopic, says report: The DMK and the NCP reportedly approached election authorities to seek a ban on the film. Meanwhile, lyricist Javed Akhtar denied writing songs for PM Narendra Modi and said he was ‘shocked’ to find his name on the poster.
  7. Man rescued after four days under debris of Dharwad building, five people arrested: The toll in the collapse rose to 14, and rescue operations are still under way.
  8. European Union leaders allow UK to delay Brexit: The duration of the extension depends on how British parliamentarians vote on the exit agreement. Britain could have until April 12 or May 22.
  9. Pakistan cannot afford to be blacklisted, says PM Imran Khan: The prime minister said all political parties had agreed to the National Action Plan against terror groups.
  10. India has implemented key reforms, but needs more to sustain growth, says IMF: Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings cut its forecast for India’s economic growth for 2019-’20 to 6.8% from its previous estimate of 7%.