A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Jammu National Conference leaders get permission to meet Farooq and Omar Abdullah: The party’s provincial chief Devender Singh Rana had sought permission from Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday. The Abdullahs are detained in Srinagar.
  2. Bombay High Court rejects second petition by activists to stop tree cutting in Aarey: Meanwhile, Prakash Javadekar supported the decision to cut trees, and said the same was done for Delhi metro project. At least 29 people were arrested in Mumbai for protesting against the tree cutting.
  3. Former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar resigns from party ahead of Assembly polls: On Thursday, he had alleged that those who worked against the party’s interests in the last 5 years were given preference over those who worked hard for it.
  4. Activist Soni Sori arrested in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district: She was arrested ahead of a meeting regarding the release of innocent Adivasis from various jails in Bastar region.
  5. Incendiary speech by jawan goes viral, CRPF says it was made during NHRC debate contest: Constable Khusboo Chauhan also urged people to pierce former JNU student activist Kanhaiya Kumar’s chest with the national flag.
  6. Tax chief wanted sensitive case dropped, official alleges in complaint to finance minister: Alka Tyagi claimed that CBDT chief Pramod Chandra Mody told her that he secured his position after action against an Opposition leader.
  7. Seventy one former bureaucrats write to PM against prosecution sanctions for ex-officials in INX Media case: They said serving officials will get demotivated if ‘diligent and honest officers are selectively targeted for punishment for no fault of theirs’.
  8. Times Litfest Mumbai cancelled because ‘seriously floundering economy’ has kept sponsors away: The Hindu Lit for Life has been postponed for similar reasons.
  9. People of Mizoram are against Citizenship Bill, chief minister tells Amit Shah: Chief Minister Zoramthanga said the Bill could open a ‘floodgate of illegal immigrants’ in the state.
  10. Now, women can rent hotel rooms by themselves in Saudi Arabia, says report: The kingdom has also relaxed new tourist norms, allowing foreign men and women to stay in hotel rooms together without proving they are related.