A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Wuhan coronavirus toll in China rises to 56; 179 people kept under observation in Kerala: Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the spread of the virus is accelerating and called it a ‘grave situation’
  2. Republic Day parade to begin shortly, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is chief guest: The tricolour has been unfurled at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi, where protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have been going on for over a month
  3. Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj get second-highest civilian honour among the Padma award recipients: The 2020 Padma awards list had seven Padma Vibhushans, 16 Padma Bhushans and 118 Padma Shris.
  4. One convict in Delhi gangrape case moves SC seeking judicial review of rejection of mercy petition: Mukesh Kumar Singh has exhausted all legal options available to him.
  5. NIA taking over Bhima Koregaon case shows conspiracy by BJP, says Congress: NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik called it a ‘cover-up’ by the Centre to hide the previous BJP-led Maharashtragovernment’s alleged wrongdoings.
  6. Citizenship Act activist booked in Assam for ‘seditious’ remarks: Sharjeel Imam allegedly suggested that Assam should be ‘cut off’ from the rest of India.
  7. Rajasthan Assembly passes resolution against amendments to Citizenship Act: So far, Left-ruled Kerala and Congress-led Punjab have passed such resolutions demanding the withdrawal of the law, while West Bengal has promised to bring one.
  8. Kapil Mishra gets 48-hour campaigning ban for ‘India vs Pakistan’ tweet: The BJP candidate from Model Town had suggested that the February 8 Assembly elections would be like an ‘India vs Pakistan match’.
  9. Shiv Sena says ‘Muslim infiltrators’ from Pakistan and Bangladesh must be evicted: The party took a dig at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for an ideological shift towards Hindutva.
  10. In Republic Day address, President Kovind says youth should be non-violent when fighting for a cause: The president was speaking on the eve of the 71st Republic Day.