A look at the headlines right now:

  1. JD(U) expels Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma after they questioned Nitish Kumar’s stand on CAA: On Tuesday, Kumar had claimed that Kishor was inducted in the JD(U) on Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s request.
  2. Convict Vinay Sharma in 2012 Delhi gangrape case files mercy plea before president: Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court dismissed convict Mukesh Singh’s petition for review of his mercy plea.
  3. EC allows Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma to campaign in Delhi, drops them from ‘star’ list: Star campaigners are permitted to campaign without their expenses being added to that of the candidates, which are capped.
  4. Cabinet approves extending abortion period to 24 weeks: Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the move will give women reproductive rights over their bodies.
  5. Amid coronavirus outbreak, Air India and IndiGo suspend flights to China: The United States and Japan evacuated hundreds of citizens from Wuhan.
  6. SpiceJet, Air India and GoAir ban comedian Kunal Kamra from its flights: On Wednesday morning, Kamra posted a sarcastic tweet hinting at a double standard in the treatment of the ‘right wing’ and ‘liberals’.
  7. Two killed in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district after violence erupts during CAA protest: A local Trinamool Congress leader in the district’s Jalangi block was accused of opening fire at people protesting against the new citizenship law.
  8. Politicians need not have degrees to govern, educated people are often bad for society, says UP minister: Minister of State for Jail Jai Kumar Singh Jaiki made the comments at a college in Sitapur district on Tuesday.
  9. Annual queer pride march in Mumbai denied permission, police cite fear of anti-CAA slogans: The march was scheduled to begin at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai on February 1 evening.
  10. Homoeopathy and Unani can prevent coronavirus infections, claims AYUSH ministry: A number of Twitter users called out the Modi government for promoting quackery as there is no cure yet for the virus that has killed over 130 people.