A look at the headlines right now:

  1. ‘United by democratic values,’ says PM Modi at first Quad summit with US, Japan and Australia: American President Joe Biden, in his opening remarks, said the Quad will be a vital arena for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
  2. Mamata Banerjee discharged from hospital two days after alleged attack in Nandigram: Meanwhile, a six-member Trinamool Congress delegation submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission and reiterated allegations that the party chief was targeted as part of a “deep-rooted conspiracy”.
  3. Maharashtra logs 15,817 new coronavirus cases – highest daily count this year for third day straight: The Pune district administration announced new restrictions in order to control the surge of the coronavirus pandemic.
  4. February retail inflation rises to 5.03% on high food, fuel prices; industrial output turns negative: Inflation rose for the first time after easing for three consecutive months since November.
  5. With Rs 1.18 trillion, Gautam Adani’s wealth has grown the most in the world in 2021: Adani is currently the 26th richest person in the world, with net worth of Rs 36.39 lakh crore.
  6. Poet Arundhathi Subramaniam among 20 winners of 2020 Sahitya Akademi Award: The others who received the award in poetry include Harish Meenakshi (Gujarati), Anamika (Hindi), RS Bhaskar (Konkani), Irungbam Deven (Manipuri), Rupchand Hansda (Santali), and Nikhileswar (Telugu).
  7. Eleven ministers take oath as new Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat expands Cabinet: With the new ministers sworn in, 11 out of 12 Cabinet posts have been filled. The only vacant seat was the one held by Prakash Pant who died in June 2019. 
  8. SC pulls up Goa, says states cannot appoint government officials as election commissioner: The court was hearing a case where the Goa government had appointed its law secretary as the state election commissioner.
  9. Kamal Haasan to contest from Coimbatore South seat in Tamil Nadu polls: DMK chief MK Stalin will fight from Kolathur, while his son Udhayanidhi Stalin will make his electoral debut from the Chepauk-Triplicane seat.
  10. SC seeks Centre’s reply on plea challenging 1991 law mandating 1947 status quo of religious places: In his plea, BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contended that the Act created an ‘arbitrary irrational retrospective cut-off date’ of August 15, 1947.