A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Sasikala asks for appointment to prove majority, education minister backs OPS: State minister Mafoi Pandiarajan called on other AIADMK legislators to keep the party united and join the acting chief minister.
  2. 63% voter turnout in first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections: The BJP’s demonetisation decision will be put to the test in the key state, with the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP close at its heels.
  3. Hindustan Motors sells Ambassador brand to Peugeot for Rs 80 crore: The Kolkata-based company had stopped the production of the iconic car in 2014.
  4. Chinese soldier returns home after five decades in India: Wang Qi, now 77, had ‘strayed across the border’ in 1963.
  5. India has expressed H-1B visa concerns to ‘right quarters’ in US, says IT minister: Ravi Shankar Prasad said the contribution of Indian firms to foreign economies needs to be ‘presented in a more cogent way’.
  6. 6.7-magnitude earthquake hits the Philippines, several dead: The exact number of casualties is yet to be ascertained.
  7. Peru offers reward for capture of ex-President Alejandro Toledo: Officials said an arrest warrant has been issued against the former leader, currently a Stanford University scholar, in connection with a corruption scam.
  8. At least 17 dead and hundreds injured in stampede at football stadium in Angola: The crowd pushed down barriers after they failed to gain entry into the facility before the match began, said officials. 
  9. Centre moves to introduce a single entrance exam for engineering students from 2018: The government said the Entrance Examination for Engineering and Architecture will replace all existing tests.
  10. At least 74 people injured during jallikattu in Madurai’s Alanganallur: More than 23 of them had to be taken to hospital.