A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Nirmala Sitharaman is the new defence minister, Piyush Goyal gets railways in Cabinet reshuffle: Three ministers of state were elevated to Cabinet ranks, and nine new names were added to the council of ministers.
  2. India, other nations condemn North Korea’s hydrogen bomb test: The US, UK, China, France, Russia and South Korea, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, urged Pyongyang to put an end to its provocations.
  3. At Brics Summit, Xi Jinping urges members to shelve differences and seek common ground: The Chinese president said the five countries that make up the bloc play an important role in international affairs now more than ever.
  4. Satellite images show hundreds of buildings ablaze in a Rohingya village, says Human Rights Watch: The NGO said independent investigators were needed in Myanmar to determine what had caused the fire in Rakhine state.
  5. Demonetisation hit India’s poor very hard, Raghuram Rajan tells The Times of India: A skewed measurement of the GDP will overlook the impact of the drive on the poor, the former RBI governor said.
  6. Gauhati High Court asks CBI to take over investigation into Louis Berger bribery scam: The US-based firm had admitted that it had paid incentives to the governments of Assam and Goa to secure contracts as consultants in water supply projects.
  7. Nasa’s Peggy Whitson returns with Expedition 52 crew, bags new record: The mission’s crew also included Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of Nasa and Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russian space agency Roscosmos.
  8. Aam Aadmi Party will take on the BJP in Gujarat Assembly elections: The decision to contest the polls had been taken at a meeting of the party’s central and state office-bearers, Delhi Cabinet minister Gopal Rai said.
  9. ‘Largest wildfire’ in Los Angeles history triggers massive evacuation operation: Officials warned residents of erratic wind patterns which could spread the blaze even further.
  10. Be wary of emails with subjects like ‘please print and photos’, warns Centre about Locky ransomware: The cyber threat is currently in circulation through over 23 million messages, the alert said.