A look at the headlines right now:

  1. BJP’s Jairam Thakur takes oath as chief minister of Himachal Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and several Union ministers attended the event.   
  2. Pakistan allegedly violates ceasefire in Nowshera district of Jammu and Kashmir: The Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling and small arms fire, reports said.   
  3. US imposes sanctions on two North Korean officials for leading Pyongyang’s missile programme: Meanwhile, Russia said it was ready to act as a mediator for talks between Washington and Pyongyang.   : 
  4. Al-Qaeda commander calls for war on Indian cities, says it is key to victory in Kashmir: In a video released on jihadist forums, Usama Mahmoud said Kolkata, Bangalore and New Delhi should be the main targets.   
  5. Jammu and Kashmir government bars employees from criticising its policies on social media: The order also prohibited them from sharing any grievance about their workplace.   
  6. Aung San Suu Kyi avoided discussion on alleged rape of Rohingya women, reports say: She instead set up meetings between UN envoy Pramila Patten and government officials who said reports of atrocities were ‘exaggerated and fabricated’.   
  7. Kulbhushan Jadhav spoke to family ‘in an atmosphere of coercion’, says External Affairs Ministry: His appearance also raises questions of his health, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.   
  8. Maharashtra charity commissioner de-registers 60,000 trusts, issues notices to 1,30,000 others: SG Dige has sent notices to around 1,90,000 trusts for not submitting audit reports and/or a list of trustees. 
  9. Medical evacuations from war-torn Eastern Ghouta region of Syria have begun, says Red Cross: The Syrian American Medical Society said four patients were evacuated on Wednesday. 
  10. UP government orders withdrawal of case from 1995 against Chief Minister Adityanath, 12 others: The accused had been booked for violating prohibitory orders in Gorakhpur in 1995 by holding a meeting.