A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Narendra Modi calls Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death a personal and irreplaceable loss: The former prime minister died at Delhi’s AIIMS on Thursday.
  2. Toll in Kerala floods rises to 94; Centre sends more rescue teams: The SC has asked the Centre and the state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to find ways to reduce the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam to 139 feet.  
  3. ‘Queen of soul’ Aretha Franklin dies at 76: She had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in 2010.  
  4. Malaysian parliament revokes law against fake news: The law had propsed for a heavy fine and imprisonment up to 10 years.  
  5. Opposition wants to stop the BJP from imprisoning ‘the golden bird’ that is India, says Rahul Gandhi: The Congress president was speaking at a rally attended by representatives from several Opposition parties.  
  6. Delhi Police search for men who claim attack on Umar Khalid was meant to be ‘Independence Day gift’: In a video being circulated on messaging service WhatsApp, the men identified themselves and urged the police to not harass others.  
  7. Gunmen attack intelligence training centre in Kabul, three people wounded: Security forces killed all three insurgents, the country’s interior minister said.  
  8. Vedanta says it has not yet received Madras HC notice on petition seeking Rs 750 crore compensation: The petitioner sought Rs 620 crore for the rehabilitation of people near the Thoothukudi plant and Rs 10 crore each for the 13 people who died in police firing.
  9. Supreme Court asks NRC coordinator to submit detailed report on those excluded from draft list: The top court adjourned the hearing on the controversial draft document to August 28.
  10. On Independence Day, Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo welcomes the country’s first Humboldt Penguin chick: The species is native to Peru and Chile in South America.