A look at the headlines right now:

  1. At least 28 killed in Kerala rains, Maharashtra and Karnataka also battle floods: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said PM Narendra Modi had assured assistance to those affected by the floods in Kerala.   
  2. President Ram Nath Kovind gives assent to bill reorganising J&K as Union Territory: Meanwhile, the Jammu administration withdrew Section 144 from its municipal limits.   
  3. ‘Time for Pakistan to accept reality’, says India after protest over Centre’s Kashmir decision: Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties, suspended bilateral trade and halted the Samjhauta and Thar Express.   
  4. Industrial production grew by just 2% in June, shows government data: The cumulative industrial growth over the April-June period stood at 3.6%.   
  5. DMK candidate Kathir Anand wins Vellore Lok Sabha election by over 8,000 votes: The constituency had voted on Monday with a 71.51% turnout.   
  6. Arun Jaitley admitted to AIIMS for medical check-up, say reports: He underwent a kidney transplant surgery last year and opted to stay out of the Narendra Modi-led government this year.   
  7. Former Congress Chief Whip in Rajya Sabha Bhubaneshwar Kalita joins BJP: He had quit the Congress earlier this week after the party opposed the bill to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
  8. Islamabad bans cultural exchanges with New Delhi: An official in the country’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting urged the media to help the government defeat ‘Indian cultural invasion’.   
  9. BJP appoints Prakash Javadekar, Narendra Tomar as poll in charge of Delhi, Haryana: Party’s general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will look after the affairs in Maharashtra while OP Mathur will be in charge of Jharkhand.   
  10. Legal scholar Shamnad Basheer may have died inside car due to suffocation, say Karnataka Police: He was missing for three-four days, and was found dead in his car in an open area on the outskirts of the district headquarters of Chikkamagaluru on Thursday.