A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Lionel Messi and his father sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax evasion: However, according to Spanish law, the football star is unlikely to serve jail time since this was his first offence and the sentence is less than two years.
  2. Smriti Irani takes charge as Textile Minister, says she will strengthen India’s presence in sector: Prakash Javadekar, who replaced her as Minister of Human Resource and Development, met her earlier in the day.
  3. Chilcot report: Tony Blair joined Iraq invasion in 2003 before ‘peaceful options’ were exhausted: Sir John Chilcot, who headed the inquiry into UK’s involvement in the Iraq War, found that Blair justified the operation based on 'flawed' intelligence.
  4. Delhi government suspends Arvind Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar: He was arrested by the CBI two days ago in connection with a corruption case worth Rs 50 crore.
  5. Two MBBS students who threw a dog off a terrace in Chennai arrested, released on bail: Bhadra, as she was named by her rescuers, is now undergoing treatment for a fractured right hind leg and spine.
  6. Bangladesh authorities misinterpreted warnings of Dhaka attack shared on Twitter: Officials who monitor social media reportedly found tweets indicating an attack, but police believed that only embassies and major hotels would be targeted.
  7. Oscar Pistorius sentenced to six years in prison for murder of Reeva Steenkamp: The presiding judge said she found 'substantial and compelling circumstances' in the South African Paralympic runner's defence to reduce his punishment.
  8. US report says India’s 7.5% growth figure is ‘overstated’: However, the State Department praised Raghuram Rajan for his efforts to bring in economic reforms and Narendra Modi for streamlining bureaucracy.
  9. Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s speech a ‘matter of concern for us’, says Kiren Rijiju: One of the terrorists killed in the attack at a Dhaka café on Saturday reportedly followed Naik, who is a controversial figure banned in some countries.
  10. Syrian army declares three-day ceasefire across nation during Eid: However, opposition groups did not respond to the army’s announcement and sporadic violence was reported on Wednesday in some areas.