A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Big message on women’s status in India, says Nirmala Sitharaman on her appointment as defence minister: Nine new ministers were sworn in as part of PM Modi’s Cabinet reshuffle. 
  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. Dera Sacha Sauda denies rumours about picking Ram Rahim’s successor: The organisation has asked its followers to respect the law.
  4. 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.  
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Demonetisation hit India’s poor very hard, Raghuram Rajan tells Times of India: A skewed measurement of the GDP will overlook the impact of the drive on the poor, he said.
  8. German Chancellor Angela Merkel seeks to end Turkey’s European Union membership talks: Berlin may also impose restrictions on economic contact with Ankara, and issue a tougher travel warning against the country, she said.  
  9. 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.
  10. 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.