A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Cyclonic storm Ockhi kills five in Kerala, Tamil Nadu; dozens of fishermen missing: Several passenger trains between Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram have been cancelled.   
  2. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley credits government’s reforms for rise in GDP growth rate: The growth of the manufacturing sector was the most significant aspect of ‘this quarter’s positive result’, he added.   
  3. Journalist Naveen Srivastava shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Bilhaur town: Two police teams have been formed to investigate the case.   
  4. India gave no evidence of Hafiz Saeed’s role in Mumbai attacks, Pakistan PM tells Bloomberg: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also rejected the United States’ repeated accusations that Pakistan provides a safe haven to militant groups.   
  5. Hadiya speaks to husband over phone, father says he will move SC against college: Asokan said he was worried after the college allowed Hadiya to hold a press conference on Wednesday.   
  6. State Bank of India raises interest rates on term deposits of above Rs 1 crore: However, the state-owned lender reduced rates on deposits below the amount.   
  7. NIA takes over investigation into RSS worker’s murder in Punjab, says Sikh extremists hatched plan: Two suspects, who have been taken into custody, have admitted that they were involved in eight incidents of murder or attempted murder, the agency said. 
  8. Man who inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge dies in New York: The money from the challenge was used to fund research, which discovered a gene that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.   
  9. P Chidambaram responds to Narendra Modi’s GST jibe, asks, ‘Is the chief economic adviser also stupid?’: The prime minister had said that Rahul Gandhi’s suggestion of capping the GST rate at 18% was a ‘grand stupid thought’.    
  10. BCCI’s Committee of Administrators accept Kohli & Co’s demand for pay hike: The CoA met the India skipper, former captain MS Dhoni and current coach Ravi Shastri to discuss among other things the pay issue and the cramped scheduling.