A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Nearly 100 dead, dozens injured as squall, sandstorms hit parts of north India: Several houses collapsed, and many electricity poles and trees were uprooted in sandstorms in Rajasthan.
  2. National Film Award winners threaten to boycott ceremony over President presenting only 11 prizes: More than 60 recipients said they will skip the event on Thursday evening.
  3. Cauvery draft scheme delayed because PM, ministers are busy with Karnataka polls, Centre tells SC: The top court ordered Karnataka to release at least 2 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu.
  4. British firm Cambridge Analytica shuts down citing losses after Facebook data breach scandal: In a statement, the company defended itself in the face of the controversy and said an internal investigation had not found any wrongdoing.
  5. Supreme Court questions private companies using citizens’ details: The five-judge Constitution bench seemed to disagree with the government’s decision to treat the Aadhaar Act as a Money Bill.
  6. ‘I don’t want a BJP-mukt Bharat, all voices must be heard,’ says Congress President Rahul Gandhi: In an interview with the Deccan Herald, he said the saffron party had won the elections in Uttar Pradesh by polarising the society.
  7. Railways fines contractor after video showed vendor purportedly using train toilet water to make tea: The Railways fined the contractor Rs 1 lakh after conducting an inquiry into the incident.
  8. Man dies in Bikaner after being assaulted over inter-faith relationship, police detain three people: Half a dozen people, including the woman’s father and cousins, allegedly abducted the 22-year-old and beat him up on Tuesday night.
  9. Punjab Pollution Control Board challenges findings of WHO report on air pollution: The agency’s chief said that the report, which placed Patiala in the list of 20 most polluted cities, was unscientific and did not have reasonable facts.
  10. Google celebrates life of iconic film-maker Georges Méliès with first virtual reality doodle: Méliès introduced a number of technical and narrative film techniques in the early days of cinema, primarily in the use of special effects.