A look at the headlines right now:

  1. NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan elected deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha: The JD(U) leader defeated Opposition’s nominee BK Hariprasad 125 votes to 105.   
  2. Internet service suspended in parts of Pune as Maratha quota stir begins, protestors stop traffic in some districts: A few domestic airlines have advised travellers to factor in extra time while travelling to and from airports.   
  3. IKEA launches its first store in India, says it has a ‘long term commitment’ to the country: The Swedish home furnishing giant plans to set up 25 stores across India by 2025.  
  4. Reliance Defence and Aerospace president denies allegations of nepotism in Rafale deal: Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Arun Jaitley had defended the agreement on Wednesday.
  5. US to impose sanctions on Russia for alleged use of nerve gas agent on former spy: The US state department said stricter sanctions will follow within three months if Moscow does not give assurances that it will not use chemical weapons.  
  6. Karunanidhi buried with full state honours next to mentor Annadurai at Marina Beach in Chennai: Two people were killed and several injured in stampede-like incidents outside Rajaji Hall when Karunanidhi’s body was kept there.
  7. Three boys, their football coach get Thailand citizenship a month after cave rescue mission: They were among the over 4.8 lakh stateless people in Thailand, most of them living in remote border areas.
  8. Speeding train runs over 20 cows in Delhi: A Northern Railway spokesperson said the driver had applied emergency brakes, but the cows got killed as the train was at full speed.  
  9. Indian markets hit record highs in early morning trade on foreign inflows: ICICI Bank was the top gainer on both indices.   
  10. Indonesia earthquake toll rises to 347, says report by sub-district heads: The national disaster agency, however, pegged the toll at 164.