A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Rahul Gandhi says he has no ambition to become prime minister, is fighting an ideological battle: A day earlier, the Congress president claimed his party was not involved in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
  2. US Senator and war veteran John McCain dies at 81: He was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2017.
  3. Reliance Group files Rs 5,000-crore defamation suit against ‘National Herald’: The Anil Ambani-led firms alleged that an article published in the newspaper on the fighter jet deal was ‘libellous and derogatory’.
  4. Siddaramaiah declares wish to become CM again, triggers rumours of rift in coalition: The Congress said the coalition government was not under threat and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy would complete his term.  
  5. Kerala alone cannot mobilise resources to rebuild after devastating floods, says Pinarayi Vijayan: ‘Help from all around the world will go a long way in our efforts to overcome this calamity,’ the chief minister wrote in ‘The Hindu’.
  6. There is no proposal to rename Ramlila Maidan after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, say BJP leaders: Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari accused ‘politically motivated people’ of spreading the rumour.
  7. Pakistan’s foreign minister again expresses willingness to improve ties: Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Islamabad would not shy away from engaging with India despite the current deadlock in the dialogue process.
  8. Court rejects AAP’s plea to stop police from sharing details of chief secretary case with media: The party has accused the police of attempting to carry out a media trial by leaking the contents of the chargesheet.
  9. Editors Guild of India condemns Patna High Court’s gag order on media in the Muzaffarpur rape case: The organisation said it was distressed to learn that the court had curbed media freedom instead of protecting it.
  10. Nirmala Sitharaman rebukes Karnataka minister during press conference: Kodagu district in-charge minister Mahesh asked her to end a meeting with victims because officials involved with rehabilitation work were waiting for her.