A look at the headlines right now:

  1. At least 23 killed in blast at firecracker factory in Gurdaspur: The toll is expected to rise as around 50 people are feared trapped under the debris.
  2. Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim and Lakhvi declared terrorists under new anti-terror law: The decision came a month afer the Parliament passed the amendments to The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act of 1967.
  3. DK Shivakumar sent to ED custody till September 13 even as Congress continues to protest his arrest: Congress’ General Secretary KC Venugopal said the arrest was a ‘clear case of political vendetta by the fascist BJP government at the Centre’.
  4. Red alert issued in Mumbai, other districts after heavy rain lashes Maharashtra: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation asked residents to remain indoors and not to believe any rumours on high rainfall alerts.
  5. Army says five civilians killed in last 30 days after Kashmiri youth dies in Srinagar hospital: The Army also said that Pakistan had stepped up efforts to push terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in London was vandalised as protests over Kashmir turned violent.
  6. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam set to withdraw extradition bill that sparked ongoing protests: At a closed-door meeting with businessmen last week, Lam said she had caused ‘unforgivable havoc’ by introducing the bill.
  7. India, Moscow believe not to interfere in internal matters of other countries, Modi says in Russia: His comments come amid global concern over Jammu and Kashmir ever since the Centre revoked its special status and bifurcated it into Union Territories.
  8. Maruti Suzuki to shut down production at Gurugram and Manesar plants for two days: Shares of Maruti Suzuki India were over 3% lower at Rs 5,861 in the afternoon trade on Wednesday.
  9. Shiv Sena asks government to take Manmohan Singh’s advice on the economy seriously: The party claimed in an editorial that the economy was being destroyed in the last few years.
  10. New Delhi and Mumbai slide down liveability index due to poor air, ‘deterioration in culture’: Rising crime rates were also responsible for the capital city’s poor score on the index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit.