Five must-read stories—January 28

Latest BJP rival in UP is its own star’s outfit

On Friday, the Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) released its first list of six candidates from Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts, which come under the sway of BJP's Gorakhpur MP, Yogi Adityanath. The HYV—founded in 2002 by Adityanath—will contest from 64 seats in eastern UP, alleging that the BJP has “insulted” its founder, reports The Indian Express.

No hike in withdrawal limits for netas as RBI votes against EC plea

The Reserve Bank of India is said to have turned down the Election Commission’s plea to relax weekly cash withdrawal limits for poll expenses, which means candidates in upcoming contests in five states will have to increase their reliance on digital payments systems or cheques, says The Economic Times.

Why no national policy to help calamity-hit farmers, asks Supreme Court

Having dealt with the issue of farmers' suicide raised in many PILs earlier, the Supreme Court on Friday found it strange that there was no national policy to compensate tillers for crop failure or indebtedness—two major reasons for them to take their lives. A Times of India report.

Trump’s Mexico border wall will be bad for Earth, warn scientists

US President Donald Trump’s plan for a 1,000-mile wall across Mexico border would require an estimated 275 million cubic feet of concrete, and would release as much as 1.9 million metric tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, warn scientists. A Bloomberg report in Mint.

AI watchdog needed to regulate automated decision-making, say experts

Experts say that an artificial intelligence watchdog should be set up to make sure people are not discriminated against by the automated computer systems making important decisions about their lives, reports The Guardian.