Bulandshahr gangrape case: Mayawati, Sheila Dikshit want UP CM Akhilesh Yadav to resign
Amid the outrage over the gangrape of a mother and her teenage daughter near Bulandshahr, opposition parties have demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Sheila Dikshit, the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress for upcoming state election, targeted Akhilesh for not being able to control such crimes in the state.
While demanding "personal explanation" from the Akhilesh, Mayawati: "If you can't manage UP, then resign as chief minister on moral grounds."
Sasikala Pushpa sacked from AIADMK on charges of 'anti-party' activity
After she dramatically broke down in the Parliament today, AIADMK sacked its member Sasikala Pushpa, a close confidante of Jayalalithaa.
The decision to sack Pushpa came after she was permitted to speak in the Rajya Sabha by Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien after she raised the issue in the well of the House. "There is a threat to my life. I am being pressured to resign from my Constitutional position. Sir, please help me," she said.
The development comes a day after her fight with DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva on Sunday in an airport where she allegedly slapped him. She claimed that Shiva had made 'uncharitable' remarks about AIDMK and was forced to react.
SC tells former UP CMs to vacate government accommodation within 2 months
On 1 August, the Supreme Court ruled that former chief ministers are not entitled to Government accommodation. The apex court ordered 6 ex-CMs of Uttar Pradesh, including Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati, to vacate the bungalows allotted by the government.
"Any such possession of government accommodation should be vacated within two months," reads the Supreme Court order.
ND Tiwari, Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh and Ram Naresh Yadav are among the six former UP-CMs who have been directed to give up government accommodation.
Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin warns Pakistan over Rajnath Singh's SAARC visit
Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has threatened to stop Home Minister Rajnath Singh when he visits Islamabad for a SAARC meet on 4 August.
Warning the Pakistan government against welcoming Singh, Salahuddin accused the Home Minister of "deploying soldiers in Kashmir to shed the blood of innocents".
Jama'at-ud-Da'wah chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has also asked the Pakistan government to bar the entry of Singh.
3 arrested in Bulandshahr double gangrape case
At least three people were arrested on 1 August in connection with the brutal gangrape of a woman and her daughter in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahar.
The accused, Rakesh, Savesh and Jawar Sinh were identified on 31 July.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has ordered the suspension of the station heads in the wake of the incident.
The incident took place late on 29 July when a group of robbers waylaid and gangraped a 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter in Bulandshahr district.
RSS, Parrikar face ire from Rahul Gandhi over jibe at actor Aamir Khan
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on 1 August unleashed an attack on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and the RSS, for the jibe they took at actor Aamir Khan for his remarks on intolerance.
The opposition party accused BJP and RSS of a "concerted conspiracy" to hound Dalits, minorities, writers, actors and whoever dissents against the Narendra Modi government.
"RSS & Parrikarji want to teach everyone a lesson. Heres a lesson for you: hate is the preserve of the coward and it never wins," the Congress Vice President said on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Kabul: 1 killed, 2 injured in truck bomb. Taliban claim responsibility
The Afghan capital came under attack once again, as a powerful truck bomb went off in a guesthouse that was housing foreigners. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack at Northgate, a guesthouse in the vicinity of US-run Bagram air base north of Kabul.
One police officer was killed and four other security forces injured in the gunfire that ensued between the insurgents and the police forces.
The insurgents that infiltrated the guesthouse compound were reportedly armed with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
New species of dinosaur discovered in Argentina
Researchers have reported the discovery of the fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur in Argentina.
The creature, called Murusraptor barrosaensis, lived about 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.
The dinosaur, which measures around 6½ meters-long, is a member of the megarptors family. The discovery comes on the heels of reports that fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur named Gualicho had been found in Argentina.
The research was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Lightning kills 27 in Odisha
At least 27 persons were killed after being struck by lightning in different parts of Odisha this weekend, police said.
While eight deaths were reported from Bhadrak district, there were seven casualties in Balasore district, five in Khurda, three in Mayurbhanj and one each in Kendrapara, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Nayagarh, police said.
Expressing sorrow over the deaths, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the special relief commissioner (SRC) to immediately provide assistance to the bereaved families in accordance with the relief code, CM's office said in a statement.
