Daily wrap: 29 killed as bus falls off Yamuna Expressway

Karnataka crisis: Yeddyurappa claims BJP has majority with support of 2 independent MLAs

The ‘nataka’ is on in Karnataka. On a day of fast-paced developments, independent MLA and minister H Nagesh withdrew his support to the Congress-JD(S) government, taking the total number of MLA resignations to 14; 21 Congress ministers and 10 JD(S) ministers put in their papers in an attempt to defuse the crisis.

Also read: Karnataka crisis deepens, but it may not be a cakewalk for BJP 

29 killed, 18 injured as bus falls into gorge on Yamuna Expressway

Twenty-nine people were killed and 18 injured when the bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge on the Yamuna Expressway on Monday (July 8). According to reports, the driver of the UPSRTC Jan Rath fell asleep at the wheel. The Expressway connects Noida with Agra. The bus was travelling from Lucknow to Delhi when the accident happened.

DMK MPs walk out of LS over NEET

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs on Monday (July 8) staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha after demanding a reply from the government over the issue of the President rejecting two Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly to conduct medical admission in the State solely on the basis of Class 12 marks.

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have for long demanded exemption of the state from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Raising the issue during Zero Hour, DMK member TR Baalu said several students in Tamil Nadu have committed suicide after not clearing the test.

Indian scientists develop ‘black gold’, claim huge potential

Indian scientists have tinkered with the chemistry of gold and turned it into ‘black gold’, which they say can be potentially used for applications ranging from solar energy harvesting to desalinating seawater. Scientists at the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) used gold nanoparticles, and by rearranging size and gaps between them, developed a new material which has unique properties that normal gold doesn’t have.

UP cops torture man for reporting wife’s gang-rape; SHO suspended

A man was allegedly subjected to third-degree torture by Uttar Pradesh cops in Mainpuri after he approached them to file a complaint of abduction and rape of his wife. The Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) OP Singh on Monday (July 8) suspended Mainpuri’s station house officer (SHO) and other staff following the incident which took place on Friday (July 5) night.

US-China trade war: Put off by US, Chinese students eye other univs

Caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war, Chinese students are looking for alternative study destinations – threatening to turn off an important source of revenue for American universities. China accounts for nearly a third of foreign students on US campuses who pour billions of dollars into the economy, but in March their numbers dropped for the first time in a decade.

Binoy Kodiyeri agrees to paternity test in rape case

Kerala CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s son Binoy Kodiyeri, who is accused in a rape case in Mumbai, has agreed to undergo a paternity test. He agreed to hand over his blood samples for the DNA test as sought by the Oshiwara police since a 33-year-old woman, a former bar dancer, had accused Binoy of sexually abusing her on the pretext of marriage.

She had also told the court that she had an eight-year-old son from Binoy. Binoy, who had refuted the allegations, had been charged with rape and cheating.

Also read: Kerala CPM leader Kodiyeri’s son gets anticipatory bail in rape case 

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty knocked out of Wimbledon 2019

Ashleigh Barty’s dream of winning her second straight Grand Slam title was crushed by Alison Riske in Wimbledon Manic Monday. Ashleigh faced defeat from the unseeded player by 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 giving Riske a position in the quarterfinals of an international tournament for the first time. The Australian’s winning streak of 15 matches in a row, including the French open was lost when Riske managed to win the second set and took a lead of 5-3 even before serving her last.

SC refuses to entertain plea seeking cancellation of film certificate of ‘Article 15’

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 8) refused to entertain a plea seeking cancellation of certificate issued by the Central Board of Film Certification to movie Article 15 and asked the petitioner to approach the appropriate authority with their grievances.

The petitioner ‘Brahman Samaj of India’ had approached the top court seeking cancellation of certificate issued to the movie alleging that there were objectionable dialogues spreading rumour and caste hatred in society.

3 years after Wani’s death, Valley at the crossroads of hate

These days, the Army at Jammu and Kashmir is engaged almost on a daily basis, in firefights with militants. The trigger that facilitated this change was the killing of Burhan Wani, the commander of a Kashmiri militant group. No one had an inkling that his death would become such a landmark in Kashmir’s contemporary history.

At least 550 militants have been gunned down since young Wani was killed. He had joined insurgency in his home town of Tral after being beaten by J&K policemen. Almost 80 per cent of the killed militants joined after Wani’s death. This year, at least 50 youngsters have joined various militant outfits since March, a number which keeps rising with every passing day.