The big news: Shankersinh Vaghela quits Congress after ‘suspension’, and 9 other top stories
Other headlines: Reliance Jio launched a phone that costs nothing, and Sushma Swaraj said India and Pakistan should withdraw troops to resolve the Dokla crisis.
A look at the headlines right now:
- Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela says he was suspended 24 hours ago: The party said Ambika Soni has not resigned from party, but that her ‘duties were lightened’.
- Mukesh Ambani launches ‘effectively free’ JioPhone, but with a refundable Rs 1,500 deposit: Users of the Reliance device will get unlimited data, free voice calls and text messages at Rs 153 per month.
- Both India, China should withdraw troops from Doklam, says Sushma Swaraj: Farooq Abdullah said US and China should be asked to mediate in Kashmir conflict, say reports
- Indian Railways is serving food unfit for human consumption, says CAG report: Eight states did not spend more than 40% of their rural health budgets in 2015, another Comptroller and Auditor General of India report said.
- Nagaland’s newly appointed Chief Minister TR Zeliang proves his majority in the Assembly: After he was given the post, the Naga People’s Front had expelled him for indulging in ‘anti-party activities’.
- TMC will launch a ‘BJP Quit India’ movement on August 9, says Mamata Banerjee: She accused the Narendra Modi-led Centre of not allowing state governments to work.
- Ready to amend law in NRI voting rights case, Centre tells Supreme Court: Attorney General K K Venugopal sought two weeks’ time to submit a reply regarding the changes to be made in the Representation of People’s Act.
- A rapist cannot be tried under child abuse laws if the complainant’s mental age is under 18, says SCA: woman had filed a petition saying her daughter was raped in 2010 when she was 38 years old, but had the mental development of a six-year-old.
- India among 10 countries that account for 95% of new HIV/AIDS infections in Asia-Pacific, says UN report: The document said AIDS-related deaths have nearly halved across the globe since 2005.
- Pakistan Supreme Court reserves verdict in Panama Papers corruption case against PM Nawaz Sharif: The three-member bench did not give any date for the announcement of the verdict.