Bill On ‘Triple Talaq’ Clears Rajya Sabha, Centre Says ‘Historic Day’

  • The contentious bill to ban ‘Triple Talaq’, which failed the Rajya Sabha test last time, sailed through the opposition-dominated upper house on Tuesday aided by a series of walkouts and abstentions.
  • The bill sought to end the practice of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering “talaq” thrice, saw stiff opposition when it was presented in the Lok Sabha. But several of the parties that opposed it - including Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United, AIADMK and K Chandrashekar Rao’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi – ended up aiding the bill’s passage.
  • While the AIADMK and Nitish Kumar’s party walked out, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP abstained from voting, bringing down the majority mark. 

Afghanistan: At least 32 killed after bus hits ‘Taliban bomb’, says official

  • At least 32 people were killed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb, a provincial official told Associated Press. However, TOLO News reported that 34 people had died.
  • The bus was on its way to Farah province from Herat province. Spokesperson of Farah province Mohibullah Mohib said that 15 people were severely injured in the incident and were in a critical condition, indicating that the toll could increase.
  • The Taliban group, however, did not immediately confirm it was behind the attack. 

US, China wrap up trade talks after Donald Trump’s tweet storm

  • US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with Vice Premier Liu He on July 31 morning.
  • Chinese and US negotiators held their first face-to-face talks on July 31 since agreeing to a trade war truce last month, but the short meeting in Shanghai was overshadowed by a Twitter tirade from President Donald Trump.
  • Washington and Beijing have so far hit each other with punitive tariffs covering more than USD 360 billion in two-way trade in a row centred on demands for China to curb the alleged theft of American technology and provide a level playing field to US companies.

North Korea Fires Two Short-Range Missiles, Says South Korea

  • North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles early Wednesday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
  • The missile launch was the second in a week, after Pyongyang also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday.
  • North Korea said last week’s launch was a direct response to planned U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises and the South’s deployment of what it called “ultramodern offensive weapons,” almost certainly a reference to its import of U.S. F-35A stealth fighters. 

5 killed, 38 injured in blast targeting police vehicle in Pakistan

  • Five people, including two cops, were killed and 38 others injured on July 30 in a powerful blast targeting a police vehicle in Quetta, the largest city of Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan province.
  • The blast took place close to a police vehicle at the Bacha Khan Chowk in the remit of the City Police Station, Quetta’s Deputy Inspector-General of Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said.