Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday criticised the ruling BJP over the alleged killing of a 20-year-old NEET aspirant in Gorakhpur by suspected cattle smugglers, saying that despite seeking votes on the promise of ending cattle smuggling, the UP government has failed to curtail such activities in the last nine years.

An illegal storage unit of firecrackers was busted in the Badarpur area on Wednesday, the police said, adding that an arrest was made in the case as well.

Pakistan may have withdrawn the threat to pull out of the Asia Cup but their objection to match referee Andy Pycroft still stands and the PCB has shot off another letter to the ICC demanding that the Zimbabwean be swapped with Richie Richardson for the team's remaining games.

Japan has decided not to recognise a Palestinian state for now, opting instead to continue its review of the issue amid pressure from both allies and international partners. 

Incarcerated Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has been acquitted by a special MP-MLA court here in a 17-year-old case related to road blockade and damage to public property, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy on Wednesday rose to the top of the ICC T20 Bowlers' Rankings for the first time in his career, becoming only the third Indian to achieve this feat.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday reached out to the people of land subsidence-hit Kalaban border area in Poonch district, and hoped the Centre will extend a good package to the Union Territory on the pattern of the one given to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the next generation GST reforms will infuse Rs 2 lakh crore into the economy, leaving people with more cash in hand that otherwise would have gone as taxes.