Two police officers in India have been sacked for refusing to help search for two missing girls who were later found gang-raped and hanged, officials say.

They were also charged with criminal conspiracy, police said, adding that three people had been arrested so far.

The government has pledged to set up a fast-track court to prosecute the crime, which took place earlier this week in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Alleged police inaction sparked outrage in the teenagers' village.

The father of one victim told the BBC he was ridiculed by police when he sought help in finding his missing daughter.

He said that when policemen found out he was from a lower caste, they "refused to look for my girl".

Students in New Delhi protest against police inaction over the killings of the girls (30 May 2014) Students in New Delhi held angry protests after the girls' killings

The incident has received top coverage on India's main TV channels such as NDTV, Times Now and CNN-IBN.

"Uttar Pradesh Rape shockers", reads a ticker on NDTV, which accuses the local police of being "complicit" with the attackers and quotes relatives of the two girls saying they have "no faith" they'll receive justice.

"Lawless in Uttar Pradesh" reads a top headline on CNN-IBN, which has started its own campaign using the hashtag #StopThisShame.

"UP: 3 Rapes in 48Hrs" is the lead on the Times Now channel, which reports the growing number of rape incidents in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

"Outrage" is the word used on the front pages of several leading English-language newspapers, including The Hindu and The Indian Express.

In an editorial, The Times of India lays the blame on the government of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Singh, saying the hangings "exposes the state's slide into medieval lawlessness".

A sharp fall in plan expenditure has helped pull India's fiscal deficit for last financial year below the government's estimate, but the cut in spending on productive activities has left an impact on the economy.

The deficit, or the shortfall in the government's revenue to meet expenses, narrowed to 4.5% of gross domestic product in the year ended on March 31, compared with 4.9% initially estimated in the 2013-14 budget and the revised 4.6% given out with the interim budget for 2014-15 in February.

Plan expenditure, which is associated with productive expenditure, fell to Rs 4.53 lakh crore, according to provisional data released on Friday, from Rs 4.76 lakh crore envisaged in the estimates presented with the interim budget. This implies a reduction of more than Rs 1 lakh crore in plan spending budgeted for 2013-14.

The nation's economic growth remained below 5% for the second straight year, as GDP expanded just 4.7% in 2013-14, better than the previous year's 4.5% growth, but below the most recent government estimate of 4.9%, data showed Friday.

Sluggish manufacturing sector growth dented tax mobilisation with tax receipts coming in lower at Rs 8.16 lakh crore compared with the downwardly revised estimate of Rs 8.36 lakh crore. Non-tax revenue, largely in the form of dividends from public sector units, provided some help - at Rs 1.99 lakh crore, it exceeded the February budget estimate of Rs 1.93 lakh crore.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sought to put a stop to the race among Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States to include a chapter on his life in school text-books by articulating his reservations about the move on Twitter which he uses regularly to connect with people.

``Am reading that some states want to include Narendra Modi’s life struggles as part of their school curriculum. I firmly believe that the life story of living individuals should not be included as a part of the school curriculum. Young minds should read about the great stalwarts of India who made our nation what it is & emulate them,’’ he tweeted from his personal and Prime Minister’s Office Twitter handles.

The governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat had announced their intent to include a chapter on Mr. Modi in their school textbooks. With the Prime Minister speaking out against such a move, reports from Gujarat suggest that the State Government has already dropped the proposal.

Compared to some of Mr. Modi’s tweets on controversial subjects, this time round his comments did not generate an animated debate on Twitter. Actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna’s wife Kavita Vinod Khanna differed with Mr. Modi. ``Humbly, I disagree with you. Lessons & inspiration are not just from those deceased but living legends too.’’

Yara Khmidan might have a confusing sounding name, I think it's actually abbreviated oddly, but this Ukranian hottie has nothing but talent ready for prime time in the West with a few fashion model breakout shoots and now this Beach Bunny bikini catalog pictorial. Damn, I'll buy some vowels for this stunning bit of visual wonderment all sultry and alluring in her perfectly fitting two pieces.

I'm not saying I'm prepared to drop everything in my life and run off to the hills with Yara to make many babies but I'm also not saying that. I mean, she does have to say yes, I'm not a brute. Then it's a life of learning the international language of lust, or at least two years before she learns how to say 'Are you just going to sit there all weekend and watch sports again?' before we both decide it's time to find new mating partners. The circle of life.

A few months ago, Rachel McAdams revealed her favorite "Mean Girls" quote -- "I don't think my father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, would be too pleased with this" -- which came as a surprise since it's a line uttered by Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) rather than Regina George (McAdams).

In a new interview with Digital Spy, Amanda Seyfried names her favorite quote from the film, and based on her response, it's clear that Seyfried realizes the hilarity of her own character, the "blissfully ignorant" Karen Smith.

"'If you're from Africa, why are you white?' is the best line ever," Seyfried said when asked to pick her favorite quote from "Mean Girls," which turned 10 last month. The "A Million Ways to Die in the West" actress also addressed the potential of a reunion, saying she'd love to reprise the story in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, but is worried it would fall short of expectations.

"I would do that in a million years, but I would fear that it wouldn't be funny. What if it wasn't funny?" Seyfried said. "So I think the mystery, or the idea of it, is sometimes better than actually following through. If [writer Tina Fey] is not on board or if she doesn't have anything for us to do, then I don't think we should, because that was designed by her and it would have to be designed by her again.

Maya Angelou was a celebrated author and poet, and also a filmmaker: Angelou, who died on May 28 at the age of 86, made the 1998 film "Down in the Delta," which was released by Miramax on Dec. 25 of that year. It was the only feature film she ever directed.

Based on an original script by Myron Goble, "Down in the Delta" focused on Loretta (Alfre Woodard), a struggling single parent who gets sent to Mississippi by her mother (Mary Alice) to clean up her life. There, Loretta meets a coterie of family and friends. Wesley Snipes and Loretta Divine co-starred.

"Down in the Delta" received some positive reviews from critics, including Roger Ebert, who gave Angelou's film three-and-a-half stars.
"Angelou's first-time direction stays out of its own way; she doesn't call attention to herself with unnecessary visual touches, but focuses on the business at hand," Ebert wrote. "She and Goble are interested in what might happen in a situation like this, not in how they can manipulate the audience with phony crises."

In addition to "Down in the Delta," Angelou directed an episode of "Visions." As an actress, she appeared in the hit miniseries "Roots," the 1993 film "Poetic Justice" with Janet Jackson, "How to Make an American Quilt" and an episode of "Touched by an Angel." Angelou is credited as co-writer on the 1979 television adaptation of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," her iconic autobiography. She last appeared onscreen in 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion."

Alyssa Funke, a straight-A student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, committed suicide last month after being bullied and harassed online over her choice to appear in pornography. Local police have said they don't plan to press charges against anyone who taunted Funke.

Funke, 19, had recently appeared in a porn film at the website CastingCouch-X. According to KMSP, after former classmates from her high school in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, discovered the video, they began sending her abusive messages through Twitter and Facebook.
Her last tweets before her death were on April 14 and 15, appearing to mock those harassing her online:

On April 16, Funke completed suicide at a boat landing on Big Carnelia Lake, 26 miles from River Falls and 9 miles from Oak Park Heights.

KMSP reports Funke's family did not want to speak on camera, but said they believe the cyberbullying played a significant role in her decision to end her life. The Washington County Sheriff's Office told the station that it does not think the taunts rise to the level of criminal harassment. The investigation is still ongoing.

The Daily Dot reports that her family launched The Alyssa Stop Bullying Fund, which raised $165 in the 19 days it was active.

Funke's death follows the widely covered harassment of Belle Knox, a Duke University freshman who appeared in pornographic films and was harassed by students on campus after she was publicly identified. Knox had even appeared on the same couch for the same website. But she became very open about her porn career in spite of what Knox has referred to as "a culture of slut-shaming and rape apology."

Many porn actresses say they struggle to protect their privacy. One former college student who was outed several years ago on her campus for an amateur porn even asked The Huffington Post not to identify the school she attended, out of concern it would lead to further harassment online.

Sofia Vergara sure looks ready for summer.

Vergara models a leopard-print bikini, a cutout swimsuit and other summery attire in the latest ads for her eponymous Kmart collection. In the bikini ad, the 41-year-old "Modern Family" star channels a sultry vibe wearing her hair in tousled waves and posing against a background of lush greenery.

The brunette beauty first launched her Kmart line back in 2011, and she has done quite a bit since then. Last month, she debuted her first fragrance, Sofia by Sofia Vergara, on the Home Shopping Network.

Miley Cyrus obtained a temporary restraining order Friday against an Arizona man who was recently detained by police while trying to meet the singer-actress.

A Los Angeles judge granted Cyrus the stay-away order against Devon Meek after Cyrus' lawyers filed court documents stating that Meek, 24, believes the singer is communicating to him through her songs.

Los Angeles police arrested the man from the southeastern Arizona city of Sierra Vista on May 16, and he was placed in a psychiatric hospital, where he remains. Meek has said he will continue to try to meet Cyrus once he is released, according to filings by Cyrus' attorneys and a police detective.

Meek was arrested outside a property he believed is owned by Cyrus, but the documents don't specify the location.

Detective Rosibel Smith wrote in a sworn statement that Meek told officers they should shoot him in the head if he couldn't meet Cyrus.

Smith wrote that a police officer who interviewed Meek "informed me that Mr. Meek stated that when he is released from the hospital, he will not stop seeking Ms. Cyrus and that he will continue to go to Ms. Cyrus' residence until Ms. Cyrus accepts him or he dies."

A hearing to extend the restraining order for three years is scheduled for June 16.

There is no declaration from Cyrus in the filing. The pop star rose to fame as the star of the TV show "Hannah Montana" and has recently postponed several concerts while she recovers from her representatives have said is an allergic reaction to antibiotics.