DH Evening Brief: July 15, 2021

Here are the top headlines this evening.

Sedition law colonial, is it still needed? SC asks govt

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed serious concern over the misuse of sedition provision, wondering if there was a need for a "colonial" law after 75 years of independence."The penal law was used by the British against Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak to suppress freedom movement and it still being abused is a serious threat to individuals and institutions," a three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice N V Ramana said. Read more

JEE-Main 4th edition postponed, now exams to be held from Aug 26 to Sept 2

The fourth edition of engineering entrance examJEE-Main has been postponed to August 26-September 2 to give aspirants a four-week gap between two sessions of the crucial exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday. Read more

India's Covid-19 infection rate edges up, with second-wave yet to abate

A rise in India's Covid-19 infection rate is worrying authorities who are concerned that pilgrimages and tourism could prove to be "superspreader" events in the battle to douse a devastating second wave of infections that has killed thousands. Read more

Clash in UK Parliament over Johnson-Modi handshake by-election leaflet

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Opposition Leader Keir Starmer clashed in the House of Commons over a controversial by-election leaflet, which had been branded “divisive” and “anti-India” by Indian diaspora groups in Britain.During a heated debate over the issue of racism at the Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session on Wednesday, Johnson held up the leaflet showing him in a handshake with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in 2019 with the message “Don’t risk a Tory MP who is not on your side”. Read more

Watch: Debris enters houses in Kullu village following flood due to heavy rainfall

Debris entered houses in a village in Bhalana panchayat of Kullu district following flood due to heavy rainfall on night of July 14. A road in the village is blocked due to debris and the local administration is working on clearing the route. No casualties have been reported yet. Watch

Explained | What happens when an Olympic athlete tests Covid-19 positive?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in association with international sports federations, published Sport-Specific Regulations (SSR) last week for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The SSR was developed to determine the impact of a confirmed positive Covid-19 case and its management in competition formats and structures. Read more

Karnataka to create 1 crore jobs in five years: BSY

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said 1 crore job opportunities will be created over the next five years in the state under a new programme called Mission Yuva Samruddhi.A task force has been constituted for this, which is expected to submit its report shortly, Yediyurappa said. Read more

NHRC slams TMC govt in report on post-poll violence, recommends CBI probe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) submitted a scathing final report on post-poll violence in West Bengal to the Calcutta High Court stating that "rule of the ruler" was prevailing in the state instead of the rule of law. It stated that if the situation continues to prevail in Bengal "it may very well be the death knell for democracy in this great nation." It also stated that the continuation of violent incidents in Bengal shows "abject failure" of the state government. Read more

Rishabh Pant, 1 team staff member Covid positive in UK

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and throwdown specialist Dayanand Garani tested positive for Covid-19, while two others were placed in precautionary isolation as the dreaded virus hit the Indian cricket team ahead of next month's Test series against hosts England. Read more

India has highest number of unvaccinated, under-vaccinated children at 3.5 million: UNICEF

India has the highest number of under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children worldwide at 3.5 million, an increase of 1.4 million from 2019, amid theCovid-19pandemic outbreak, the UNICEF said. It also noted that over 3 million of “zero-dose children” in 2020 lived in India. At nearly 4.4 million, South Asia recorded the highest number of children having failed to receive any routine vaccination in the past ten years, in 2020. Read more

Fears of third Covid-19 wave soar as tourists crowd hill stations - In Pics

Celebrating victory too early may leadto a devastating fall, and a similar scenario iscurrently prevalent in India. With a decline in Covid-19 cases in the country, hopes of the second wave of the pandemicending soon have risen. However, a large number of people crowding atfamous hillstations, flouting all Covid norms, has escalated the fear of a third wave. See pics

Wipro Q1 net profit up 35.6% at Rs 3,242.6 crore

IT major Wipro on Thursday reported a 35.6 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,242.6 crore for the June 2021 quarter.Wipro had registered a net profit (attributable to equity holders) of Rs 2,390.4 crore in the year-ago period, as per Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS). Read more

PM Modi heaps praise on Yogi, virtually blows poll bugle

In an apparent bid to put at rest the speculations about rift between them, prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday heaped praise on Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the latter's ''hard work'' to make a ''modern UP'' even as he virtually sounded the poll bugle by launching developmental projects worth over Rs 1500 crore in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi. Read more