LIVE! Delhi Police bans flying of drones, UAVs till Aug 16

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Thu, 15 July 2021

Delhi Police bans flying of drones, UAVs till Aug 16

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23:28 Puri calls Saudi Arabia to convey concerns over high oil prices

Continuing his oil diplomacy, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday called OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia to convey India's concerns about high oil prices which have pushed fuel rates to record high.

A day after he spoke to his UAE counterpart, Puri ?spokes to Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia. He had on Saturday spoken to his Qatari counterpart.

"Saudi Arabia is a central player in international energy market," he tweeted. "I conveyed my desire to work with His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz to bring greater predictability and calm in the global oil markets, and also to see hydrocarbons become more affordable."

Puri described his discussions with the Saudi Minister as "warm and friendly".

The discussions focused "on strengthening bilateral energy partnership and developments in the global energy markets," he said. "Highlighted the crucial role of Saudi Arabia in rapidly growing energy needs of India in the coming years, and my strong desire to work with His Royal Highness to further diversify our bilateral strategic energy partnership beyond buyer-seller to see greater two-way investments."

As fuel prices climbed to a record high, Puri has started dialling oil-producing nations to impress upon them for a need to make prices affordable for consumers.

Puri, who last week called Energy Minister of Qatar, on Wednesday dialled his counterpart in the UAE, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.

OPEC, Russia and several other allies in a production accord could not reach an agreement earlier this month on output quotas for August and possibly beyond. Expectations were that the alliance may agree to raise production by 500,000 to 700,000 barrels per day but the decision was postponed as the UAE differed on the baseline for such output increase.

India is the world's third-largest consumer of crude and OPEC nations such as Saudi Arabia have traditionally been its principal oil source. But OPEC and OPEC+ ignoring its call for easing of supply curbs, had led India to tap newer sources to diversify its crude oil imports.

As a result, OPEC's share in India's oil imports has dropped to about 60 per cent in May from 74 per cent in the previous month.

The two sides have somewhat patched up relations, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE supplying critical medicine, oxygen and equipment to help India battle its second wave of coronavirus infections. --- PTI

Delhi Police Commissioner Balaji Srivastava on Thursday issued orders, prohibiting the flying of aerial objects like drones, paragliders, and hot air balloons, ahead of Independence Day celebrations.

The order shall remain in force in the national capital for a period of 32 days from Friday till August 16 for security reasons, officials said.

On June 27, two consecutive explosions took place at the high security Jammu Air Force station and the Indian Air Force.

A drone, in a first-of-its kind strike, dropped two bombs at IAF station at Jammu, causing minor injuries to two personnel.

According to Delhi police, it has been reported that certain criminals, anti-social elements or terrorists inimical to India may pose a threat to the safety of the general public, dignitaries and vital installations by using "sub-conventional aerial platforms" like paragliders, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, quadcopters or para-jumping from aircraft etc.

Therefore, the police chief has prohibited the flying of such aerial platforms over Delhi on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations.

Doing so shall be punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, the order stated.

On January 29, a minor IED blast took place outside the Embassy of Israel in the heart of Lutyen's Delhi. There were no casualties.

Some cars were damaged in the explosion that occurred about 150 metres away from the embassy on the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road.

In June, Delhi Police Special Cell arrested four students from Ladakh in connection with the blast. -- PTI

22:49 Maha govt opposes Sudha Bharadwaj's bail plea

The Maharashtra government on Thursday opposed before the Bombay high court a bail petition filed by activist Sudha Bharadwaj, arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, saying her contention about a lower court lacking jurisdiction was incorrect.

Bharadwaj, in jail since September 2018, has sought bail on the technical ground that the court which took cognizance of the charge sheet initially lacked the power to do so.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni argued that although the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was invoked in the case, the investigation was taken over by the National Investigation Agency from the police in 2020.

The case fell under the purview of a special court only after the NIA took it over, he said.

The sessions court in Pune, till then, had the jurisdiction, he added.

Special courts are set up under the NIA Act to "try" the matters investigated by the NIA, which "does not include hearings pre-trial," Kumbhakoni said.

"The contention raised by the petitioner is fallacious," the advocate general claimed.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar will continue to hear the petition on July 23.

According to Bharadwaj, the sessions court in Pune which remanded her and eight others in police custody in 2018 did not have the power to hear a UAPA case.

Her lawyer Yug Chaudhry argued in earlier hearings that in offenses under the UAPA, a sessions judge can take cognizance only on specific instructions from the District Judge.

Police had alleged that 'inflammatory' speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune led to caste violence at the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in the district on January 1, 2018, and the conclave was backed by Maoists.

Activist Stan Swamy, arrested in the case last year, died in hospital earlier this month. -- PTI

A 5-star hotel atop Gandhinagar railway station

22:41 PM to inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,100 crore in Gujarat on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate and dedicate to the nation a host of projects worth over Rs 1,100 crore, including a newly-built five-star hotel atop the redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station, on Friday, said Gujarat government officials on Thursday.

The luxury hotel, having 318 rooms, is spread across 7,400 square meters and has been built at a cost of Rs 790 crore, said SS Rathore, Managing Director of Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (GARUD), at a press meet in Gandhinagar.

GARUD, the owner of the five-star hotel having a total height of 250 feet, is an SPV (special purpose vehicle) set up by the Gujarat government and the Ministry of Railway.

The hotel would host national and international guests who would come to attend seminars and conferences at Mahatma Mandir, a convention centre situated just opposite the high-end property, Rathore said.

The railway station has been provided with green building features. Special care has been taken to make it divyang friendly station by providing it with special ticket counter, ramps, lifts, dedicated parking spaces, he said.

The redevelopment of the existing railway station in Gandhinagar and construction of the five-star hotel on top of the station started in January 2017 after Modi performed their groundbreaking.

Now, the new-look station as well as the hotel are ready and will be inaugurated by the PM at 4 pm on July 16 (Friday) through video conferencing, he said.

According to Rathore, the new-look Gandhinagar railway station "is country's first redeveloped station with amenities at par with the airports" having two escalators, three elevators and two underground pedestrian subways connecting platforms.

The new railway station has earmarked 7,600 square meter area for future commercial development such as multiplexes, shopping areas and food courts, which can be operated on PPP mode, said Rathore.

Sumit Awasthi, a senior Railway official in Ahmedabad, said, �The Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar, is becoming the venue of choice for organising national and international events such as exhibitions, conferences, etc. There was a lack of proper connectivity and accommodation. As a result, Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station has been redeveloped incorporating a 318-room swanky hotel within."

Later, the PM will virtually inaugurate three new attractions at the Science City in Ahmedabad. These attractions are - an aquatic gallery, a robotic gallery and a nature park, said Vijay Nehra, secretary, Science and Technology Department.

The aquatic gallery, built at a cost of Rs 260 crore in the Science City, is India''s largest aquarium having 68 large tanks to display marine life from across the world, including reef sharks, alligator gar, Koi and black pacu fish among others.

In all, the aquarium has around 11,600 fishes and marine animals of 188 different species, he said. The gallery also has a 28-meter-long underwater walkway tunnel for watching the marine species, said Nehra. -- PTI

Thanks to price hikes, liquor has become cheaper than petrol and diesel in the country, Congress leader and Maharashtra PWD minister Ashok Chavan said here on Thursday.

The former chief minister led a protest march against rising prices from Old Mondha area to the district collector's office.

"Earlier, during our government, when fuel prices went up by a rupee or two, opposition leaders would launch agitations. Today they are in power and the per litre fuel prices have crossed Rs 100 and LPG cylinder prices have tripled," he said, addressing the protesters.This has led to the price of every commodity going up and transportation costs rising, the Congress leader said.

"During the BJP regime, liquor has become cheaper than fuel," he added.

He also said that it was up to the Union government to give reservation to Maratha, Dhangar and OBC communities.

"Since the issue is before the central government, BJP leaders in Maharashtra are quiet," Chavan alleged.

During the protest march, a cycle rickshaw on which Mayor Abdul Sattar and his supporters were standing overturned, but nobody was injured in the incident. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday met President Ram Nath Kovind here and briefed him on important issues, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

The meeting comes ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session scheduled to begin from Monday.

"Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi called on President Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan and briefed him on important issues," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.

The monsoon session would conclude on August 13.

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Varanasi visit, saying the city wants good governance and not speeches.

The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter to pose several questions such as why was Varanasi "left to fend for itself" during the second wave of COVID pandemic and did 'Kashi become Kyoto'.

The prime minister, who visited his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi on Thursday, inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore at the IIT-BHU ground.

Later, he inaugurated the International Cooperation and Convention Centre -- Rudraksh, constructed with Japanese assistance.

Alleging lack of development in Varanasi, Surjewala said the development of Kashi, the city of Lord Vishwanath, is the wish of every person in the country and asked what did Prime Minister Modi do as an MP in the last seven years.

"Was the Ganga cleaned up? In 2013-14, 32 dirty drains used to empty in the Ganga, today it is 34. Sewage treatment plants sometimes work and sometimes don't," he said in a series of tweets.

Asking rhetorically whether Kashi had become Kyoto, Surjewala said in one instance of rainfall there was waterlogging while the sewers got blocked sewer and garbage spread on the roads, but the "smart city" is missing.

He alleged that Varanasi was left to fend for itself during the pandemic.

The Banarasi sari industry, which provides employment to five lakh families, is on the verge of closure while handlooms and powerlooms are getting ruined, the Congress spokesperson alleged.

In the name of Baba Vishwanath Corridor, why were dozens of temples and 250 to 300-year-old buildings demolished, he asked.

The Congress leader accused the BJP of tampering with the history and culture of the city.

"Why Jayapur and Nagepur, both the villages adopted by the prime minister, are in shambles? If the villages adopted by the prime minister cannot make progress, what will happen to Kashi?" Surjewala said. -- PTI

The Punjab chief minister's media adviser on Thursday evening said Amarinder Singh will take the Congress to victory in the assembly polls next year, trashing reports that he has resigned.

He also urged the media to stop "speculating and spreading misinformation", saying the CM has neither quit nor offered to do so.

"Media reports of CM @capt_amarinder resigning are humbug. He has neither quit nor offered to do so. He'll lead @INCPunjab to victory in 2022 Assembly polls as he did in 2017. Urge media to stop speculating & spreading misinformation," the advisor said in a tweet.

The remarks have come amid media reports that Amritsar MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu is likely to be announced as the Punjab Congress chief by the party high command.

Sidhu has been at loggerheads with the CM as he attacked him over the alleged delay in justice in the 2015 desecration cases.

The Congress leadership is working out a formula for Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Sidhu to work together.

The Congress had set up a three-member panel, headed by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, to resolve the infighting in the Punjab Congress.

The party high command has been trying to resolve the internal rift in the Punjab unit, with just months to go before the next assembly polls. -- PTI

21:27 Pawar meets Uddhav ahead of Parliament session

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar called on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Thursday, a meeting coming days ahead of the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament and in the backdrop of controversial remarks made by state Congress head Nana Patole.

The meeting took place at 'Varsha', the CM's official residence in south Mumbai.

Pawar is a Rajya Sabha member and his party is a key constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is led by Thackeray's Shiv Sena.

The Congress is the third ally in the MVA.

The monsoon session of Parliament will commence from July 19 and continue till August 13.

The state government has demanded that the Centre intervene and take steps to relax the 50 per cent limit for reservations to restore political quota for OBCs in local bodies and in jobs and education for the Marathas.

The government has also sought three crore anti-COVID-19 vaccines from the Centre every month to accelerate the inoculation drive in Maharashtra.

Patole recently kicked up a row when he sought to suggest that the MVA government was keeping an eye over his movements and claimed the Shiv Sena and the NCP feel the ground was slipping from beneath their feet due to his party's growing influence.

As his "under watch" remarks caused a flutter, Patole later claimed wrong information was being spread through the media and asserted there was no dispute among MVA allies.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, the Congress leader, in a veiled attack on the NCP in the context of the 2014 assembly elections, said his party was "cheated" seven years ago and it is now preparing for the 2024 general elections keeping that in mind.

He has said the Congress will contest elections on its own and emerge as the single largest party in the state. -- PTI

WhatsApp banned two million Indian accounts while it received 345 grievance reports between May 15 and June 15, the company said in its maiden monthly compliance report as mandated by the IT rules.

The new IT rules require large digital platforms -- with over five million users -- to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken.

"Our top focus is preventing accounts from sending harmful or unwanted messages at scale. We maintain advanced capabilities to identify these accounts sending a high or abnormal rate of messages and banned two million accounts in India alone from May 15-June 15 attempting this kind of abuse," WhatsApp said on Thursday.

WhatsApp clarified that more than 95 per cent of such bans are due to the unauthorised use of automated or bulk messaging (spam).

"We expect to publish subsequent editions of the report 30-45 days after the reporting period to allow sufficient time for data collection and validation," WhatsApp said in the report.

The Facebook-owned company explained that the number of accounts banned have risen significantly since 2019 as the sophistication of systems has increased, and "so we are catching more accounts even as we believe there are more attempts to send bulk or automated messages".

The vast majority of these accounts are banned proactively, without relying on any user reports, it added.

About eight million accounts are banned/disabled globally on an average per month.

WhatsApp said besides the behavioural signals from accounts, it relies on available "unencrypted information" including user reports, profile photos, group photos and descriptions as well as advanced AI tools and resources to detect and prevent abuse on its platform.

In the report, WhatsApp said it had received 345 reports in total, cutting across categories such as ban appeal, account support, product support, safety issues and others.

Against this, 63 accounts were "actioned" by WhatsApp during May 15-June 15, 2021.

WhatsApp said user reports received by the platform via the grievance channel/s are evaluated and responded to.

Majority of users who reach out to WhatsApp are either aiming to have their account restored following an action to ban them or reaching out for product or account support, it added.

'Accounts Actioned' denotes reports where WhatsApp took remedial action based on the report. Taking action denotes either banning an account or a previously banned account being restored as a result of the complaint.

The IT rules -- which came into effect on May 26 -- mandate that significant digital platforms include the number of specific communication links or parts of information they proactively remove by using automated tools.

Other platforms like Google, Koo and Twitter have already submitted their compliance reports. Instagram and Facebook have also submitted their reports. -- PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Tashkent and discussed the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan in the face of withdrawal of United States forces from the country.

Jaishankar said he reiterated India's support for peace, stability and development of Afghanistan.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a multilateral connectivity conference.

"Pleased to call on President @ashrafghani. Discussed the current situation in and around Afghanistan. Reiterated our support for peace, stability and development of Afghanistan," the external affairs minister tweeted.

Jaishankar travelled to Tashkent after a two-day visit to Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe where he attended a crucial meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The foreign ministers of the SCO countries extensively deliberated on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan triggered by the Taliban's attempts to expand its influence in that country following the withdrawal of the US forces.

The US has withdrawn majority of its forces from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US aimed to complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan by August-end, ending a nearly two-decade of its military presence in the war-ravaged country.

In his remarks at the SCO meeting on Wednesday, Jaishankar said that the future of Afghanistan cannot be its past and the World is against seizure of power by violence and force. -- PTI

The fourth edition of engineering entrance exam JEE-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.

The fourth edition of JEE (Main) was earlier scheduled to be held from July 27 to August 2.

"In view of the persistent demand from the student community and to enable the candidates to maximise their performance, the National Testing Agency has been advised to provide a gap of four weeks between session three and four of the JEE(Main) 2021 exam.

"Accordingly, the JEE (Main), 2021, session four will now be held on August 26, 27 and 31, and on September 1 and 2. A total of 7.32 lakh candidates have already registered for JEE (Main), 2021, session four," Pradhan tweeted.

The minister said that registration for the JEE-Main session four is still in progress and dates for registration will be extended up to July 20. -- PTI

The government on Thursday said it has released Rs 75,000 crore to the states and Union Territories to compensate them for the shortfall in GST revenue.

The GST Council in its meeting on May 28 had decided that the central government would borrow Rs 1.59 lakh crore and release it to the states and UTs with the legislature on a back-to-back basis to meet the resource gap due to the short release of compensation on account of inadequate amount in the compensation fund.

"Ministry of Finance has released today Rs 75,000 crore to the States and UTs with Legislature under the back-to-back loan facility in lieu of GST Compensation. This release is in addition to normal GST compensation being released every 2 months out of actual cess collection," the ministry said in a statement.

It further said that all eligible states and UTs (with the legislature) have agreed to the arrangements for the funding of the compensation shortfall under the back-to-back loan facility.

"For effective response and management of COVID-19 pandemic and a step-up in capital expenditure, all States and UTs have a very important role to play. For assisting the States/UTs in their endeavour, Ministry of Finance has front-loaded the release of assistance under the back-to-back loan facility during FY 2021-22 Rs 75,000 crore (almost 50 per cent of the total shortfall for the entire year) released today in a single instalment," the ministry added.

The balance amount will be released in the second half of 2021-22 in steady instalments. -- PTI

19:12 7 doctors' associations move HC against Ramdev

The Delhi high court Thursday said it will hear on July 19 a plea by seven doctors' associations alleging public nuisance and misrepresentation by Yog guru Ramdev on account of his statements against allopathy amid the ongoing COVID19 pandemic.

Justice C Hari Shankar directed the counsel for the associations to place on record the videos pertaining to the alleged misinformation.

The associations before court are three Resident Doctors' Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Rishikesh, Patna and Bhubaneshwar, Association of Resident Doctors, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, Union of Resident Doctors of Punjab (URDP); Resident Doctors' Association, Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College, Meerut and Telangana Junior Doctors' Association, Hyderabad.

The associations were represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Akhil Sibal and advocate Harshvardhan Kotla.

They alleged that Ramdev was misleading and misrepresenting to the public at large that allopathy was responsible for the deaths of several people infected by COVID19 virus, and insinuating that allopathic doctors were causing deaths and profiteering off the patients.

In their plea, the associations have submitted that the yoga guru was sowing doubts in the minds of general public with respect to the safety and efficacy of not only allopathic treatments but also COVID-19 vaccines.

Being a highly influential person, it is apprehended that Ramdev's statements can influence lakhs of people and divert them from allopathic treatments which are prescribed as the standard form of care even by the government, they said.

The associations alleged that the misinformation campaign was nothing but an advertisement and marketing strategy to further the sales of the product sold by Ramdev, including Coronil which claims to be an alternative treatment for COVID-19.

With the third wave of COVID-19 likely to set in August, it is imperative that Ramdev's sustained misinformation campaign be brought to a halt, the association has pleaded.

The court on June 3 had issued summons to Ramdev on a plea by Delhi Medical Association in connection with his statements against allopathic medicines and claiming Patanjali's Coronil kit is a cure for COVID-19.

The court had refused to restrain Ramdev at that stage saying the allopathic profession was not so fragile. -- PTI

Representational image

18:09 Oz monitoring Chinese ship spying on war games

Australian authorities said they are constantly monitoring a Chinese spy ship that is set to arrive in the region in an apparent attempt to observe a joint military exercise with the United States off the coast of Queensland.

According to the Voice of America (VOA), the auxiliary general intelligence Chinese ship is expected to monitor the Talisman Sabre 2021 exercises that officially began Wednesday. Canberra today said it "fully expected a ship of this class to arrive in our region" during military exercises with the United States.

The exercises are designed to strengthen the alliance of the two countries and boost combat readiness. The drills include amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, urban operations, air combat and maritime operations.

A VOA report said that it is the largest bilateral training exercise between Australia and the US.

"In addition to the United States, this year will involve participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the UK," Australian Air Commodore Stuart Bellingham.

"Due to COVID-19, you will notice fewer international participants this year compared to the past," he added.

During the next two weeks, the Chinese electronic vessel is expected to observe the Talisman Sabre war games. Back in 2019, a similar ship was also tracked during military maneuvers in Australia. According to experts, such surveillance has become commonplace.

The annual remuneration of ITC Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Puri went up by 47.23 per cent to Rs 10.10 crore in 2020-21, according to the company's latest annual report. This increase is based on the revised salary structure, approved by the company's shareholders in September 2019, when he took over as its chairman. Puri, who took over as the company's chairman and managing director from May 13, 2019, had a remuneration of Rs 6.86 crore in 2019-20.

His FY21 remuneration includes a basic/consolidated salary of Rs 2.64 crore, perquisites/other benefit of Rs 48 lakh, performance bonus and long-term incentives of Rs 6.98 crore, according to the report. ITC, which followed a mix of salary and ESOPs (employee stock option scheme) as remuneration structure, had to change it after British American Tobacco (BAT), a shareholder in the company, opposed it in 2018 to prevent dilution of its shareholding. -- PTI

17:54 Delhi schools will remain shut: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday ruled out any plans for the reopening of schools in the national capital for now. "Like we are seeing trends internationally that there will be a third wave of COVID-19. So, until the vaccination process if complete we would not like to take risk with children. So there aren't any plans to reopen schools as of now," Kejriwal told reporters. He was responding to a question about whether schools in Delhi will begin to reopen like in other states. PTI

17:46 Arun Shourie moves SC on sedition law

Former Union Minister of IT, Arun Shourie knocks the doors of the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124-A (Sedition Law) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860, and said that it is violative of Articles 14 and 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.

17:23 India has 3mn unvaccinated children: 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 the COVID-19 pandemic 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. "More than 3 million of these 'zero-dose children' in 2020 lived in India," the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund,(UNICEF) said in a statement. Globally, the UNICEF said the data shows that just 10 countries account for 62 per cent of all under- or unvaccinated children globally. India - particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic - had the highest number of unprotected children worldwide at 3.5 million, an increase of 1.4 million compared with 2019, when the number of unprotected children was 2.1 million, the children's body said.

Unprotected children are those who are unvaccinated (no vaccine) or under-vaccinated (incomplete vaccination), that is, any child who has not received any or few doses of their due vaccination. -- PTI

16:58 Wipro Q1 net profit up 35.6% at Rs 3,242.6 cr

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). Its revenue from operations increased by 22.3 per cent to Rs 18,252.4 crore in the reported quarter from Rs 14,913.1 crore in the same period last fiscal, Wipro said in a regulatory filing.

Wipro - which gets the bulk of its topline from IT services - said it expects revenues from that unit to be in the range of USD 2,535 million to USD 2,583 million in the September 2021 quarter. This translates into a sequential growth of 5-7 per cent.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday flayed the NHRC for "disrespecting the court" and pursuing "political vendetta" of the BJP by leaking its report on alleged post-poll violence to the media. Banerjee also expressed surprise over the conclusion that the National Human Rights Commission arrived at in its report without taking into account views of the state government.

"The BJP is now using impartial agencies to settle political scores and malign our state. The NHRC should have respected the court. Instead of leaking the findings to the media, it should have first submitted the same to the court.

"What would you call it other than political vendetta of the BJP? It is yet to digest defeat (in the assembly polls) and that is why the party is resorting to such tricks," she told a press conference here. Asserting that the situation in West Bengal is a "manifestation of law of ruler instead of rule of law", an NHRC committee probing alleged incidents of post-poll violence in the state, in a report placed before the Calcutta High Court, recommended a CBI probe into "grievous offences like murder and rape".

On her visit to Delhi next week, Banerjee said she would like to meet the Prime Minister and the President if she "gets an appointment". "Every time after elections, I visit Delhi to meet old and new friends. So this time too, I would be going to the National Capital for few a days as the COVID-19 situation is presently under control," the chief minister said. PTI

16:41 Sensex jumps 255 points to end at fresh record

Equity benchmark Sensex surged by 255 points to close at an all-time high on Thursday, tracking gains in index majors HDFC Bank, L&T and HCL Tech amid signs of earnings recovery. The 30-share BSE index settled 254.75 points or 0.48 per cent higher at its lifetime high of 53,158.85. It touched a record intra-day peak of 53,266.12. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rose 70.25 points or 0.44 per cent to its all-time high of 15,924.20. It hit a record intra-day peak of 15,952.35.

HCL Tech was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 5 per cent, followed by L&T, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank, UltraTech Cement, ITC and Tata Steel. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, M&M, Asian Paints, Titan and Sun Pharma were among the laggards.

16:15 Mamata to head to Delhi, may meet PM, Prez

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be in Delhi during the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 19. The visit, say reports, is targeted at the 2024 general elections.

"Now that the COVID situation has improved, I will go to Delhi during the Parliament session and meet some leaders there. I will meet the President and the Prime Minister if given an appointment," Banerjee said.

This will be her first visit to New Delhi since the landslide victory to her Trinamool Congress party in May.

And if she indeed gets an appointment to meet PM Modi, it will be her second meeting since the bitter, personal, attacks against her in the Bengal polls by the prime minister and the BJP.

The first meeting, however brief, was during the PM's visit to Bengal in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Yaas.

The CM also took on Modi's pat on the back to Yogi Adityanath's handling of the law and order situation in UP.

"PM Modi knows very well that there is no rule of law in UP. How many commissions has he sent there? So many incidents, from Hathras to Unnao, have taken place. Even journalists are not spared. They give a bad name to Bengal. Maximum violence was pre-poll," Mamata said.

Her victory, achieved in face of the might of the BJP election machinery, has triggered speculation over her playing a bigger role in the opposition front in the next general elections.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat is visiting forward areas along Line of Control (LoC) to take stock of the army's operational preparedness and the security situation in Jammu region, officials said Thursday. He will be returning to Delhi in the evening, they said. He will be reviewing operational preparedness, security situation and anti-infiltration grid with field commanders, they said.

The visit to the forward areas in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch comes at a time when infiltration attempts by Pakistan have increased and drones are being used to drop weapons along LoC in these sectors. -- PTI

15:45 Need we say Moore?

A black bikini, sunshine and sea and Demi Moore. It's a recipe for some seriously hot vibes. The 58-year-old actress and mother set Instagram on fire with this and other pictures of herself just out of the water.

If this is what ageing looks like, bring it on!

15:37 Kamal Nath meets Sonia Gandhi

Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Thursday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi amid speculation over his future role in the party.

Nath's name is doing the rounds for a bigger role in the revamped Congress organisation. Nath has been a veteran of the party and shares good ties with senior party leaders including those part of the group of 23 leaders who had written to the Congress chief seeking the organisation's overhaul.

The former chief minister's meeting also comes ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament. Nath shares good relations with leaders of some opposition parties. Nath had also recently met Sharad Pawar at his Delhi residence, after the NCP chief met some opposition leaders amid talk of the formation of a larger opposition front against the BJP. -- PTI

15:24 Maharashtra Class X exam results tomorrow

Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education will release the Class 10 results at 1 pm tomorrow. Exams of Class 10 and Class 12 were cancelled due to COVID-19. Results will be declared based on assessment: School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad.

Two persons, including an Army man, have been arrested under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly providing classified documents to the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan, the Delhi Police said on Thursday.

The Army headquarters have confirmed that the documents in question were classified in nature, they said. The development comes after a 34-year-old vegetable supplier at the Pokhran Army base camp was held for allegedly getting sensitive documents from an Army man for money and providing them to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The vegetable supplier, Habeeb Khan, was picked up on Tuesday by the Delhi Police from Pokhran in Rajasthan, officials had said on Wednesday. The Delhi Police's Crime Branch received information that some sensitive documents related to defence establishment were being sent to the neighbouring country through spy network.

"We got input about the involvement of one Habibur Rehman. Our team then conducted a raid and arrested him from Pokhran after due verification. Some secret documents were recovered from his possession and a case was registered against him under the Official Secrets Act," Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Praveer Ranjan said at a press conference. During the course of investigation, it was found that Army man Paramjit was the link man in the crime.

He was earlier posted at Pokhran where he came in contact with Rehman who asked him to share the secret documents, the officer said. Paramjit is currently posted as a clerk at Agra Cantt, police said. -- PTI

15:06 Zomato IPO oversubscribed 1.3 times

Zomato's initial public offering was oversubscribed 1.3 times on the second day of the offering with retail investors continuing to bid for shares of the food delivery platform.

The offer received bids for 95.44 crore equity shares against an IPO size of 71.92 crore, stock exchange data showed.

Retail investors sought 3.96 times the portion reserved for them.

Against 12.95 crore shares reserved for retail individual investors, 51.36 crore shares were bid by 1400 hours.

Non-institutional investors put in bids for 26 per cent against their reserved portion while qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) fully took their quota of 38.8 crore shares.

The portion set aside for employees has been subscribed 22 per cent.

The IPO, the biggest in India this year, is open for subscription till Friday in a price band of Rs 72-76 per share.

Zomato has already mobilised Rs 4,196.51 crore from 186 anchor investors on July 13, a day before the issue opened.

The IPO size has been reduced to Rs 5,178.49 crore from Rs 9,375 crore earlier. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the International Cooperation and Convention Centre -- Rudrakash .

The centre was constructed with Japanese assistance.

The prime minister is on a one-day visit to his parliamentary constituency and he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore at the IIT-BHU ground. -- PTI

Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman of COVID expert committee, Karnataka on Thursday said it is difficult to say when the third wave of COVID-19 will come and how severe it will be.

Speaking to ANI on the third wave of COVID-19, Dr Shetty said that our government, people, hospitals and doctors are much prepared as compared to the past.

"It is difficult to say when the third wave of COVID will come, how severe it'll be. I can say that our government is much better prepared now. People are much better prepared, hospitals and doctors much prepared to compare to what in the past. Also, a good number of health care professionals are immunized so they are not worried about their lives when they look at COVID patients," said Dr Shetty.

He said that Karnataka has specially created a cadre for managing children if they ever get infected while adding that "on the whole even it happens we are in a much better position to tackle it."

When asked how people are freely roaming around, he said if people behave in an irresponsible manner no government, no anti-biotic no vaccine can protect.

"People have to respect COVID appropriate behaviour like social distancing, wearing a mask. These are the things that will protect us. If people behave in an irresponsible manner no government, no anti-biotic no vaccine can protect them. So people have to take the responsibility," he said.

He further said that vaccine hesitancy to be addressed.

"The vaccines are coming and in the few months we will have an adequate number of vaccines but the greatest challenge is vaccine hesitancy, which needs to be addressed," added Dr Devi Shetty.

As many as 41,806 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, a slight rise from the previous day's count of 38,792 cases. -- ANI

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote to the National Medical Commission (NCM) on Thursday against the mandatory one week elective posting in any one of the Ayush medicine.

The letter written on July 15 states that "observations on draft regulation for compulsory Rotating Internship 2021 placed into the public domain for opinion by National Medical Commission, New Delhi".

The IMA wrote, "IMA fully opposes the inclusion of one week exclusive elective posting which is contrary to the established norm superfluous and an attempt to initiate 'mixopathy'. IMA strives for purity of profession."

An MBBS graduate after four years of education has to undergo one year of internship.

Dr Jayalal President of IMA while speaking to ANI on this said, "The internship is a period where doctors practice what they have learned under mentorship of seniors. The NMC has published a draft of the internship procedure last week in which they have put one-week mandatory posting in any one of the Ayush department."

"Internship is a period of what you have learned will be practiced since medical graduates have no options of learning Ayush in the undergraduate period it is not appropriate for him to come and practice in Ayush. IMA wants the purity of the system to be maintained and not mixing up," Dr Jayalal said.

The IMA said there are many other branches such as family medicine, bioethics and these things should be included than taking one week exclusively for another system.

"We hope NMC will take it in a positive sense and appropriate corrections will be done," said Dr Jayalal. -- ANI

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued draft rules to ensure ease of using drones in India on the basis of "trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring", an official statement said on Thursday.

The number of forms to be filled to operate drones in the country have been reduced to six in draft Drone Rules, 2021' in comparison to 25 forms mentioned in the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021, it said.

The UAS Rules, 2021 came into force on March 12 this year. The Drone Rules, 2021, once notified, will supersede the UAS Rules, 2021.

The fee, in the draft rules, has been reduced to nominal levels and de-linked from the size of the drone, the statement said.

The draft rules have also abolished the requirement of various approvals, including certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permit, authorisation of R&D organisation and student remote pilot licence, it said.

No flight permission will be required up to 400 feet in green zones and up to 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter, the draft rules stated.

The draft rules have also prescribed easier process for transfer and deregistration of drones. The draft rules have been built on a premise of trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring, the ministry stated. No pilot licence will be required for micro drones (for non-commercial use), nano drone and for R&D (research and development) organisations, the draft rules mentioned. Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries and a drone promotion council will be set up to facilitate drone-friendly regulatory regime in the country, according to the draft rules.

The last date for public to submit their comments on the draft rules is August 5.

The draft rules also stated that there would be no restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India. Digital sky platform will be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system. "There will be minimal human interface on the digital sky platform and most of the permissions will be self-generated," the draft rules added.

13:20 Petrol, diesel prices hiked again

Petrol price on Thursday was hiked by 35 paise per litre and diesel by 15 paise, pushing rates to a new high across the country. Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 101.54 a litre and diesel Rs 89.87 per litre, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. The increase comes after rates stayed mute for three days.

Petrol price was last hiked on July 12, on a day when diesel rates had seen its first reduction in almost three months.

The increase on Thursday neutralised the 16 paise price cut in diesel on July 12. Prior to that, petrol and diesel prices were last cut on April 15. Thereafter, rate revision took an 18-day pause, coinciding with the peak of electioneering to elect a new government in states like West Bengal.

The revision cycle started soon after results for the state elections were declared. Since May 4, petrol price has been hiked on 40 occasions while diesel rates have gone up 37 times and have been reduced on one occasion.

Representational image

13:10 20 children test positive for Covid in Pudu

Twenty children hailing from Puducherry were hospitalised on Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19, Director of Health and Family Welfare services S Mohan Kumar said. -- PTI

13:02 More to come

"The custodial death of Father Stan Swamy, a physically frail octogenarian social worker, left me thinking, as a citizen, about its larger significance. It is obviously something to be deeply ashamed about. It represents the cruelty, callousness and violence of the State at its worst. Not all Indians will share this same feeling, though. Many will defend it as collateral damage in the fight against terrorism and political violence.

Others will remain silent with the plea that it does not concern them. A few will remain significantly silent, signalling a strong endorsement of the event. I thought of splitting my feelings into a number of arguments that lead to rather disturbing conclusions. Such deaths have occurred many times in the past, and will occur again in the future. The Stan Swamy case is only a recent example that can be analysed."

Read the full column for the Telegraph here.

12:56 TMC MP on PM lauding UP on Covid measures

TMC MP Derek O'Brien quips on the PM's statement in Varanasi today that the way in which UP has controlled second Covid wave and stopped its spread is unprecedented,

O' Brien tweeted, "He can make July 15 feel like April 1."

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea seeking reduction of the 12-16 week interval for the second dose of Covishield vaccine to eight weeks for persons over 50 years of age and those having comorbidities.

"We are not inclined to issue notice. We will dismiss with costs," said a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on a PIL by Dr Siddharth De. "Are you aware of any procedure? How are doses fixed? Who is fixing the doses? We will have to alter the procedure if at all we have the power to do so," the court questioned the counsel for De, advocate Kuldeep Jauhari.

Jauhari responded that there was a Covid working group and other expert groups which looked into the aspect. He added that based on studies conducted by scientists in the UK, there was a need to reduce the dosage interval in view of the new variants of COVID-19.

The court opined that Jauhari was unable to convince it. "You are unable to convince us. Just for the sake of arguing you are arguing," the court said.

While Jauhari claimed that the petition was an honest PIL, the court responded that it had no doubt regarding the honesty of the plea and dismissal was not a certificate of dishonesty. Jauhari subsequently withdrew the plea unconditionally. The gap between two doses of Covishield vaccine is presently 12 to 16 weeks. -- PTI

The Kerala High Court has upheld the life sentence awarded to a man for stabbing to death his neighbour whose loud singing of devotional songs was interfering with the convict's daughter's studies.

The high court, however, acquitted a co-accused in the case, who had been convicted and awarded life sentence, saying he was not guilty of the offence of murder or of sharing a common intention with the prime accused - the neighbour - to commit a crime.

A bench of Justices K Vinod Chandran and Ziyad Rahman A A said, "The unfortunate victim would have never imagined that singing devotional songs in his leisure time at the courtyard of his own residence, would result in an abrupt end to his life, at the hands of his intolerant neighbour."

The incident occurred on March 19, 2011 evening when the victim -- Sasidharan Pillai -- was singing devotional songs loudly and his neighbour came over shouting that the singing was disturbing his daughter's studies. The neighbour was accompanied by two others and it resulted in an altercation with the victim who was stabbed thrice by the prime accused during the fight. In connection with the incident, all three were arrested and faced trial for murder. -- PTI

The pace of vaccination in India has been dropping amid shortages

12:21 WHO warns of 'early stages' of COVID-19 third wave

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday warned the world about the 'early stages' of COVID-19 third wave amid Delta surge."Unfortunately...we are now in the early stages of a third wave", he said.

On Wednesday, the head of WHO said that Delta variant's spread, along with increased social mobility and the inconsistent use of proven public health measures, is driving an increase in both case numbers and deaths.

Recalling the sustained decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths that was being driven, in recent months, by increasing vaccination rates in Europe and North America, he sounded alarms over the fresh reversal of that positive trend, reported UN News.Meanwhile, said Tedros, the virus is continuing to evolve, resulting in more transmissible variants."The Delta variant is now in more than 111 countries and we expect it to soon be the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating worldwide if it isn't already," he said.Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of rising cases of COVID-19 globally, with increases recorded in all but one of WHO's six regions. Deaths are also rising again, after 10 weeks of steady decline.

Tedros also drew the Emergency Committee on COVID-19's attention to the ongoing "shocking disparity" in the global distribution of vaccines, as well as unequal access to life-saving tools, reported UN News.

He reiterated his concern that inequity has created a two-track pandemic - namely, one track for countries with the greatest access to vaccines, who are lifting restrictions and reopening their societies, and a second track for those without vaccines access who are left "at the mercy of the virus." -- PTI

Uttar Pradesh's handling of the second wave of COVID-19 cases was "unparalleled", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Varanasi where he is on a unveiling drive.

"Kashi has shown that it doesn't stop or get tired even in difficult times. The past few months have been very difficult for the entire mankind. But entire UP, including Kashi, faced the mutating and dangerous form of Coronavirus with all its might.

"Today UP is a state that does the maximum number of testings across the country. It is a state that does maximum number of vaccinations. Kashi is becoming a large medical hub of Purvanchal. Today facilities are being made available in Kashi too for diseases for the treatment of which one had to go to Delhi and Mumbai earlier."

Supreme Court questions whether India still needs the antiquated Sedition Law.

While hearing a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Sedition Law, the SC tells the Centre that it is a colonial law and was used against freedom fighters. Supreme Court asks Centre if Sedition Law is still required to exist after 75 years of independence.

"Sedition law is a colonial law & was used by the British and to suppress freedom. It was used against Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Is this law still needed after 75 yrs of independence?" says Supreme Court.

With India firmly conveying to China that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a "negative manner", Beijing on Thursday said it is ready to seek a "mutually acceptable solution" to the issues that require "urgent treatment" through negotiation.

During their hour-long in-person meeting on the sidelines of an SCO conclave in Dushanbe on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also told his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was "not acceptable" to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh.

The meeting in Tajikistan's capital took place amidst a stalemate in the disengagement process between the two militaries in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh after they withdrew troops and weapons from the Pangong Lake areas in February following series of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the standoff since May last year.

In a statement posted on its website on Thursday on Wang's talks with Jaishankar, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, the minister stated that India-China relations remained at a low point while the situation at the border has generally been easing after the withdrawal of troops from the Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake.

However, the relations between India and China are still at a low point which is not in anyone's interest, Wang said. While reiterating China's oft-repeated stand that it was not responsible for the China-India border situation, Wang, however said that China is ready to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the issues that require urgent treatment through negotiation and consultation with the Indian side.

While China moved its troops from Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, the disengagement has not been completed from other friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh. In his meeting with Wang, Jaishankar firmly conveyed to that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a "negative manner" and rued that there was no forward movement from the Chinese side since the disengagement in Pangong Lake areas in February that had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues.

Jaishankar told Wang that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was "not acceptable" to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh, according to statement issued by MEA on Wang-Jaishankar talks. -- PTI

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday concluded his two-day Dushanbe trip with a bilateral meeting with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin.

"Concluded my Dushanbe trip with a bilateral meeting with Tajik FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Thank him for his hospitality and consideration," tweeted Jaishankar. He also stressed upon the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Jaishankar, was in the Tajikistan capital to attend the meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers and the SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan.

Jaishankar also met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO in Dushanbe, where he conveyed that that unilateral change of status quo of the border area is not acceptable to India.

This meeting was the second face-to-face talk between Jaishankar and Wang Yi since the stand-off started in early May last year at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The discussions between the two leaders focused on the outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. -- ANI

11:03 PM in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Varanasi a short while ago. He was received at the airport by UP Governor Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries as well as officials. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects during the visit.

The Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony is likely to be attended by less than 1000 VIPs and foreign dignitaries in person, a sharp reduction from the previously decided figure of 10,000 amid rise in COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, the local media reported on Thursday.

'Kyodo News', quoting sources, reported that the organisers have been attempting to cut the number of people physically attending the ceremony at the National Stadium on July 23.

The Games will open in a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic even as efforts are being made to ensure that Japan's Emperor Naruhito attends the ceremony to declare the event open. U.S. first lady Jill Biden is also expected to be among the international guests for the ceremony.

On Wednesday, Tokyo reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost six months with 1,149 new infections coming to light. It was the highest one-day total for the city since January 22.

The National Stadium can accommodate 68,000 people but the ceremony will be limited to Games' guests, including International Olympic Committee representatives and foreign dignitaries. The Games will be held without spectators in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama. Under the new state of emergency, restaurants and bars have been told to not serve alcohol. PTI

Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson yet to apply for license of COVID-19 vaccines in India. As many as 41,806 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, a slight rise from the previous day's count of 38,792 cases.

10:27 Sensex gains over 100 points in early trade

Equity benchmark Sensex advanced over 100 points in early trade on Thursday, tracking gains in index majors L&T, HDFC Bank and HCL Tech amid a largely positive trend in global markets.

The 30-share BSE index was trading 111.50 points or 0.21 per cent higher at 53,015.55 in initial deals, while the broader NSE Nifty rose 31.30 points or 0.20 per cent to 15,885.25.

L&T was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging over 3 per cent, followed by HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Dr Reddy's and UltraTech Cement. On the other hand, M&M, Asian Paints, Maruti, ITC, Titan and Infosys were among the laggards.

In the previous session, Sensex ended 134.32 points or 0.25 per cent higher at 52,904.05, and Nifty advanced 41.60 points or 0.26 per cent to 15,853.95.

10:23 Uttarakhand govt disallows Kanwar Yatra

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says there will be no Kanwar Yatra in the state. "Keeping the lives of everyone on priority, we have cancelled the Kanwar Yatra. Protection of people's lives comes first for us.

"We have stopped it in our state," says the CM on UP Govt's decision to allow the Yatra.

The Supreme Court has taken suo moto cognizance of the UP government's decision to allow the yatra. It fixed July 16 for the matter to be heard next, pointing out that it is necessary to fix a short time period for this case as the Yatra is set to take off from July 25.

10:08 Another drone spotted near Jammu IAF Station

Days after terrorists used armed drones to attack the Air Force Station (AIF) in Jammu, another drone was spotted in the same area in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

Further details of the incident are awaited. Over the last few weeks, drone activity has been spotted in a few other parts of the union territory.

Srinagar, Kupwara, Rajouri and Baramulla have imposed bans on the storage, sale, possession, use and transport of drones and other similar unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The Air Force Station sustained minor damage in the attack that took place last month.

It is being probed by the National Investigative Agency. -- ANI

India reports 41,806 new COVID-19 cases, 39,130 recoveries, and 581 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per health ministry.

Recovery rate increases to 97.28 per cent, active cases constitute 1.39 per cent of total cases, weekly positivity rate remains below 5 per cent currently at 2.21 per cent; daily positivity rate at 2.15 per cent, less than 3 per cent for 24 consecutive days.

Testing capacity ramped up, 43.80 crore total conducted, the health ministry said.

Total cases: 3,09,87,880

Total recoveries: 3,01,43,850

Active cases: 4,32,041

Death toll: 4,11,989

Total vaccinated: 39,13,40,491 (34,97,058 in last 24 hrs) -- ANI

IMAGE: A crowded market after ease in COVID-induced lockdown restrictions, in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo

09:05 Petrol touches new high of Rs 107/lt in Mumbai

Petrol prices in Mumbai rose to Rs 107.54 per litre on Thursday, touching another record high figure after fuel rates were hiked again.

The price of diesel in Mumbai was Rs 97.45 per litre.

Petrol prices were hiked by up to 35 paise whereas diesel prices were increased by 15 paise.

In Delhi, the retail price of both petrol and diesel stood at Rs 101.54 per litre and Rs 89.87 per litre respectively.

As for Bhopal, petrol prices soared to Rs 109.89 per litre and diesel costs Rs 98.67 per litre.

West Bengal's Kolkata reported Rs 101.74 per litre for petrol and Rs 93.02 per litre for diesel.

Rates have been increased across the country and differ from state to state depending on the incidence of value-added tax.

Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to launch a 10-day nationwide agitation against inflation from July 7.

Several political parties have protested against the increasing fuel prices across the country.

Political leaders including Bahujan Samaja Party chief Mayawati, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee have raised concerns over the rising fuel prices and demanded its reduction. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi on Thursday and will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects.

Ahead of his visit, PM Modi on Wednesday tweeted: 'Tomorrow, 15th July, I will be in Kashi to inaugurate a wide range of development works worth over Rs. 1500 crore. These works will further 'Ease of Living' for the people of Kashi and Poorvanchal.'

At around 11 am, the Prime Minister will inaugurate various public projects and works, including a 100-bed MCH wing in BHU, multi-level parking at Godauliya, Ro-Ro Vessels for tourism development on River Ganga, and a three-lane flyover bridge on the Varanasi-Ghazipur Highway.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), projects worth around Rs 744 crores will be inaugurated.

PM Modi will also lay the foundation stones of several projects and public works worth around Rs 839 crores.

"These include the Centre for Skill and Technical Support of Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology (CIPET), 143 rural projects under Jal Jeevan Mission and mango and vegetable integrated pack house in Karkhiyanv," read the release by PMO.

At around 12.15 pm, the prime minister will inaugurate the International Cooperation and Convention Centre -- Rudrakash, which has been constructed with Japanese assistance.

Thereafter, at around 2 pm, he will inspect the Maternal and Child Health Wing, BHU.

He will also meet with officials and medical professionals to review Covid preparedness, the PMO said. -- ANI

08:03 Afghanistan mission not yet over: US Def Secy

The commander of United States forces in Afghanistan General Scott Miller returned from the country almost winding up the longest American war, even as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin assured that America's Afghan mission is not yet over and that it would continue to support Kabul.

"Scott and his staff are home now, and we are grateful for their safe return. But our mission in Afghanistan is not over. The drawdown continues and will be complete by the end of August," Austin said hours after he welcomed Miller at the Pentagon on his return from Kabul after three years of his posting there.

The Department of Defence, he said, remains committed to protecting its diplomatic presence in the country, continuing to provide funding to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces and advising Afghan security ministries, and preventing the re-emergence of violent extremist organisations.

"We will also be working closely with the State Department to help relocate those Afghans and their families who have been of such service to our mission. We take seriously our obligation to them, and we honour their contributions," Austin said.

US troops at the direction of President Joe Biden have all but returned from Afghanistan.

Biden has asked that all the US troops need to withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11.

The Pentagon is likely to meet the goal weeks before that.

"As we have over the last 20 years, so must we continue to honour the service and sacrifice of those who have performed so bravely in the field. They and their families have struggled and sacrificed on our behalf. In many ways they still do. But they also have much for which to be proud," he said.

"That we have not been attacked from Afghanistan since 9-11, that the Afghan government now has the opportunity to advance the progress which has been made in their country, and that the Afghan forces now have in their possession the capabilities, the advantages they need to defend their people -- all stand as testament to the skill, professionalism and courage of our troops and those of our allies," Austin said. -- PTI

IMAGE: US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley walk to greet US Army General Austin Scott Miller, the former top US commander in Afghanistan, upon his return, at Andrews Air Force Base, US on July 14, 2021. Photograph: Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters

Pregnant women will be administered COVID-19 vaccines at 35 inoculation centres in Mumbai from July 15, the city civic body said on Wednesday.

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation spokesperson said pregnant women will be given priority while administering jabs at these 35 designated vaccination centres.

On the recommendation of "National Vaccination Technical Advisory Group '' and "National Expert Group" on COVID-19 vaccination, the Union government has added pregnant women in the inoculation list, a BMC release said.

Pregnant women infected with COVID-19, who have been treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, can be vaccinated after 12 weeks of recovery, the civic body said.

According to the BMC's health department, expectant mothers are more likely to catch a severe infection of COVID-19 than other women. Also, pregnant women infected with COVID-19 have a higher rate of premature delivery.

A total of 62,33,629 citizens have been inoculated against coronavirus in the metropolis till Wednesday. Of these, 13,68,580 beneficiaries have received the second dose as well, the BMC said.

Presently, Mumbai has 407 active COVID-19 vaccination centres - 286 of the BMC, 20 run by the Maharashtra government and 101 private centres. -- PTI

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