| Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day's biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. No hard feelings, says Pilot Congress's Sachin Pilot, back in the Congress fold and back in Rajasthan, told TV channels today that he had "no hard feelings" and was no longer part of the State government. But he did expect the "head of the family" to resolve issues and take everyone along. "I have not asked for any post. I have only said there should be no vendetta politics against the MLAs who are returning to the fold," Pilot said, referring to the 18 rebels who had stayed away from Rajasthan, like him. It's hard to say what to make of this revolt or what each party takes away. Pilot may have begun the whole thing with his demand that he be given the post of Rajasthan Chief Minister, but it all ends apparently with an assurance from party leadership that the grievances of the rebel MLAs would be heard by a three-member committee that includes Priyanka Gandhi. The Congress central leadership can rejoice at having saved a State government, for now. A spokesperson today tweeted that making amends with Pilot "is a strong comeback by the Congress party to upset BJP's 'dream' of forming a government in the State despite being in minority". The party also feels that beyond this, there are also a few lessons to keep in mind. Senior leaders shared some of these with our Congress correspondent Sandeep Phukan, including some ideas on the subject of how to deal with other mutinies that are bound to occur in the not-too-distant future. Interestingly, in an interview given to The Hindu, Pilot also claimed that none of his faction of dissident MLAs met or spoke with any BJP leader. 4G internet on trial basis in two districts of J&K after August 15 Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal informed the Supreme Court today that high-speed 4G Internet access will be opened up after Independence Day on August 15 in one district each, of Jammu and Kashmir's divisions. The Centre, however, said a blanket removal of the 4G ban was not possible now, considering the "overall situation" and "threat perception" to national, border and local security. Appearing before a three-judge Bench led by Justice N.V. Ramana, Venugopal read out an additional affidavit which stated that the "carefully calibrated" opening up of 4G access will be on a trial basis. The access will be limited to specified areas that are not adjacent to the international border and have not seen "low intensity terrorist activities". The access will be strictly monitored to protect national, border and local security. The decision is based on recommendations made by a Supreme Court-constituted special committee headed by Union Home Secretary A.K. Bhalla, which met on August 10. The committee will review the situation every week and meet again after two months. Russia registers its Covid-19 vaccine We noted in our occasional vaccine watch section last week that Russia was eager indeed to steal a march on the rest of the world with a Covid-19 vaccine, seeing it as a kind of 'Sputnik' moment. Today it became the first country in the world to officially register said vaccine candidate, despite widespread scepticism from the international scientific community. President Vladimir Putin has even said that one of his daughters has already been inoculated. Putin emphasised that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proved to be effective, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus. However, it turns out that Phase 3 trials of the vaccine, which normally last for months and involve thousands of people, are yet to be conducted. We must point out here that while Covid-19 has put the entire scientific and medical community on an accelerated track to finding solutions, vaccine development traditionally takes several years of testing before any candidate is marketed as safe to use by the general population. "I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests," Putin said. "The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency." The Russian leader added that one of his two daughters has received two shots of the vaccine and is feeling well. "She has taken part in the experiment," Putin said. Urdu poet and lyricist Rahat Indori passes away Renowned Urdu poet Rahat Indori, who was being treated for Covid-19, died of a heart attack at the Aurobindo Hospital in Indore, his son Satlaj Indori said. He was 70. The poet had been admitted to the hospital earlier in the day. Rahat Indori. File In the morning, the lyricist-poet had tweeted that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and that he would keep everyone updated through social media. "After initial symptoms of Covid-19, my corona test was done yesterday which came out positive. Pray that I defeat this disease as soon as possible," Indori said in his last post. With a body of poetical works spanning half a century, Indori was known for the lyrics of songs such as "M Bole to" from Munnabhai MBBS (2003), and "Neend Churai Meri" from Ishq (1997). Earlier this year, his poem "Bulati hai magar jane ka nahi" went viral on social media, especially among the young. Daughters have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property: SC Holding that daughters cannot be deprived of their right to equality, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that they will have equal coparcenary rights in joint Hindu family property even if the father died before the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005. Coparcener is a term used for a person who assumes a legal right in parental property by birth only. A three-judge Bench of Justices Arun Mishra, S. Nazeer and M.R. Shah said the provisions contained in substituted Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 confer the status of coparcener on the daughter born before or after amendment in the same manner as a son with the same rights and liabilities. Textile Ministry in downsizing mode In the last few weeks, the biggest push for the government's vision of 'minimum government and maximum governance', a campaign slogan dating back to 2014, have been coming from the Textiles Ministry. The Ministry today abolished five advisory boards and withdrew officers from industry bodies. It is planning to withdraw its representatives from export promotion councils and is also shutting down two public sector undertakings (PSUs) as part of a rationalisation exercise, according to a top official. The Ministry wound up the All-India Handloom Board on July 27; the All-India Handicrafts Board and the Cotton Advisory Board on August 3; and the All-India Powerloom Board and the Jute Advisory Board on August 4. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 23,23,036 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 46,156. India on Tuesday recorded 53,601 new cases. A woman reacts as a health worker takes a swab in Ahmedabad on August 11, 2020. The health of former President Pranab Mukherjee, who recently tested positive for Covid-19, has worsened. He continues to be on ventilator support following an emergency life-saving surgery for a brain clot, the Army's Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital said on Tuesday. Mukherjee was admitted to R&R hospital on Monday in a critical condition. "The former president who underwent lifesaving emergency surgery for brain clot on August 10 has not shown any improvement and his health status has worsened. He remains on ventilator support," the Hospital said in an evening health bulletin. In Brief: U.S. President Donald Trump was on Monday escorted out of a news conference after Secret Service agents shot and wounded a man who claimed to be armed outside the White House, the BBC reported. According to the U.S. Secret Service, a 51-year-old man approached an officer, told him he had weapons and assumed a "shooter stance", whereupon the officer shot him in the torso. At Trump's briefing, an agent walked on stage as Trump was speaking and led him away. |
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