Delhi High Court asks Centre, Delhi government to respond to plea on Wangchuk’s deteriorating healthThe Delhi High Court on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) sought the responses of the Centre and the Delhi government on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent intervention to safeguard the health of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the Centre and the Delhi government to respond on the plea by tomorrow (July 16, 2026) due to the “urgent” nature of the issue. Advocate and social activist Rakesh Kumar Saini filed the petition, contending that Mr. Wangchuk’s health had deteriorated after several days of fasting and urged the authorities to take immediate steps to protect his life.Two killed, 50 rescued in fire in building in Noida village, landlord arrestedA fire broke out in a multi-storeyed building in a Noida village on Wednesday (July 15, 2026), killing two people, police said. The fire was later brought under control, and around 50 tenants residing in the building in Mamura village in Sector 66 were evacuated safely, officials said. Police said two residents — a man and a woman — who were rushed to the hospital were declared dead by doctors. According to Joint Commissioner of Police Rajiv Mishra, the ground-plus-four building had around 10 to 12 rooms on each floor that were being used as residential flats.India-U.K. DCC not applicable to Indians working in the U.K. before July 15The India-U.K. Double Contributions Convention (DCC), allowing temporary Indian and British workers an exemption from paying social security contributions in their host countries for 60 months, is not retrospective, i.e., it will not apply to Indians already working in the U.K. and Britons working in India before July 15 2026. The DCC came into effect on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) alongside the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Normally, temporary foreign workers – called “detached workers” in the U.K. - are exempt from U.K. social security contributions known as National Insurance (NI) for the first 12 months. The India U.K. DCC has increased this exemption from 12 to 60 months for detached workers.Cabinet approves ₹1.27 lakh crore for Semicon Mission 2.0The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) cleared ₹1.27 lakh crore for the second edition of the India Semiconductor Mission, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The government expects the new scheme to attract investments of around ₹4 lakh crore and lead to semiconductor production worth ₹2 lakh crore during the scheme period. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Semicon 2.0 for the development of India’s semiconductor design and manufacturing ecosystem, an official statement said. The new edition of the semiconductor programme has provisions to incentivise even suppliers of raw material in the chip manufacturing industry, including minerals and gases.Air India crash: Draft final report will be ready by October, AAIB tells Supreme CourtMore than a year after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly following take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has informed the Supreme Court that it expects to complete its investigation within six weeks, with a “draft final report” likely to be ready by October. “In view of the nature, scale and complexity of the present accident, the AAIB has carefully assessed the timeline for completion of the investigation. In all probability, the investigative activities, subject to the resolution of pending external dependencies, are expected to be completed within six weeks,” states an affidavit filed by the AAIB Director General ahead of a July 17 hearing in a batch of petitions seeking an independent investigation into the crash.Madan Mitra leaves Mamata Banerjee, joins rebel Trinamool campIn yet another setback to Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, loyalist and MLA Madan Mitra on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) switched sides and joined the rebel camp led by the Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee. This development comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate issued summonses to him and his family members in the municipal recruitment scam. Mr. Mitra, the MLA from Kamarhati, was one of the old loyalists of Ms. Banerjee, and recently she had nominated him as the chief whip of the MLAs supporting her in the Assembly.Several Jan Suraaj leaders join BJP ahead of Bihar’s Bankipur byelectionIn a setback to Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor ahead of the Bankipur Assembly byelection, several leaders, including candidates who contested last year’s Bihar Assembly elections on the party’s ticket, joined the BJP on Wednesday (July 15, 2026). Those inducted into the BJP by the party’s State president Sanjay Saraogi included renowned mathematician K.C. Sinha and Ritesh Ranjan alias Bittu Singh, who had contested as Jan Suraaj candidates from the adjoining Kumhrar and Digha seats, respectively.Body of Indian sailor missing after Oman ship attack foundThe body of an Indian sailor who went missing after his ship was attacked off the coast of Oman has been recovered, a seafarers’ union official said today. Heramb Karmarkar, a 30-year-old marine engineer from the western Indian city of Pune, had been missing since Sunday’s attack on the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy. “I got a call Tuesday evening from the company the ship belonged to informing me that Heramb Karmarkar’s body has been found by the Omani coast guard,” Manoj Yadav, of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, told AFP.‘Government cruel for ignoring Wangchuk’s fast,’ says Dipke, as activist completes day 18 of hunger strikeActivist Sonam Wangchuk was under round-the-clock medical supervision on Wednesday as he completed the 18th day of his hunger strike, with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke accusing the government of being “cruel” for refusing to engage in dialogue with the protesters. The CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar against alleged irregularities in the NEET examination entered its 26th day on Wednesday (July 15, 2026). According to the medical bulletin issued by the CJP, Mr. Wangchuk remains “very weak” and is under 24-hour medical vigilance.Supreme Court raises students’ ‘frustration’ over CBSE OSM glitches with Govt., seeks status reportThe Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) asked the Union government to pay heed to the “frustration” children underwent due to the systemic failures and irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) of Class 12 answer sheets in 2026. The court sought a status report from the government detailing the progress made by a one-member probe committee of a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, S. Radha Chauhan, tasked to unearth the reasons behind the technical defects.U.S. Senators unveil bill for 100% tariffs on India, four others for buying Russian oilA bipartisan group of U.S. Senators unveiled a bill that seeks to impose 100% tariffs on five countries, including India and China, for purchasing oil from Russia. The bill, brokered by late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, exempts 15 European nations that buy gas from Russia from the tariffs, arguing that the purchases amount to a fraction of their total requirement and the countries in question were taking steps to reduce dependence on Moscow.