Morning Digest: Nearly 1,000 Indian students evacuated from Bangladesh amid ongoing protests; Kerala on high alert as Nipah virus resurfaces, and more

The Hindu’s Morning Digest on July 21, 2024, gives a select list of stories to start the day

Nipah virus scare resurfaced in Malappuram on July 20 following the confirmation of a case currently under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. A 15-year-old boy from Chembrassery, near Pandikkad, in Malappuram district developed Nipah symptoms and was shifted to Kozhikode from a hospital at Perinthalmanna. The child is reported to be in a critical condition and is on ventilator support at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.

Donald Trump, holding his first campaign rally since surviving an assassination attempt, dismissed concerns that he is a threat to democracy, triumphantly telling a cheering crowd: “Last week I took a bullet for democracy.” “I’m not an extremist at all,” he continued at the rally in swing state of Michigan, dismissing his reported links to Project 2025.

The new Social Science textbook for Class 6 is a heavily truncated amalgamation of what was earlier three separate books for History, Geography, and Civics published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Students in Class 3 and Class 6 are getting new textbooks for the 2024-25 academic year. Class 6 students will get a single Social Science text, titled Exploring Society — India and Beyond. The Hindu had earlier reported that the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee was considering merging three books into one.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigating the paper leak of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024 on Saturday arrested the mastermind and two other MBBS students who allegedly acted as ‘solvers’ in the NEET-UG paper leak case.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti on Saturday moved the Delhi High Court, challenging the election of new BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, citing alleged corrupt practices. Both Mr. Bharti and Ms. Swaraj had contested the Lok Sabha election from the New Delhi constituency.

The Israeli Army said on July 13 it has struck several Houthi targets in western Yemen following a fatal drone attack by the rebel group in Tel Aviv the previous day. The Israeli strikes appeared to be the first on Yemeni soil since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

Since the beginning of the clashes between students and security forces in Bangladesh, India has evacuated 978 nationals who were studying in various institutions in Bangladesh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said. The evacuation is part of security measures that the Indian officials in the High Commission in Dhaka and in the Assistant High Commissions are taking to ensure the safety of around 8,000 Indian students.