HIGHLIGHTS

NATION DEL53 SINOINDIA-PM REMARKS Ladakh face-off: PM says sacrifice of Indian soldiers will not go in vain New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the sacrifice of Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash in Ladakh will not go in vain. DEL40 SINO-INDIA-PM-LD MEETING Ladakh face-off: PM convenes all-party meet on Friday New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened an all-party virtual meet on Friday to discuss the situation along the India-China border, his office said on Wednesday.

Following are the top stories at 5.30 pm: TOP STORIES DEL28 VIRUS-2NDLD CASES COVID-19: India registers highest-ever spike of 2003 deaths, number of cases rise to 3,54,065 New Delhi: India registered the highest-ever spike of 2,003 COVID-19 fatalities pushing the death toll to 11,903 on Wednesday after Maharashtra and Delhi added earlier deaths that were not attributed to the disease. NATION DEL53 SINOINDIA-PM REMARKS Ladakh face-off: PM says sacrifice of Indian soldiers will not go in vain New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the sacrifice of Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash in Ladakh will not go in vain.

DEL40 SINO-INDIA-PM-LD MEETING Ladakh face-off: PM convenes all-party meet on Friday New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened an all-party virtual meet on Friday to discuss the situation along the India-China border, his office said on Wednesday. DEL62 SINOINDIA-LD SONIA PM should tell nation how Chinese occupied Indian territory: Sonia New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to come forward and tell the country how Chinese troops occupied Indian territory and why 20 soldiers were killed.

DEL21 SINOINDIA-LD RAHUL Don't be afraid, come out of hiding and tell truth to nation: Rahul to PM on Ladakh face off New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come out of "hiding" and share the truth of the India-China face-off, saying the entire country is standing behind him. DEL61 SINOINDIA-SHAH India will always remain indebted to soldiers for their supreme sacrifice in Ladakh: Amit Shah New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said India will always remain indebted to its soldiers who lost their lives in Ladakh's Galwan protecting the country's territory, and their bravery reflects the commitment towards the motherland.

DEL26 SINO-INDIA-FACEOFF-CASUALTIES China suffered 35 casualties during Galwan clash: Sources citing US intelligence reports New Delhi: The Chinese Army suffered 35 casualties during the violent clash with the Indian military in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley, official sources said on Wednesday quoting US intelligence reports. The figure could be a combination of total number of soldiers killed and seriously wounded, they added. DEL49 PM-CMs-MEETING PM interacts with 14 states on day 2 of consultations on coronavirus crisis New Delhi: Continuing with his consultations with state governments on ways to check the spread of coronavirus during 'unlock 1.0', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday is holding interaction with chief ministers and representatives of 14 states and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

BOM8 MH-SUSHANT-POLICE Don't know cause of his depression: Sushant's father to cops Mumbai: Father of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found hanging at his apartment here on June 14, told police that he and other family members didn't know the cause behind the actor's depression, a police official said on Wednesday. DEL43 RAIL-VIRUS-LD COACHES 503 isolation coaches in Delhi, total 960 in 5 states New Delhi: The Railways has deployed 503 isolation coaches in Delhi at nine stations days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the announcement as part of measures to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Wednesday. By Ananya Sengupta BUSINESS DCM7 BIZ-VIRUS-AIIB-INDIA AIIB approves USD 750 mn loan to India for COVID-19 response New Delhi: Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on Wednesday said it has approved a USD 750 million (around Rs 5,714 crore) loan to India to help the government strengthen its battle against the adverse impact of COVID-19 on poor and vulnerable households.

LEGAL LGC1 BH-COURT-SUSHANT Criminal complaint in Bihar court; Salman, Karan Johan accused of abetting suicide of Sushant Muzaffarpur (Bihar): A criminal complaint was filed in a court here on Wednesday, accusing Bollywood celebrities like Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Aditya Chopra and Sanjay Leela Bhansali of abetting the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. FOREIGN FGN23 CHINA-INDIA-FACEOFF-3RDLD REAX China claims sovereignty over Galwan Valley; refuses to comment on Chinese casualties Beijing: China on Wednesday claimed that the sovereignty over the Galwan Valley area in Ladakh "always belonged to it" but underlined that Beijing does not wish to see "more clashes," after the militaries of the two countries were engaged in the biggest confrontation in over five decades. By K J M Varma FGN7 UN-INDIA-SECURITYCOUNCIL India set for comfortable victory in UN Security Council elections United Nations: India is expected to register a comfortable victory in the Security Council elections on Wednesday that will bring the country to the UN high-table as a non-permanent member for the 2021-22 term. By Yoshita Singh SPORTS SPD12 SPO-FOOT-AWARD-LD VIJAYAN AIFF recommends IM Vijayan for Padma Shri New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has recommended legendary former skipper IM Vijayan for Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award.