Highlights at 2100 hrs

Following are the top stories at 2100 hrs: TOP STORIES DEL91 SINOINDIA-LDALL PMO PMO clarifies Modi's LAC comments; Says attempts made to give "mischievous interpretation" New Delhi: The government on Saturday said attempts are being made to give a "mischievous interpretation" to Prime Narendra Modi's remarks at an all-party meeting that no one has entered Indian territory or captured any military post while referring to the eastern Ladakh standoff.

Following are the top stories at 2100 hrs: TOP STORIES DEL91 SINOINDIA-LDALL PMO PMO clarifies Modi's LAC comments; Says attempts made to give "mischievous interpretation" New Delhi: The government on Saturday said attempts are being made to give a "mischievous interpretation" to Prime Narendra Modi's remarks at an all-party meeting that no one has entered Indian territory or captured any military post while referring to the eastern Ladakh standoff. DEL90 TL-SINOINDIA-3RDLD BHADAURIA Ready to deal with any situation along LAC: IAF Chief Bhadauria Hyderabad: The Indian Air Force is "well prepared" and "suitably deployed" to counter any security challenge along the border with China, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Saturday as a deadly clash between troops of the countries in eastern Ladakh triggered fears of a fresh confrontation.

FGN32 VIRUS-UK-SHIPS-INDIANS Indian crew stranded on cruise ships in UK appeal for repatriation London: Hundreds of Indian crew aboard cruise ships docked on the UK coast have appealed for repatriation to India amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown. By Aditi Khanna NATION DEL89 JK-BSF-2NDLD DRONE Pak drone loaded with automatic rifle, grenades shot down by BSF along IB in Jammu Jammu: A Pakistani drone, loaded with a sophisticated rifle and seven grenades, was shot down by the Border Security Force along the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said. DEL94 VIRUS-LD HEALTH MINISTRY India's COVID-19 tally nears 4 lakh with highest single-day spike of 14,516 cases New Delhi: India on Saturday saw another record spike of 14,516 COVID-19 cases, pushing the total tally to 3,95,048, with over two lakh instances of the viral infection reported in June, according to Union Health Ministry data.

DEL59 PM-2NDLD EMPLOYMENT-SCHEME PM launches employment scheme for migrant workers affected by coronavirus lockdown New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an employment scheme with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore for migrant workers who returned to their home states during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. DEL95 DL-LG-2NDLD HOME ISOLATION LG's reservations over home isolation resolved, home quarantine system to continue: Sisodia New Delhi: Amid objections by the Kejriwal government to his order for mandatory five-day institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients, Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday said it would be required for only those who do not need hospitalisation and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation. DEL92 RJ-LD NADDA-RAHUL Nadda hits out at Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Ladakh standoff; accuses him of demoralising forces Jaipur: BJP chief J P Nadda on Saturday targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Sino-India face-off in Ladakh, alleging he was lowering the morale of defence forces through his tweets.

BOM11 MH-RANA-DESHMUKH Will discuss Tahawwur Rana's extradition with Centre: Deshmukh Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will discuss with the Centre the extradition process of Tahawwur Rana, recently rearrested in the US for his alleged involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Saturday. DEL86 LAC-LEFT-PM PMO clarification on Modi's comments: Left parties urge PM to 'make up mind' New Delhi: The Left parties on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the clarification issued by the PMO on his comments that no one entered Indian territory, demanding that he "make up his mind" before speaking and stop being "ambivalent" on serious issues.

DEL85 AVI-LD VANDE BHARAT Limits on airfares may be extended beyond Aug 24 depending on situation: Aviation Secretary New Delhi: The government-imposed upper and lower limits on airfares may be extended beyond August 24 depending upon how the situation turns out, Aviation Secretary P S Kharola said on Saturday. LEGAL LGD5 VIRUS-DL-HC-HEARING Delhi HC allows public viewing of video conference hearings New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Saturday allowed public viewing of hearings conducted through video conferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FOREIGN FGN38 CHINA-INDIA-SOCIALMEDIA Chinese social media sites delete PM's speech, MEA spokesman's remarks on border crisis Beijing: Indian embassy officials here have said the speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chief ministers on June 18 as well as the comments by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been deleted from two Chinese social media accounts, including Weibo. By K J M Varma FGN35 UK-GANDHI-STATUE City Mayor promises to protect Leicester's Gandhi statue London: The Mayor of the city of Leicester has committed to protecting the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the heart of the central England city, as an online petition created to save the under-threat monument attracted over 6,000 signatures. By Aditi Khanna FGN39 NEPAL-SINOINDIA Nepal confident India, China will resolve differences through peaceful means Kathmandu: Nepal on Saturday said it was confident that both its "friendly neighbours" India and China will resolve their border stand-off at the Line of Actual Control through peaceful means, keeping in mind the stability of the region and world peace. PTI DPB