HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9:30 pm: NATION: DEL61 VIRUS-LD HEALTH MINISTRY India registers highest single-day spike of nearly 23K COVID cases New Delhi: India's COVID-19 tally neared 6.5 lakh cases on Saturday with a record single-day spike of 22,771 new infections, even as the recovery rate further improved to 60.81 per cent. DEL55 2NDLD-MODI-BJP BJP's relief work during lockdown was biggest 'seva yagya': PM Modi New Delhi: Lauding BJP workers for the party's relief work during the nationwide COVID-19-induced lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said this was the biggest "seva yagya".

DEL63 PM-LD AGRI PM pitches for need to promote start-ups to ensure innovation in agriculture sector New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the progress of agriculture research, extension and education in India and pitched for promoting start-ups and agri-entrepreneurs to ensure innovation and use of technology in farming and allied sectors. DEL36 SINOINDIA-PM VISIT-EXPERTS Strategic affairs experts hail Modi's visit to Ladakh; say his message to China 'clear' New Delhi: By visiting Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a very clear signal that India is ready to escalate the cost on China for its "misadventurism" and that the armed forces are adopting a firm approach in defending the country's territories, strategic affairs experts said on Saturday. By Manash Pratim Bhuyan DEL56 JK-3RDLD ENCOUNTER 2 militants killed in encounter in J-K's Kulgam, Army man suffers injury Srinagar: Two unidentified militants were killed and an Army man was injured during an encounter between the ultras and security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said. DEL38 LD UP ENCOUNTER Day after ambush, UP Police suspends station officer, razes criminal Vikas Dubey’s hideout Kanpur/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday suspended a station officer for his alleged connivance in the killing of eight of his colleagues, ambushed in his police station area Chaubeypur while they were going to arrest notorious local criminal Vikas Dubey.

DEL52 VIRUS-ICMR-VACCINE COVID-19: Seeking to dispel concerns, ICMR says following all globally accepted norms to fast-track vaccine; wants to 'cut red tape' New Delhi: As experts cautioned against rushing the process for developing a COVID-19 vaccine after the ICMR stated it plans to launch one by August 15, the apex health research body on Saturday stressed that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential. DEL33 TRANSGENDERS-CAPFS Transgender officers: Four CAPFs agree, CISF seeks more time to discuss issue New Delhi: The CISF, the paramilitary force that guards over 60 airports in the country and the Delhi Metro, has sought more time to reply to the government on whether transgenders can be recruited as its combat officers, officials said on Saturday. By Neelabh Srivastava DEL60 LD WEATHER Heavy rains lash Maharashtra, north India reels under sultry weather New Delhi: Instances of wall collapse, uprooting of trees and waterlogging were reported in Maharashtra as heavy rains lashed large parts of the western state, including Mumbai, for the second day on Saturday. However, there were no casualties.

CAL14 AS-VIRUS-RAJBHAVAN Assam Raj Bhavan campus declared containment zone after 2 COVID-19 cases Guwahati: The Raj Bhavan campus and its surrounding areas in Guwahati were sealed and declared a containment zone on Saturday after two persons of the Governor's Office tested COVID-19 positive, an official said. MDS16 KL-MARINES-VIJAYAN Italian Marines case: Kerala CM writes to PM Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala on Saturday urged the Centre to make "earnest efforts" to build international pressure to ensure that a fair trial is held against the two Italian marines who shot and killed two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012.

LEGAL: LGD1 UP-COURT-BABRI Ex-Faizabad DM concludes his deposition in Babri Masjid demolition trial Lucknow: Faizabad’s former District Magistrate R N Srivastava on Saturday appeared before the special CBI court trying the Babri masjid demolition case and completed his deposition under section 313 of the Cr P C. FOREIGN: FGN12 US-INDIANS-CHINA-PROTEST Indian-American community holds 'Boycott China' protest at Times Square in New York New York: A large number of Indian-Americans chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and other patriotic slogans staged a protest against China at the iconic Times Square here, demanding an economic boycott and a diplomatic isolation of the country for its aggression against India. By Yoshita Singh FGN21 NEPAL-NCP-2NDLD OLI Nepal's ruling communist party meet to decide PM Oli's fate deferred till Monday Kathmandu: A crucial meeting of Nepal's ruling communist party to decide the political future of embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was postponed until Monday to allow more time for the top leadership to iron out their differences over his autocratic style of functioning and anti-India statements. By Shirish B Pradhan PTI AD.