HIGHLIGHTS

DEL90 VIRUS-LD RECOVERY Highest single-day recovery of 29,557 COVID-19 patients, tests cross 15-million mark New Delhi: As many as 29,557 COVID-19 patients have recuperated in a 24-hour span till Thursday morning, the highest recorded in a day so far, taking the recovery rate to 63.18 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said. DEL88 RJ-LD GEHLOT Assembly session 'very soon', will prove majority: Gehlot Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said an assembly session will be called soon and his government will prove its majority.

Following are the top stories at 9 pm: NATION DEL81 SINOINDIA-DISENGAGEMENT Maintenance of peace and tranquility along LAC is basis of our bilateral relationship with China: India New Delhi: India on Thursday asserted that the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the Line of Control(LAC) is the basis of its bilateral relationship with China, and said it expected the Chinese side to be sincere in completing the disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh. DEL37 PM-MN-LD WATER Northeast has potential to become India's growth engine: PM Modi New Delhi: The northeast has the potential to become India's growth engine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, noting that peace is now being established in the entire region. DEL92 LD INDOPAK-KULBHUSHAN Pak blocking all avenues for legal remedy to Jadhav: India; Asserts will explore other options New Delhi: India on Thursday said Pakistan has once again exposed its "farcical" approach by denying available legal remedies to Kulbhushan Jadhav against his death sentence which is also in contravention of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict, and asserted that it will explore further options in the case.

DEL50 DEF-ARMY-LD WOMEN Govt issues order for permanent commission of women officers in Army New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has issued an order for grant of Permanent Commission to women officers in the Army. DEL90 VIRUS-LD RECOVERY Highest single-day recovery of 29,557 COVID-19 patients, tests cross 15-million mark New Delhi: As many as 29,557 COVID-19 patients have recuperated in a 24-hour span till Thursday morning, the highest recorded in a day so far, taking the recovery rate to 63.18 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said.

DEL88 RJ-LD GEHLOT Assembly session 'very soon', will prove majority: Gehlot Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said an assembly session will be called soon and his government will prove its majority. DEL84 MEA-PAK-BUDDHA Buddha statue vandalised: India asks Pakistan to protect cultural heritage of minorities New Delhi: India has expressed its concerns to Pakistan over a Buddha statue being smashed into pieces with a sledgehammer in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and asked Islamabad to ensure the protection of the cultural heritage of minorities.

DEL94 RAIL-TICKETS-CONTACTLESS Rlys to have contactless ticketing; tickets to be QR code-enabled, scanned on handheld devices New Delhi: The railways will move towards contactless ticketing like at airports with QR code-enabled tickets, which will be scanned on handheld devices and mobile phones at the stations and on the trains, a senior official of the national transporter said on Thursday. CAL14 WB-TMC-LD REJIG Ex-Maoist-backed leader appointed to key TMC post as Mamata announces major rejig Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday appointed Chhatradhar Mahato, a former leader of the Maoist-backed PCAPA, to the party's state committee as she announced a major reshuffle in the organisation, giving leadership roles to new faces with an eye on next year's assembly elections in West Bengal.

LEGAL LGD43 UP-COURT-3RDLD BABRI Babri mosque demolition trial: MM Joshi deposes before court, pleads innocence Lucknow: Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday asserted before a special CBI court holding the 1992 Babri mosque demolition trial that he was innocent and implicated in the case by the then Congress government at the Centre. LGD39 SC-3RDLD RAJASTHAN SPEAKER Rajasthan HC to pass orders on plea of MLAs; directions subject to outcome of Speaker’s appeal: SC New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday refused to restrain the Rajasthan High Court from passing order on a plea of sacked deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs challenging the disqualification notice against them and said it would be subject to the outcome of petition before the apex court.

LGD33 DL-HC-DU-ONLINE DEGREE HC directs DU to take immediate steps to prepare protocol for issuing degrees, marksheets online New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Thursday directed the Delhi University to take immediate steps to draw up the protocol for issuing degree certificates, mark sheets and transcripts online with digital signatures and security features. FOREIGN FGN45 PAK-LD BLAST 20 injured in bomb blast at open-air market in northwest Pakistan Peshawar: A bomb planted on a vegetable cart went off at a busy open-air market in a tribal district in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, injuring at least 20 people including a child, police said.

FGN42 VIRUS-ISRAEL-LD INDIA India and Israel join hands to develop rapid testing for COVID-19 in under 30 seconds Jerusalem: Merging Israel's technological expertise with India's mass production capabilities, experts from the two countries have joined hands to develop rapid testing for COVID-19 in under 30 seconds. By Harinder Mishra FGN11 US-TRUMP-CHINA-MISSIONS Closure of more Chinese embassies 'possible', says Trump as US shuts down consulate in Houston Washington: The US does not rule out the possibility of closing more Chinese diplomatic missions in the country, President Donald Trump has said, hours after Washington ordered the closure of Beijing's consulate in Houston to "protect American intellectual property and private information". By Lalit K Jha..