HIGHLIGHTS

By Lalit K Jha FGN24 VIRUS-US-ASTRAZENECA-VACCINE AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine reaches phase 3 clinical trials in US, says Trump Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced that the vaccine for coronavirus being developed by AstraZeneca has reached phase three clinical trials in the country and is very close to being finalised for approval.

Following are the top stories at 10:30 pm: Nation: DEL95 LDALL SINOINDIA China engaged in provocative action in eastern Ladakh on Monday too: India New Delhi: India on Tuesday said China again engaged in "provocative action" even as their military talks were underway two days after the PLA made a bid to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh, calling the attempts a reflection of "complete disregard" to bilateral understandings. DEL76 LD ALL PRANAB MUKHERJEE 'Citizen Mukherjee' cremated with full state honours in shadow of pandemic New Delhi: Bugles sounded the last post, soldiers clicked their heels and fired in the air and the small gathering, many in PPE suits, raised their hands in salute as India’s 13th president Pranab Mukherjee was cremated on Tuesday in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

DEL80 LDLL JEE COVID-19: JEE-Mains conducted across country amid 'new normal' New Delhi: The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Mains for admission to engineering colleges began on Tuesday amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures in view of the COVID-19 pandemic even as the chorus continued to grow for postponement of the crucial exam which has already been deferred twice. DEL94 LD UNLOCK4 States further ease restrictions as Unlock 4 commences; Bars reopen, buses ply Chennai/Bhubaneswar/Lucknow: As the Unlock 4 commenced on Tuesday, most of the states further eased the coronavirus-induced restrictions on the movement of people and functioning of commercial establishments like bars and hotels, while major temples like the Madurai Meenakshi and the Konark too reopened, with mandatory COVID-19 precautions.

DEL93 LD WEATHER Lightning kills 6 in Odisha, over 53,000 evacuated from flood-hit Maha villages New Delhi: At least six people were killed after being struck by lightning in Odisha while more than 53,000 people were evacuated from 175 villages in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region where flooding occurred following heavy rains and release of water from dams, officials said on Tuesday. DEL89 LD RAJNATH-RUSSIA Defence minister Rajnath to leave for Russia on Wednesday to attend SCO meet New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Russia on Wednesday to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which is taking place under the shadow of an escalating border row between India and China, two of the bloc's key members.

CAL6 WB-REFUGEE-LD-COLONIES Bengal to hand over freehold land deeds to residents of 119 refugee colonies Kolkata: In the run-up to the Assembly elections due next year, the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal is planning to hand over freehold land title deeds to over 20,000 people residing in 119 refugee colonies in the state. Legal: LGD37 SC-2NDLD TELECOM Breather for telcos, SC gives ten years for payment of AGR dues New Delhi: In a breather to telecom service providers struggling to pay rupees 93,520 crores of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) related dues, the Supreme Court on Tuesday gave them a 10 years period to clear their outstanding amount to the government.

LGD32 UP-HC-3RDLD KAFEEL KHAN Allahabad HC quashes Kafeel Khan's detention under NSA, orders his immediate release Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday quashed the detention of Dr. Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act and ordered his immediate release, saying his speech at the AMU didn't promote hatred or violence and gave a call for national integrity. Foreign: FGN23 CHINA-INDIA-WANG India-China border not yet demarcated, there will always be problems: Wang Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the India-China boundary is yet to be demarcated due to which there will always be problems and the two countries should implement the consensuses between their leadership to not let differences from escalating into conflicts. By K J M Varma FGN29 US-LD CHINA US strategy is to push back against China in every domain: top diplomat Washington: Asserting that China has been picking up fights virtually on every front, a top American diplomat said Washington's strategy to counter it is to push back against Beijing in every domain, including its "outsized" sovereignty claims in India's Galwan Valley. By Lalit K Jha FGN24 VIRUS-US-ASTRAZENECA-VACCINE AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine reaches phase 3 clinical trials in US, says Trump Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced that the vaccine for coronavirus being developed by AstraZeneca has reached phase three clinical trials in the country and is very close to being finalised for approval. By Lalit K Jha.