HIGHLIGHTS

These are the top stories at 9.30 pm: Nation DEL47 PAR-LD TWITTER Par panel raps Twitter for showing Ladakh as part of China; seeks written explanation from US parent New Delhi: A parliamentary committee on Wednesday came down heavily on Twitter for showing Ladakh as part of China, saying it amounted to treason and an explanation must be tendered by the US-based parent of the social media platform in form of an affidavit, sources in the panel said. By Jatin Takkar DEL68 CIC-AAROGYASETU No information about creation of Aarogya Setu app: MeitY; CIC issues show cause notice New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Informatics Centre have said they do not have any information about the "creation" of the Aarogya Setu application promoted by the government to contain the spread of COVID 19, responses termed as "preposterous" by the Central Information Commission. DEL14 VIRUS-LD CASES Fresh COVID-19 cases remain below 45k in India; total caseload inch closer to 80 lakh-mark New Delhi: The new coronavirus cases reported in India in a span of 24 hours remained below 45,000, even as the total COVID-19 caseload inched closer to 80 lakh, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

DEL28 NIA-LD SEARCHES NIA searches trust, NGOs in Srinagar in terror funding case Srinagar: The NIA on Wednesday searched 10 locations in the Valley and one in Bangalore in connection with a case related to NGOs and trusts diverting funds meant for charitable activities to “secessionist and separatist activities” in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. CAL32 BH-POLL-PM-LD RALLY Modi warns voters against "Jungle Raj ke Yuvraaj" in Bihar Darbhanga/Muzaffarpur/Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the opposition RJD in Bihar, calling its chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav the "yuvraaj" (crown prince) of "jungle raj" and attacking him over the promise of 10 lakh government jobs.

DEL63 EC-BH-POLL-TURNOUT 52.24 pc turnout till 5 pm in Phase I of Bihar assembly polls: CEC New Delhi: The voter turnout in the phase one of Bihar assembly polls was 52.24 per cent till 5 pm, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said on Wednesday. DEL78 CONG-FACEBOOK Facebook must demonstrate neutrality with thorough revamp: Congress New Delhi: The Congress urged social media giant Facebook on Wednesday to demonstrate its neutrality with a thorough revamp of its institutional processes and asked it to outline the steps taken to curb the spread of false, polarising and hate content on its platform.

DEL84 LD RAJNATH Army most trusted and inspiring organisation in India: Rajnath New Delhi: Hailing the Indian Army's actions in "truly" protecting the integrity and sovereignty of the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that while the troops are standing firm in eastern Ladakh, the ongoing talks for peaceful resolution of the crisis will continue. DEL65 IMD-MONSOON-WITHDRAWAL Southwest monsoon withdraws from country, northeast monsoon commences: IMD New Delhi: The southwest monsoon finally withdrew from the entire country on Wednesday, 13 days after its normal date of retreat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. DEL64 AVI-LD HONG KONG-AI Hong Kong bars Air India flights for fourth time as 5 passengers test positive for COVID-19 New Delhi: Hong Kong has banned Air India flights from Mumbai till November 10 after five passengers on its flight earlier this week tested positive for COVID-19 post arrival, the airline said on Wednesday.

Legal LGD5 SC-LD PINJRA TOD SC dismisses Delhi govt plea against bail granted to Pinjra Tod activist in riots case New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed Delhi government's appeal against the bail granted to Pinjra Tod activist Devangana Kalita in a case related to riots in north-east part of the national capital during anti-CAA protest in February this year. Business DEL46 BIZ-FINMIN-INTEREST-WAIVER Interest waiver: Outstanding as of Feb 29 to be reference for ex gratia relief New Delhi: The loan outstanding as of February 29 would be the reference amount for calculating the differential interest amount under the 'scheme for grant of ex gratia payment of difference between compound interest and simple interest' according to the FAQs released by the Finance Ministry.

DEL48 BIZ-LD STOCKS Markets recoil as virus woes trigger global selloff; banking, finance stocks stumble Mumbai: The Sensex crashed 600 points while the Nifty slumped below the 11,750-mark on Wednesday, in tandem with a deep global selloff as a second wave of coronavirus cases in Europe and the US stoked fears of another round of lockdowns. Foreign FGN40 CHINA-LD INDOUS China says border standoff with India bilateral issue; criticises US' Indo-Pacific strategy Beijing: China on Wednesday said its border standoff with India in eastern Ladakh is a bilateral issue, and asked the US to "stop" its Indo-Pacific strategy, terming it as an attempt to impose American hegemony in the region. By K J M Varma..