HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 1700 hours: NATION DEL44 VIRUS-2NDLD PM-STATES Guard against laxity in COVID-19 fight; Bring fatality rate under 1 pc: PM to CMs New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned states and union territories against any laxity in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and called for reducing the positivity and fatality rates by focusing on curbing the virus transmission. DEL43 ED-LD SHIV SENA ED raids premises linked to Shiv Sena MLA in money laundering case against security firm Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided premises linked to Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik in Maharashtra on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering case being probed against a security service provider company and others, official sources said.

DEL30 VIRUS-TESTS-POSITIVITY RATE COVID-19: Daily positivity rate dips below 4 per cent in India New Delhi: India has conducted over 13.36 crore tests so far to detect COVID-19 cases, including 10,99,545 in a day, while the cumulative positivity rate in the country is sustained at low levels and the daily positivity rate has fallen below four per cent, the health ministry said on Tuesday. DEL48 DL-KEJRIWAL-LD PM Pollution played key role in high severity of third wave of COVID-19 in Delhi: Kejriwal to PM New Delhi: At a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the high severity of the third wave of COVID-19 cases in the national capital is due to many factors with pollution being a significant one, sources said.

DEL50 DEF-BRAHMOS India successfully test-fires land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile New Delhi: India on Tuesday "successfully" test fired the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos as part of a series of planned trials of the weapon, known for its precision strike capabilities, official sources said. DEL49 JK-ABDULLAH-LAND Abdullahs' house in Jammu built on encroached land, NC headquarters legalised under Roshni Act: JK administartion list Jammu: Former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah have been named by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in a list which alleges that their residential house in Jammu is built over illegally-possessed land, a charge denied by the father-son duo.

BUSINESS DEL51 BIZ-LD STOCKS Benchmarks rally to record highs; Nifty closes above 13k for first time Mumbai: Indian equity indices conquered new peaks on Tuesday, with the Nifty closing above the 13,000-level for the first time, as banking, FMCG and auto stocks saw heavy buying amid optimism over COVID-19 vaccine progress and unabated foreign capital inflows. LEGAL LGD9 SC-ARNAB Breach of privilege matter: Arnab urges SC to issue notice to Maha Assembly Speaker New Delhi: Journalist Arnab Goswami urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday to issue notice to the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to clarify his stand on the claim of a House official who said he sent a letter to the scribe in a matter of alleged breach of privilege motion at the Speaker's direction.

LGD10 SC-ENCROACHMENTS No coercive action will be taken against slum dwellers along railway tracks in Delhi: Govt to SC New Delhi: The Centre Tuesday told the Supreme Court that deliberations on the issue related to removal of around 48,000 slum dwellings along the railway tracks in Delhi were going on and no coercive action would be taken against them. FOREIGN FGN15 SINGAPORE-TERROR-ARREST Singapore arrests Bangladeshi man for plotting attacks against Hindus, planning to fight in Kashmir Singapore: Singapore said on Tuesday that its security agencies have arrested one Bangladeshi man, who was plotting attacks against Hindus in his own country and planning to fight in Kashmir, after they investigated the suspicious activities of 37 people as part of the heightened security measures in the city-state following recent terror attacks in Europe.

By Gurdip Singh SPORTS SPD3 SPO-CRI-TENDULKAR-INTERVIEW Unorthodox Smith will require fifth off-stump line bowling: Tendulkar to Indian pacers New Delhi: Steve Smith's unconventional technique will warrant a slightly wider line from Indian bowlers, the iconic Sachin Tendulkar said, urging the pacers to target the "fifth stump" to blunt the redoubtable batsman during the upcoming series in Australia. By Kushan Sarkar PTI SRY