HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9 PM: NATION: DEL8 VIRUS-LD CASES India records 54,069 new cases of COVID-19, 1,321 deaths in a day New Delhi: India reported 54,069 new cases of COVID-19 in a day which took the infection tally to 3,00,82,778 while 1,321 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 3,91,981, according to the Union Health Ministry data on Thursday.

DEL93 PM-MEET-3RDLD JK Assembly polls in J-K after delimitation of constituencies, PM Modi tells all-party meeting New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told a group of leaders from Jammu and Kashmir that assembly elections there will be held after the completion of the ongoing delimitation exercise, People's Conference leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig said after a crucial meeting to chalk out the future course of action in the union territory.

DEL97 BIZ-LDALL RELIANCE-AMBANI Ambani to invest Rs 75k cr in clean energy, unveils Google phone Mumbai: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Thursday announced a Rs 75,000 crore investment in clean energy over three years, pinned hope on concluding a USD 15 billion deal with Saudi Aramco this year and unveiled the much-awaited low-priced JioPhone Next co-developed with Google as he unveiled the growth agenda for Reliance Industries.

DEL74 CBI-2NDLD CROMPTON Yes Bank case: CBI books former CG Power and Industrial Solutions chairman Gautam Thapar, others New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday carried out searches at six locations after registering a fresh case of fraud of Rs 2,435 crore in Yes Bank and other consortium banks against former CG Power and Industrial Solutions chairman Gautam Thapar who is already under probe in more such cases, officials said.

DEL81 MEA-SINOINDIA Chinese actions last year responsible for eastern Ladakh standoff: India New Delhi: India on Thursday said China's amassing of a large number of troops close to the border last year and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo seriously disturbed peace and tranquillity in the region.

DEL104 VACCINE-HEALTH MINISTRY India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage crosses 30.72 crore New Delhi: India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 30.72 crore as per a provisional report till 7 pm on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry said here.

DEL107 PM-JK Delimitation exercise in J-K has to happen quickly so that polls take place, says PM New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the ongoing delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir has to happen quickly so that polls can be held to install an elected government that gives strength to its development trajectory.

DEL48 PM-LD TOYCATHON PM asks people to be vocal for local toys, calls for improving India's standing in 'Toyconomy' New Delhi: Calling on people to be ''vocal for local toys'', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said about 80 per cent of the toys were being imported by India with crores of rupees going abroad and asserted that it was very important to change this situation.

DEL57 JK-ARMY-LD VIOLENCE Militancy-related violence has reduced by over 50 per cent in J&K: Army officer Srinagar: Militancy-related violence has reduced by over 50 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir and the Army's role in the valley is diminishing, a senior officer of the force said on Thursday.

BOM7 GJ-COURT-LD RAHUL Defamation case: Rahul Gandhi appears before Guj court, denies charges Surat: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before a magistrate's court in Surat on Thursday to record his statement in a criminal defamation suit filed by a Gujarat MLA, and denied making any defamatory remarks on people with 'Modi' surname.

MDS14 DEF-RAJNATH-LD KARWAR India should aim to be among world's top 3 naval powers in 10-12 years: Rajnath Singh Karwar (Karnataka): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the naval base being developed here under ''Project Seabird'' should be Asia's biggest, and he would try to get budget allocation enhanced for it, if required.

DEL25 CONG-LD SONIA Congress members should work to address vaccine hesitancy: Sonia Gandhi New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said the party must play an active role in ensuring full COVID-19 vaccination coverage and address vaccine hesitancy wherever evident.

BOM5 MH-OPPOSITION-ALLIANCE-SENA Rahul should join hands with Pawar to bring Oppn parties together: Sena Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should join hands with NCP chief Pawar to align all opposition parties together to take on the ruling BJP at the Centre.

LEGAL LGD9 SC-STATE BOARD EXAMINATION-LD RESULT SC directs state boards to declare internal assessment results by July 31 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all the state boards to declare results of internal assessment of Class 12 examination by July 31, making it clear that each board is free to formulate its own evaluation method for students and there can't be a ''fit-all'' scheme.

FOREIGN FGN12 US-LD H1B US allows some H-1B visa seekers to re-submit their applications Washington: Some foreign guest workers in the US will be able to re-submit their applications for the H1-B visa, the most sought-after non-immigrant visa among Indian IT professionals, if their petition was solely rejected because it was based on the initial registration period, according to a federal agency.

By Lalit K Jha FGN5 VIRUS-WHO-DELTA-VARIANT Delta variant now reported in 85 countries globally, expected to become dominant lineage: WHO United Nations: The Delta variant, the significantly more transmissible strain of COVID-19, is expected to become a ''dominant lineage'' if current trends continue, the WHO has warned after it was reported in 85 countries and continues to be detected in more places around the world. By Yoshita Singh PTI MA MA

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)