HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 10.10 pm: NATION DEL122 LDALL PRESIDENTIAL POLLS Pawar declines to be Oppn's Prez candidate as 17 parties attend meeting called by Mamata; Rajnath speaks to top leaders to build consensus New Delhi: Leaders of several opposition parties on Wednesday urged NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to be the joint opposition candidate for the Presidential elections, but the veteran leader once again declined the offer at a meeting convened by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here.

DEL54 RAHUL-2NDLD ED ED quizzes Rahul for 3rd consecutive day in National Herald money laundering case New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before the ED on Wednesday for the third consecutive day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case, with the agency seeking answers on decisions taken with regard to the media organisation and its owner Young Indian.

DEL120 RAHUL-ED-EXIT National Herald case: ED questions Rahul Gandhi for 8 hours on day 3 New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for about eight hours on Wednesday, the third day of his appearance in the National Herald money laundering case.

DEL102 LD AGNIPATH Govt announces slew of post-retirement job possibilities for 'Agniveers', Cong remains unassuaged New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday announced a raft of post-retirement employment possibilities for 'Agniveer' like priority in recruitment to the central armed police forces (CAPF) and Assam rifles but that failed to assuage the concerns of the opposition Congress which warned the ''transformative'' 'Agnipath' scheme will reduce the operational effectiveness of the armed forces.

DEL100 CONG-LD RAHUL PROTESTS Congress says Delhi Police personnel forcibly entered its HQ & beat up workers, demands FIR New Delhi: The Congress alleged that Delhi Police personnel forcibly entered its headquarters and beat up party workers and leaders on Wednesday, on a day the party staged vociferous protests against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate for the third consecutive day.

DEL75 MEA-INDIA-LD ASEAN Top officials of India, ASEAN meet ahead of foreign ministerial dialogue New Delhi: Top officials of India and the ASEAN nations on Wednesday held extensive talks, a day ahead of their foreign ministerial dialogue that is expected to focus on further expansion of trade and strategic ties as well as boosting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

DEL47 VACCINE-NTAGI-CHIDLREN-GAP NTAGI to review Covaxin, Corbevax data for 6-12 years Thursday, discuss reducing booster dose gap New Delhi: Government advisory panel NTAGI will meet on Thursday to review data on Covaxin and Corbevax vaccines for the 6-12 age group and also deliberate on reducing the gap between the second and precaution doses from the current nine to six months. By Payal Banerjee BOM40 CG-LDALL BOREWELL Chhattisgarh boy survives borewell trauma after 104 hours of rescue efforts involving 500 personnel Raipur/Janjgir: It was a remarkable display of grit and survival instinct by a differently-abled boy who endured five days of ordeal after falling into a borewell in Chhattisgarh but never gave up hope as he was eventually pulled out alive after a marathon rescue operation lasting more than 100 hours and involving over 500 personnel.

MDS10 KA-TOUR-LD HINDI Karnataka govt. circular on Hindi sparks language ''imposition'' charge, Minister says no such direction Bengaluru: A Karnataka government circular on selecting students with knowledge of Hindi for a tour of Uttarakhand has sparked a ''Hindi imposition'' row, with the government clarifying there was no such direction either from the state or the Centre on the matter.

LEGAL LGD7 SC-DEMOLITIONS SC to hear Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind's plea against demolitions in UP on Thursday New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the pleas filed by Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind seeking directions to the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no further demolitions of properties of alleged accused of recent violence are carried out in the State.

BUSINESS DEL105 CAB-2ND LD SPECTRUM-AUCTIONS Cabinet nod to Rs 4.3 lakh cr 5G spectrum auction; to start on July 26 New Delhi: The government will next month auction about Rs 4.3 lakh crore worth of airwaves capable of offering fifth-generation or 5G telecom services including ultra-high-speed internet, and gave its nod for setting up of captive 5G networks by big tech firms.

DEL68 BIZ-2ND LD EXPORTS Exports rise 20.55 pc to USD 38.94 bn in May; trade deficit at record USD 24.29 bn New Delhi: India's merchandise exports in May rose by 20.55 per cent to USD 38.94 billion, while the trade deficit ballooned to a record USD 24.29 billion, according to the government data released on Wednesday.

FOREIGN FGN29 BIZ-WTO-EXTENSION WTO ministerial conference extended by one day to facilitate outcomes Geneva: The four-day 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the WTO has been extended by one day till Thursday to facilitate outcomes on the main issues under discussion. By Rajesh Rai FGN38: UAE-INDIA-WHEAT-EXPORT BAN UAE suspends exports and re-exports of Indian wheat for four months Abu Dhabi/New Delhi: The UAE has ordered a suspension of exports and re-exports of wheat and wheat flour originating from India for four months, the Gulf nation's ministry of economy said on Wednesday.

FGN69 BIZ-5G-VAISHNAW 5G spectrum auctions to conclude by July-end, services may begin by Sep: Vaishnaw Paris: India's biggest spectrum auction, which will pave the way for high-speed 5G services, is likely to conclude by July-end and the rollout is expected by September this year, union Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. By Prasoon Srivastava.