HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 2110 hours: DEL68 LDALL ANSARI BJP alleges former vice president Ansari invited Pak journo spying for ISI; Ansari calls it 'litany of falsehood' New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday accused former vice president Hamid Ansari of inviting to India a Pakistani journalist who has claimed to have spied for the ISI, but Ansari dismissed the charge as a ''litany of falsehood'' and said he never met or invited him.

DEL78 VIRUS-2ND LD PRECAUTION DOSE Cabinet nod to free Covid precaution doses for 18-59 age group from July 15 at govt centres New Delhi: People in the 18-59 age group can get free precaution doses of the Covid vaccine at government vaccination centres under a 75-day special drive likely to begin from July 15, the government said on Wednesday.

DEL77 PAR-UNPARLIAMENTARY WORDS Words like 'ashamed', 'abused, 'betrayed', 'corrupt' to be unparliamentary in LS, RS New Delhi: Use of terms like 'jumlajeevi', 'baal buddhi', 'Covid spreader' and 'Snoopgate' and even commonly used words like 'ashamed', 'abused, 'betrayed', 'corrupt', 'drama', 'hypocrisy' and 'incompetent' will henceforth be considered unparliamentary in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, according to a new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

DEL92 CAB-RAIL-SHAH New railway line in Gujarat-Rajasthan to facilitate pilgrims, locals: HM Shah New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday for approving the Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road rail project that will traverse through parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, and said the 116.65-km-long railway line will facilitate locals and devotees visiting pilgrimage sites.

DEL50 SINOINDIA-TALKS Eastern Ladakh row: India, China likely to hold 16th round of military talks on July 17 New Delhi: India and China are likely to hold the 16th round of high-level military talks on July 17 to resolve the issues in remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.

DEL87 LD RAINS 17 dead, thousands moved to safety as rains batter various parts of India New Delhi: Incessant showers caused landslides and floods in various parts of the country leaving at least 17 people dead on Wednesday while thousands more were forced to move to safety as rivers swelled and water reservoirs filled up fast.

DEL89 CBI-LD DHFL DHFL scam case: CBI arrests businessman from Mumbai New Delhi: The CBI arrested businessman Ajay Ramesh Nawandar from Mumbai on Wednesday in connection with the Rs 34,615-crore bank fraud case involving Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL), officials said.

DEL65 AVI-DGCA-2NDLD PROTEST DGCA hopes 'sick-leave protest' at IndiGo, Go First will end soon New Delhi: As maintenance technicians at IndiGo and Go First continue to remain on sick leave protesting low salaries, aviation regulator DGCA on Wednesday said it hopes the situation will improve soon.

DEL82 BIZ-LD-RUPEE Rupee drops by 22 paise to record low of 79.81 against US dollar Mumbai: The rupee declined by 22 paise to close at a record low of 79.81 against the US currency on Wednesday after the dollar surged to a 20-year high in overseas markets and foreign investors continued to withdraw funds from Indian stocks.

DEL63 DL-VIRUS-CASES Delhi logs 490 COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths in a day; positivity rate 3.16 pc New Delhi: Delhi logged 490 fresh Covid cases with a positivity rate of 3.16 per cent while three more people succumbed to the viral disease in a day, according to data shared by the health department here.

DEL59 JK-CBI-LD YASIN Yasin Malik seeks physical presence in court to contest Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case Jammu: JKLF chief Yasin Malik on Wednesday told a CBI court that he wants to cross question witnesses in the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case himself in a physical hearing else he would sit on hunger strike in prison, officials said.

LEGAL LGD35 SC-BOY-2ND LD MURDER Boy's death in Gurugram school: SC says issue of juvenility of accused be examined afresh New Delhi: Nearly five years after the murder of a child at a Gurugram private school, the Supreme Court Wednesday said the juvenile accused in the 2017 case should be examined afresh to decide whether he be prosecuted as an adult, saying ''the fate of the child in conflict with law should not be taken without conducting a meticulous psychological evaluation.'' By Pawan Kumar Singh LGD27 SC-SAHARA HC gone beyond jurisdiction in passing order against Sahara while hearing bail plea: SC New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday said that the Patna High Court, which had directed for Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy's presence before it, had gone beyond its jurisdiction in passing such order while hearing the anticipatory bail plea of others.

FOREIGN FGN78 LDALL LANKA Sri Lanka declares state of emergency hours after prez Rajapaksa flees to Maldives; protesters storm PM office Colombo/Male: Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as angry protesters stormed the prime minister's office in Colombo, hours after president Gotabaya Rajapksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet, amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

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