HIGHLIGHTS AT 5 PM

Following are the top stories at 1700 hours:

CAL2 BH-CHILDREN-DEATH Three more children die in Bihar, AES toll touches 118

Muzaffarpur (Bihar): Three more children suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) have died here since Wednesday evening, taking the total number of deaths caused due to the outbreak to 118, the district administration said Thursday.

DEL7 CONG-RAHUL Rahul says party, not him, will decide on his successor

New Delhi: As speculation continues on his next steps, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said his party will decide on who his successor will be and not him.

PAR31 PAR-2ND LD PREZ Mandate for Modi govt to continue with development agenda: Prez

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind said a "very clear mandate" for the Narendra Modi government in the Lok Sabha polls was for continuing uninterrupted the development journey that it started in 2014, as he listed the government's achievements and goals.

DEL5 MEA-INDOPAK India rejects Pak report claim that New Delhi ready for talks with Islamabad

New Delhi: India rejected a Pakistani media report claiming New Delhi is ready for talks with Islamabad, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made no such reference in their response to congratulatory messages from their counterparts in that country.

DEL28 MEA-POMPEO INDIA US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to visit India from June 25-27: MEA

New Delhi: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will be visiting India from June 25-27, the first high-level engagement between the two countries since the election, the External Affairs Ministry said.

DEL25 RAJYA SABHA-TDP TDP likely to split in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The Telugu Desam Party is likely to split in the Rajya Sabha with at least four of its six MPs tipped to break away and back the ruling BJP, sources said.

DEL24 DEF-LD AIRCRAFT AN-32 crash: Six bodies airlifted to West Siang in Arunachal, likely to be taken to Assam

Itanagar: Bodies of six Air Force personnel, who died in the AN-32 aircraft crash, have been airlifted from the site of the accident in the Pari mountain range to Aalo in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, a senior official said.

DEL23 BIZ-STOCKS-CLOSE Sensex soars 489 pts as dovish Fed lifts global markets

Mumbai: The BSE Sensex rallied 489 points, driven by gains in banking, healthcare and auto stocks, amid strong cues from the global markets after the US Federal Reserve hinted at a rate cut in the near future.

LGB3 GJ-COURT-LD BHATT Sacked cop Sanjiv Bhatt gets life sentence in the 29-year-old custodial death case

Jamnagar: A court in Gujarat sentenced sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to life imprisonment in a custodial death case dating back to 1990 when he was posted as additional superintendent of police in this district.

DEL27 UP-3RDLD DROWN 7 children feared drowned after van falls in Indira canal in Lucknow

Lucknow: At least seven children were feared drowned while 22 persons were rescued after a pick-up van in which they were travelling plunged into a canal near here on Thursday, district officials said.

MDS3 GOWDA-SIMULTANEOUS POLLS 'One Nation, One Election' will create confusion among voters: Deve Gowda

Bengaluru: Former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda said "One Nation, One Election" -- holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies -- would create confusion among the voters.

MDS1 KL-KODIYERI-NOTICE Mumbai police serve notice on Ker CPI(M) chief's son in the rape case

Kannur (Ker): The Mumbai Police Thursday served a notice on Binoy Kodiyeri, elder son of Kerala CPI(M) state secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, asking him to appear before the investigating officers within 72 hours in a rape and cheating case against him, police said.

DEL14 UP-HARD KAUR-SEDITION Rapper Hard Kaur booked for sedition over online remarks against Adityanath, Bhagwat

Varanasi: UK-based rapper Taran Kaur Dhillon aka Hard Kaur has been booked for sedition for allegedly posting objectionable remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on social media, police said.

DEL8 PAR-PREZ-WOMEN Eradication of 'Triple Talaq' and 'Nikah-Halala' imperative for ensuring women equality: Kovind

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said eradication of social evils like 'Triple Talaq' and 'Nikah-Halala' is imperative for ensuring equal rights for women in the country.

FOREIGN:

FGN13 UN-INDIA-AFGHAN-TALKS Terrorists attacking Afghan cannot be allowed to negotiate from 'place of advantage': India tells UN

United Nations: India has told the UN that militant groups enjoying "support and safe havens" to carry out terrorist activities in Afghanistan from across the borders cannot be allowed to negotiate from a "place of advantage" as the US and the Taliban are planning to meet for the next round of crucial peace talks in Qatar.

FGN19 CHINA-TALIBAN China acknowledges hosting the Taliban's chief peace negotiator for talks

Beijing: China on Thursday for the first time acknowledged that it recently hosted Afghan Taliban's chief peace negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar for talks as part of its stepped-up efforts to enlarge its strategic role in Afghanistan and efforts to restore peace in the war-torn country.