HIGHLIGHTS AT 1700 HRS

Following are the top stories at 1700 hours:

DEL34 MEA-PAK Pak trying to hoodwink international community with cosmetic steps against terror groups: India

New Delhi: Pakistan is trying to hoodwink the international community with its "cosmetic" steps against terror groups, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

DEL37 DALAI LAMA-TIBET Tibetan issue no longer struggle for political independence: Dalai Lama

New Delhi: The Tibetan issue is no longer a struggle for political independence, the Dalai Lama has said, even as he asserted that there is a need to focus on preservation of Tibet's cultural, religious and linguistic identity.

DEL36 CONG-VIDEO-RSS Cong posts video on RSS on Twitter, alleges it has consistently taken part in anti-India activities

New Delhi: On a day Rahul Gandhi appeared before a Mumbai court in a defamation case for his remarks against the RSS, the Congress on Thursday posted a video on Twitter about the Hindutva organisation alleging that it has "consistently participated in 'anti-India' activities".

DEL19 BIZ-SURVEY-FOOD BILL Eco Survey for rationalisation of burgeoning food subsidy bill

New Delhi: There is a need to address the "burgeoning food subsidy bill" in order to sustain the government's food security programme for the poor, the Economic Survey said Thursday.

DEL11 ECO SURVEY-LD GROWTH Economic Survey pegs GDP growth at 7 pc in FY20

New Delhi: The government Thursday projected the country's GDP growth for 2019-20 at 7 per cent, up from five-year low of 6.8 per cent, on the back of anticipated pickup in investment and consumption.

LGB1 MH-RAHUL-LD COURT Defamation case: Rahul, Yechury plead not guilty, to face trial

Mumbai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury will face trial after pleading not guilty on Thursday in a defamation case filed against them by an RSS worker.

BOM9 MH-LD RAHUL Will fight BJP, RSS with 10 times more vigour: Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai: A day after publicly announcing his resignation as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi Thursday said he will engage in the 'ideological fight' with BJP and RSS with 10 times more vigour than he did during the last five years.

DEL20 CONG-LD CRISIS Disquiet in Congress after Rahul Gandhi decision to quit as party pres

New Delhi: Plunged into an existential crisis after Rahul Gandhi sealed his decision to resign as party president, there was disquiet in the Congress ranks on Thursday with many pushing him to change his mind as they looked anxiously at the viability of a Gandhi-free future.

DEL4 PRIYANKA-RAHUL-RESIGNATION Respect for Rahul's decision, few have the courage to do so: Priyanka on Cong chief's resignation

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she respected her brother Rahul Gandhi's decision to step down as the party president and lauded his "courage" to do so.

DEL10 CIC-MINISTERS-GRAFT CIC paves way for disclosure of corruption complaints against Union ministers

New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has paved the way for disclosure of corruption complaints against Union ministers by terming objections of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as "not correct" in response to an RTI application filed by bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi.

LEGAL:

LGD17 SC-ROHINGYAS SC to hear plea seeking deportation of illegal Bangladesh nationals, Rohingyas

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday agreed to hear a PIL seeking identification and deportation of all illegal immigrants and infiltrators including Bangladesh nationals and Rohingyas.

LGD15 RJ-SALMAN-COURT Appear in person or your bail will be cancelled, court warns Salman Khan

Jodhpur: A court hearing the blackbuck poaching case against superstar Salman Khan expressed displeasure over his absence Thursday and warned his bail could be cancelled if he failed to appear at the next hearing.

LGD12 SC-MINING SC seeks Centre's reply in 4 weeks on plea for quashing of 358 mining leases

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday asked the Centre to file its reply in four weeks on a plea seeking quashing of allotment, extension or continuation of leases to firms for mining iron ore from over 358 mines across the country without any fresh evaluation.

LGD2 DL-COURT-INX INX Media case: Delhi court allows Indrani Mukerjea to turn approver

New Delhi: A special court Thursday allowed Indrani Mukerjea's application seeking to become an approver in the INX Media corruption case involving P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram.

FOREIGN:

FGN3 PAK-SAEED Pak books Hafiz Saeed, 12 others for terror financing through charities

Lahore: Mumbai attacks mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and 12 of his close aides have been booked by Pakistani agencies for committing multiple offences of terrorism financing and money laundering through the massive funds collected through charities, as Islamabad faced intense international pressure to disrupt terror groups and curb terror funding. By M Zulqernain

FGN4 IMF-PAKISTAN IMF approves USD 6 bn loan for Pakistan with tough conditions

Washington/Islamabad: The IMF has approved a three-year USD 6 billion loan for cash-strapped Pakistan with tough conditions to address its balance of payment crisis and help the country's ailing economy return to "sustainable growth". By Lalit K Jha and Sajjad Hussain.