HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 13:30 hours:

DEL8 DEF-RAWAT Army prepared to deal with any security challenge in J-K: Gen Rawat

New Delhi: Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Tuesday said the armed forces are prepared to deal with any security challenge along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, and downplayed reports of additional deployment by Pakistan in the area.

DEL7 JK-RAHUL Rahul says will visit J&K, don't need Guv's aircraft

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accepted Governor Satya Pal Malik's 'invitation' to visit Jammu and Kashmir but said he did not need an aircraft.

DEL4 ART370-JAVADEKAR-CHIDAMBARAM Different Cong voices on J-K reflects 'directionless politics', says Javadekar

New Delhi: The Congress is speaking in different voices on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir because of its "frustration, despair and directionless politics", Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.

LGD18 SC-AYODHYA Ayodhya: On 5th day of hearing, arguments in SC on whether temple existed on disputed site

New Delhi: Arguments on whether a temple existed at the disputed site in Ayodhya were presented on Tuesday before the Supreme Court which heard the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case for the fifth day.

BOM3 MH-GADKARI-LD FLIGHT Flight carrying Gadkari, 158 others fails to take off due to snag

Nagpur: A New Delhi-bound IndiGo flight carrying Union minister Nitin Gadkari and 158 other passengers failed to take off from Nagpur airport in Maharashtra on Tuesday morning due to a "technical fault", an official said.

MDS4 TN-CHIDAMBARAM-LD PALANISWAMI

Chidambaram only a "burden on earth," says TN CM Salem (TN): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on P Chidambaram, saying the veteran Congress leader was "only a burden" on the earth.

CAL1 OD-RAIN

Incessant rain triggers flood-like situation in parts of Odisha Bhubaneswar: Incessant rain triggered a flood-like situation in parts of Odisha on Tuesday, while

the formation of two back-to-back low pressure areas have claimed at least eight lives in the last fortnight, a senior official said.

MDS3 KA-FLOOD-SITUATION Things improve in Karnataka after flood & rain havoc

Bengaluru: After the flood and rain havoc in Karnataka in the past few days, things have improved in the affected districts of the state, where 6.77 lakh people had been evacuated in the past week.

LEGAL

LGD10 SC-KASHMIR Editor of Kashmir Times seeks urgent hearing of plea for removal of media restrictions in J-K

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Anuradha Bhasin, Editor of Kashmir Times, to hand over a memo to the apex court registrar for urgent listing of her plea seeking removal of restrictions on the media in Jammu and Kashmir after scrapping of provisions of Article 370.

LGD13 SC-KARNATAKA MLAS

Rebel Cong-JD(S) Karnataka leaders move SC for urgent hearing of plea challenging disqualification New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs from Karnataka to hand over a memo to the registrar for urgent listing of their plea challenging their disqualification from the state assembly.

LGD4 SC-ASSAM NRC

Assam NRC: SC orders list of exclusion be published only online on Aug 31 New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that the list of those excluded from the final Assam NRC be published only online on August 31.

LGD17 DL-HC-CHOPPER

Chopper deal: Ratul Puri moves HC seeking anticipatory bail New Delhi: Businessman Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a money laundering case related to the VVIP chopper scam.

SPORTS:

SPD2 SPO-DAVIS-VENUE

Indian players request AITA to ask for neutral venue New Delhi: The Indian Davis Cup team wants the tie against Pakistan in Islamabad next month to be shifted to a neutral venue and is baffled that the national federation has merely asked for a security re-check so far.

FORIEGN:

FGN12 US-SAHASRABUDDHE-PLURALISM India was never a theocratic state and can never be one: ICCR president

Washington: Asserting that pluralism is an integral part of the idea of India, a top Indian cultural diplomat has said that India "was never and can never be a theocratic state." By Lalit K Jha

FGN5 US-INDIA-LD SHRINGLA Trump has made it clear mediation offer on Kashmir not on table anymore: Ambassador Shringla

Washington: US President Donald Trump has made it clear that his offer of mediation on Kashmir is not on the table anymore, the Indian ambassador has said.

FGN11 HK-INDIA-ADVISORY Indian Consulate issues travel advisory over flight disruptions in Hong Kong

Beijing: India has issued a travel advisory to its citizens travelling to Hong Kong or transiting through it about the flight disruptions amidst the massive pro-democracy protests in the Asian financial hub. By K J M Varma

FGN8 CHINA-LD TYPHOON 49 killed, 21 missing as Typhoon Lekima leaves trail of destruction in China

Beijing: Forty nine people have died and 21 others were reported missing as Typhoon Lekima wreaked havoc in Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui, affecting millions of people. By K J M Varma.