HIGHLIGHTS

Top stories at 1200 hours:

NATION:

DEL8 JK-SITUATION Srinagar: Restrictions imposed in Jammu have been completely lifted but curbs will continue in some places in Kashmir for a while, a senior Jammu and Kashmir police officer said on Wednesday.

DEL4 ABHINANDAN-VIR-CHAKRA

New Delhi: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who spent some days in Pakistani custody when his MiG-21 was shot down in a dogfight with PAF jets a day after the February 26 Balakot airstrike, will likely be conferred the Vir Chakra on Independence Day, sources said Wednesday.

MDS2 KL-RAINS Thiruvananthapuram: With several parts of Kerala receiving downpour since Tuesday night, many low lying areas have been waterlogged, as the toll in the rain-battered state has gone up to 95.

MDS1 KA-CHANDRAYAAN 2-ORBIT

Bengaluru: India's second moon mission 'Chandrayaan-2' left the earth's orbit early on Wednesday, 23 days after being launched, and is moving towards the moon following the successful completion of a crucial manoeuvre by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

DEL9 JK-GOV-RAHUL GANDHI New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday repeated his demand to visit Jammu and Kashmir and asked Governor Satya Pal Malik when he could come.

DEL7 CPIM-ECONOMY

New Delhi: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Wednesday the "fun and frolic" in Jim Corbett National Park will not solve the problems faced by the economy, in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he appeared on Discovery Channel's Man vs Wild.

BOM1 MH-RAINS Kolhapur/Sangli, Aug 14 (PTI) Life is slowly inching back to normalcy in flood-ravaged Kolhapur and Sangli as flood waters have receded in these districts of Maharashtra and the key rivers there are now also flowing below the danger mark, officials said on Wednesday.

LEGAL:

LGD5 SC-AYODHYA

New Delhi: It is the belief of Hindus that Ayodhya is Lord Ram's birthplace and the court should not go beyond to see how rational it is, said deity Ram Lalla Virajman's counsel on Wednesday before the Supreme Court which is hearing the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case for the sixth day.

LGD8 DL-HC-MARRIAGE AGE New Delhi: A plea was moved on Wednesday in the Delhi High Court seeking equalising of the legal age of marriage for men and women, saying the limit of 18 years for a woman amounts to "blatant discrimination".

FOREIGN:

FGN5 CHINA-INDIA-JAISHANKAR

Beijing: India and China should find stronger convergence, respect each other's core concerns and manage differences, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said as he underlined that the bilateral relationship has become "so big" it has acquired a global dimension. By K J M Varma

FES12 UN-INDIA-FUND United Nations: India has contributed USD one million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident Coordinator System. By Yoshita Singh.

FES9 US-BHUTAN

Washington: Deputy Secretary of State John J Sullivan made a trip to Bhutan this week, during which the US underscored the importance of protecting and enhancing a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. By Lalit K Jha

SPORTS:

SPF9 SPO-IND-PANT Port of Spain: Rishabh Pant is on a learning curve in a tricky journey called international cricket and his only endeavour is to improve each day, not only as a cricketer but also a human being.