HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 2120 Hours on Tuesday: NATION DEL79 PAR-LD SESSION Monsoon Session of Parliament likely from Sept 14 to Oct 1 New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to be held from September 14 to October 1, with arrangements being made for staggered seating, large display screens for MPs and separate timings for the two Houses to ensure social distancing, official sources said on Tuesday. DEL78 NIA-2NDLD PULWAMA JeM chief Masood Azhar among 19 in NIA chargesheet in Pulwama attack case Jammu: Culminating its probe into a fatal terror attack that left 40 CRPF personnel dead in South Kashmir last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet here on Tuesday against 19 people including Masood Azhar, the chief of banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, for planning the suicide operation.

DEL65 VIRUS-LD HEALTH MINISTRY-BRIEFING Decline in COVID-19 positivity rate despite increasing tests exponentially: Govt New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said though COVID-19 testing has been increased exponentially, there has been a steady decline in the positivity rate and highlighted that the number of active cases of the infection reduced by 6,423 for the first time in a span of 24 hours. DEL62 CONG-LDALL LETTER WRITERS We are not dissenters, did not challenge leadership: Cong's 'Group of 23' New Delhi: A day after being dissed at a stormy Congress Working Committee meeting over their letter seeking urgent organisational reforms, several members of the 'group of 23' said on Tuesday they are "not dissenters" but "proponents of revival". Many of them also backed Sonia Gandhi remaining at the helm.

DEL84 ED-SUSHANT-RHEA ED shares 'drugs-linked' info on Rhea with CBI, NCB New Delhi/Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing a money laundering angle into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and has questioned his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, has referred some evidence to the CBI and the Narcotics Control Bureau about her alleged links to banned drugs, a charge vehemently denied by her lawyer. CAL14 BH-NITISH-DIGITAL Nitish to launch JD(U) digital platform; hold virtual rally in poll-bound Bihar on Sept 6 Patna: In a bid to reach out to people across Bihar during upcoming polls amid COVID-19 pandemic, ruling Janata Dal (United) has created a digital platform on which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will kick off election campaign with a virtual rally on September 6, party sources said on Tuesday.

BOM32 MH-COLLAPSE-3RD LD CHILD Mahad miracle: 4-yr-old boy rescued from Maha building rubble Mumbai: A four-year-old boy was on Tuesday pulled out from the rubble of a five-storeyed building that collapsed in Raigad district of Maharashtra, police said. LEGAL LGD33 SC-BHUSHAN-CONTEMPT-LD INTERVIEW SC refers 2009 contempt case against Bhushan to other bench New Delhi: In a reprieve to Prashant Bhushan, the Supreme Court Tuesday decided to refer to another bench the 2009 contempt case against him and journalist Tarun Tejpal to deal with certain larger questions related to freedom of speech and levelling of corruption charges against the judiciary.

LGD26 SC-BHUSHAN-CONTEMPT-LD TWEETS Activist lawyer Bhushan seeks SC recall his conviction in contempt case New Delhi: Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to give a “statesman like message” by recalling the verdict convicting him for the contempt of the court for his two tweets against the judiciary. LGD29 DL-COURT-LD TERROR Terror-funding:ED charge sheets Syed Salahuddin, 11 other Hizb terrorists, says Pak, ISI involved New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday filed a charge sheet before Delhi court against Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and 11 others for allegedly laundering money for financing terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

FOREIGN FGN36 US-RNC-HALEY-LD RACISM America is not a racist country, asserts Indian-American politician Nikki Haley Washington: Describing herself as a proud daughter of Indian immigrants who wore a turban and a saree, top Republican politician Nikki Haley has narrated her story to the American voters, urging them to strongly reject the Democratic Party's "fashionable" statement that "America is racist." FGN43 THUNBERG-INDIA-LD EXAMS Greta Thunberg voices support to calls for postponement of NEET, JEE exams London: Swedish teen climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg on Tuesday threw her weight behind postponing the NEET and the JEE exams in India in view of the coronavirus, saying it is “deeply unfair” that students are asked to appear in the crucial tests during the pandemic. BUSINESS DEL70 BIZ-AIRINDIA-DEADLINE Govt extends deadline for Air India bid by 2 months New Delhi: The government has extended by two months the deadline for placing bids for Air India till October 30 as the COVID-19 fallout has disrupted economic activity globally.

DEL66 BIZ-LD RBI-ECONOMY RBI sees demand recovery taking more time, dependent on govt consumption Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said demand in the economy will take quite some time to mend, and regaining pre-COVID-19 levels will depend on government consumption. RDM RDM.