HIGHLIGHTS AT 9.15 PM

Following are the top stories at 9.15 pm: Nation: DEL97 PEGASUS-LDALL ROW Only one word 'treason': Rahul Gandhi on Pegasus project; BJP slams Gandhi's remarks as ''irresponsible'', dares him to deposit his phone for probe New Delhi: The Pegasus spyware row intensified on Friday with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for using the Pegasus ''weapon'' against India, its institutions and its democracy, and claimed that ''the only word for this is treason'', drawing a strong reaction from the BJP that described his remarks as ''irresponsible''.

DEL102 VIRUS-LD VACCINE No fixed timeline can be indicated now for completing COVID vaccination but all 18-plus population expected to get jabs by Dec 21: Centre New Delhi: The Centre on Friday told the Lok Sabha that no fixed timeline can be indicated now for the completion of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country in view of the dynamic and evolving nature of the pandemic but it is expected all beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be inoculated by December this year.

DEL99 MEA-INDOUS-BLINKEN-LD VISIT US Secretary of State Blinken to visit India on July 27-28; focus to be on consolidating ties New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken will visit India on July 27 and 28 to discuss a range of issues including the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and the situation in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday.

DEL81 PM-UNGA UNGA president-elect calls on PM Modi New Delhi: UNGA president-elect Abdulla Shahid Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who emphasised the importance of reforming the multilateral system to reflect the current realities and the aspirations of a vast majority of the world's population, an official statement said.

DEL74 PM-LD OLYMPICS We look forward to season of incredible performances: Modi wishes Japanese counterpart for Olympics New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday wished his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga for the Olympics which got underway in Tokyo and said ''we look forward to a season of incredible performances by the world's best sportspersons''.

DEL75 LD PUNJAB Sidhu takes over as Punjab Cong chief, Amarinder says both will move together in politics Chandigarh: Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday took over as president of the Punjab Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who said they will work together for the welfare of Punjab, their public truce indicating an end to a fractious chapter in the party’s state unit.

BOM24 MH-LDALL RAINS Monsoon mayhem in Maha: 42 killed in landslides, rain-related incidents Mumbai: At least 42 people have died in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra, 36 of them in a landslide in coastal Raigad district while 10 persons were feared trapped after a landslide in Ratnagiri district, as heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in the state where residents are being evacuated from hilly regions in Konkan, officials said on Friday. DEL103 TMC-LD PARL PARTY-MAMATA TMC MPs unanimously choose Mamata Banerjee as its parliamentary party's chairperson New Delhi: TMC MPs have unanimously chosen party supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is also the chief minister of West Bengal, as the chairperson of its parliamentary party.

DEL101 JK-2NDLD ENCOUNTER Top commander among two LeT militants killed in encounter in J-K’s Baramulla Srinagar: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, including a top commander of the outfit involved in several attacks, were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said on Friday.

MDS18 KA-LD-RAINS Three die in heavy rains in Karnataka, thousands evacuated Bengaluru: Heavy rains in various parts of Karnataka over the past 24 hours have claimed three lives, led to landslides in eight places and evacuation of about 9,000 people, while the government has sounded a red alert in seven districts.

Legal: LGD19 SC-LD BOOTH CAPTURE Any attempt of booth capturing, bogus voting should be dealt with iron hands: SC New Delhi: Any attempt of booth capturing or bogus voting should be dealt with iron hands because it ultimately affects the rule of law and democracy, the Supreme Court said on Friday while dismissing appeal of men convicted for rioting at a poll booth in Jharkhand.

Foreign: FGN32 CHINA-XI-LDALL TIBET Chinese President Xi Jinping makes first visit to Tibetan town bordering Arunachal Pradesh Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Nyingchi, a strategically located border town close to Arunachal Pradesh, during his first visit to the politically sensitive region of Tibet where he underlined the need for ''lasting stability'' and ''high-quality development'' for the plateau region.

FGN24 PAK-PEGASUS-INDIA Pakistan voices 'serious concern' over reports about India's alleged use of Pegasus spyware Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday voiced ''serious concern'' over media reports about India allegedly eavesdropping on foreigners, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, using Israeli spyware Pegasus and urged the UN to thoroughly investigate the matter.