HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9 PM: DEL51 MEA-PM-US LD VISIT Afghan crisis, ways to contain terrorism to figure prominently in Modi-Biden talks New Delhi: The developments in Afghanistan, ways to stem radicalism, extremism and cross-border terrorism and further expansion of India-US global partnership will figure prominently in bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Washington on September 24, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday.

DEL64 PM-LD MACRON Modi, Macron review bilateral cooperation in Indo-Pacific amid AUKUS row; France says leaders vow to 'act jointly' New Delhi: India and France have agreed to ''act jointly'' in the Indo-Pacific to keep the region stable, rules-based and free of any hegemony, the French president's office said on Tuesday after Emmanuel Macron held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi amidst Paris' strong criticism of AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) partnership.

DEL62 MEA-INDIA-AUKUS-SHRINGLA AUKUS alliance neither relevant to Quad nor will impact on its functioning: India New Delhi: The new security agreement among the US, UK and Australia is neither relevant to the Quad nor will have any impact on its functioning, and they are not groupings of a similar nature, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday, in the first reaction from India on the contentious alliance.

DEL63 DEF-IAF CHIEF Air Marshal V R Chaudhari to be new chief of Indian Air Force New Delhi: Air Marshal V R Chaudhari will take the reins as the chief of the Indian Air Force after the incumbent, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, retires on September 30, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

DEL55 INDIA-UK-TRAVEL-SHRINGLA India warns of reciprocal measures if UK does not address concerns on travel rules related to COVID-19 vaccination New Delhi: India will be within its rights to initiate reciprocal measures if the UK does not address concerns over the new travel rules relating to COVID-19 vaccine certification, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday describing the policy as ''discriminatory''.

DEL58 EC-POLLS-ACCESSIBILITY EC brainstorms on removing barriers for voters with disabilities New Delhi: Ahead of assembly polls in five states early next year, the Election Commission on Tuesday organised a virtual conference to assess the present accessibility policies and discuss strategies for addressing barriers to enhance participation of voters with disabilities in the polls.

DEL44 CONG-UK-TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS UK travel restrictions: Cong urges govt to ensure Indians don't face inconvenience New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday expressed concern over the latest Covid-related travel restrictions announced by the UK and urged the government to ensure that there is no inconvenience faced by any Indian travelling to that country.

DEL46 VIRUS-2NDLD R RATE R-value drops below 1 in mid-September New Delhi: The R-value, or reproductive number, for COVID-19 in India dropped from 1.17 in August end to 0.92 in mid September, indicating that the spread of the infection across the country has slowed down, according to researchers.

DEL59 CBSE-FEE-PANDEMIC Board exams: CBSE not to charge registration or exam fees from students who have lost parents to COVID-19 New Delhi: Students appearing for Class 10 and 12 board exams next year will not have to pay any registration or examination fees if they have lost their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

DEL36 JK-2NDLD HELICOPTER Two pilots killed after Army helicopter crash lands in J&K's Udhampur Jammu: Two pilots were killed when an Army helicopter crash-landed in a dense forest near Patnitop in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Tuesday, officials said.

DEL20 PB-CHANNI-CABINET Punjab CM, Dy CMs in Delhi to discuss Cabinet expansion; Sidhu tags along 'in line of duty' Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, his two deputies and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu took a chartered flight to Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the expansion of the new Cabinet with the party's central leadership, sources said.

DEL39 MH-GEETE-LD PAWAR 'Backstabber' Sharad Pawar can't be our guru, says former Sena minister; Raut asserts NCP chief leader of the country Mumbai/New Delhi: Former Union minister and Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete has kicked off a row saying NCP chief Sharad Pawar had ''backstabbed'' the Congress to form his party and he cannot be a ''guru'' for Shivsainiks. DEL47 SII-VACCINE-GOVT Serum Institute of India to supply nearly 22 cr doses of Covishield vaccine to Centre in Oct New Delhi: The Serum Institute of India has informed the Centre that it will be able to supply around 22 crore doses of Covishield in October as the Union government has announced resuming export of surplus Covid vaccines in the coming fourth quarter under the 'Vaccine Maitri' programme, official sources said.

FOREIGN FGN24 US-BIDEN-MODI-LD MEETING First Biden-Modi bilateral meet will strengthen India-US ties: White House official Washington: The maiden bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will further strengthen the US-India strategic ties and allow the leaders to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and how the two countries can work together to fight terrorism, a senior White House official has said. By Lalit K Jha PTI KJ KJ