HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top headlines at 9 PM: NATION MDS28 KA-BJP WORKER-LDALL NIA BJP youth leader murder probe to be handed over to NIA: CM Bommai; Karna minister says time has come for ''encounters'' Bengaluru/Mangaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the probe into the murder of a BJP youth wing leader will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), noting it was an ''organised crime'' with inter-state links.

DEL91 ADHIR-LD PREZ-APOLOGY Adhir tenders written apology to President Murmu, says it was 'slip of tongue' New Delhi: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday tendered a written apology to President Droupadi Murmu for his 'rashtrapatni' remark, a day after a political storm erupted over it.

DEL88 DEF-IAF-MIG-LD PHASEOUT IAF to phase out remaining four Mig 21 squadrons by 2025 New Delhi: The Indian Air Force(IAF) has drawn up a three-year timeline to phase out the remaining four Mig-21 fighter squadrons with one of them set to retire from service in September, people familiar with the development said on Friday. DEL79 KHARGE-RS-SONIA Kharge writes to Naidu for expunging remarks by Sitharaman, Goyal on Sonia in RS; demands apology from ministers New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to expunge the remarks made by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal on Sonia Gandhi in the House. DEL75 SHAH-NEP National Education Policy rooted in 'Bharatiyata' while assimilating global perspective: Shah New Delhi: The new National Education Policy (NEP) is in sync with the nation's roots and has gained unprecedented acceptance from the entire country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday. BOM28 GJ-LD MODI India now among select nations that shape global financial sector trends: PM Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is now in company of select countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore where new trends in the global financial sector are shaped. CAL14 WB-ED-PARTHA-3RDLD RAID I am victim of conspiracy, time will tell if action against me justified: Partha Kolkata: A day after he was stripped of all posts in the TMC and relieved of ministerial duties, following his arrest in connection with a school recruitment scam, Partha Chatterjee on Friday said that he was a victim of a conspiracy hatched against him. DEL63 LSQ-HEALTH-MONKEYPOX Four confirmed cases of Monkeypox in India till date: Minister New Delhi: Four confirmed cases of Monkeypox disease – three from Kerala and one from Delhi – have been reported in the country as on July 27, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

ED-SATYENDAR JAIN-CHARGESHEET Satyendar Jain, associates used hawala funds to purchase agri lands in Delhi: ED New Delhi: Delhi minister Satyendar Jain and his associates ''utilised'' hawala funds to purchase agricultural lands in and around Delhi and also to repay loans taken for similar transactions, the Enforcement Directorate has alleged in its recent chargesheet. DEL98 DL-KEJRIWAL-LD LG There can be differences of opinion but no fallout between us: Kejriwal after meeting with L-G New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday met Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and said it is important for Delhi's development that both of them work together. BUSINESS DEL111 BIZ-LD INFRA-GROWTH Core sector output expands by 12.7 pc in June New Delhi: The output of eight core infrastructure sectors expanded by 12.7 per cent in June against 9.4 per cent in the year-ago period, according to official data released on Friday.

LEGAL LGD30 DL-HC-2NDLD IRANI Goa bar row: HC summons Cong leaders on Irani's defamation suit, orders removal of slanderous tweets New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday issued summonses to Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D'Souza on a civil defamation suit filed by BJP leader Smriti Irani, and asked them to take down tweets and other social media posts on allegations levelled against the union minister and her daughter. LGD27 SC-LD AIADMK AIADMK row: SC asks Madras HC to decide OPS faction plea against party meet, orders status quo New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed AIADMK rival factions, led by expelled leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) and Edappadi Palaniswamy (EPS), to maintain status quo with regard to the party's affairs and asked the Madras High Court to adjudicate upon the pleas of the OPS faction against the general council meeting in three weeks. FOREIGN FGN40 CHINA-XI-BIDEN-TALKS Xi, Biden agree to make preparations for first in-person summit amid Beijing’s tough talk over Pelosi's planned visit to Taiwan Beijing/Washington: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden plan to hold their first in-person meeting at the G20 summit in November, American officials said on Friday, amid Beijing’s high-voltage rhetoric over the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned visit to Taiwan. By K J M Varma PTI RDT RDT RDT