HIGHLIGHTS AT 9.15 PM

Following are the top stories at 9.15 pm NATION DEL64 KARNATAKA-2NDLD BAJRANG DAL Say Jai Bajrangbali while casting vote, PM says in Karnataka Cong defends stand on Bajrang Dal AnkolaBengaluruNew Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to say Jai Bajrangbali when they cast their vote to punish the Congress for its culture of abuse, as the BJP stepped up attack on the opposition party over its election manifesto promise of banning the Bajrang Dal.

Following are the top stories at 9.15 pm: NATION DEL64 KARNATAKA-2NDLD BAJRANG DAL **** Say 'Jai Bajrangbali' while casting vote, PM says in Karnataka; Cong defends stand on Bajrang Dal Ankola/Bengaluru/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to say 'Jai Bajrangbali' when they cast their vote to ''punish'' the Congress for its ''culture of abuse'', as the BJP stepped up attack on the opposition party over its election manifesto promise of banning the Bajrang Dal. **** DEL62 INDIA-SCO-LD FOREIGN MINISTERS **** SCO foreign ministerial meeting in Goa to focus on challenges facing region Benaulim (Goa: India will host the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) nations at a two-day conclave in Goa beginning Thursday amid the escalating confrontation between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine and concerns over China's expansionist behaviour. By Manash Pratim Bhuyan **** DEL55 INDIA-PRESS FREEDOM **** India slips 11 positions on World Press Freedom Index; media associations voice concern New Delhi: Media associations in the country have voiced concern over India slipping 11 places to 161st rank in the World Press Freedom Index, 2023, published on Wednesday. **** DEL50 CBI-LD WAPCOS-CASH **** CBI makes highest cash seizure of Rs 38 cr from WAPCOS ex-CMD premises; arrests him, son New Delhi: The CBI has arrested former chairman and managing director of WAPCOS Rajinder Kumar Gupta and his son Gaurav after it recovered more than Rs 38.38 crore cash from their premises making it the biggest seizure of cash by the agency in its history, officials said Wednesday. **** DEL45 JK-3RDLD ENCOUNTER **** Two terrorists killed as security forces foil infiltration bid in J-K's Kupwara Srinagar: Two terrorists were killed in an encounter as security forces foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Wednesday, officials said. **** BOM25 MH-NCP-LDALL PAWAR **** Sharad Pawar hasn’t relented; No talks yet on new NCP chief: Praful Patel Mumbai: There is no question of picking Sharad Pawar's successor as NCP chief until there is a final decision on his announcement to quit the post, senior party leader Praful Patel said on Wednesday. **** MDS35 KL-KERALA STORY- PROBE SOUGHT **** Left MP writes to the Centre seeking probe into 'fallacious claims' made by 'The Kerala Story' Thiruvananthapuram: Senior CPI leader and Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam has urged the Centre to initiate an enquiry into the ''fallacious claims'' being made in the controversial Hindi movie 'The Kerala story', and said the upcoming film intends to malign the image of the southern state and its people. **** LEGAL DEATH-2NDLD COMMUTATION **** Beant Singh assassination case: SC declines to commute death penalty of Rajoana New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday declined to commute the death penalty of Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, to life imprisonment, saying ''it's within the domain of the executive to take a call on such sensitive issues''. **** LGD35 SC-SAME SEX MARRIAGE-CENTRE **** Right to choose partner does not necessarily imply right to marry over and above procedure established by law: Centre to SC New Delhi: The right to choose a partner does not necessarily imply the right to marry such person over and above the procedure established by law, the Centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court while urging it to dismiss the petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage. **** FOREIGN **** Pakistan govt, Opposition agree to hold same-day elections across country, date yet to be decided Islamabad: Pakistan's coalition government and former prime minister Imran Khan's party have made ''big progress'' after they agreed to hold simultaneous elections under caretaker governments across the country but failed to reach a consensus on the date of the polls. **** FGN64 UK-CORONATION-SECURITY **** Operation Golden Orb: Scotland Yard to deploy 29,000 officers for Coronation London: The operation to secure the Coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, known as Golden Orb, will be one of the largest security operations ever mounted in London with as many as 11,500 officers on duty for the mega event, Scotland Yard said on Wednesday. **** FGN71 LANKA-IAF CHIEF-INDIAN SOLDIERS **** IAF chief pays tributes to Indian soldiers killed during peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka Colombo: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on Wednesday paid respects to the brave Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. ****.