HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 2120 hours:

MDS14 KA-LD YEDDYURAPPA Awaiting instruction from top leadership on forming govt: Yeddyurappa

Bengaluru: BJP's Karnataka president B S Yeddyurappa said Wednesday he was awaiting instructions from his party central leadership on staking claim to form an alternative government in the state.

BOM8 MP-2NDLD MLAS Post-Karnataka euphoria, BJP gets MP jolt as 2 MLAs back Cong

Bhopal: In a rude jolt to the opposition BJP in Madhya Pradesh, two of its MLAs backed the seven-month-old Congress-led government during voting on a bill in the Assembly on Wednesday.

DEL60 LS-UAPA-LDALL SHAH LS passes anti-terror bill, strict law needed to root out terrorism, says Shah

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday approved a bill to amend an anti-terror law aimed at allowing the government to designate an individual as a terrorist with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting this is of "prime importance" to nip terrorism in the bud.

DEL36 LETTER-2ND LD INTOLERANCE Stop violence in name of religion, eminent citizens tell PM in open letter

Kolkata/New Delhi: Expressing concern at the number of "religious identity-based hate crimes" in India, a group of eminent citizens has said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that 'Jai Shri Ram' has become a provocative war cry with many lynchings taking place in its name.

DEL74 TRIPLE TALAQ-LOK SABHA Lok Sabha likely to take triple talaq bill for consideration, passage on Thursday

New Delhi: Lok Sabha is likely to take up the contentious triple talaq bill for consideration and passage on Thursday, official sources said on Wednesday.

PAR9 LS-LD KASHMIR No question of mediation on Kashmir: Rajnath in LS

New Delhi: There was no discussion on Kashmir in the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Japan recently and there is no question of any mediation on the issue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

DEL9 GOVT-GOM Govt reconstitutes GoM on sexual harassment at workplace

New Delhi: The government has reconstituted the Group of Ministers looking after the issues of how to prevent sexual harassment at workplace and strengthen legal frameworks with Home Minister Amit Shah replacing his predecessor Rajnath Singh, officials said.

BOM3 MH-TERROR-ATS-CHARGESHEET 'IS-inspired' group influenced by Zakir Naik's speeches: ATS

Mumbai: Members of an "IS-inspired" terror group arrested from Maharashtra in January for allegedly planning mass killing at a temple were inspired by speeches of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, according to an ATS charge sheet filed in a Mumbai court.

CAL11 AS-FLOOD Toll in Assam flood climbs to 74; 38.82 lakh people affected

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam continue to remain grim on Wednesday, with the toll mounting to 74 following the death of six more people.

LEGAL

LGD17 SC-2NDLD KARNATAKA MLAS 2 Independent K'taka MLAs seek to withdraw SC plea for 'forthwith' floor test

New Delhi: Two Karnataka Independent MLAs on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to allow them to withdraw their plea seeking its direction to the state assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to conduct "forthwith" floor test on a trust motion moved by the H D Kumaraswamy government.

LGD21 SC-AMRAPALI-DHONI Amrapali Group entered into "sham agreements" with firm linked to M S Dhoni: Auditors to SC

New Delhi: Amrapali Group had entered into "sham agreements" with Rhiti Sports Management Pvt Ltd (RSMPL), which promotes brand of Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to "illegally divert" home buyers money, the court appointed forensic auditors have told the Supreme Court.

FOREIGN

FGN43 UK-2NDLD JOHNSON Boris Johnson formally takes charge as Britain's new PM

London: Boris Johnson officially became Britain's new Prime Minister on Wednesday and promised to leave the European Union on October 31 "no ifs, no buts" under a "new deal" with the 28-member economic bloc. By Aditi Khanna

FGN28 US-POMPEO-LD KHAN US seeks "continued progress" from Pak PM Khan in defeating terror groups

Washington: The US is seeking "continued progress" from Pakistan on shared security priorities, including defeating terror organisations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said, as he called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here. By Lalit K Jha

FGN20: US-IMRAN-LD TERROR GROUPS Washington: Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted that about 30,000-40,000 "armed people", who have been trained and fought in some part of Afghanistan or Kashmir, were in Pakistan and accused the previous governments of not telling the truth to the US about the militant groups operating in the country.

FGN13: US-OSAMA-PETRAEUS

New York: Former CIA Director Gen David Petraeus has said that he is "convinced" that the Pakistani intelligence agencies did not know Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan, countering Prime Minister Imran Khan's claims that the ISI provided a lead to the CIA that helped the US track down and kill the al-Qaeda chief in 2011.