HIGHLIGHTS at 1700 HRS

These are the top stories at 1700 hrs:

NATION

DEL43 SECURITY-LD KASHMIR Pakistan-made mine recovered along Amarnath Yatra route: Army

Srinagar: Security forces have recovered a Pakistan-made mine and a huge cache of arms from along the Amarnath Yatra route, the Army said on Friday.

DEL22 MEA-INDOPAK-LD JADHAV India asks Pakistan for 'unimpeded' consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

New Delhi: India has asked Pakistan to provide "unimpeded" consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav in an environment free from the "fear of intimidation" and reprisal, in sync with the ruling by the International Court of Justice in his case, official sources said on Friday.

PAR17 RS-2NDLD UAPA Par approves amendment to UAPA bill; NIA gets power to label indv'al as terrorist

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) In a big boost to the Government, Parliament on Friday approved a crucial amendment to an anti-terror law allowing the Centre and states to designate individuals as terrorists and seize their properties.

DEL48 MHA-NIA Amended NIA Act with powers to probe abroad comes into force

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency is now able to probe terror cases abroad as the Union Home Ministry issued a notification on Friday on the amendments to the Act governing the anti-terror probe organisation.

DEL21 BJP-JK

Govt will take appropriate decision at appropriate time on Art 370, 35-A: BJP leader New Delhi: The Modi government will take an "appropriate decision" at the "appropriate time" on Articles 370 and 35-A and it will be in the interest of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the country, the BJP's poll in-charge for the state Avinash Rai Khanna said on Friday.

DEL40 DOCTORS-LD MINISTER NMC Bill: Health minister meets doctors, urges them to resume work

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday met doctors protesting against the National Medical Commission Bill and urged them to resume work, saying the legislation is in the interest of doctors, patients, medical students and the society.

LEGAL

LGD13 SC-LD UNNAO

Unnao rape victim's family at liberty to take call on shifting her to AIIMS from Lucknow: SC New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Friday that the Unnao rape victim's family, which wants her to be treated at Lucknow hospital as of now after she was critically injured in a road accident in Raebareli district of Uttar Pradesh, is at liberty to take a call on shifting her to AIIMS here.

LGD22 SC-2ND LD AYODHYA Ayodhya: As mediation fails, SC to conduct day-to day hearing of land dispute from Aug 6

New Delhi: The mediation proceedings have failed to resolve amicably the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya, the Supreme Court said Friday and ordered day-to-day hearing of the politically sensitive case from August 6.

FOREIGN

FGN38 US-TRUMP-2NDLD KASHMIR

In apparent climb down, Trump says Kashmir is bilateral issue between India-Pakistan Washington: US President Donald Trump has said the issue of Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan but he would be happy to mediate if they want him to do so.

FGN36 UN-CHINA-US

Tensions between US, China possibility of emergence of two 'competing blocs': Guterres United Nations: With US-China trade tensions escalating, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that he could see a possibility of emergence of two "competing blocs", each with their own dominant currency, trade and military rules. By Yoshita Singh.