Highlights at 5:30 PM

Following are the top stories at 5:30 PM:

PAR33 RS-2NDLD MOTION-PM Modi breaks silence on Jharkhand lynching, says it pained him

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday broke his silence on lynching of a Muslim youth in Jharkhand, saying it has pained him and the guilty must be severely punished, but stressed that all incidents of violence in the country, whether in Jharkhand, West Bengal or Kerala, should be treated the same and law should take its course.

BOM5 MP-VIJAYVARGIYA-2ND LD SON MP BJP leader's MLA son assaults official with bat; arrested

Indore: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya's son - and the party's MLA in Madhya Pradesh - was Wednesday arrested for attacking a civic body official with a cricket bat, after a heated argument over a demolition drive.

 

DEL23 LD INDOUS India will do what is in its national interest: Jaishankar to Pompeo on S-400 deal

New Delhi: India on Wednesday told the US that it will go by its national interest while dealing with other countries, including with sanctions-hit Russia from whom New Delhi is procuring S 400 missile defence systems.

DEL19 PM-LD POMPEO Pompeo meets PM Modi, discusses key strategic issues

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined his vision for the Indo-US strategic partnership in the new tenure of his government when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met him here Wednesday.

DEL12 ITX-LOAN DEFAULTER-BANKS CBDT directs I-T dept to share assets, accounts info of loan defaulters with banks

New Delhi: The CBDT has directed the Income-Tax Department to share in "public interest" details of assets and accounts of all such loan defaulters against whom a public sector bank has made a plea to it.

LGD7 SC-LD CHOPPER Chopper scam: SC stays HC order allowing Rajeev Saxena to go abroad for treatment

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed a Delhi High Court order permitting Rajeev Saxena, an approver in a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam, to go abroad for the treatment of blood cancer and other ailments.

DEL10 ED-STERLING-ATTACH Bank Fraud: ED attaches assets worth over Rs 9,000 cr in Sterling Biotech PMLA case

New Delhi: The ED has attached assets worth over Rs 9,000 crore in connection with its money laundering probe against Gujarat-based pharmaceutical firm Sterling Biotech, which is allegedly involved in a multi-crore bank fraud case, officials said.

DEL28 GOVT-SPY CHIEFS-APPOINTMENTS

Arvind Kumar appointed new IB chief, Samant Kumar Goel to head R&AW

New Delhi: Senior IPS officers Arvind Kumar and Samant Kumar Goel were appointed chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) respectively.

DEL31

GOVT-KANT-LD APPOINTMENT Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant gets two-year extension

New Delhi: Amitabh Kant was on Wednesday given a two-year extension as chief executive officer of the Niti Aayog, an official order said.

DEL29 UGC-HINDI-COMPULSORY Universities are autonomous bodies, no compulsion on them to teach any particular subject: UGC

New Delhi: Universities are autonomous bodies and there is no compulsion on them to teach any particular subject, the University Grants Commission (UGC) said.

CAL3 AS-LD NRC 1.02 lakh more excluded from draft NRC in Assam

Guwahati: Over one lakh people were Wednesday excluded from the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam after they were found ineligible, adding to the 40 lakh names left out of the list published on July 30 last year.

MDS5 TL-BJPMP-CASE Adilabad BJP MP booked over 'beheading Muslim youth' remarks

Hyderabad: A case has been registered against Adilabad BJP MP Soyam Bapu Rao over his alleged remarks that any Muslim youth who stalks tribal girls would be "beheaded."

MDS2 TL-BILL-TRS TRS may abstain during voting on triple talaq bill in Lok Sabha

Hyderabad:The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) may abstain during voting on the triple bill in Lok Sabha, a senior party leader said Wednesday.

TOP FOREIGN STORIES:

FGN18

US-INDIA-LD TRADE

US wants India to embrace fair and reciprocal trade, lower barriers

Washington: The Trump Administration wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower the trade barriers and embrace "fair and reciprocal" trade, the US said Tuesday as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reached New Delhi for crucial talks with the new government. By Lalit K Jha

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UNSC-LD INDIA

India's candidature for UNSC non-permanent seat endorsed by Asia Pacific group

United Nations: In a major diplomatic win and testament to its global stature, India's candidature for a non-permanent seat at the powerful UN Security Council for a two-year term has been unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping, including China and Pakistan.

FGN10

US-INDIA-PANAGARIYA

US-China trade war "opportune time" for India to attract multinationals: Panagariya

New York: The escalating trade war between the US and China is an "opportune time" for India to attract the large multinationals looking for alternative locations outside the Communist country, eminent economist Arvind Panagariya has said.