HIGHLIGHTS

     New Delhi, Oct 12 (PTI) These are the top stories at 5 pm:
    
     Nation
    
     DEL33 SINOINDIA-TALKS
     Ladakh standoff: India, China hold 7th round of high-level military talks
     New Delhi: India and China on Monday held the seventh round of high-level military talks with a sole agenda of finalising a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
    
     DEL40 DEF-LD RAJNATH
     Border dispute created as if it was under a mission: Rajnath on eastern Ladakh standoff
     New Delhi: After Pakistan, China is also creating a dispute at the border with India as if it was part of a "mission", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday, as Indian and Chinese troops remain locked in a standoff in eastern Ladakh for over five months.
    
     DEL10 VIRUS-LD CASES
     India's COVID-19 tally crosses 71-lakh mark with 66,732 fresh cases
     New Delhi: India's COVID-19 tally went past 71 lakh with 66,732 fresh cases, while the number of people who have recuperated crossed 61 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to 86.36 per cent, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday.
    
     DEL34 VIRUS-BIOMEDICAL WASTE
     India generated over 18,000 tonnes COVID-19 waste since June; Maharashtra biggest contributor
     New Delhi: India generated 18,006 tonnes of COVID-19 biomedical waste in the last four months, with Maharashtra contributing the maximum (3,587 tonnes) to it, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. By Gaurav Saini
    
     BOM9 MH-2NDLD-POWER OUTAGE-MUMBAI
     Massive power outage leaves trains stuck on tracks in Mumbai; services resume partially
     Mumbai: Train services came to a halt, homes and businesses were without electricity and people sweltered in humid heat as a grid failure resulted in massive power outages across Mumbai Monday morning.

     DEL12 RAHUL-GST-STATES
     Why is your CM mortgaging your future for Modi: Rahul to people on GST compensation
    New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a jibe at the state governments that have agreed to the Centre's borrowing proposal on the GST compensation issue and asked people as to why their chief ministers were "mortgaging" their future for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    
     DEL45 JK-2NDLD ENCOUNTER
     Two LeT militants killed in encounter in Srinagar
     Srinagar: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, including a top Pakistani commander involved in several recent attacks on security forces, were on Monday killed in an encounter in Old Barzulla area here, police said.
    
     DEL50 EC-BH-POSTAL BALLOT
     52,000 voters opt for postal ballot in Ph 1 of Bihar polls: EC
     New Delhi: More than 52,000 voters, who are either senior citizens above 80 years of age or are people with disabilities, have opted for postal ballot in the first phase of Bihar elections to be held on October 28, the Election Commission said on Monday.
    
     DEL35 KUSHBOO-BJP
     Kushboo joins BJP after quitting Congress
     New Delhi: Actor-turned-politician Kushboo Sundar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party here on Monday, hours after she quit the Congress.
    
     DEL47 HP-CM-LD-VIRUS
     Himachal Pradesh CM tests positive for COVID-19
     Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID-19.
    
     MDS8 KA-PORTFOLIOS
     Sudhakar is new Karnataka Health Minister, Sriramulu given Social Welfare in minor reshuffle
     Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister B Sriramulu was divested of the Health and Family Welfare portfolio by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday in a Cabinet reshuffle amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
    
     Legal
    
     LGD12 SC-LD FARM LAWS
     SC seeks Centre's reply on pleas challenging constitutionality of farm laws
     New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday sought the Centre's response on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the newly enacted three contentious farm laws.
    
     LGD11 UP-COURT-HATHRAS-FAMILY
     Hathras victim's family appears before high court
     Lucknow: Family members of the 19-year-old Dalit woman, who died after allegedly being raped by four men in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district last month, appeared before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday.
    
     Business
    
     DEL41 BIZ-LD FM
     Govt announces cash-for-LTC, festival advance to boost consumer demand
     New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced a payment of cash in lieu of LTC and Rs 10,000 festival advance to government employees to stimulate consumer demand during the festival season and boost the economy.
    
     Foreign
    
     FGN15 NOBEL-LD ECONOMICS
     Americans Milgrom, Wilson win Nobel prize in economics
     Stockholm: Americans Paul R Milgrom and Robert B Wilson have won the Nobel Prize in economics for “improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats.” (AP)
    
     FGN7 PAK-FATF-APG
     FATF's regional group keeps Pak on 'Enhanced Follow-up' for meagre progress against terror financing
     Islamabad: Noting that Pakistan's measures against money laundering and terror financing "is not yet sufficient to justify a re-rating", a regional affiliate of the Financial Action Task Force on Monday retained the country on its 'Enhanced Follow-up' list, according to a media report. By Sajjad Hussain. PTI HDA

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)