New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 9.09 pm: NATION DEL78 OPPN-2NDLD VICE PRESIDENT-POLLS **** Opposition MPs meet to display unity, solidarity on eve of vice-presidential election New Delhi: Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc held a meeting in the Parliament complex on Monday in a show of unity on the eve of the vice presidential election, and urged MPs to listen to their inner conscience and vote independently in this “ideological battle”. **** DEL49 PM-HP-PB-VISIT **** PM Modi to visit calamity-hit Himachal Pradesh, Punjab on Tuesday New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on Tuesday to review the flood situation there. **** DEL65 JK 2NDLD MLA-PSA **** AAP MLA Mehraj Malik detained under PSA in JK’s Doda; CM Omar Abdullah says it’s wrong Jammu: In an unprecedented move, Mehraj Malik, a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was detained on Monday under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda district, officials said here. **** CAL38 OD-BJD-3RDLD VP POLLS **** BJD to abstain from vice presidential polls, decision to help NDA candidate Bhubaneswar: The opposition BJD in Odisha on Monday announced that its MPs will abstain from voting in the vice presidential elections, a decision which will help NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan. **** DEL58 PB-FLOODS-PM-AAP **** Ahead of PM’s visit to flood-hit Punjab, AAP govt seeks Rs 20,000 crore relief package Chandigarh: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit flood-ravaged Punjab on Tuesday, the ruling AAP has demanded that he announces a relief package of Rs 20,000 crore for the border state. **** DEL76 PM-LD NDA MPS **** PM Modi asks NDA MPs to hold ‘Swadeshi Mela’, says self-reliance to power India’s rise New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the ruling NDA MPs to organise ‘Swadeshi Mela’ to promote indigenous products, stressing that self-reliance is the way to power India’s rise when its increasing strength is bound to face some challenges. **** DEL81 JK-4THLD ENCOUNTER **** Two terrorists, 2 soldiers killed in encounter in J-K’s Kulgam Srinagar: Two terrorists, including one believed to be a Pakistani national, and two soldiers were killed in a fierce encounter in the Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Monday, officials said and added that an Army Major was also injured in the operation. **** MDS13 TL-VP POLLS-LD BRS **** BRS to abstain from Vice Presidential election Hyderabad: BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Monday said his party would abstain from the Vice Presidential election on September 9 as an expression of “anguish” felt by Telangana’s farmers due to the shortage of urea in the state. **** CAL35 AS-BHUPEN-2NDLD CELEBRATIONS **** Assam pays tribute to its icon Bhupen Hazarika on his 100th birth anniversary Guwahati: People from all walks of life gathered at the Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Tirtha in Guwahati on Monday to pay homage to the legendary singer on his 100th birth anniversary, ushering in year-long celebrations of the Assam icon. **** DEL12 SONIA-LD NICOBAR **** Mockery of legal, deliberative processes: Sonia slams govt on Nicobar project New Delhi: Terming the Great Nicobar infrastructure project a “planned misadventure”, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday said it poses an existential danger to the island’s indigenous tribal communities and is being insensitively pushed through, making a “mockery of all legal and deliberative processes”. **** BOM10 MH-QUOTA-2ND LD JARANGE **** Enforce GR, start giving Kunbi certificates to Marathas before Sep 17: Jarange to govt Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday demanded that the Maharashtra government implement a GR issued last week for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas before September 17, or else he will take a “tough decision” again. **** CAL30 JH-MARANDI-LD SCAM **** Jharkhand: BJP alleges irregularities in Bokaro mineral foundation funds, JMM says probe on Ranchi: Alleging embezzlement of funds in the Bokaro District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT), Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand assembly Babulal Marandi demanded a CBI probe into it. **** BUSINESS DEL70 BIZ-2NDLD INDIA ISRAEL **** India reduces local remedies exhaustion period to 3 yrs for Israeli investors under BIA New Delhi: India has cut down the local remedies exhaustion period for Israeli investors to three years from the earlier five years under the Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) signed on Monday between the two countries. **** DEL17 BIZ-FM-EXPORTS **** Govt working on comprehensive package to support exporters hit by US tariffs: Sitharaman New Delhi: The government is working on a comprehensive package to support Indian exporters impacted by a steep 50 per cent tariff imposed by the US, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, asserting a multi-departmental engagement is underway to assess the impact on Indian shipments. By Joyeeta Dey & Kumar Dipanka **** LEGAL LGD37 SC-BIHAR-2NDLD ELECTORAL ROLL **** SC directs EC to include Aadhaar as 12th valid document for Bihar SIR New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed that Aadhaar card “must” be included as an identity proof of voters in the special intensive revision exercise of electoral rolls in Bihar and asked the Election Commission to implement the direction by September 9. **** LGD22 SC- KHANDU-PIL **** SC seeks Centre’s reply on PIL alleging Arunachal CM gave govt contracts to kin New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to file within three weeks its stand on a PIL alleging Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu awarded contracts to his family members. **** LGD32 SC-PATKAR-PLEA **** LG defamation case: Medha Patkar withdraws plea in SC New Delhi: The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar on Monday withdrew a plea from the Supreme Court against an order refusing her to examine more witnesses in a 25-year old defamation case she filed against Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena. **** FOREIGN FGN48 NEPAL-YOUTH-3RDLD PROTEST **** 19 killed as youths clash with police over social media ban in Nepal; Home Minister Lekhak resigns Kathmandu: At least 19 people were killed and more than 300 others injured on Monday after police used force during protests by youths that rocked the Nepalese capital and other parts of the country over the government’s ban on social media sites, officials said. **** FGN46 NEPAL-MINISTER-RESIGN **** Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigns Kathmandu: Nepal’s Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Monday resigned following violent protests in Kathmandu and other parts of the country over the government’s ban on social media sites, the Nepali Congress sources said. **** FGN40 LANKA-LD HUMAN RIGHTS **** UNHRC calls for trying Sri Lanka’s human rights violators under universal jurisdiction Colombo: Sri Lanka’s alleged human rights violators would be tried under universal jurisdiction, the UNHRC in Geneva reiterated on Monday, whereas the island nation opposed international intervention on its human rights situation. **** PTI OZ OZ