Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

    
     FGN55 CHINA-CPC-PLENUM-MINISTERS
* China's ruling Communist Party drops ex-foreign, defence ministers from top body
     Beijing: China's ruling Communist Party on Thursday accepted the resignation of sacked foreign minister Qin Gang from its Central Committee and endorsed the decision to expel former defence minister Li Shangfu and two other top Generals from the party. *
    
     FGN45 US-BIDEN-3RDLD COVID
* President Biden tests positive for COVID-19, has 'mild symptoms': White House
     Milwaukee: US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, halting his campaign at a critical juncture in the presidential election when he was facing increasing pressure about his health and concerns about his viability as a candidate. *
    
     FGN42 MAURITIUS-INDIA-JAN AUSHADI
* India's first overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra inaugurated in Mauritius
     Port Louis: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has inaugurated India's first overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra in Mauritius, testifying the "close" bilateral cooperation, especially in the key health sector. *
    
     FGN27 US-JAAHNAVI-COP-LD TERMINATION
* Seattle police fire officer who said Indian student killed had 'limited value'
     New York/Seattle: A US police officer, whose insensitive comments and laughter following the horrific death of a 23-year-old Indian student had caused outrage, has been fired from the Seattle Police Department. *
    
     FGN50 BANGLA-VIOLENCE
* Bangladesh govt says ready to hold talks with quota protesters; Army deployed nationwide
     Dhaka: The Bangladesh government on Thursday expressed willingness to hold talks with the students protesting against the quota system in jobs after fresh violence erupted across the country as they attempted to enforce a nationwide shutdown over the issue. *
    
     FGN41 BANGLA-INDIANS-ADVISORY
* India asks its citizens in Bangladesh to avoid travel due to violent protests
     Dhaka: India on Thursday advised its citizens residing in Bangladesh to avoid travel and minimise their movement after ongoing protests demanding reforms in the quota system in government jobs turned violent and left at least six people dead across the country. *
    
     FGN24 UN-RUSSIA-INDIA
* India subject to enormous, completely unjustified pressure due to energy ties with Russia: Russian FM Lavrov
     United Nations: India is a great power that determines its national interests and chooses its partners, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, describing as “completely unjustified” the “enormous pressure” on New Delhi due to its energy cooperation with Moscow. *
    
     FGN40 NEPAL-CHINA
* China keen to pursue Belt and Road projects: Premier Li to new Nepal PM Oli
     Kathmandu/Beijing: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday expressed his desire to implement the understanding reached between the top leaders and the two countries in the past to collaborate under the China-Nepal Belt and Road Cooperation and also to promote collaboration in other areas to further promote bilateral ties. *
    
     FGN38 NEPAL-LANDSLIDE-BODIES
* 19 bodies recovered after landslide swept two buses into river in Nepal
     Kathmandu: Rescuers in Nepal have so far recovered 19 bodies, including that of four Indians, after two buses were swept into a swollen river following a landslide in the Chitwan district last week, sources here said on Thursday. *
    
     FGN16 US-HARRIS-POLITICAL-VIOLENCE
* US must reject political violence, says VP Kamala Harris
     Milwaukee (US): US Vice President Kamala Harris has called for rejecting political violence and said that the country must also "embrace" a "robust discussion" about what is at stake in the upcoming presidential election. *
    
     FGN31 US-RNC-2NDLD VANCE
* Trump's running mate J D Vance promises to fight for working-class Americans in VP acceptance speech
     Milwaukee: US Republican vice presidential nominee J D Vance praised former president Donald Trump and promised to fight for working-class Americans “cast aside and forgotten” by the Democrats, as he made his debut at the Republican National Convention. *
    
     FGN57 US-RNC-TRUMP FAMILY
* 'Next American president has the heart of a lion': Trump Jr says
     Milwaukee: Donald Trump Jr has asserted that his father's instinct in the face of an assassination attempt has shown the world that the "next American president has the heart of a lion". *

     FGN22 US-VANCE-IMMIGRANTS
* South Asian immigrants enriched America: J D Vance says in V P acceptance speech
     Milwaukee: Republican US vice-presidential nominee Senator J D Vance on Wednesday applauded the role immigrants from South Asia have played for genuinely enriching America, as he lavished praise on his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance. *
    
     FGN28 CHINA-LD FIRE
* Fire at shopping mall in China kills 16 people
     Beijing: At least 16 people were killed after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in southwest China's Sichuan Province. *

     FGN25 US-RNC-USHA VANCE
*J D Vance will make a great Vice President, says his Indian-American wife Usha
     Milwaukee: J D Vance would make a great vice president for America, his Indian-American wife Usha Chilukuri Vance has said, as she introduced him at the Republican National Convention by giving an insight into their life, about him accepting her vegetarian diet and his ability to cook Indian food. *

     FGN14 US-LAWMAKER-BIDEN-TIBET
* Influential US lawmaker praises Biden for signing into law a bill enhancing America's support for Tibet
     Milwaukee (US): An influential American lawmaker has applauded President Joe Biden for signing into law a bill which enhances US support for Tibet and promotes dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of the dispute over the status and governance of the remote Himalayan region. *

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