HIGHLIGHTS

Following are top stories at 5 PM: NATION: DEL17 VIRUS PM CHIEF MINISTERS PM to interact with CMs on Saturday; extension of lockdown on agenda New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers of all states on Saturday via video, where a call would be taken on whether the 21-day lockdown to check spread of coronavirus, ending next week, should be extended. DEL68 LOCKDOWN-MHA-STATES MHA seeks views of state govts on lockdown New Delhi: The Home Ministry has sought views of state governments on the 21-day lockdown including whether more categories of people and services need to be exempted, officials said on Friday, amidst indications of a possible two-week extension of the restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus. DEL6 VIRUS-CASES Death toll due to COVID-19 touches 199; cases climb to 6,412 New Delhi: The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 199 and the number of cases to 6,412 in the country on Friday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

DEL28 DEF-VIRUS-NAVY CHIEF Vital assets like ships, submarines must remain free from coronavirus: Navy chief to personnel New Delhi: As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh told his personnel on Thursday that vital operational assets such as ships and submarines must remain free from the virus and the armed force is ready to assist other countries in Indian Ocean region. DEL24 MEA-VIRUS-INDOPAK-SAARC India swipe at Pak for insisting on bringing COVID-19 initiatives under SAARC framework New Delhi: India on Friday said the degree of seriousness of each member nation of the SAARC in collectively fighting the coronavirus pandemic can be gauged by their behaviour, in a clear reference to Pakistan's opposition to New Delhi's leadership in dealing with the crisis in the region.

DEL75 VIRUS-PM-LD JAPAN India-Japan partnership can help develop new techs for post-COVID world: PM Modi New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership can help develop new technologies and solutions for the post-COVID-19 world. DEL25 LOCKDOWN-AIIMS-STRANDED All roads to home blocked and no treatment either, hundreds stranded outside Safdarjung and AIIMS New Delhi: Hiding in plain sight on a road they now call home, hundreds of people from distant corners of the country wait outside Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS for a pandemic to abate so they can be treated - for cancer, kidney, cardiac problems and a host of other critical diseases. By Prashant Rangnekar DEL73 HEATH-ICMR-LD STUDY ICMR study finds COVID19 among respiratory illness patients without travel history New Delhi: Forty people out of a total of 104 coronavirus patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) were found to have contracted the infection without having any recent international travel history or contact with any confirmed cases of the disease, according to a study by apex medical research body ICMR.

DEL19 RAHUL-HEALTHCARE WORKERS ASHA, ANMs, anganwadi workers are true patriots, have key role in combating COVID-19: Rahul New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday hailed accredited social health activists, auxiliary nurse and midwives and anganwadi workers for their role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, saying they are "true patriots" who toil to keep communities safe in the midst of this grave crisis. LEGAL LGD1 VIRUS-SC-TESTING Plea in SC seeks mass testing to identify, treat COVID-19 infected people New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to conduct mass testing on priority basis for identifying and treating COVID-19 infected persons, especially in the hotspot areas across the country, to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

BUSINESS DEL12 BIZ-ADB LD INDIA ADB assures USD 2.2 bn support package to India for COVID-19 response New Delhi: Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa on Friday assured Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of USD 2.2 billion (about Rs 16,500 crore) support to India in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. DEL31 BIZ-GOVT-HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE Enough stock of hydroxychloroquine in India: Govt New Delhi: The government on Friday said that there is enough stock of hydroxychloroquine in the country and it is taking all steps to ensure that there is no shortage of the drug in the domestic market.

FOREIGN: FGN43 VIRUS-LD PAK Pak further suspends domestic, intl flights as coronavirus cases cross 4,500 Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday further extended ban on domestic and international flight operations up to April 21 as the country stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus which has infected more than 4,500 people in the country, authorities said. By Sajjad Hussain FGN14 UK-MALLYA Vijay Mallya gets bankruptcy reprieve from UK High Court London: In a relief to liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the High Court in London has deferred hearings on a plea by the SBI-led consortium of Indian banks, seeking the indebted tycoon to be declared bankrupt to enable them recover a loan of around 1.145 billion pounds from him. By Aditi Khanna..