HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 12.30 PM: NATION: DEL10 VIRUS CASES COVID-19 death toll touches 1,783; number of cases climb to 52,952 New Delhi: The death toll due to COVID-19 in the country rose to 1,783 while the number of cases climbed to 52,952 on Thursday, registering an increase of 89 deaths and 3,561 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said. MDS9 AP-2NDLD GAS LEAK Styrene vapour leak from chemical plant in AP leaves 6 dead, over 100 hospitalised Visakhapatnam: A major leak from a polymer plant near here impacted villages in a five-km radius, leaving six people dead and scores of citizens suffering from breathlessness and other problems in an early morning mishap that raised fears of a serious industrial disaster.

DEL25 VIRUS-PM-2NDLD BUDDHA PURNIMA COVID: India stands strongly with those in need in these difficult times, says PM Modi New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that while India is making every effort to save the life of every citizen from coronavirus, it is also taking its global obligations during the pandemic very seriously. DEL23 GAS-NDRF Gas leak took place as plastic factory was being prepared for resumption of work: NDRF New Delhi: The gas leak incident in Vishakhapatnam took place as a plastic factory, that was closed during lockdown, was being prepared for resumption of operations, the NDRF chief said on Thursday.

MDS4 AP-GAS LEAK-GVMC Vizag gas leak: Civic body tells residents to stay indoors, use wet cloth as mask Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation on Thursday asked people staying near the chemical plant where a gas leak took place in the wee hours to stay indoors and use a wet cloth to cover their nose and mouth. DEL26 VIRUS-HRD-FOREIGN-SCHOOLS COVID-19: HRD assessing situation in countries with CBSE schools to decide on pending board exams New Delhi: The HRD Ministry is deliberating upon whether or not to conduct pending class 12 board exams for students in CBSE schools abroad and is talking to ambassadors or foreign education ministers to arrive at a reasonable solution in view of the COVID-19 situation in their respective countries. By Gunjan Sharma CAL1 OD-VIRUS-CASE 20 people test positive for COVID-19 in Odisha Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Thursday reported the "highest number of COVID-19 cases" in a day as 20 people, who recently returned from Surat, tested positive for coronavirus, an official said.

BUSINESS: DEL11 BIZ-STOCKS-OPEN Sensex falls over 300 pts in early trade; HCL Tech jumps 3 pc Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex fell over 300 points in early trade on Thursday as spiking COVID-19 cases in the country and poor macroeconomic data weighed on investor sentiment. FOREIGN: FGN20 VIRUS-WHO 80,000 COVID-19 cases reported daily in April: WHO United Nations: An average of 80,000 COVID-19 cases were reported each day in April to the World Health Organization, the top UN health agency has said, noting that South Asian nations like India and Bangladesh are seeing a spike in the infections while the numbers are declining in regions such as Western Europe. By Yoshita Singh FGN15 US-H4-LD VISA Trump admin urges US court not to block work permits to spouses of H1B visa-holders Washington: In a major relief to thousands of Indians living in the US, the Trump administration has urged a federal district court not to block an Obama-era rule allowing certain categories of spouses of H-1B visa-holders to work in the country, saying that American workers have not been irreparably harmed by such work authorisation. By Lalit K Jha.