HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 12:30 pm: NATION DEL5 VIRUS-CASES COVID-19 death toll rises to 2,549; number of cases cross 78,000-mark in country: Health Ministry New Delhi: The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 2,549 and the number of cases climbed to 78,003 on Thursday, registering an increase of 134 deaths and 3,722 cases in the last 24 hours since Wednesday 8 am, according to the Union Health Ministry. DEL1 UP-MIGRANTS-ACCIDENT Bus runs over six migrant workers in UP's Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar: Six migrant workers, who were walking to their homes in Bihar from Punjab, were killed and five others seriously injured when a speeding bus ran over them on the Delhi-Saharanpur Highway in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, officials said on Thursday.

BOM3 MP-MIGRANTS-ACCIDENT MP: 8 migrant workers killed, nearly 50 hurt in road accident Guna: Eight migrant workers were killed and nearly 50 others injured when the bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck near Guna town in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday morning, police said. DEL20 RAIL-SPECIAL TRAINS-BOOKINGS Over 2 lakh passengers booked tickets worth Rs 45 cr for spl trains over next 7 days: Rlys New Delhi: Over two lakh passengers have booked tickets worth Rs 45.30 crore for travel in the next seven days, the railways said on Thursday.

DEL16 RAIL-IRCTC-ADDRESS COVID-19: Rlys now keeping record of destination address of passengers for contact tracing New Delhi: The railways has started keeping records of destination address of all passengers booking their tickets on the IRCTC website to help facilitate contact tracing in case COVID-19 infections are detected among them later, officials said Thursday. DEL18 DOPT-WORK FROM HOME 'Work from home' to be new normal for govt offices post lockdown, draft guidelines issued New Delhi: Asserting that central government employees may have to work with staggered attendance and variable working hours, the Personnel Ministry has come out with a draft framework for 'work from home' for the staff post-lockdown.

DES4 LOCKDOWN-CIRCUS-END Circus industry readies for final curtain call New Delhi: Trapeze performers flying high, jugglers throwing swords in the air, acrobats jumping through hoops of fire and clowns, dressed to the hilt, hamming it up... artistry under the big top is set for a permanent fadeout with circus owners writing epitaphs for their industry. By Manish Sain DEL21 CG-CM INTERVIEW Chhattisgarh CM bats for more economic activities to raise state revenue New Delhi: Citing dwindling coffers of the states amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday demanded opening up of more economic activities in the country to raise revenue of states. MDS2 KA-LOCKDOWN-LD TRAIN Spl train reaches Bengaluru from Delhi, passengers to undergo 14-day quarantine Bengaluru: Around 1,000 passengers arrived in Bengaluru from Delhi on Thursday on board the first train to Karnataka since limited rail services resumed in the country, officials said.

BOM5 MH-PACKAGE-SENA Isn't India self-reliant at present? Sena on new eco package Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday raised questions over the Centre's Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced to revive the COVID-hit economy, and asked if India is not a "self-reliant" country at present. LEGAL LGD1 VIRUS-DL-HC-TABLIGHI JAMAAT Plea in HC to release nearly 3,300 Tablighi Jamaat members from quarantine centres New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking release of nearly 3,300 members of Tablighi Jamaat who have been sent to various quarantine centres for around 40 days and not released despite reporting negative for COVID-19.

BUSINESS DEL2 MALLYA-GOVT-OFFER Vijay Mallya asks govt to accept loan repayment offer, close case against him New Delhi: Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is fighting against his extradition to India, on Thursday asked the government to accept his offer to repay 100 per cent of his loan dues and close case against him. DEL7 BIZ-STOCKS-OPEN Sensex slumps over 600 pts in early trade; Nifty below 9,300 Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex slumped over 600 points in opening session on Thursday dragged by losses in index heavyweights Infosys, HDFC twins, Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank amid weak cues from global markets.

FOREIGN FGN9 VIRUS-CHINA China reports 15 new COVID-19 cases, Wuhan begins testing of its 11 million people Beijing/Wuhan: China has reported 15 new COVID-19 cases, including 12 asymptomatic infections, the health authorities said on Thursday, as the mass testing for the deadly coronavirus began for the 11 million people in the city of Wuhan, amid apprehensions about a second wave of the pandemic. By K J M Varma FGN12 VIRUS-US-INDIAN-FRAUD Indian-origin engineer charged in US with over $10 million COVID-relief fraud New York: An Indian-origin engineer in the US has been charged with fraudulently seeking more than USD 10 million in loans under a coronavirus relief programme set up to help small businesses. By Yoshita Singh FGN11 VIRUS-UNICEF-CHILDREN COVID19 pandemic becoming child rights crisis as 6,000 children could die daily: UNICEF United Nations: The UN’s children agency has warned that an additional 6,000 children could die daily from preventable causes over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic weakens the health systems and disrupts routine services. By Yoshita Singh..