HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories: DEL5 VIRUS-LD CASES Record 6,767 new COVID-19 cases in India in last 24 hours; death toll climbs to 3,867 New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) COVID-19 cases in India saw the biggest spike for the third consecutive day on Sunday with 6,767 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 1,31,868, while the death toll due to the disease rose to 3,867 after 147 more fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry. DEL32 PREZ-ID-UL-FITR Reaffirm belief in sharing, caring for most vulnerable sections of society: Prez on Id-ul-Fitr eve New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind has asked citizens to reaffirm their beleif in sharing with and caring for the most vulnerable sections of society.

DEL20 IMD-HEATWAVE Heatwave: IMD issues 'red alert' for several parts of north India New Delhi: With temperatures surpassing the 45 degrees Celsius-mark across several parts in north India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued a "red" warning for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan for the next two days. CAL3 WB-CYCLONE-SITUATION Army, NDRF teams start restoration work in cyclone-hit Bengal Kolkata: Army and NDRF teams on Sunday helped forest department and civic agencies to get cyclone-ravaged West Bengal back on its feet.

DEL35 AVI-FLIGHTS-LD RESUMPTION Domestic passenger flights to resume Monday amid confusion as several states set their own rules New Delhi: Indian skies will open up for domestic passenger flights from Monday after a gap of two months but there was confusion following the imposition of own set of conditions and rules by several states which are at odds with each other. DEL36 RAIL-SHRAMIK SPECIAL-TALLY 2,818 Shramik Special trains have ferried around 37 lakh migrants since May 1: Railways New Delhi: The Railways has ferried around 37 lakh migrant workers on board 2,818 'Shramik Special' trains since May 1, according to official data.

DEL37 DEF-INDOFRENCH-LD RAFALE There will be no delay in supply of Rafale jets to India: France New Delhi: There will be no delay in delivery of 36 Rafale jets to India as the timeline finalised for the supply of the fighter jets will be strictly respected, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain has said. BOM12 MH-FLIGHTS-UDDHAV Need more time to resume Mumbai airport operations: Maha CM Mumbai: A day ahead of partial resumption of domestic flight services in the country amidst the lockdown, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday sought more time from the Civil Aviation Ministry for restarting the operations at the Mumbai international airport.

DEL26 LOCKDOWN-VACCINATION-CHILDREN COVID-19 impact: Concern over possible resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases among children New Delhi: The hampering of routine immunisation of children against 'old enemies' like diphtheria, measles, tetanus and polio during the two-month coronavirus lockdown has triggered serious concerns about a possible resurgence of such vaccine-preventable diseases among them, according to experts. By Payal Banerjee and Uzmi Athar DEL18 VIRUS-HEALTH MINISTRY-LD MONITORING Health infrastructure must be ramped up to ensure preparedness for next 2 months: Govt New Delhi: Health infrastructure should be ramped up to ensure preparedness for the next two months in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has conveyed to authorities of 11 municipal areas that have accounted for 70 per cent of the country's coronavirus case load. Business: DEL22 BIZ-VIRUS-INDUSTRY-THAKUR Take advantage of govt initiatives and step up investment: Thakur to India Inc New Delhi: Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur has exhorted India Inc to take advantage of the recent government initiatives and step up investments to make the country ''Atmanirbhar Bharat''. By Kumar Dipankar DEL17 BIZ-NITIAAYOG-KUMAR Reforms do not mean complete abolition of labour laws, says Rajiv Kumar New Delhi: Amid concerns over changes in labour laws in various states, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Sunday said reforms do not mean complete abolition of labour laws and that the central government is committed to protecting the interests of workers. By Bijay Kumar Singh Foreign: FGN10 LANKA-INDIA-RAJAPAKSA-AID Lanka seeks USD 1.1 bn currency swap facility from India amidst depleting forex reserves Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested India to provide a special USD 1.1 billion currency swap facility to boost the country's draining foreign exchange reserves in view of the economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

FGN15 PAK-PIA-PROBE 'Preliminary report of PIA plane crash raises new questions' Karachi: A preliminary report on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash, in which 97 people were killed, has raised serious questions about the pilot's handling of the aircraft and what prevented the crew in the cockpit from informing the air traffic controllers about the troubles..