HIGHLIGHTS

The following are the leading stories at 1300 hours: NATION CAL10 WB-PM-ICC Need to turn COVID crisis into opportunity to create Atmanirbhar Bharat: PM Modi Kolkata: Insisting that the COVID-19 crisis should be turned into an opportunity to create an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said steps have to be taken to ensure that products imported from abroad are manufactured in the country. DEL11 VIRUS-LD CASES Record jump of 9,996 COVID-19 cases in India, tally rises to 2,86,579 New Delhi: India saw the highest single-day spike of 357 fatalities and 9,996 cases on Thursday, pushing the death toll to 8,102 and the nationwide tally to 2,86,579, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

CAL11 AS-OIL-FIRE-PROBE Assam CM orders high-level probe into OIL's Baghjan well tragedy Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances that led to a blowout at a gas well of Oil India Limited (OIL) in Tinsukia district and a subsequent fire that killed two persons. BOM3 CG-TANK-BLAST C'garh: Four injured in fuel tank blast at steel plant Raigarh: Four workers were injured, two of them critically, when a fuel tank exploded at a steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, police said on Thursday.

DEL9 JK-SHELLING Army personnel killed, civilian injured as Pak shells villages, forward posts in Rajouri, Poonch Jammu: An Army personnel was killed and a civilian injured as the Pakistani Army heavily shelled villages and forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on Thursday, officials said. DES1 JK-ENCOUNTER Encounter breaks out between security forces and militants in J-K's Budgam Srinagar: An encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

LEGAL LGD4 SC-LD PLAGHAR Palghar lynching case: SC seeks Maha's reply on pleas seeking CBI & NIA probes New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Maharashtra government on two petitions seeking separate probes by the CBI and the NIA into the alleged lynching of three people, including two seers, in the state's Palghar district in April. LGD3 VIRUS-SC-CHILDREN HOMES SC takes note of COVID-19 infection among children in TN shelter home New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday took note of 35 children testing positive for COVID-19 in a government-run shelter home in Tamil Nadu and sought a status report from the state government including steps taken to protect the remaining children.

BUSINESS DEL2 BIZ-PETROL-HIKE Petrol, diesel prices hiked by 60 paise/litre each; 5th straight daily increase in rates New Delhi: Petrol and diesel prices on Thursday were hiked by 60 paise per litre each - the fifth straight daily increase in rates since oil PSUs ended an 82-day hiatus in rate revision. FOREIGN FGN8 VIRUS-UK-INDIANS Indian-origin doctor couple begins legal battle with UK government London: An Indian-origin husband-wife doctor couple has launched judicial review proceedings against the UK government over what they say is a refusal to address safety issues around personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic. By Aditi Khanna FGN3 US-INDIA-REPORT US ‘very concerned’ about religious freedom in India: Trump admin official Washington: Observing that historically India has been a very tolerant, respectful country for all religions, a top Trump administration official has said that the US is “very concerned” about what is happening in the country in terms of religious freedom. By Lalit K Jha PTI RDM RDM