HIGHLIGHTS

DEL47 HRD-LD RANKINGS NIRF rankings: IIT Madras best institution in country; 7 IITs in top 10 New Delhi: IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore and IIT Delhi bagged the top three positions among educational institutions in the country in the HRD Ministry's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) announced on Thursday.BOM5 MH-MONSOON Monsoon arrives in Maharashtra, coastal areas receive showers Mumbai: The southwest monsoon arrived in Maharashtra on Thursday with rains lashing some coastal parts of the state, an India Meteorological Department official said.

These are the top news at 5.30 pm: NATION: BOM6 GJ-LOCKDOWN-NAVY Navy ship brings back 233 stranded Indians from Iran Ahmedabad: Under the Indian Navy's 'Samudra Setu' operation, naval ship 'INS Shardul' on Thursday brought back 233 Indians to Gujarat from Iran, where they were stranded due to travel restrictions in view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. MDS1 KA-GAGANYAAN First trial flight of Gaganyaan may face some delay due to lockdown Bengaluru: India's first unmanned mission slated this year as part of its ambitious human space flight venture "Gaganyaan" may face some delay with preparations adversely impacted due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, according to ISRO officials.

DEL26 RIJIJU-US-REPORT Communal harmony, tolerance in DNA of India, majority community: Rijiju New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said the religious and constitutional rights of minorities are absolutely safe in India and it does not need any certificate from anyone as communal harmony and tolerance are in the DNA of the country and its majority community. 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.

CAL18 WB-2NDLD PM ICC COVID crisis an opportunity, time for bold decisions and investment: 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 this is the time to make bold decisions and investments. DEL47 HRD-LD RANKINGS NIRF rankings: IIT Madras best institution in country; 7 IITs in top 10 New Delhi: IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore and IIT Delhi bagged the top three positions among educational institutions in the country in the HRD Ministry's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) announced on Thursday.

BOM5 MH-MONSOON Monsoon arrives in Maharashtra, coastal areas receive showers Mumbai: The southwest monsoon arrived in Maharashtra on Thursday with rains lashing some coastal parts of the state, an India Meteorological Department official said. The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall in some parts of the state in next 48 hours. DEL37 VIRUS- DRUG-GUIDLEINES Remdesivir, tocilizumab being considered for 'restricted use' on severely ill COVID-19 patients New Delhi: Anti-viral drug remdesivir and tocilizumab, an immunomodulator, are being considered for "restricted use" on severely ill COVID-19 patients on "emergency and compassionate grounds", according to revised clinical management guidelines to be released soon. By Payal Banerjee LEGAL: LGD19 SC-LD TELECOM DUES SC asks DoT to reconsider Rs 4 lakh cr claim on PSUs, says demand impermissible New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to reconsider seeking Rs 4 lakh crore in past dues from non-telecom PSUs such as GAIL, saying raising such a demand using its verdict on dues of telecom companies was "totally impermissible".

LGM1 TN-HC-VIRUS-CHENNAI Why can't Chennai alone be under lockdown, HC asks TN govt Chennai: Observing that the COVID-19 situation in the city and its suburbs is alarming in view of rising cases, the Madras High Court on Thursday asked why can't complete lockdown be implemented for some time to contain the spread of the pandemic. BUSINESS: FGN15: CHINA-INDIA-LADAKH Beijing: China and India are “properly handling” and taking actions to ease the situation at the border based on the "consensus" reached recently during their diplomatic and military level talks, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday.

FGN19: NEPAL-INDIA-OLI Kathmandu: Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that his government will seek a solution to the Kalapani issue through diplomatic efforts and dialogue on the basis of historical facts and documents. BUSINESS: DCM26 BIZ-VIRUS-COSCO Expects normalcy in business operations after Sept quarter: Cosco New Delhi: Sports equipment maker Cosco (India) Ltd on Thursday said the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the company's business and it expects normalcy in operations only after the second quarter of this fiscal.

DEL45 BIZ-LD STOCKS Sensex slumps 709 pts as Fed punctures equity euphoria Mumbai: Equity benchmarks finished with heavy losses on Thursday, in tandem with global markets, as the Fed's sombre assessment of the US economy prompted investors to prune their exposure to risky assets..