HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9.45 pm: TOP STORIES DEL125 LDALL VIRUS India registers highest-ever spike of 2,003 COVID-19 deaths; make saving lives a top priority, PM to states New Delhi: India recorded the highest ever spike of 2,003 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday after Maharashtra and Delhi added earlier fatalities not attributed to the disease as Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked states to make full use of the expanded coronavirus testing capacity and saving lives a top priority. DEL87 SINOINDIA-LD PM India wants peace but capable of giving befitting reply if instigated: PM on India-China Ladakh face-off New Delhi: In his first remarks on the violent face-off between the troops of India and China in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India wants peace but is capable of giving befitting reply if instigated, and asserted that the sacrifice of our army men will not go in vain.

NATION DEL122 SINOINDIA-LD SOLIDERS Wave of grief as mortal remains of soldiers reach their native places; Anti-China protests in several parts Chandigarh/Hyderabad/Baripada: A wave of grief swept across the country as the mortal remains of the soldiers who laid down their lives fighting the Chinese Army in Galwan Valley in Ladakh were taken to their native places on Wednesday. DEL108 LD SINOINDIA-JAISHANKAR Galwan Valley incident will have serious impact on bilateral ties: India to China New Delhi: India on Wednesday delivered a strong message to China that the "unprecedented" incident in the Galwan Valley will have a "serious impact" on the bilateral relationship and held the "pre-meditated" action by Chinese army directly responsible for the violence that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead.

DEL91 SINOINDIA-POL-REAX Whole country with you, answer people's questions on China face off: Opposition to PM New Delhi: The death of 20 Indian soldiers along the LAC in Ladakh on Wednesday saw the opposition asking the Prime Minister to explain how the Chinese occupied Indian territory, even as the government contended that the sacrifice of soldiers would not go in vain. DEL88 SINOINDIA-ALERT-TRISERVICES Galwan violence: Army, Navy, Air Force raise alert level New Delhi: Front-line bases of the Indian army and the air force along the nearly 3,500 km de-facto border with China were Wednesday put on high alert in view of the worst border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh that left 20 Army personnel dead, official sources said.

DEL86 SINOINDIA-FACEOFF-TRIGGER Surveillance post set up by Chinese on Indian side of LAC triggered clash New Delhi: A surveillance post set up by the Chinese Army on a narrow mountain trail in violation of an agreement was the trigger for the high altitude border clash in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in which at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. By Manash Pratim Bhuyan DEL111 PM-2NDLD-CMs MEETING Modi to CMs: Need to think about Unlock 2 New Delhi: The indicators of economic performance are showing signs of revival following reduction in restrictions imposed during the coronavirus lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he told chief ministers to think about 'Unlock 2.0' and also ways to minimise infection. BUSINESS DEL8 BIZ-PETROL-HIKE Petrol price hiked by 55 paise/litre, diesel by 60 paise; 11th straight day of increase New Delhi: Petrol price on Wednesday was hiked by 55 paise per litre and diesel by 60 paise a litre, marking the 11th consecutive day of increase in rates that now totals to Rs 6.02 for petrol and Rs 6.4 for diesel.

LEGAL LGD29 VIRUS-SC-2NDLD DOCTORS SC directs Centre to issue directions in 24 hrs to states, UTs for payment of salaries to doctors New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday directed the Centre to issue orders by Thursday to all states and Union Territories for payment of salaries to doctors and healthcare workers as also for providing suitable quarantine facilities for those who are directly engaged in treatment of COVID-19 patients. FOREIGN FGN45 CHINA-INDIA-FACEOFF-CASUALTIES Chinese official media highlights PLA casualties at Galwan clash without mentioning numbers Beijing: China may have officially maintained a steady silence on the casualties suffered by its troops in the clashes with the Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley but editorials in the state-run dailies acknowledged the PLA fatalities while calling for disengagement to avert a border war. By K J M Varma FGN40 UN-LD INDIA UN General Assembly begins key elections; India set for comfortable victory United Nations: The UN General Assembly has begun elections for President of the 75th session of the Assembly, five non-permanent members of the Security Council and members of the Economic and Social Council on Wednesday under special voting arrangements put in place here due to COVID-19 related restrictions. By Yoshita Singh SPORTS SPD19 SPO-CRI-ICC-LD BCCI With ICC dragging its feet on T20 World Cup, it's BCCI vs Manohar once again New Delhi: Livid with the International Cricket Council for continuing to put off a decision on the fate of this year's T20 World Cup, the BCCI has accused outgoing chairman Shashank Manohar of deliberately dragging his feet on the issue. By Kushan Sarkar PTI RC