HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 1 pm: NATION DEL19 VIRUS LD CASES Over 56,000 COVID-19 cases in country in single day New Delhi: India saw a single day increase of 56,282 COVID-19 cases taking the country's virus tally to 19,64,536, while the recoveries have surged to 13,28,336, according to the Union Health Ministry data. DEL32 KASHMIR-CHINA-LD INDIA India hits out at China for attempting to raise Kashmir issue at UNSC New Delhi: Hitting out at China for making yet another effort to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council, India on Thursday asked Beijing to draw proper conclusions from such "infructuous attempts" and "firmly" rejected its "interference" in the country's internal affairs.

DEL15 JK-SARPANCH BJP sarpanch shot dead in south Kashmir Srinagar: BJP leader and sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Khanday was shot dead by terrorists near his home in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Thursday, police said. DEL11 JK-LG LD SINHA Manoj Sinha appointed as new LG of J-K New Delhi: Senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh Manoj Sinha was on Thursday appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the first political leader to take charge as the LG of the union territory.

BOM5 GJ-HOSPITAL-2ND LD LD FIRE Ahmedabad COVID-19 hospital fire leaves 8 patients dead Ahmedabad: A blaze in the wee hours at a private hospital here has left eight COVID-19 patients dead, a fire brigade official said on Thursday. DES1 DL-SADIA Sadia Dehlvi dies at 63, Delhi lost its favourite story-teller New Delhi: Noted Delhi-based writer and activist Sadia Dehlvi has passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was 63.

BOM6 MH-RAINS Rain intensity reduces, transport services resume in Mumbai Mumbai: A day after heavy showers pounded Mumbai and neighbouring areas, the rain intensity reduced on Thursday morning and water receded in some flooded areas, leading to gradual resumption of rain and road transport services, officials said LEGAL LGD6 SC-LD PALGHAR Palghar lynching: SC asks Maha govt to file status report on inquiry against policemen New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday asked the Maharashtra government to apprise it of the inquiry and action taken against the errant police personnel in the alleged lynching of three people, including two seers, in Palghar district in April. LGD5 SC-MALLYA SC to hear on Aug 20 Mallya's review plea on transfer of USD 40 mn to his children New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday said it would hear on August 20 the petition filed by businessman Vijay Mallya, who has sought review of its 2017 order holding him guilty of contempt of court for transferring USD 40 million to his children.

BUSINESS DEL29 BIZ-RBI RBI leaves benchmark lending rate unchanged; maintains accommodative stance Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday opted for a status quo and left interest rates unchanged, but maintained an accommodative stance, implying more rate cuts in future if the need arises to support the economy hit by the COVID-19 crisis. DEL36 BIZ-RBI-INFLATION Inflation likely to be elevated in second quarter: RBI Governor Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said inflation is expected to be at elevated levels during the second quarter, but may ease in the second half of the current fiscal year.

FOREIGN FGN11 US-AYODHYA-TIMES-SQUARE Lord Ram's image displayed at iconic Times Square to celebrate Ram Temple 'Bhoomi Poojan' in Ayodhya New York: The image of Lord Ram and the grand Ram Temple to be built in Ayodhya beamed across a giant billboard at the iconic Times Square in New York City where members of the Indian community gathered in large numbers to celebrate the 'Bhoomi Poojan' performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. By Yoshita Singh FGN16 LANKA-POLLS-LD COUNTING Lanka general election: Counting begins, Rajapaksa clan eyes landslide win Colombo: The counting of votes in Sri Lanka's twice-postponed parliamentary election began amidst tight security on Thursday with the powerful Rajapaksa family-run Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) saying it is confident of recording a "historic victory" by securing a two-thirds majority. FGN5 US-INDIA-TIES-LAWMAKERS Closer India-US ties important amidst Chinese 'aggression': US lawmakers Washington: Throwing their weight behind the India-US relationship which enjoys bipartisan support, two top American lawmakers have said that close partnership between the two countries assumes significance in view of the "aggression" that New Delhi faces from Beijing. By Lalit K Jha FGN17 US-DEMOCRATS-TIPIRNENI Indian-American doctor wins Democratic Congressional primary in Arizona Washington: Dr Hiral Tipirneni, an Indian-American emergency room physician, has won the Democratic party primary for the US House of Representatives in the US state of Arizona. By Lalit K Jha FGN6 FACEBOOK-TRUMP-POST Facebook deletes Trump post claiming children are 'almost immune' to COVID-19 Houston: Social media giant Facebook, for the first time, has removed a post from US President Donald Trump in which he claimed that children were "almost immune" to COVID-19, saying it violated its policy against spreading "misinformation" about the novel coronavirus. By Seema Hakhu Kachru.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)