HIGHLIGHTS AT 5 PM

Following are the top stories at 5 pm: Top Stories: DEL34 LD LOCKDOWN India enters 21-day lockdown after PM announcement to try halt spread of coronavirus New Delhi: Anxious people made a beeline for grocery stores on Wednesday as the 21-day national lockdown kicked in from midnight shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this unprecedented measure as the only way out to break the coronavirus transmission chain. DEL15 VIRUS-CASES Coronavirus cases in India soar to 562 New Delhi: The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 562 on Wednesday while the death toll due to COVID-19 in the country was revised down to nine, according to Health Ministry data.

Gunmen attack Sikh gurdwara in Afghanistan, killing 25 people Kabul: Heavily armed gunmen and suicide bombers blasted their way into a Sikh gurdwara in the heart of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 25 worshippers and wounding 8 others, in one of the deadliest attacks on the minority community in the strife-torn country. Nation: BOM25 MP-VIRUS-2ND LD CASES Six new COVID-19 cases in MP; total goes up to 15 Bhopal: The COVID-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh rose to 15 on Wednesday with one more person found infected with coronavirus, a health official said.

BOM18 MH-VIRUS-LD CASES COVID-19: Maharashtra tally 116; four more test positive Mumbai: Maharashtra reported four new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the number of such cases in the state to 116, the highest in the country so far, officials said. CAL7 MZ-VIRUS-LD POSITIVE 50-year-old man tests positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram; second case in Northeast Aizawl: A 50-year-old pastor, who recently returned from Amsterdam, tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, making it the second case of the disease in the Northeast, Health Minister R Lalthangliana said on Wednesday MDS9 TN-VIRUS-CASES TN reports 5 new coronavirus cases; tally goes up to 23 Chennai: Five more persons, including four Indonesian nationals, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday in Tamil Nadu, taking the total number of infected people in the state to 23.

DEL58 UP-LD RAM LALLA Ram Lalla idol shifted, Yogi faces flak over social distancing Ayodhya/Lucknow: The Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya was shifted to a temporary new location on Wednesday at a ceremony attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who faced opposition flak for seemingly violating norms meant to beat coronavirus. DEL56 VIRUS-NPR-CENSUS NPR, first phase of Census postponed New Delhi: The updating of the National Population Register (NPR) and the first phase of the Census 2021 have been postponed due to the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said on Wednesday.

DEL49 LOCKDOWN-CONGRESS Congress demands implementation of Nyay scheme in view of nationwide lockdown New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday demanded the implementation of the party-proposed Nyay Yojna (minimum income guarantee scheme) to help the poor families in the country to cope with the situation arising out of the nationwide lockdown. DEL40 MEA-AFGHAN-ATTACK India condemns terror attack on gurdwara in Kabul New Delhi: India on Wednesday strongly condemned the terror attack on a gurdwara in Afghanistan's Kabul, saying targeting of a religious place in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak reflects the "diabolical mindset" of the perpetrators and their backers. Legal: LGD6 DL-HC-VIRUS-LD STUDENTS Coronavirus: HC directs MEA to ensure safety of Indian students stranded in Kazakhstan New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to ensure welfare and safety of Indian students stranded at Almaty Airport in Kazakhstan for the past 2-3 days without food and medical aid due to coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign: FGN56 VIRUS-BANGLA-LD ZIA Bangladesh releases Khaleda Zia from jail for six months amid coronavirus outbreak Dhaka: Bangladesh on Wednesday released jailed former prime minister and main opposition leader Khaleda Zia for six months on condition that she would stay at home, amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. By Anisur Rahman FGN52 VIRUS-PRINCE CHARLES Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus London: Britain's Prince Charles on Wednesday tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his office confirmed. By Aditi Khanna..