HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9 pm: NATION DEL149 LDALL VIRUS COVID-19: Focus shifts to rapid tests in hotspots; Govt says numbers in control sans one 'event' New Delhi: Ramping up their efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, authorities on Friday announced exclusive isolation wards and initiated rapid tests in areas identified as hotspots of the deadly virus infection while a record of more than 8,000 samples were tested in 24 hours. DEL114 VIRUS-LD DOCTORS 4 men detained in Indore under NSA for attack on health workers; the stringent act to be invoked in a UP incident Indore/Ghaziabad: Four men were on Friday detained under the National Security Act(NSA) for the alleged attack on health workers in Indore even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said this stringent act will be invoked against quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members accused of misbehaving with the nursing staff at a Ghaziabad hospital.

DEL18 PM-LOCKDOWN-LD MESSAGE Modi asks people to light up lamps on Sunday to display collective strength to defeat coronavirus New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus. DEL141 VIRUS-PM-2NDLD REAX PM failed to address critical questions on India's fight against COVID-19 in his message: Cong; BJP supports Modi's appeal for Apr 5 New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message on Friday, urging people to light candle or diya on April 5 to display India’s collective resolve to defeat coronavirus evoked sharp reactions from opposition parties with the Congress dubbing it as "just a feel-good moment curated by India's photo-op Prime Minister" while the BJP asked its workers to spread Modi’s appeal among the masses. DEL137 EDITORS GUILD-SC-LD GOVT No democracy is fighting pandemic by gagging its media: Editors Guild New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India has said it is "deeply perturbed" over the government blaming the media in the Supreme Court for causing panic among migrant workers, leading to their exodus in the wake of the lockdown, and asserted that such actions could obstruct the process of dissemination of news.

DEL73 VIRUS-LD TOEFL-GRE Coronavirus: Students to take global exams TOEFL, GRE at home New Delhi: Global exams like TOEFL and GRE will be taken at home except in mainland China and Iran in view of the COVID-19 situation across the world, according to the Educational Testing Service (ETS). DEL145 BJP-LOCKDOWN-LD OPPN BJP attacks opposition for targeting Modi govt over lockdown New Delhi: BJP president J P Nadda said on Friday the Congress cannot see the Union government's decisions to help the poor and boost economy amid the lockdown to combat the coronavirus because it is blinded by its "anti-national" outlook.

CAL11 MG-LOCKDOWN-BJP-WINE 'Way of life': BJP's Meghalaya chief urges CM to allow opening wine shops Shillong: BJP's Meghalaya unit chief Ernest Mawrie wrote to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday, seeking permission to open wine shops as alcohol consumption is a "way of life" in the state. DEL151 VIRUS-MHA-FUNDS-LD STATES Centre to give Rs 11,092 cr to states to deal with COVID-19 New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday approved release of Rs 11,092 crore to all states under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) for setting up quarantine facilities and arranging other facilities for checking the spread of coronavirus.

LEGAL LGD5 VIRUS-SC-TESTING SC seeks Centre's reply on plea seeking free tests of COVID-19 suspects New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and other authorities on a PIL seeking a direction to them to provide free of cost testing facility for COVID-19 to all citizens in the country. LGB2 MH-COURT-RANA KAPOOR Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor's interim bail plea rejected Mumbai: A court here on Friday rejected the interim bail plea of Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor, who is currently in judicial custody on money laundering charges.

BUSINESS DEL139 BIZ-2NDLD INDIA GROWTH Fitch sees India GDP growth in FY21 at 2% - slowest since economic reforms 30 yrs back New Delhi: India may post in 2020-21 a GDP growth of 2 per cent, the slowest since the economy was liberalised 30 years back, Fitch Ratings said on Friday, as it joined a chorus of international agencies that have made a similar cut in growth estimates in recent days on concerns about the fallout of COVID-19 outbreak. FOREIGN FGN39 VIRUS-UK-INDIAN DOCTOR Indian-origin doctor leads COVID-19 safety equipment campaign London: An Indian-origin doctor campaigning for better access to the personal protection equipment (PPE) for medics across hospitals, dealing with the rapidly rising cases of the novel coronavirus, on Friday welcomed the UK government's updated guidance to make surgical masks essential. By Aditi Khanna FGN17 US-PAK-3RDLD JOURNALIST US slams Pak court's verdict in Daniel Pearl murder case, calls it 'affront' to victims of terrorism Washington: The US on Friday criticised a Pakistani court for overturning the death sentence of British-born top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted in the abduction and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, terming the verdict an "affront" to the victims of terrorism everywhere. By Lalit K Jha.