HIGHLIGHTS

By Yoshita Singh BUSINESS DEL16 BIZ-RUPEE-OPEN Rupee rises 12 paise to 75.49 against US dollar in early trade Mumbai: The rupee appreciated 12 paise to 75.49 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday tracking gains in Asian currencies and the equity market amid sustained foreign fund inflows.

Following are the top stories: IN THE PIPELINE Delhi CM on COVID situation in national capital ON THE WIRE DEL17 VIRUS-LD CASES Spike of 9,985 COVID-19 cases in India, tally climbs to 2,76,583 New Delhi: India registered over 9,500 COVID-19 cases for the sixth day in a row and 279 fatalities in the last 24 hours till Wednesday 8 am, pushing the country's COVID-19 tally to 2,76,583 and death toll to 7,745, the Union Health Ministry said. DEL5 BIZ-PETROL-HIKE Petrol price hiked by 40 paise per litre, diesel by 45 paise New Delhi: Petrol price on Wednesday was hiked by 40 paise per litre and diesel by 45 paise, the fourth straight daily increase in rates after oil PSUs ended an 82-day hiatus in rate revision.

NATION DEL22 DL VIRUS LD CASES COVID-19 cases in Delhi cross 31,000-mark New Delhi: COVID-19 cases in the national capital breached the 31,000 mark on Tuesday with 1,366 fresh cases, while the death toll mounted to 905, according to the Delhi government's latest health bulletin. DEL14 RAHUL-CHINA Rahul Gandhi questions PM's silence on border issue with China New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that China has taken away India's territory in Ladakh and questioned the prime minister's silence on the issue, saying he has vanished.

DEL24 RJ-BORDERS-SEALED Rajasthan seals borders as COVID-19 cases continue to rise Jaipur: The Rajasthan government sealed all state borders on Wednesday in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases. DEL13 JK-LD ENCOUNTER Three terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in J-K's Shopian district Srinagar: Three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said here.

CAL3 AS-OIL-FIRE-DEATH Two firefighters die in gas well blowout blaze in Assam Dibrugarh/Guwahati: PSU major Oil India on Wednesday said two of its firefighters died at the site of a major blaze at its Baghjan well, which has been spewing gas uncontrollably for the last 15 days in Assam's Tinsukia district. MDS3 TN-DMK-LD MLA DMK's articulate MLA in Assembly, Anbazhagan dies of COVID-19 Chennai: After battling COVID-19 for eight days, DMK legislator and the main opposition party's noted articulate member in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, J Anbazhagan died here on Wednesday at a private hospital.

FOREIGN FGN16 VIRUS-UN-POVERTY An additional 49 mln people may fall into extreme poverty this year due to COVID-19: UN chief United Nations: Nearly 49 million more people are likely to fall into extreme poverty this year due to the COVID-19 crisis and every percentage point drop in the global GDP would mean hundreds of thousands of additional children will have stunted growth, UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned, calling on countries to act immediately to ensure global food security. By Yoshita Singh FGN18 VIRUS-UN-LEADERS 'World leaders will address UN General Assembly session via pre-recorded video statements' United Nations: UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande has recommended that heads of state and government and ministers address the UNGA session in September through pre-recorded video statements as COVID-19-related restrictions on international travel and large in-person meetings are likely to be in place in the coming months. By Yoshita Singh FGN15 UN-GUTERRES-RACISM UN chief calls for an end to 'plague of racism' United Nations: Acknowledging that racism also exists in the UN, its chief Antonio Guterres has called for an end to the “plague" of racial discrimination as he expressed shock at the “murderous act of police brutality” that killed African-American George Floyd and sparked global protests amid the COVID-19 pandemic. By Yoshita Singh BUSINESS DEL16 BIZ-RUPEE-OPEN Rupee rises 12 paise to 75.49 against US dollar in early trade Mumbai: The rupee appreciated 12 paise to 75.49 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday tracking gains in Asian currencies and the equity market amid sustained foreign fund inflows. DEL9 BIZ-STOCKS-OPEN Sensex jumps over 200 pts in opening session; Nifty tops 10,100 Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex advanced over 200 points in early trade on Wednesday tracking gains in index-heavyweights HDFC twins, Reliance Industries and Kotak Bank amid sustained foreign fund inflows.