1. India’s coronavirus tally rose to 28,36,925 on Thursday morning as 69,652 new cases were reported in 24 hours. This is the highest single-day increase in cases. The toll increased by 977 to 53,866. There are now 6,86,395 active cases, while as many as 20,96,664 people have been discharged. Over 20.96 lakh people have recovered, pushing the recovery rate to 73.91%. India tested over 9 lakh samples on Wednesday.
  2. Maharashtra reported its biggest one-day rise of 14,492 new cases, taking its tally to 6,43,289. The state’s toll rose to 21,359 after it reported 326 more deaths. Tamil Nadu reported 5,986 new cases and 116 deaths, taking the state’s tally to 3,61,435 and the toll to 6,239. Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, registered 9,742 new cases and 95 deaths. With this, the state’s tally rose to 3.25 lakh and the toll stood at 3,001.
  3. The Meghalaya government decided to shut all points of entry to the state for one week every month, starting September till November. The Punjab government has ordered a daily 7 pm to 5 am night curfew in the state and lockdown on weekends amid rising coronavirus cases. Bihar, meanwhile, fixed treatment costs at private hospitals.
  4. Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said he tested positive for the coronavirus. He is the sixth Union minister to have contracted the infection. Apart from Shekhawat, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Meghwal and Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary have tested positive for the disease.
  5. A new serological survey conducted by the Delhi government revealed that 29% of people in the national Capital may have been exposed to the coronavirus. These individuals were asymptomatic and may have quietly recovered from Covid-19, given the presence of antibodies in their bodies. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia directed the excise department to issue “necessary permission” for the sale of liquor in restaurants and clubs across the Capital. However, bars will remain shut.
  6. As many as 26 volunteers who helped the passengers of the Air India Express plane that crashed in Kozhikode airport on August 7 have tested positive for the coronavirus. Eighteen people including both pilots were killed in the aviation disaster.
  7. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the world would never be the same again. Speaking at the 6th roundtable conference of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks, he added that the impact of coronavirus had been beyond collective imagination. “Current estimates put cumulative loss in the range of $5.8 to $8.8 trillion or approximately 6.5 or 9.7% of the global GDP,” said Jaishankar. “The contraction of world economy being predicted will surely be largest since great depression.”
  8. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated his attack on the Narendra Modi-led government and warned that India will not be able to provide jobs to its youth because of the severe economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. He claimed that his predictions would come true within six to seven months.
  9. Chinese newspapers defended images of a pool party at an amusement park in Wuhan, the original epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. While people could be seen wearing swimsuits and life jackets at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park, none of them donned a mask. Reports said that the individuals attended an electronic music dance festival at the park.
  10. The global coronavirus tally rose to 2,24,86,892 while the toll crossed 7.89 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s tracker. More than 1.43 crore people have recovered from the infection so far.