1. The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed their pleas challenging the Bombay high court order directing a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
2. *Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday tested positive for COVID-19.*
3. *PM Modi on Thursday urged chief ministers to strengthen their efforts for the next 2-3 weeks to check the spread of the virus on a “war-footing” and proposed to call the night curfew clamped in many places as “corona curfew” to maintain public awareness about the pandemic.*
4. *Constable Rakeshwar Singh Manhas of the 210th Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was freed by the Maoists yesterday evening* after a team of few eminent people, including a person from the tribal community, was nominated by the state government to secure his release.
5. A Varanasi court on Thursday ordered an archaeological survey of the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Gyanwapi mosque premises to resolve a lingering dispute involving the two shrines.
6. A court in Varanasi has ordered the Archaeological Survey of India to carry out a physical survey of the town’s Gyanvapi Mosque, located next to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
The court ordered the survey while ruling on a three-decade old petition, which contended that Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had demolished an ancient temple of “Lord Vishweshwar” and “constructed a mosque with the help of the ruins of the said temple”.
7. Five workers were burnt to death after an explosion at a firecracker factory in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district.
8. *Night curfew imposed in Bengaluru, 7 other cities of Karnataka from 10 pm to 5 am; Essential services exempted* : Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday night announced ‘Corona curfew’ (night curfew) will be imposed between 10pm-5am from 10th to 20th April in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumkuru, Udupi and Manipal.
9. PM Modi proposes ‘Tika Utsav’ from April 11 to 14, asks states to check laxity in containing COVID-19.
10. *A Malawian woman has been arrested by customs officials at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport for allegedly trying to smuggle in heroin worth Rs 28 crore,*
11. *400th Birth Anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur: PM Modi on Thursday chaired a high level meeting to discuss the activities, which will be organised to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru*
12. *Indian Army Officer Breaks 2 Guinness World Records For Fastest Solo Cycling* : Indian Army’s Lieutenant Colonel Bharat Pannu received his two Guinness World Record certificates.
13. Three unidentified militants were killed and a security personnel was wounded in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian town on Thursday.
*✈INTERNATIONAL NEWS*
1. *New Zealand has for the first time imposed a temporary ban on travellers coming from India, including its citizens, from April 11 to 28 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases among visitors to this country* .
2. The United States and Iraq concluded talks Wednesday on America’s troop presence here, issuing a joint statement that emphasized the growing capacity of the Iraqi military, six years after it crumbled in the face of the Islamic State’s advance.
*