1. India’s number of coronavirus cases rose to 33,610 on Thursday evening and the toll increased to 1,075, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.  
  2. The number of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, India’s worst-hit state, crossed the 10,000-mark after 583 new infections were recorded. The state reported 27 more deaths, taking the toll to 459.
  3. Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan said that any further lockdown would be “devastating” for the economy and added that India needed to be “clever” about the removal of restrictions. The lockdown is scheduled to end on May 3.
  4. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday said that no separate passes were required for inter-state movement of trucks carrying goods or returning after deliveries, amid the nationwide lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19.
  5. The International Labour Organization said that almost half the world’s workforce is in danger of losing their livelihood due to the lockdown. The report said that the drop in working hours in the second quarter of 2020-’21, which means from April to June, is likely to be much higher than anticipated earlier.
  6. The United States government’s aid agency, USAID, declared an additional grant of $3 million (Rs 22.54 crore) to India to help it combat Covid-19. USAID has so far granted India $5.8 million (Rs 43.59 crore). The aid will be provided through Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity project, a financing platform established by IPE Global, an Indian international development consulting group.  
  7. The Indian embassies in the United Arab Emirates and the United States have started online registration to contact Indian nationals who are stranded in the two countries because of the lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic. However, no date of travel has been announced yet.  
  8. United States President Donald Trump has said that his government will not extend Covid-19 social distancing guidelines, scheduled to end on Thursday. He also spoke of plans to hold massive rallies for the presidential elections in the next few months.
  9. Hundreds of migrant labourers working at a construction site at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad on Wednesday attacked officials of the construction companies, demanding wages and permission to go home amid the nationwide lockdown. The angry workers also threw stones at a police vehicle and injured three policemen. Nearly 2,400 workers from 10 states have been employed by two companies at the construction site.  
  10. Globally, Covid-19 has infected 32.31 lakh people and caused 2.29 lakh deaths across 185 countries or regions, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker.