HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 2100 hours: NATION: DEL142 2NDLD CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus cases rise to 30, man from Ghaziabad tests positive; India-EU summit being rescheduled New Delhi: A man from Ghaziabad with a recent travel history to Iran has tested positive for novel coronavirus, taking the total number of such cases in the country to 30 as the government on Thursday asked states to form rapid response teams at district, block and village levels. DEL120 LDALL NIRBHAYA After 3 postponements, Court fixes March 20 as the new date for hanging of 4 Nirbhaya convicts New Delhi: After three postponements in six weeks, a Delhi court on Thursday set March 20 as the fresh date for the execution of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case that has witnessed several twists and turns after they received the death sentence in 2013. DEL111 MEA-INDIA-EU-LD SUMMIT PM Modi's visit to Brussels for summit with EU postponed due to coronavirus outbreak New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brussels this month to hold a summit meeting with the European Union has been postponed in view of coronavirus outbreak in various parts of the world. DEL86 CORONAVIRUS-LD BIZ-DRUGS No shortage of drug ingredients for next 3 months; daily monitoring of coronavirus situation: Govt Ahmedabad: The government on Thursday asserted that there is no shortage of raw ingredients or medicines in the country for next three months and a group of ministers is monitoring the situation on a daily basis to ensure preparedness for the challenge posed by the coronavirus outbreak.

DEL104 CORONAVIRUS-BIZ-IMPORTED-FOOD Imported food from coronavirus-hit nations safe; don't eat raw or undercooked meat: FSSAI New Delhi: Food safety regulator FSSAI on Thursday said imported food items, including those from coronavirus-affected nations, are "safe" for human consumption but cautioned people against eating raw or undercooked meat and unprocessed food products. DEL89 NSA-2NDLD POLICE If police fails to enforce law, democracy fails: NSA Ajit Doval Gurgaon: NSA Ajit Doval on Thursday told young police officers heading district force to be "credible and fair" and warned them that if they fail, democracy would also fail. DEL95 MEA-CHINA-SHIP India hopes Chinese entities do not engage in activities contributing to proliferation New Delhi: India on Thursday said it has conveyed its concerns to China after seizure of an item having military applications from a Chinese ship which was detained by Indian authorities at Gujarat's Kandla port last month.

DEL91 JK-INTERNET  Broadband internet services restored in Kashmir Srinagar: Broadband internet services were restored in Kashmir on Thursday, a day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration lifted a ban on social media in the Union territory, ending a seven-month information blackout in the valley, officials said. DEL103 SUSPENSION-LD PARTIES Cong dubs members' suspension 'dictatorial move', BJP for termination of one MP's membership New Delhi: The suspension of seven Congress MPs from Lok Sabha for "gross misconduct" on Thursday triggered a massive political row as the party dubbed the move as a "dictatorial decision" of the Modi government even as the ruling BJP said it will also seek termination of the membership of one of the suspended lawmakers.

DEL114 CBI-WEAPON Dabholkar murder: Norwegian technology, Ukrainian divers help CBI recover weapon from seabed New Delhi: In a sophisticated operation, the CBI scoured through 40-feet of sand at the seabed in a creek near Thane to recover a gun which might be the clinching evidence in the killing of rationalists including Narendra Dabholkar, officials said Thursday. DEL121 DL-CORONAVIRUS-LD BIOMETRIC Coronavirus: Delhi govt asks HoDs, autonomous bodies, municipal corporations to suspend biometric attendance New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday asked head of departments (HoDs), autonomous bodies and municipal corporations to suspend the biometric attendance system in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, an official said.

DEL136 DL-VIOLENCE-PROBE-MOBILE DATA Delhi riots: Police scrutinising mobile data, videos to identify role of 'outsiders' New Delhi: The Delhi police is collecting and scrutinising hundreds of video footage of last week's communal clashes in the northeast parts of the city and also gathering mobile call and data records to identify those involved in the violence, officials said on Thursday. BOM44 MH-LD-CORPORATE HACKING Maha: 7 held for 'conspiracy' to hack into Tata Son's account Palghar: Seven persons have been arrested by the Palghar police in Maharashtra for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to hack into corporate giant Tata Sons' bank account and steal Rs 200 crore.

CAL4 CORONAVIRUS-SK-ILP Coronavirus scare: Sikkim suspends issuing ILP to foreigners Gangtok: The Sikkim government on Thursday decided to suspend issuing Inner Line Permit (ILP) to foreign nationals following coronavirus scare as a precautionary measure, a senior official said. MDS12 KA-LD BUDGET Petrol, diesel, liquor to cost more in Karnataka as govt hikes tax Bengaluru: Petrol, diesel and liquor are set to cost more in Karnataka from April 1 as the BJP government in its 2020-21 budget on Thursday proposed to hike the taxes to mop up additional resources in the face of unprecedented "financial difficulties".

LEGAL: LGD50 DL-HC-2NDLD JUDGE Justice Muralidhar clears air on his transfer from Delhi HC to Punjab & Haryana HC New Delhi: Justice S Muralidhar Thursday cleared the air over the controversy on his transfer from the Delhi High Court to Punjab and Haryana High Court, saying he had replied to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde's communication that he was fine with the proposal and had no objection to it. LGD47 DL-HC-NIRBHAYA-CONVICTS INTERVIEW Don't encourage Nirbhaya case convicts, HC tells media house wishing to interview them New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Thursday said to a media house, desirous of interviewing the four death-row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, "do not encourage them" as they have made a "mockery of the system".

BUSINESS: DEL118 BIZ-2ND LD YESBANK-SBI SBI-led consortium set to bail out Yes Bank: Sources New Delhi/Mumbai: Public sector lender SBI along with some other financial institutions will bail out capital-starved Yes Bank, with the government giving the go-ahead, sources said on Thursday. DEL134 BIZ-LD NPR-ECONOMISTS Delink Census 2021 from NPR: economists, social scientists appeal to govt New Delhi: A group of 190 economists and social scientists have appealed to the government to delink Census 2021 from National Population Register (NPR) exercise, saying there is an apprehension that it could be used to determine citizenship and linking the two is a violation of the Census Act. FOREIGN: FGN68 PAK-BUILDING-2NDLD COLLAPSE 11 dead, 36 injured in Karachi building collapse Karachi: Eleven people were killed and 36 others injured when three multi-storey residential buildings collapsed in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Thursday, according to media reports.

FGN58 CORONAVIRUS-IATA-INDIAN-AVIATION Amid coronavirus outbreak, AI disinvestment might be 'quite difficult at this moment': IATA Singapore: International airlines' grouping IATA on Thursday said Air India's disinvestment process might be "quite difficult at this moment" amid the coronavirus outbreak, which will hit the global market for Indian carriers as well as inbound tourist traffic into the country. By Gurdip Singh SPORTS: SPD16 SPO-CORONAVIRUS-AFI Coronavirus: AFI tells athletes to refrain from attending private or public functions New Delhi: The Athletics Federation of India on Thursday asked its athletes to refrain from attending public or private functions and strictly follow the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on the rising coronavirus threat..