HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 1.30 PM: NATION DEL12 HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus cases rise to 83 in India: Officials New Delhi: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 83 on Saturday, which includes one death each from Delhi and Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry said. DEL11 BIZ-LD PETROL-EXCISE-HIKE Excise duty on petrol, diesel hiked by Rs 3/lt; no change in prices; govt to get Rs 39,000 cr New Delhi: The government on Saturday hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by a steep Rs 3 per litre each to garner about Rs 39,000 crore additional revenue as it repeated its 2014-15 act of not passing on gains arising from slump in international oil prices.

BOM7 MH-CORONAVIRUS-PATIENTS Coronavirus: 4 admitted in Nagpur hospital return home without informing authorities Nagpur: Four persons admitted to a government-run hospital here for suspected coronavirus infection, returned home without informing the authorities, police said on Saturday. CAL2 WB-CORONAVIRUS-BHUTAN Coronavirus scare: West Bengal seals border with Bhutan Alipurduar (WB): The West Bengal government has sealed the state's border with Bhutan in the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said on Saturday.

DEL16 JK-ABDULLAH-SON NC chief Farooq Abdullah meets his son Omar Abdullah in sub-jail in Srinagar Srinagar: It was an emotional meeting when NC president Farooq Abdullah met his son Omar Abdullah in the sub-jail in Srinagar where he has been under detention for over the last seven months. DEL17 PM-RJ-ACCIDENT PM Modi expresses anguish over death of 11 in Raj road accident New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed anguish over the death of at least 11 people in a road accident in Rajasthan.

DEL13 BIZ-LD YES BANK Govt notifies Yes Bank reconstruction scheme; moratorium to be lifted by March 18 New Delhi: The moratorium on Yes Bank will be lifted by March 18 and the new board led by CEO and MD Prashant Kumar will be put in place by the end of this month, the government said. DEL9 CORONAVIRUS-RSS-MEETING Coronavirus: RSS suspends highest decision-making body meeting in Bengaluru New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh suspended its three-day annual meeting of its highest decision-making body scheduled to begin on Saturday, RSS general secretary Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi said. DEL1 CORONAVIRUS-VISA APPOINTMENTS Coronavirus: US Embassy, Consulates in India cancel all visa appointments from Mar 16 New Delhi: The US Embassy and Consulates in India have cancelled all visa appointments from March 16 in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

DEL10 JK-FIRING Civilian injured in Pak firing along LoC in JK's Poonch Jammu: A 52-year-old civilian was injured in Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said. FOREIGN FGN15 CORONAVIRUS-PAK-INDIA Will participate in SAARC video conference on coronavirus: Pak on PM Modi's proposal Islamabad: Pakistan has said it will participate in a video conference of SAARC member countries proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 5,000 people globally. By Sajjad Hussain FGN12 CORONAVIRUS-CHINA Coronavirus: China reports 13 new deaths, imported cases rise Beijing: China reported 13 new coronavirus deaths, taking the toll due to the disease to 3,189, while the confirmed cases climbed to 80,824 with 11 more infections, as the country witnessed a rise in imported cases, health officials said on Saturday. By K J M Varma FGN18 CORONAVIRUS-ISRAEL-LD INDIA Netanyahu requested PM Modi to allow export of masks, pharmaceuticals to Israel: report Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested Narendra Modi to approve and allow the export of masks and pharmaceutical raw materials to Israel during his telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart this week, according to a media report. By Harinder Mishra FGN10 CORONAVIRUS-TRUMP-LD EMERGENCY Trump declares national emergency as coronavirus crisis deepens Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the novel coronavirus, unlocking up to USD 50 billion in federal funds to combat the fast-spreading pandemic that has killed over 5,000 people and triggered fears that the deadly outbreak will lead to a global economic recession. By Lalit K Jha SPORTS SPD6 SPO-CORONAVIRUS-IPL-SHAHRUKH Hope COVID-19 subsides and show goes on: KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on IPL Mumbai: Kolkata Kight Riders co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday said he is hopeful of the COVID-19 pandemic subsiding and a deferred IPL going ahead with all the necessary health precautions in place. SPF6 SPO-CORONAVIRUS-AUS-LD SERIES COVID-19: Australia vs New Zealand series called off Melbourne: The two remaining games of the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series between Australia and New Zealand were on Saturday cancelled as the visiting side will have to hurry back home to avoid a new set of travel restrictions owing to the novel coronavirus pandemic. BUSINESS DCM2 BIZ-YESBANK-BANDHAN Bandhan Bank to invest Rs 300 cr in Yes Bank New Delhi: Private sector Bandhan Bank said it will invest Rs 300 crore in Yes Bank as part of RBI's reconstruction plan for the crisis-hit lender..