HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 6 PM: NATION: DEL65 LD CORONAVIRUS Mumbai man becomes third person in India to die of COVID-19, number of cases climbs to 126 New Delhi/Mumbai: India on Tuesday reported its third coronavirus fatality with a 63-year-old dying in Mumbai, Health Ministry officials said as the number of positive cases rose to 126 and more parts of the country shut down to stem the spread of the infection. DEL77 CORONAVIRUS-ICMR Private NABL-accredited labs will soon be operationalised for coronavirus tests: ICMR New Delhi: There are 72 functional Indian Council of Medical Research laboratories conducting tests for coronavirus and private NABL-accredited labs will soon be operationalised across the country, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava on Tuesday said. DEL48 CORONAVIRUS-TREATMENT-GUIDELINES Coronavirus: Health Ministry recommends anti-HIV drug combination Lopinavir-Ritonavir on case-to-case basis New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has recommended use of anti-HIV drug combinations Lopinavir and Ritonavir on a case-to-case basis depending upon the severity of the condition of a patient having coronavirus infection. By Payal Banerjee DEL60 CORONAVIRUS-2NDLD MURALEEDHARAN Am at home quarantine; have tested negative for coronavirus: Min Muraleedharan New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister V Muraleedharan, who visited a Kerala-based medical institute whose hospital later reported a coronavirus case, has placed himself under home quarantine as a precaution even as he tested negative for the infection.

DEL58 RAHUL-LD ECONOMY India must prepare not just for fighting coronavirus but also for economic devastation: Rahul New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Asserting that an "economic tsunami" was coming, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said India should be preparing itself not just to fight the coronavirus but also for the economic devastation that would affect crores of people. BOM15 MP-NATH-2NDLD SPEAKER MP CM forwards governor's letter on floor test to Speaker Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday forwarded toSpeaker of the Assembly a fresh directive given to himby state Governor Lalji Tandon on holding a floor test.

DEL42 LSQ-JK-DETENTION 450 people continue to be under preventive detention in JK New Delhi: A total of 450 people, including stone pelters, miscreants, over ground workers (OGWs) and separatists of Jammu and Kashmir are presently under preventive detention in various jails, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. CAL3 AS-GOGOI Let me take oath, I will speak in detail about accepting RS nomination: Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi Guwahati: Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, whose nomination to Rajya Sabha has been questioned by many parties, on Tuesday said he would speak in detail about accepting the offer of a seat to the Upper House after he takes oath.

LEGAL: LGD15 SC-LD NAVY SC allows permanent commission for women in Navy, asks Centre to finish modalities in 3 months New Delhi: Maintaining that women and men officers should be treated equally, the Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared permanent commission for women in the Navy and asked the Centre to complete the modalities within three months. LGD29 SC-3RDLD MP-CHOUHAN SC seeks response of MP govt on Chouhan's plea seeking floor test New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh to respond by tomorrow to a plea by senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking immediate floor test in the state Assembly.

LGD38 DL-COURT-NIRBHAYA-LD ORDER Nirbhaya: Delhi court dismisses plea of convict Mukesh Singh seeking quashing of death penalty New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, seeking quashing of his death penalty. BUSINESS: DEL75 BIZ-LD YES BANK Absolutely no worries on liquidity front, says Yes Bank CEO-designate Mumbai: Yes Bank CEO-designate Prashant Kumar on Tuesday said there are absolutely no worries on the liquidity front and that complete operational normalcy would be restored from 6 pm on Wednesday.

DEL74 BIZ-LD STOCKS No respite: Sensex collapses in fag-end selloff, Nifty ends below 9,000 Mumbai: Stock indices erased early gains to sink deeper into red on Tuesday as the global equity rout intensified amid the coronavirus-triggered recession fears. FOREIGN: FGN14 CORONAVIRUS-US-2NDLD TRUMP Coronavirus crisis could stretch up to August, warns Trump Washington: As Americans prepared to confine themselves within their homes to stop the deadly spread of coronavirus, US President Donald Trump has warned that the crisis could stretch up to August. By Lalit K Jha FGN9 CORONAVIRUS-US-VACCINE US begins clinical trial of investigational vaccine for coronavirus Washington: Supported by a global coalition founded by India and Norway, the US has begun the phase one clinical trial of an investigational vaccine designed to protect against the coronavirus disease which has claimed the lives of over 7,000 people globally. By Lalit K Jha PTI AD.