Highlights at 1300 hours

Following are the top stories at 1300 hours:

DEL14 SONIA-PAWAR Sonia speaks to Pawar, authorises 3 senior leaders to hold talks with NCP

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday spoke to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and authorised three senior party leaders to hold further talks on the issue of government formation in Maharashtra.

BOM1 MH-RAUT-TWEET We will succeed, says Raut after setback over govt formation

Mumbai: Even as the Shiv Sena failed to muster numbers to stake claim for government formation in Maharashtra, its ailing leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday quoted lines of legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan to reaffirm his party's resolve to succeed and not give up.

BOM3 MH-PAWAR-RAUT Pawar visits ailing Sena MP Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday visited Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut at a hospital in Mumbai where the latter underwent angioplasty.

DEL16 RJ-BIRDS Thousands of migratory birds die mysteriously in Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake

Sambhar (R'than): Thousands of migratory birds of about ten species were found dead around Sambhar Lake, the country's largest inland saltwater lake near Jaipur, sending shock waves among locals and authorities. By Manish Sain

DEL8 MANGESHKAR-HEALTH 'Lata Mangeshkar's condition critical, slowly improving'

Mumbai: Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital here after complaining of breathing difficulty, is still in a "critical" condition but is "slowly improving", hospital sources said.

DEL15 JK-SITUATION Rail service in Kashmir resume, mini buses on roads in valley

Srinagar: Rail services in Kashmir resumed on Tuesday - over three months after being suspended due to security reasons in view of the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, officials said.

MDS1 TL-TRAIN-LOCO PILOT Hyderabad train collision: MMTS loco pilot 'recovering'

Hyderabad: The loco pilot of a local train, who was rescued after an eight-hour long operation after being trapped in the cabin following a collision involving the train and another at the Kacheguda railway station here, was recovering from his injuries, railway sources said on Tuesday.

DEL1 JK-ENCOUNTER Militant killed in encounter in J&K's Ganderbal

Srinagar,: A militant was killed and an Army soldier injured in an encounter between the ultras and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Tuesday, police said.

DEL7 DL-AIR QUALITY Delhi's air quality plunges to severe category

New Delhi: Delhi's air quality worsened again and slipped into the 'severe' category on Tuesday morning.

FOREIGN FGN8 BANGLA-ACCIDENT

15 die in Bangladesh train accident Dhaka: At least 15 people were killed and over 50 others injured in a head-on collision between two trains in Brahmanbaria district in east-central Bangladesh on Tuesday, according to media reports.

SPORTS

SPD4 SPO-CRI-BCCI-SANKARNARAYANAN If BCCI changes reformed constitution, it would be ridiculing SC: Lodha panel secretary

New Delhi: The BCCI's plans to dilute reforms mandated by the Supreme Court amount to "ridiculing" the country's highest judicial authority, asserted Lodha committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who had a pivotal role in drafting the revamp. PTI HMB