The Evening Wrap Welcome to The Evening Wrap, your guide to the day’s major news developments with concise analysis from The Hindu. Here are the major stories you need to know about today: COVID Watch: Cases pile up Another day, and more cases reported from across the country. The number of COVID-19 cases tested positive in India is 156 and there are 139 active cases. According to WHO, as of March 17, there were 184,976 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7,529 deaths in 159 countries. Chennai reported its second positive case today, West Bengal reported its first case yesterday, and the government of Goa made a faux pas. The State's health minister said a Norwegian national had tested positive but shortly afterwards retracted his remark. Following Delhi, Gurgaon has also shut down malls, bars, and multiplexes as cities across the country go into a containment lockdown. The External Affairs Ministry, meanwhile, announced that 276 Indians abroad had tested positive for coronavirus. Of these, 255 were Indian pilgrims in Iran; 12 were in the UAE; and one Indian each has tested positive in Rwanda, Kuwait, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. As many as 12 people were being treated in Italy. The Tamil Nadu Health Department has launched a web portal - http://stopcoronatn.in -- as a one-stop centre for all queries on coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The portal can also be used for self-reporting, following which a 24x7 control room will get in touch with the patient. The Delhi government has announced pay-and-use facilities for those wishing to quarantine themselves in comfortable surroundings, apportioning 182 rooms in three hotels near the Indira Gandhi International Airport. This is a story with multiple developments by the hour and though we sum up the major news points here, you can follow more with our live page. Some helpful resources for you to keep track and make better sense of this story: Our live page tracks developments as they unfold in real time. We also have answers from experts on your queries about the virus, a list of State Helpline numbers, and a map of confirmed cases in India. No Relief for Telcos The Department of telecom tried to come to the rescue of India’s distressed telecom firms today, asking the Supreme Court to allow the companies, including Vodafone Idea and Airtel, a time frame of 20 years to pay off their enormous AGR dues. The top court, however, was having none of it, calling the Centre’s 20 year plan “sheer contempt of court”. It also pulled up the Centre and telecom companies for doing self-assessment or reassessment of the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues fixed by the court in its verdict given on October 24 last year. Needless to say, this latest pronouncement did nothing to ease the overall health of the telecom sector or the markets in general. Shares of Vodafone Idea fell by about 40%. Back in business The moratorium on private lender Yes Bank was lifted today, with customers being assured that they need not worry about their deposits. The bank announced on Twitter, “Our banking services are now operational. You can now experience the full suite of our services. Thank you for your patience and co-operation. #YESforYOU @RBI @FinMinIndia.” Meanwhile, Yes Bank shares continued to rally for the fourth consecutive day, gaining over 50% in value. Clarify Intention The Supreme Court is still not hearing a plea, by former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah’s sister, challenging his detention under the Public Safety Act. The Court instead asked the Centre to clarify its intention to release Abdullah from detention before it proceeded. “If you are releasing him, then release him soon or we will hear the matter on merits,” a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and MR Shah said. In brief: The stock markets on Wednesday registered early gains but eventually ended up having another bad day. The BSE Sensex crashed by 1,131.68 points to 29,447.41 in the early afternoon session, while the Nifty 50 index slipped 333.70 points to 8,633.35. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was taken into preventive custody along with several other party leaders when they tried to meet the rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh staying at a resort. Singh alleged that the MLAs were being “held captive” and against their will at the resort. The Supreme Court is still hearing a plea to direct the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh to hold a floor test in the assembly and will continue hearings tomorrow. Today there was yet another attempt at delay by the convicts on death row in the Nirbhaya murder case. The Delhi High Court today reserved order on the plea of Mukesh Singh, one of the four convicts, challenging a trial court order dismissing his plea that he was not in the national capital when the crime took place on December 16, 2012. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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