HIGHLIGHTS AT 5.20 PM

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 5.20 pm: TOP STORY FGN46 PM-MACRON-LD TALKS

PM Modi, French President Macron hold talks, agree on deepening engagement in Indo-Pacific Paris: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for enhancing trade and investment ties between the two countries and committed to further deepening their engagement in the Indo-Pacific and various global forums and initiatives.

NATION DEL19 MODI-US-VISIT

PM Modi to meet Prez Trump, visit expected to give further momentum to Indo-US ties New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day working visit to the US starting Wednesday and hold a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump, with New Delhi saying it will give further direction and momentum to this "important partnership".

DEL27 PADUKONE-2NDLD PARIKSHA PE CHARCHA

Talk to parents when in stress: Actor Deepika Padukone tells students during 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' New Delhi: Identify the cause of your stress and express it to someone you can trust, Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone has told school students during an interaction on PM's Parisha Pe Charcha aired on Wednesday.

DEL21 UP-AYODHYA-3RDLD PRIEST-DEATH

Ayodhya Ram temple head priest Mahant Das passes away Lucknow: Mahant Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, died at a hospital here on Wednesday.

DEL20 JK-MORTAR-SHELL

Rusted mortar shell found near LoC in J-K’s Poonch Mendhar/Jammu: Army troops on Wednesday recovered a rusted mortar shell near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

DEL15 UP-KUMBH-5THLD MAGHI PURNIMA

Maha Kumbh: Nearly 1.60 crore people take 'snan' at Sangam on Maghi Purnima Prayagraj: Amid elaborate arrangements, nearly 1.60 crore people took a dip at the Sangam till 12 pm on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the Maha Kumbh mela here, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.

BOM16 MH-ALLAHBADIA-PROBE

Allahbadia row: Mumbai Police records statements of his manager, Apoorva Mukhija Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Wednesday recorded the statements of four persons including social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija in connection with the controversial comments made by Ranveer Allahbadia on YouTube show "India's Got Latent".

CAL16 WB-CONGRESS-LD MUKHERJEE

Ex-President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit rejoins Congress after 4 years in TMC Kolkata: Former President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee rejoined the Congress on Wednesday after a four-year-long placid stint in the Trinamool Congress.

MDS3 AEROINDIA-INDIGENOUS

Military gadgets that can be used by civilians jostle for space at Aero India 2025 Bengaluru: Wind energy usually means elaborate set up with wind turbines stretching along the horizon. But Usha-Urja, a humble device indigenously developed by Indian Air Force harvests wind energy almost out of nothing, an officer said. By Jemima Raman

MDS14 AERO INDIA-CDS

Aligning technologies with future warfare is not the only answer: General Anil Chauhan Bengaluru: Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Wednesday said that aligning technologies with future warfare is not the sole solution to achieving victory in war.

BUSINESS DEL40 BIZ-INCOMETAX-2NDLD BILL

Simplified Income Tax Bill brings in 'tax year' concept; omits 'previous year', obsolete clauses New Delhi: The much-anticipated new income tax bill will replace terminologies like assessment and previous year with easier to understand 'tax year' as part of move to simplify language while removing provisos and explanations.

LEGAL LGD20 SC-LD SHELTER HOMES-FREEBIES

Are we not creating class of parasites? SC slams freebies promised before polls New Delhi: On political parties promising "freebies" ahead of polls, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said instead of bringing people into the mainstream for national development "are we not creating a class of parasites".

LGD16 DL-COURT-SAJJAN KUMAR

1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court convicts ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in murder case New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the murders of two persons in Saraswati Vihar area during the anti-Sikh riots.

LGD14 SC-LD INDRANI

'No guarantee you will come back': SC denies Indrani Mukerjea plea to travel abroad New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea of Indrani Mukerjea, accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora, against a ruling denying her permission to travel abroad.

FOREIGN FGN7 US-TRUMP-MODI-OFFICIAL

Trump administration prioritising relations with India: former White House official New York: The Donald Trump administration is prioritising relations with India and recognises that the country has the potential to transform the Indo-Pacific region and is an “important partner” when it comes to competing effectively with China, a former White House official has said. By Yoshita Singh

FGN45 SINGAPORE-ASSAM-SARMA

CM Sarma, Singapore president discuss Assam’s role in India-Singapore comprehensive strategic partnership Singapore: During his visit to Singapore, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma discussed with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam his state's role as a key pillar in the India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. By Gurdip Singh

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