HIGHLIGHTS

DEL5 PB-HR-FARMERS Farmers Delhi Chalo march enters fifth day, BKU Ugrahan to protest outside BJP leaders homes Chandigarh The Bharti Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan will on Saturday hold dharnas outside the residences of three senior BJP leaders in Punjab on the fifth day of the farmers protest over their various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

Following are the top stories at 1.05 pm: NATION: DEL3 BJP-MEET **** BJP's two-day national council meeting begins today New Delhi: A two-day meeting of nearly 11,500 BJP delegates drawn from across the country begins here on Saturday, as the party's top brass led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets set to outline its campaign themes for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.**** DEL10 DL-KEJRIWAL-LD CONFIDENCE MOTION **** Delhi Assembly initiates discussion on motion of confidence moved by CM Kejriwal New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Saturday initiated a discussion on the motion of confidence brought by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who alleged that the BJP tried to poach AAP MLAs to topple his government. **** DEL5 PB-HR-FARMERS **** Farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march enters fifth day, BKU (Ugrahan) to protest outside BJP leaders' homes Chandigarh: The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will on Saturday hold dharnas outside the residences of three senior BJP leaders in Punjab on the fifth day of the farmers' protest over their various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP. **** DEL8 PB-FARMERS-PANDHER **** Farmer leader Pandher asks Centre to bring ordinance to give legal guarantee for MSP Chandigarh: Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday demanded that the Centre should bring an ordinance on giving a legal guarantee to MSP, a key demand of farmers currently camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border. **** CAL3 WB-SANDESHKHALI-WBCPCR **** West Bengal child rights panel team visits Sandeshkhali Kolkata: A six-member team of the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) on Saturday visited Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district to ascertain complaints of child abuse in the politically troubled area. **** CAL4 BH-NITISH-TEJASHWI **** 'Irregularities' took place when RJD was sharing power, things are being investigated: Nitish Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asserted that he has come to know about many irregularities that took place when the RJD was sharing power with the JD(U) and these were now being investigated. **** DEL9 NIA-CHARGE SHEET-LTTE REVIVAL **** Tamil film industry production executive charge-sheeted in LTTE revival conspiracy case New Delhi: The NIA has filed a charge sheet in a special court in Tamil Nadu against one more accused -- a production executive in the local film industry -- in a case related to the revival of the LTTE in Sri Lanka and India.**** MDS3 KL-CONG-TV CHANNEL-ACCOUNTS **** Congress-backed news channel in Kerala says its bank accounts frozen by tax authorities Thiruvananthapuram: The management of Congress-backed Jaihind TV in Kerala on Saturday alleged that its bank accounts were frozen by the Centre, a day after the national party's main bank accounts were frozen by the I-T department over an outstanding tax demand. **** MDS1 ISRO-GSLV **** Countdown for launch of meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS progressing smoothly Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): The countdown for the launch of INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite on-board a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket is progressing smoothly, ISRO said on Saturday.**** LEGAL: LGD4 DL-COURT-KEJRIWAL **** Delhi court exempts CM Kejriwal from personal appearance for Saturday in case of evading ED summons New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday granted exemption to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with a complaint filed by the ED against him over non-compliance with its summonses in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. **** FOREIGN: FGN11 US-INDIA-VERMA-VISIT **** US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma to visit India, Maldives and Sri Lanka from Feb 18-23 Washington, Feb 17 (PTI) Senior American diplomat Richard Verma will embark on a six-day official visit to India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives next week to strengthen the US' bilateral ties with the key Indo-Pacific partners and reaffirm its enduring commitment to a free, open, secure, and prosperous region. By Lalit K Jha **** FGN9 PAK-POLITICS **** Imran Khan's party to sit in Opposition in Pakistan's Parliament; to protest against poll rigging Islamabad: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament while launching a countrywide protest against alleged rigging in the elections after its efforts to form the next government failed. By Sajjad Hussain **** MNK MNK