PTI HIGHLIGHTS AT 8

The following are PTI's top/expected stories at 8 pm:

STORIES ON THE WIRE:

NATION:

DEL29

LD PADMAAVAT

Violence escalates ahead of 'Padmaavat' release; Not to

be screened in 4 states, says multiplex body

Jaipur/Mumbai: Violent protests spread to towns and cities in many states including Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra and UP, a day ahead of the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat, as fringe groups opposing the film remain defiant.

DEL28

NCR-PADMAAVAT-LD PROTESTS GURGAON

'Padmaavat': Protesters block traffic, torch bus in

Gurgaon

Gurgaon: Hundreds of supporters of a fringe Rajput group protest violently in Gurgaon despite prohibitory orders imposed in the city and torched a state-run bus and blocked the Delhi-Jaipur national highway against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's controversial film 'Padmaavat'.
 

DEL26

ENV-INDEX-INDIA

India ranks 177 out of 180 in Environmental Performance

Index

New Delhi: India is among the bottom five countries on the Environmental Performance Index 2018, plummeting 36 points from 141 in 2016, according to a biennial report by Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum.

DEL32

AVI-RCS-ROUTES

Govt awards 325 air routes in tier 2, 3 cities under

UDAN-2

New Delhi: The government awards 325 routes to airlines as well as helicopter operators, enhancing air connectivity to 73 new airports and helipads in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, including Kargil in the frontier Ladakh region.

DEL38

ASEAN-SUMMIT-LEADERS

ASEAN leaders arrive for landmark summit; will be chief

guests at R-Day parade

New Delhi: Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Singaporean Premier Lee Hsien Loong were among the ASEAN leaders who arrived here, a day ahead of the India-ASEAN summit.

DEL31

CAB-PREZ-SPEECH

President's Parliament address gets Cabinet nod

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet clears President Ram Nath Kovind's speech which he will deliver in Parliament at a joint sitting of both the Houses on February 29, the first day of the Budget session, official sources say.

DEL36

PREZ-VIETNAM

India, Vietnam need to enhance cooperation in oil sector:

Prez

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind asserts that India- Vietnam relations are on an upward curve, and says the two countries need to enhance cooperation in oil and gas sector.

DEL37

RAHUL-PM-BLACKMONEY

Got any blackmoney back from Switzerland on your plane,

Rahul asks PM

New Delhi: In yet another swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi reminds him of his promise to bring back black money stashed abroad and asked if he had brought some of it on his plane while returning from the WEF meet in Switzerland.

BOM19

CG-NAXAL-ENCOUNTER

4 policemen killed in encounter with Naxals in

Chhattisgarh

Raipur: Four police personnel, including two sub- inspectors, killed and seven others injured in a gun-fight with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police say.

DEL27

HRD-AICTE-CURRICULUM

Curriculum revamp for engineering, technical courses

New Delhi: Curriculum for engineering and technical courses across the country revamped by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to meet the demands of the industry.

LEGAL:

LGD18

DL-HC-2NDLD AAP-DISQUALIFICATION

No stay on AAP MLAs disqualification

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court refuses to stay the Centre's notification disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs for holding office of profit, but restrains the Election Commission (EC) from taking any "precipitate measures" like announcing dates for by-polls till January 29.

LGC3

JH-COURT-FODDER-LALU-SENTENCE

Lalu, Mishra awarded 5 yr jail term in fodder scam case

Ranchi: A special CBI court sentences former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra to 5 years in jail in a fodder scam case.

BUSINESS:

DEL35

BIZ-LD JAITLEY

Govt ensures Rs 1 lakh cr to PSU banks by Mar; unveils

reforms

New Delhi: The government say it will infuse an unprecedented Rs 88,139 crore capital in 20 public sector banks (PSBs) before March 31 to boost lending and revive growth, and unveiled steps to tackle the bad loan problem which has reached record levels.

FOREIGN:

FGN13

WEF-PAKISTAN-BELT ROAD

Belt Road Initiative much more than infra partnership

with China: Pak PM

Davos: Expressing strong support to China on its Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says it is much more than just an infrastructure partnership and will go a long way in creating a shared future in a fractured world. By Barun Jha.