NCP leadership vacuum after Ajit Pawar's death threatens party unity, symbol use, and coalition arithmetic in state politics.
Ajit Pawar's death leaves the Ajit Pawar-aligned NCP faction without a clear successor, threatening retention of 41 state legislators and prompting speculation about reunification with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). The situation raises operational issues over party symbol use in local elections, campaign organisation, and whether legislators will realign, with potential consequences for Mahayuti coalition arithmetic and control in municipal and local bodies.

Texas suspends new H-1B petitions at state agencies and public universities, requiring prior Workforce Commission approval and reporting.
Texas directed state agencies and public universities to suspend new H-1B visa petitions unless they obtain prior written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission, with the freeze lasting through May 2027 and requiring institutions to report H-1B usage data including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates.

Indian aviation economics favor single aisle aircraft due to CASK and airport capacity pressures, limiting regional jet demand.
Operational economics for regional jets are a sustained challenge in India because of higher Cost Per Available Seat Kilometre (CASK) versus larger narrow body aircraft; congested airports and market scaling favour deploying higher capacity single aisle aircraft. Boeing's projection for 2025-2044 estimates about 3,300 new planes for India and South Asia, with roughly 2,875 single aisle, 395 wide body, and under 10 regional jets, supporting a preference for single aisle economics over regional jet expansion.

Sunsure Energy supplying solar power to Max Healthcare hospital under long-term PPA, cutting energy costs and CO2 emissions.
Sunsure Energy entered a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to supply solar energy from its 15 MW Chitrakoot plant to Max Healthcare's Noida Super Speciality Hospital, commencing supply about three months after signing. The PPA delivers significant cost savings-indicatively nearly 50% against grid electricity-and annual CO2 reductions of about 4,500 tons, while forming part of Sunsure's broader Uttar Pradesh expansion using open access capacity and solar-plus-storage assets to scale industrial decarbonisation.

Global markets mixed as gold and silver surge ahead of expected Fed interest-rate decision.
Equity markets showed mixed performance ahead of a US central bank decision expected to hold interest rates steady, with European indices down and several Asian benchmarks up. The US dollar weakened sharply, prompting discussion of possible official intervention and prompting central banks and investors to move into safe assets. That shift coincided with steep rises in gold and silver prices, while corporate earnings expectations and persistent inflation above the central bank target were cited as key influences on market positioning.

Sanitation facility for tribal girls in Odisha improves privacy, safety and menstrual hygiene through diaspora-funded construction.
UK-based Odia diaspora members funded and built a roofed bathroom facility for 46 tribal girls at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Balika Ashram in Majhiguda, Nabarangpur, following needs assessments and formal approvals. The project, financed by Captain Arun Kar (Retd.) and Mrs Nidhi Kar and supported by a Mon Library fundraising initiative, aims to improve sanitation access, privacy, safety and menstrual hygiene and complements government-provided boarding, education and health services through coordinated engagement with district child-protection and administration.

Social justice and inclusion emphasized, with sensitivity toward Dalits, backward classes, marginalised and tribal communities.
The address stresses an inclusive social justice policy sensitive to Dalits, backward classes, marginalised and tribal communities and links that commitment to expansion of social security coverage and targeted welfare delivery through mechanisms such as Direct Benefit Transfer, housing provision, piped water connections and clean cooking fuel distribution.

AAI to invest Rs 15,000 crore by 2028 to modernise ATC and navigation systems, funded from internal accruals.
AAI will invest Rs 15,000 crore by the end of 2028 to modernise ATC tower automation, navigational systems and related infrastructure based on assessments of airports and technical systems. Several tenders have been floated and others are in process under a prepared roadmap. The entire investment will be funded from internal accruals. AAI projects revenues of Rs 22,000 crore this year, notes a prior one time Rs 2,000 crore advantage, and references typical annual capex of about Rs 8,000 crore.

Alembic City secures 2.4 million sq. ft. lease in a LEED/WELL tower delivering low carbon, energy efficient design.
A global technology company has leased 2.4 million sq. ft. in Alembic City's Tower A, a USGBC LEED Platinum and WELL Certified building. Tower A completed a RICS aligned Whole Life Carbon assessment showing embodied carbon of 751 kg CO2e/sqm and operational energy use of 67 kWh/sqm/year. The masterplan couples commercial, residential, and academic elements-including a University of Liverpool campus and the biophilic 'Cloud Forest' residences-while delivering water reuse, preserved mature trees, pedestrian and cycling pathways, and transit connectivity to enable low carbon, walkable urban living.

Maruti Suzuki Q3 profit rose to Rs 3,879 crore; a Rs 594 crore one-time provision linked to new labour codes reduced reported earnings.
Maruti Suzuki reported consolidated net profit of Rs 3,879 crore and revenue of Rs 49,904 crore for Q3, disclosing in a regulatory filing that profit was reduced by a one-time provision of Rs 594 crore arising from the new Labour Codes.

Ajit Pawar's death prompts public condolences noting his disciplined finance stewardship and coalition realignment impact.
Death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash prompted condolences noting his disciplined management as finance minister and commanding legislative grip; colleagues emphasized his openness, affection for party workers, and the practical collaboration he maintained across political lines despite his 2023 break from the Maha Vikas Aghadi to join the BJP-led coalition, which split his party.

Polyplastics launches recycled content DURAFIDE PPS grades via a re compounding scheme to build local recycling chains and expand PCR use.
Polyplastics will sell two new 40% glass fiber reinforced DURAFIDE(R) PPS grades made with mechanically recycled content via its re compounding service under the "Open PIR Mechanical Recycling Scheme." The program collects specified glass fiber reinforced PPS process scrap from partners, performs inspection, sorting, reformulation and compounding under optimal conditions, and applies the same quality assurance as for virgin materials, with initial collections limited to certain DURAFIDE(R) grades.

National Critical Mineral Mission aims to reduce import dependence by promoting exploration, overseas asset acquisition, and strategic stockpiles.
The National Critical Mineral Mission, funded at Rs 16,300 crore, aims to reduce dependence on foreign sources by promoting domestic and offshore exploration, encouraging Indian public and private entities to acquire critical mineral assets abroad, enhancing trade with resource rich countries, and developing strategic stockpiles of minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements to strengthen supply chain resilience for EVs, green energy, defence and high technology manufacturing.

Ajit Pawar's death in an aircraft crash will be probed; government highlights administrative continuity and fiscal roles affected.
Eknath Shinde announced that the aircraft accident killing Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others "will be probed," framing the investigation as an executive response to a fatal aviation incident and noting Pawar's fiscal role in programs like the Ladki Bahin Yojana and his contribution to coalition governance and administrative continuity.

Opposition to press MGNREGA repeal and SIR during Budget session, raising them in debates and protesting democratically.
Opposition parties resolved to prioritise repeal of MGNREGA and the SIR issue in the Budget session, raising them during the Motion of Thanks and the Union Budget debates and conducting coordinated democratic protests while participating in parliamentary proceedings.

Kasturba Medical College Manipal recognition enables MBBS eligibility for Singapore medical registration, subject to regulatory requirements.
Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, has been recognised by the Singapore Medical Council effective February 1, 2026, after assessment of academic quality, language of instruction, clinical exposure, and graduate performance. The MBBS qualification from KMC Manipal will be registrable for medical practice in Singapore, and graduates-irrespective of nationality or year of graduation-may seek registration subject to the Council's regulatory and supervisory requirements and applicable procedural assessments.

Movate and Krisp partnership enables AI accent conversion to scale global voice operations cost-efficiently and improve comprehension.
Movate and Krisp integrated Krisp's real-time AI Accent Conversion, voice translation, noise cancellation, and on-device AI models into Movate's CX delivery and simulated training, aiming to accelerate agent proficiency, improve comprehension, expand talent pools by removing accent barriers, and enable cost-efficient, scalable global voice operations while maintaining security and privacy.

India and South Asia airlines will need nearly 3,300 new planes by 2044 amid rising passenger and cargo demand.
India and South Asia airlines are projected to need nearly 3,300 new aircraft by 2044, raising the fleet from 795 to about 2,925 planes, with single aisle jets representing roughly 90% of deliveries. The forecast also identifies workforce requirements (about 45,000 pilots, 45,000 technicians, 51,000 cabin crew) and more than USD 195 billion in aviation services investment, and predicts significant widebody and freighter fleet expansion to support international networks and cargo demand.

Maoist terror: intensified security operations and surrenders have cut affected districts to three, with reintegration measures underway.
Union government policy of intensified security operations has reduced Maoist affected districts from 126 to eight, with three remaining most affected; nearly 2,000 alleged Maoist associates surrendered in the past year, and reintegration measures and local rehabilitation activities accompany the security campaign, which the Union Home Minister has framed within a public deadline to end Maoist violence.

Government affirms institutionalising transparency and using Direct Benefit Transfer to ensure taxpayer funds reach development and welfare.
Policy focuses on creating a system free of corruption by institutionalising transparency and accountability so taxpayer funds serve development and welfare; it highlights delivery of benefits exceeding Rs 6.75 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer, major investments in infrastructure, and ongoing regulatory reform to update rules and provisions for future needs.