Passenger arriving from Bangkok arrested with 12 kg hydroponic ganja worth Rs 4.2 crore at Bengaluru airport.
Passenger arriving from Bangkok was intercepted at Kempegowda International Airport after customs discovered 12 kg of hydroponic ganja concealed in checked baggage, valued at approximately Rs 4.20 crore, and arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

India will continue importing crude from cheapest, best-quality sources and pursue interim trade agreements with the US and EU.
Indian oil companies will continue to procure crude from jurisdictions offering the lowest prices and best quality, considering geopolitical factors and excluding sanctioned sources; procurement may include suppliers newly available after sanctions are lifted. Separately, officials reported progress toward an interim India-US trade agreement and an India-EU FTA, describing reciprocal tariff adjustments (notably an 18 percent US tariff on Indian goods) and an aspirational bilateral import objective of USD 500 billion, with finer terms and confidentiality to be resolved.

Opposition moves to remove the Lok Sabha Speaker under Article 94C for alleged partisan conduct in House proceedings.
Opposition parties moved a resolution under Article 94C seeking removal of the Lok Sabha Speaker for allegedly conducting House business in a blatantly partisan manner, citing denial of speaking opportunities, arbitrary suspensions of opposition MPs, failure to discipline a government MP for personalised attacks, and the Speaker's remarks urging the Prime Minister not to attend a reply. The Speaker stepped aside from chairing sittings while the motion is pending; Article 96 and voting limitations for a Speaker during a removal motion are noted, and the motion is slated for consideration when the House reconvenes for budget business.

Peeragarhi triple deaths probe centers on a self-styled mystic; phones seized and forensics pursued amid murder and suicide inquiries.
Investigation into three deaths in a locked car centers on a self-styled mystic with prior acquittals; police cite items at the scene and CCTV showing the mystic in the vehicle, have seized mobile phones for forensic analysis, questioned multiple persons, and are pursuing both murder and suicide lines while awaiting post-mortem and toxicology findings.

Adulterated food sales targeted in crackdown; enforcement, lab testing and licence cancellations for repeat offenders.
Enforcement actions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 address unsafe, substandard and misbranded dairy products following laboratory testing; offences include marketing non-dairy formulations as paneer and open sale of soya products, with penalties ranging up to licence/registration cancellation for repeat offenders and administrative measures such as shop sealing, FIR registration and prohibition of sale.

Power distribution: HERC pushes modernisation, lower AT&C losses and explores consumer choice amid ARR deficit.
HERC reviewed ARR petitions for 2026-27, noting a projected revenue requirement of Rs 51,156.71 crore and estimated revenue at existing tariffs of Rs 52,761.87 crore (surplus Rs 1,605.16 crore) but a net deficit of Rs 4,484.71 crore after adjusting past revenue gaps; the Commission emphasised reducing AT&C losses, modernising the distribution network, improving consumer satisfaction, avoiding passing unnecessary costs to consumers, and exploring future consumer choice, while holding public hearings to solicit stakeholder input.

Journalist Ravi Nair convicted for criminal defamation over tweets alleged to be false and damaging to Adani Enterprises' reputation.
A magistrate court in Mansa convicted journalist Ravi Nair of criminal defamation after finding that tweets he published contained false and defamatory statements intended to harm Adani Enterprises Ltd's reputation, concluding the publications were not protected as fair comment and that AEL established the essential elements of the offence; the court imposed a custodial term and a fine following a full trial.

Five-day festival in Mizoram promotes entrepreneurship, MSME growth, and job linkage through skills and targeted support.
A five-day state-led festival organised by the Labour, Employment, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship Department promotes entrepreneurship, MSME development, decentralised economic activity, and market-linked skill acquisition. The event showcases departmental services and programmes, integrates a job fair to connect job seekers and employers, and emphasises hand-holding support for youth, women, and rural communities with priorities on quality, sustainability, and market relevance.

Andhra Pradesh seeks Centre approval for Polavaram project, funding for Phase II and release of Rs 1,211 crore for farm schemes for infrastructure and relief.
Andhra Pradesh seeks revocation of the Polavaram stop work order, reimbursement for canal capacity upgrades, and full central funding for Polavaram Phase II including land acquisition, rehabilitation and embankments; requests approvals and support for the Polavaram Nallamala Sagar Link Project; and urges gazette notification of the Vamsadhara tribunal report and constitution of a Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal to resolve interstate water sharing.

DGCA orders special safety audit of non-scheduled flight operators after fatal VSR Ventures Learjet crash.
DGCA ordered a special safety audit of non-scheduled flight operators, including VSR Ventures, directed on February 2, commencing February 4 and conducted in a phased manner covering VSR Ventures and 14 other non-scheduled operators through February 25, as regulatory oversight pending the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's probe of the January 28 Learjet 45 crash (VT-SSK).

Lok Sabha resumes Budget debate after stalemate; 18-hour debate set amid Speaker removal notice and member suspensions.
Lok Sabha resumed the Union Budget debate after a stalemate, with Shashi Tharoor opening debate and the Business Advisory Committee allocating 18 hours; the Finance Minister is expected to respond later in the week. The resumption followed opposition notices seeking the Speaker's removal and came in the wake of repeated disruptions since February 2 that led to the suspension of eight members, prevented the Prime Minister from replying to the Motion of Thanks, and resulted in over 19 hours of lost House time.

Haryana solarisation drive: officials ordered time-bound PM-KUSUM rollout and rooftop solar on government buildings and feed surplus power into grid.
The Chief Minister ordered time-bound acceleration of PM-KUSUM implementation and solarisation of agricultural pumps, requiring surplus power from those pumps to be fed into the government grid and fast-tracking rooftop solar installation on government buildings and infrastructure, with deputy commissioners tasked to actively monitor and expedite implementation.

Delhi LakhpatiBitiya Yojna provides phased, education linked cash deposits into Aadhaar linked accounts for eligible girls.
The Delhi LakhpatiBitiya Yojna replaces the Ladli scheme, offering up to Rs 56,000 per girl in phased, education linked instalments invested to accrue interest and paid into Aadhaar linked accounts at maturity. Eligibility: girls born in Delhi, three year city residency, family income Rs 1.20 lakh, maximum two surviving girls per family, with registration at birth or specified educational entry points. Instalments and maturity conditions are tied to specific class admissions and graduation; unclaimed or non compliant amounts revert to the government.

IRCTC scam: prosecution alleges decade-long conspiracy, quid pro quo and corruption leading to charges under anti-corruption and criminal laws.
Prosecution opposes challenges to framing of charges in the IRCTC matter, alleging a decade-long criminal conspiracy and quid pro quo that caused loss to the exchequer through a manipulated tender process and undervalued land transfers. Charges include corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating under the penal code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act for criminal misconduct and abuse of position by a public servant, forming the basis for continued prosecution.

India-US trade deal seen as coerced opening; concessions may erode India's textile advantage versus Bangladesh.
The India-US trade arrangement is described as a coerced opening in which India conceded more than it obtained, and a US-Bangladesh textile understanding-reducing tariffs and exempting certain goods made with US materials from reciprocal tariffs-is said to have erased India's competitive advantage in US textile markets.

Mizoram to table the 2026-27 state budget and supplementary grants on February 26 during a month-long assembly session.
Presentation of the state budget is scheduled for February 26, when the Chief Minister holding the Finance portfolio will table the 2026-27 budget and supplementary grants for 2025-26. The budget session runs February 17-March 16 with 17 sittings, opening with the Governor's address. The secretariat has listed 946 starred and 339 unstarred questions for Question Hour, and three amendment bills, including amendments to marriage, inheritance and local bodies, are slated for presentation.

AB InBev to procure over 16,000 tons of barley in 2026 to strengthen supply chains and farmer partnerships.
AB InBev India will procure over 16,000 tons of domestically grown barley in 2026 through the SmartBarley programme, engaging over 2,000 farmers, increasing per-farmer malt-quality land allocation, and pairing purchases with science-based agronomy, regenerative practices, R&D trials and digital tools to strengthen supply-chain resilience and market access.

US stocks drift near records as mixed earnings and Fed rate expectations shape market direction this week.
US equities traded near record highs amid mixed corporate earnings and lower Treasury yields after retail results signalled softer consumer spending; upcoming employment and consumer inflation reports were identified as pivotal for Federal Reserve decisions on the timing of interest-rate cuts. Company earnings and forecasts produced divergent stock moves-Hasbro and DuPont beat expectations while Coca-Cola and S&P Global fell-and Paramount's revised takeover terms influenced sector activity alongside record gains in Japan's Nikkei on prospective fiscal measures.

Rupee gains 10 paise to 90.56 against US dollar amid equity support and softer dollar.
Rupee strengthened by 10 paise to settle at 90.56 against the US dollar, driven by domestic equity support and foreign fund inflows while constrained by geopolitical tensions and importer dollar demand; intraday range recorded between 90.77 and 90.48 and USDINR expected to trade in a 90.30-90.80 band ahead of US employment data.

Odisha industrial approvals: 23 projects worth Rs 4,111.80 crore approved, spanning multiple sectors and creating nearly 10,000 jobs.
The State Level Single Window Clearance Authority approved 23 industrial proposals totalling Rs 4,111.80 crore across multiple sectors to be implemented in 11 districts, expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs. Notable approvals include five-star hotels in Khurda and Puri, a railway component manufacturing unit, a multi-drone manufacturing centre, a shipbuilding and ship-repair facility, and apparel and pharmaceutical manufacturing units.