The Hindu Morning Digest: February 10, 2026

No copies of Naravane’s memoir have gone into publication: Publisher

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Monday (February 9, 2026) said it holds the exclusive publishing rights to former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s memoir titled Four Stars of Destiny and clarified that the book has not yet been published, amid reports of unauthorised copies in circulation. The clarification came after the Delhi Police registered an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the manuscript in digital and other formats. The publisher also warned that any version of the book currently circulating, whether in full or in part and in any format, including print, PDF or online copies, would amount to copyright infringement.

ICC confirms India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match on February 15

The International Cricket Council (ICC) late on Monday night (February 9, 2026) confirmed that Pakistan will honour its commitment of playing all the matches, including the marquee clash against India in Colombo on February 15, of the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup. “The dialogue between ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took place as part of a broader engagement, with both parties recognising the need for constructive dealings and being united, committed and purposeful in their aspirations to serve the best interests of the game with integrity, neutrality and cooperation,” read an ICC statement, issued on Monday night (February 9, 2026). The statement was an affirmation of PCB’s commitment to play all the games in the tournament, as stated in the Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA) that is signed between the ICC and each of the 12 ICC full members.

Starmer stays on as British PM, for now

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s job appeared to have survived a day of calls for him to resign after his Cabinet colleagues came out in support of the Prime Minister in advance of a meeting between Mr. Starmer and Labour MPs. The Prime Minister had come under increasing pressure on Monday (February 9, 2026) as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for him to step down following the resignation, earlier on Monday (February 9, 2026), of Mr. Starmer’s communications head, Tim Allan. Another rift emerged in the party by the end of the day, as per reports in the British press, with Mr. Starmer’s aides accusing Health Secretary Wes Streeting of instigating Mr. Sarwar, an accusation denied by Mr. Streeting’s staff.

Foreign Secretary Misri doesn’t refute Trump’s claims, says ‘national interests’ guide oil imports

India’s oil imports will be guided by “national interests”, said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday (February 9, 2026), but did not refute U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that India has committed to stop buying Russian oil. Mr. Misri’s statement came even as the government prepared to brief parliamentarians about the trade deals finalised with the European Union and the U.S., as well as on trade ties with Bangladesh. The Opposition stepped up its attack over issues surrounding the trade deals, including the impact on farmers, and the government’s refusal to confirm or deny Mr. Trump’s assertions. “What I can firmly and confidently say is that whether it is the government or indeed our business [sector], at the end of the day, national interests will be the guiding factor for us in our choices,” said Mr. Misri.

TMC welcomes Supreme Court intervention in SIR exercise, calls it big victory for West Bengal

The Trinamool Congress on Monday (February 9, 2026) welcomed the intervention of the Supreme Court in the case involving Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal and called it a big victory for the State. The Supreme Court said micro observers appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) cannot take decisions and directed the West Bengal government to make Group B officers available for the SIR. “The Hon’ble Supreme Court has delivered a stinging rebuke to @ECISVEEP’s arbitrary overreach. In unequivocal terms, the Court has ordered that micro-observers can only assist EROs/AEROs and that final authority rests solely with EROs. Further, the Court has directed that 8,505 Bengal officials be tagged to EROs to support the SIR process,” the Trinamool Congress posted on social media.

India, Greece to strengthen defence partnership, expand capacity of military industries

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Greece’s Minister of National Defence, Nikolaos-Georgios Dendias, in New Delhi on Monday (February 9, 2026). The meeting focused on strengthening defence cooperation under the India–Greece Strategic Partnership. According to the Ministry of Defence, both Ministers reiterated that the partnership is rooted in shared values of peace, stability, freedom and mutual respect. They agreed to expand the capacities of their indigenous defence industries by aligning India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative with Greece’s defence reforms under Agenda 2030.

Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions from a House committee, citing 5th Amendment rights

Lawmakers tried on Monday (February 9, 2026) to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, but the former girlfriend and confidante of Jeffrey Epstein invoked her 5th Amendment rights to avoid answering questions that would be incriminating. Maxwell was to be questioned during a video call to the federal prison camp in Texas where she’s serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. She’s come under new scrutiny as lawmakers try to investigate how Epstein, a well-connected financier, was able to sexually abuse underage girls for years. Maxwell has been seeking to have her conviction overturned, arguing that she was wrongfully convicted.

King Charles ‘ready to support’ U.K. police in ex-prince Andrew misconduct probe related to Epstein files

Buckingham Palace on Monday (February 9, 2026) said it “stands ready” to support a police investigation into the conduct of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, after further damaging claims emerged over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing allegations against Andrew that he may have passed on confidential information to Epstein in his former role as the U.K.’s trade envoy. According to the BBC, emails released in the U.S. appear to show that Andrew forwarded reports to Epstein, including one from November 2010 sent by his then Indian-origin special assistant Amit Patel, related to official trade visits.

U.S. trims tariffs on Bangladesh to 19%

Bangladesh on Monday (February 9, 2026) secured a reduced 19% tariff under a trade agreement with the United States that would exempt some textiles and garments manufactured with U.S. materials, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus said. In an X post, he said Washington had “committed to establishing a mechanism for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using U.S.-produced cotton and man-made fibre to receive zero reciprocal tariff in (the) U.S. market”.

Iran arrests at least four reform front politicians

The Islamic Iran Nation’s Union Party sought the release of secretary-general Azar ‍Mansouri, the Shargh newspaper said on Monday (February 9, 2026), after her ​arrest along with other members of the Reform ‌Front, an umbrella body of Iranian reformists ​and moderates. A campaign of mass arrests and intimidation has led to the arrests of thousands as authorities seek to deter further protests after last month’s crackdown on the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The judiciary’s media outlet, Mizan, said “four important political elements supporting the Zionist [regime] and the United States” were indicted but gave no details.

Published – February 10, 2026 07:05 am IST