Morning Digest | February 7, 2026

White House releases Joint Statement on India-U.S. interim trade deal

The White House on ​Friday (February 6, 2026) released a Joint Statement by the U.S. and India on a framework for ‌an interim trade agreement between the two countries that they said affirms their commitment to negotiations towards a broader bilateral trade deal launched by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025. “India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and a wide range of U.S. food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products,” the statement said.

India trashes Pakistan’s allegations of Indian link to Islamabad bombing

India on Friday (February 7, 2026) categorically rejected Pakistan’s allegations of an Indian link to the bombing at a mosque in Islamabad that killed at least 31 people. The Ministry of External Affairs said: “The bombing at an Islamabad mosque earlier today is condemnable and India condoles the loss of life it has caused. It is unfortunate that, instead of seriously addressing the problems plaguing its social fabric, Pakistan should choose to delude itself by blaming others for its home-grown ills. India rejects any and every such allegation, which is as baseless as it is pointless.”

Meghalaya mine blast toll touches 25; two owners arrested, rescue operations continue

The death toll in Thursday’s (February 5, 2026) explosion in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district rose to 25 on Friday (February 6, 2026). Police and personnel of disaster response forces had recovered 18 bodies from the disaster site in the Mynsyngat Thangsko area on Thursday. The spot is about 25 km from the district headquarters, Khliehriat, and takes about three hours to reach in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Bihar MP Pappu Yadav arrested in 1995 forgery case after late-night drama

Independent Bihar MP Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, was arrested by Patna Police late Friday (February 6, 2026) from his residence in Patna in connection with a case dating back to 1995, officials said. High drama unfolded at Mr. Yadav’s house in Mandiri locality when a police team arrived to execute a warrant issued by an MP/MLA court in the case registered under section 467 (forgery of documents) of the Indian Penal Code.

Election Commission directives ignored, disabled people made to wait in queue for SIR hearings in Bengal

Thirty-nine-year-old Arpita Banerjee, a resident of Baranagar in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, has been battling multiple health problems since childhood, exacerbated by neurological disorders. Born in November 1987, Ms. Banerjee had been on the earlier 2025 voter list and was included in the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft electoral rolls published in December last year. Soon after, however, she received a notice to attend a hearing over a “logical discrepancy” arising from a mismatch in the spelling of the surname “Banerjee” in her and her father’s records.

$120 million committed to Chabahar port in Iran completely paid: India

The government on Friday (February 6, 2026) told Parliament that it has completely paid up its commitment of $120 million for Chabahar port, well before the U.S. sanctions waiver runs out in April 2026. Iran’s Ambassador to India, however, said that the government has not so far conveyed its plans for the future of the port, even as Opposition MP Manish Tewari accused the government of acting prematurely to “opt out” of the port deal.

Top Maoist leader Prabhakar, six others killed in Gadchiroli operations

In the anti-Maoist operations going on for the last three days, top Maoist leader Prabhakar was killed along with six other Maoists, including three women cadres, in Gadchiroli’s Abujmad region, police said on Friday (February 6, 2026). Prabhakar alias Loketi Chandar Rao carried a cash reward of ₹25 Lakh on his head, and was in-charge of the Maoists’ Gadchiroli Division Committee, West Sub-Zonal Bureau and ‘Company No 10’. One police jawan died in the operation, while one was injured.

Bystanders cannot be ‘picked up’ as part of mob: Delhi HC on Turkman Gate violence

The Delhi High Court on Friday orally observed that bystanders cannot be “picked up” for being part of the mob that indulged in stone pelting during a demolition exercise near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in Turkman Gate last month. Justice Prateek Jalan made the observation while dealing with a plea for anticipatory bail by a person accused of instigating the crowd.

Supreme Court allows abortion of 30-week pregnancy of a minor, upholds right to reproductive autonomy

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 6, 2026) allowed the medical termination of a 30-week-old pregnancy of a minor, while noting that a person cannot be compelled to carry her pregnancy to its full term. “What has to be considered in the instant case is the right of the minor child to continue a pregnancy which is ex facie illegitimate in as much as she is a minor and has to face this unfortunate situation of having the pregnancy owing to a relationship that she had,” a Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan remarked in court.

CPI(M) MP moves Right to Disconnect Bill in Rajya Sabha

In a bid to address the worsening work-life balance and rising mental health concerns, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim on Friday introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, which seeks to guarantee employees the right to disengage from work-related communication outside official working hours.

At least 31 killed, 169 injured in suicide attack at Shia religious centre in Pakistan

At least 31 people were killed and 169 were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan’s capital, police sources said. The powerful explosion occurred at Tarlai Imambargah in the Shehzad Town area of the federal capital. The suicide bomber was stopped at the gate of the Imambargah, but he blew himself up, they said.

Bangladesh elections: BNP promises to end ‘border killings’ by BSF, seeks fair share of cross border rivers

A week before the election and referendum in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) launched its manifesto announcing that its foreign policy will be based on ‘Bangladesh Before All’ and said, that the party will establish friendly relation with all but will not accept any country as its “master”. The manifesto declared that if elected to power, BNP will prioritise to end “border killings” by the Border Security Force (BSF) of India and take steps to claim a “fair share” of common rivers with India like Teesta and Padma. The manifesto also called for building “strategic partnership” between Bangladesh and the Gulf countries and announced that the BNP “will not tolerate” any terrorist activity on Bangladesh’s soil.

Iran FM Araghchi says agreed with U.S. to ‘proceed with negotiations’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday (February 6, 2026) described the atmosphere of talks with the United States as positive, with the two sides agreeing to proceed with negotiations. The talks took place following threats from Washington and after it recently deployed an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following Iran’s deadly response to anti-government protests.

Trump signs order threatening tariffs on nations doing business with Iran

​U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday (February 6, 2026) ​that may ⁠impose a 25% tariff on ​countries ⁠that do business with Iran. The order ‌comes as ‌tensions between Iran ‍and U.S. continue to ‍simmer even as the two countries engaged in talks this week.

Iran rules out U.S. demand to end uranium enrichment during Oman talks, diplomat says

Iran has ‍rejected U.S. calls ​to halt uranium enrichment ‌on ​its territory during talks in Oman on Friday (February 6, 2026), a regional diplomat briefed ​by Tehran told ⁠Reuters, but said it was willing ​to discuss ⁠the “level and purity” of enrichment or a regional ‌consortium. The diplomat ‌added that Tehran believed ‍the U.S. negotiators “seemed to ‍understand Iran’s stance on the enrichment … and they showed flexibility about Tehran’s demands”.

RBI MPC keeps repo rate unchanged at 5.25%

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced that the central bank’s policy rate will remain unchanged at 5.25%. The decision was announced on Friday (February 6, 2026), following the RBI monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting, where the unchanged rate was decided unanimously. Mr. Malhotra said that the MPC maintained a neutral stance, arriving at the decision after a detailed assessment of evolving macroeconomic conditions and the overall economic outlook.

ICC U-19 WC final: Sooryavanshi blitz leads India to historic sixth U-19 World Cup win

Batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lit up the grand stage with a jaw-dropping 175 to power India to a record-extending sixth ICC Under-19 World Cup title with a 100-run victory over England in the final on Friday (February 6, 2026). The triumph adds to India’s previous titles in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022, underlining their dominance in the tournament’s history.

T20 World Cup: The time has come for cricket’s rapid-fire round

Under the skies over Colombo, Kolkata and Mumbai, a championship will step into its 10th edition on Saturday (February 7, 2026). The ICC T20 World Cup’s latest chapter will find its opening pages through three contests being staged at far-flung cities. Pakistan will take on Netherlands at Colombo, West Indies will lock horns with Scotland at Kolkata, and from 7 p.m., India will face off against the United States of America at Mumbai. Over a month, 20 teams will criss-cross India and to some extent Sri Lanka, as 55 games will be held, including the final on March 8.

Published – February 07, 2026 06:51 am IST