The Hindu Morning Digest: February 14, 2026

Sikh separatist Pannun murder plot: Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in U.S. court

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh separatist in New York City, ​pleaded guilty on Friday (February 13, 2026) to ⁠three criminal charges, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan said. Gupta, ‌54, pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and ‌conspiracy to commit money laundering, which ‌carry ⁠a maximum combined sentence ⁠of 40 years in prison, the spokesperson said. He entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge ​Sarah Netburn in ‌Manhattan federal court.

Trump says change in power in Iran ‘would be best thing that could happen’

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that a change in power in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen” as the U.S. administration weighs whether to take military action against Tehran. Mr. Trump made the comments shortly after visiting with troops in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and after he confirmed earlier in the day that he’s deploying a second aircraft carrier group to the Mideast for potential military action against Iran. “It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Mr. Trump said in an exchange with reporters when asked about pressing for the ouster of the Islamic clerical rule in Iran.

Hasina’s presence in India, Ganga waters treaty to be key priorities for BNP government: sources

Stopping “border killings”, starting negotiations for renewal of the Ganga waters agreement, and increasing the number of medical visas are some of the priority areas for Bangladesh’s incoming government, sources in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party told The Hindu on Friday (February 13, 2026). Giving an insight into the list of deliverables, BNP’s sources said India should urgently deal with the issue of Sheikh Hasina’s presence on Indian soil, as Ms. Hasina has been making comments about the developments in her country.

DGCA slaps ₹1 crore fine on Air India for operating plane without requisite certification

Aviation safety watchdog DGCA has imposed a fine of ₹1 crore on Tata Group-owned Air India for operating an Airbus A320 Neo plane without the requisite airworthiness certification on at least eight routes last year, according to sources. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on December 2 last year, said it was probing the incident of Air India operating an A320 Neo plane without having a requisite airworthiness certification on at least eight routes. The sources said on Friday (February 13, 2026) that the regulator has imposed a ₹1 crore fine on Air India for the violations.

Another 6 lakh names may go from Bengal voter list

About six lakh more names are likely to be removed from the West Bengal voter list, as hearings for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State are set to end on February 14. In the first phase of the SIR, 58 lakh names were already removed from the State’s voter list, and the total number of electors dropped to 7.08 crore. Sources at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal pointed out that, so far, approximately 6.25 lakh electors were absent from their SIR hearings. Notices for ‘logical discrepancies’ in enumeration forms were issued to about 1.36 crore voters, and the details of 1.23 crore of them have been verified. While details are yet to be uploaded for a few lakh voters, about 6.25 lakh voters did not appear for their hearings despite notices being issued to them by the ECI.

Give ‘some acknowledgement’ to Dhrupad singer, Supreme Court asks A.R. Rahman

The Supreme Court asked music composer A.R. Rahman and the producers of the Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan II on Friday to consider giving “some sort of an acknowledgement” to Dhrupad singer and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar for the musical composition “Shiva Stuti” used in the song “Veera Raja Veera” featured in the Tamil film. The song composition is based on “Shiva Stuti”, originally sung by the Dagar brothers, Late Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Dagar and Late Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar, the father and uncle, respectively, of Mr. Wasifuddin Dagar. Mr. Dagar has argued that the film credits and acknowledges that the song was based on “Dagarvani Tradition Dhrupad” – a broad stylistic approach to Hindustani Classical music – but it did not give any credit to him.

Adani Group enters nuclear power sector after SHANTI Act

The Adani Group announced its entry into the nuclear power sector on Thursday (February 12, 2026), via a regulatory filing. This is the first instance of a major power company in India doing so, following the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act in December. “We wish to inform you that Adani Power Limited (APL) has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary — Adani Atomic Energy Limited,” the company said, in a notice to the National Stock Exchange of India on February 12. It did not offer any details on the exact nature of the group’s plans.The Hindu reached out to Adani Power for more details but did not receive a comment before the time of publication.

India believed that Panchsheel pact settled border: CDS Anil Chauhan

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday (February 13, 2026) said that independent India was keen on building a good relationship with China. He said that after Independence, it was for India to decide where the frontiers lay. “[Jawaharlal] Nehru probably knew that we had something like the McMahon Line in the east, and we had some kind of claim in the Ladakh area, but it was not clearly defined. That is why he wanted to go in for the Panchsheel Agreement… probably,” General Chauhan said.

Telecom service providers do not own spectrum: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 13, 2026) laid down that telecom service providers (TSPs) do not own spectrum, a precious and finite public resource meant to be used for the common good of all, and cannot include it among their pool of “assets” for insolvency or liquidation. A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul Chandurkar held that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) excludes any assets over which a corporate debtor has no ownership rights. “Mere recognition of spectrum licensing rights as an intangible asset by TSPs in the financial statements is not conclusive of their ownership, as it only represents control over future economic benefits,” Justice Narasimha clarified the law.

AAIB preliminary report on plane crash near Baramati to be released very soon: Civil Aviation Minister

AAIB’s preliminary report on the Learjet 45 aircraft crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others will be released very soon, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said on Friday (February 13, 2026). The Learjet 45 plane that crashed near Baramati airport on January 28 belonged to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. Pawar and four others were killed in the crash, which is being probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). “Very soon we will have the preliminary report of the investigation,” Mr. Naidu said. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by real estate industry body Naredco.

Arundhati Roy withdraws from Berlin Film Festival amid Gaza row

Award-winning writer Arundhati Roy said Friday (February 13, 2026) she was withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival over jury president Wim Wenders’ comments that he wanted to “stay out of politics” after being asked about Gaza. Ms. Roy said in a statement sent to AFP that she was “shocked and disgusted” by Mr. Wenders’ response to a question on Gaza at a press conference on Thursday (February 12, 2026). “With deep regret, I must say that I will not be attending the Berlinale,” she said. When asked about Germany’s support for Israel at the press conference, Mr. Wenders said, “We cannot really enter the field of politics,” describing filmmakers as “the counterweight to politics”.

Women, minority representation at two-decade low in Bangladesh

As the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a landslide victory, the 13th national polls have recorded the lowest representation of women and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh in over two decades. Only seven women have been directly elected to Parliament, while representation from religious and ethnic minority communities has also fallen, with just four candidates elected. Of the seven women elected, six are BNP nominees. The seventh is an independent candidate who was expelled from the BNP ahead of the polls. This election marks a significant decline in women’s representation in the national Parliament compared to recent polls. In the 12th national election in 2024, 19 women won general seats. The numbers were higher in the two preceding parliaments, with 22 women elected in 2018 and 18 in 2014. The highest figure in the past two decades was recorded in 2008, when 19 women were elected.

Iran announces enquiry team to investigate deadly protests

The Iranian government announced on Friday (February 13, 2026) the establishment of a commission of enquiry to look into protests against the high cost of living that turned into anti-government rallies that left thousands dead. “A fact-finding committee has been formed with representatives from relevant institutions and is collecting documents and hearing statements,” Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told the local news agency ISNA. “The final report will be published for public information and further legal action after the process is completed,” she stated.

Rubio holds talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday (February 13, 2026) on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference at a time of heightened Washington-Beijing tensions. The talks, which lasted an hour according to Rubio’s team, came just days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House toward the end of the year, notably to discuss trade issues. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Wang met at a major hotel in the Bavarian capital, shaking hands but not speaking to reporters. Washington and Beijing have been locked in a standoff over tariffs since Mr. Trump returned to power last year.

U.N. ‘extremely worried’ by Cuba crisis

The United Nations said on Friday (February 13, 2026) it was deeply alarmed by the crisis unfolding in Cuba as the island nation struggles under what amounts to a U.S. blockade of oil deliveries. President Donald Trump has vowed to starve Cuba of oil after last month’s U.S. military ousting of Nicolas Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, which had been communist Cuba’s main oil supplier. “We are extremely worried about Cuba’s deepening socio-economic crisis — amid a decades-long financial and trade embargo, extreme weather events, and the recent U.S. measures restricting oil shipments,” U.N. human rights office spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told a media briefing in Geneva.

Published – February 14, 2026 07:18 am IST