News updates: World moving to new energy system, India stuck in old economic thinking, says Rahul

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8:31 PM

Delhi's maximum temperature settles at 23.6 deg C

The national capital on Thursday recorded a maximum temperature of 23.6 degree Celsius, 0.3 notches above the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

 

The minimum temperature was 8.2 degrees Celsius while the humidity level at 5.30 pm was 36 per cent.

 

The city experienced strong winds, the department said.

 

The department predicted a clear sky and strong winds for Friday. Smog and mist are likely in the morning.

 

Meanwhile, the 24-hour average AQI level, which is updated at 4 pm everyday, did not provide data for Thursday.

 

The website shared the AQI for Wednesday, which was in the poor category, with a reading of 284.

8:30 PM

UGC extends deadline to submit feedback on draft UGC regulations

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Thursday extended the deadline for submitting feedback on the Draft UGC Regulations of 2025 to February 28, which focuses on minimum qualification for appointment and promotion of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges.

 

The Draft UGC Regulations, which also focuses on measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education, were uploaded on January 6, requesting feedback from stakeholders connected with academic institutions. The original date to receive feedback was February 5.

 

"In view of requests received from stakeholders to extend the last date to submit feedback on the draft UGC Regulations 2025, UGC has now decided to extend the last date to February 28, 2025. Stakeholders can submit feedback on the draft regulations till 28/02/2025," the notice signed by UGC Secretary Manish R Joshi read.

8:11 PM

PM Modi's speech in Rajya Sabha 'full of lies, half-truths': Congress

The Congress on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his speech in the Rajya Sabha, saying he kept the "river of lies" flowing and "twisted" history but did not speak on the real issues of the people.

 

The opposition party also claimed that the prime minister's speech was "full of lies and half-truths".

 

Modi on Thursday accused the Congress of practising appeasement politics to get votes and asserted that the BJP-led Union government was working on the principle of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'.

 

The prime minister said the Congress' priority was "family first" and its policies had been focused around it.

 

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The prime minister's capacity to divert, distort and defame is truly staggering. His 90-minute speech today in the Rajya Sabha was full of lies and half-truths."

8:10 PM

Eight killed as Rajasthan roadways bus collides with car in Dudu

Eight people were killed in an accident when the tyre of a bus travelling from Jaipur to Ajmer burst causing its driver to lose control of the vehicle, which collided with a car, police said.

 

The tyre of the bus burst near a divider and the vehicle crashed into the car that was travelling from Ajmer. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Deepak Khandelwal confirmed that all eight people in the car died in the crash

 

According to officials, "This was a roadways bus travelling from Jaipur to Ajmer. The tyre exploded near a divider, causing the bus to move to the side. A car coming from Ajmer was involved in a head-on collision with the bus. As a result, the car was severely crushed, and eight people in the vehicle were killed."

 

Rajasthan's Deputy Chief Minister took to the social media platform X to express his grief over the incident. Offering condolences to the bereaved families, he assured that the authorities were taking necessary actions to provide treatment for the injured.

 

8:06 PM

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh describes his phone conversation with US defence secretary as excellent

Reviewed ongoing defence cooperation, explored ways to expand India-US defence ties: Rajnath on phone talks with US defence secretary.

7:07 PM

Israeli Defence Ministry gets Acting Director-General

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz appointed Itamar Graf acting Director-General of the Defense Ministry on Thursday.

 

Graf replaces Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, who was nominated to become the military's next Chief of Staff. Zamir is due to become Chief of Staff on March 6.

 

Graf is currently the ministry's deputy director and head of its planning division.

 

Katz said he intends to appoint a permanent director-general.

6:08 PM

World shifting to new energy system, India stuck in outdated economic thinking: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the world is shifting to a new energy system, where electric motors, batteries, and optics will be the most crucial technologies, yet India "remains stuck in outdated economic thinking, controlled by monopolies like Reliance and Adani".

 

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said when power is no longer concentrated in a few hands, whether in business or government, it transforms everything.

 

Gandhi made the remarks in a post accompanying a video on his YouTube channel on his recent interaction with students from Nagaland.

 

"Spoke with students from Nagaland recently and realized how little we are taught about their culture - that's not education, that's erasure. The Northeast should be far more central to India's vision and development," he said.

 

Gandhi said the real conversation during the interaction, though, was about the future.

5:27 PM

Trump says no US soldiers needed in Gaza, US would take over after war

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no U.S. soldiers would be needed there. "The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians ... would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region," Trump said in a Truth Social post building on his controversial comments about Gaza's future this week.

5:17 PM

B'desh lodges protest with India's deputy envoy over ousted premier Hasina's activities during her India stay

4:51 PM

DeepSeek temporarily suspends API service top-ups

DeepSeek has temporarily suspended API service top-ups, a platform that allows developers of other models to integrate its AI models, due to server resource constraints, its website showed Thursday. The Chinese AI start-up has in the past two weeks faced server issues due to the high traffic spurred by the global clamour.

4:12 PM

Global tariff threats could deal $207 million blow to Pernod Ricard, CFO says

Tariffs affecting cognac sales in China and threatened U.S. levies on Canada, Mexico and the European Union would deal an estimated 200 million euro ($207.24 million) blow to Pernod Ricard's business annually, finance chief Helene de Tissot said on Thursday.

4:02 PM

Honeywell to separate its aerospace unit from automation business, WSJ reports

Honeywell International is expected to reveal its plans to separate its aerospace business from its automation division, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

2:50 PM

Delhi HC fixes April 16 for Karti Chidambaram's plea to quash CBI FIR

The Delhi High Court on Thursday fixed April 16 to hear a plea of Congress MP Karti Chidambaram seeking to quash a CBI FIR against him for allegedly helping an alcoholic beverage company Diageo Scotland over the ban on the duty-free sale of its whisky. Justice Vikas Mahajan deferred the hearing after Karti's lawyer said the arguing counsel was not available.

2:35 PM

Punjab given step-motherly treatment, why did plane carrying deportees landed in Amritsar and not Delhi: AAP

Accusing the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to Punjab, the ruling AAP has asked why the US aircraft that brought back 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar and not Delhi. Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla also raised the same question and slammed the Centre for not protesting the deportation of its citizens.

2:09 PM

Attempt to push RSS agenda: Rahul Gandhi slams govt over draft UGC regulations

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged the UGC's draft regulations on the appointment of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges was an attempt to push the agenda of the RSS that aimed to achieve its idea of imposing "one history, one tradition, one language" on the country.

1:27 PM

Delhi court to hear Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit's defamation case against Atishi on Feb 19

A Delhi court would on February 19 hear a criminal complaint case filed by Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit against Chief Minister Atishi and AAP's Sanjay Singh. Additional chief judicial magistrate Paras Dalal, who was supposed to hear it on Thursday, deferred the hearing on the request of the lawyer for the AAP leaders. The counsel sought time to argue on the point of cognisance on the complaint. The court on January 16 issued notice to Atishi and Singh on the complaint, which alleged the AAP leaders "deliberately" caused harm to Dikshit's goodwill.

1:10 PM

Defence ministry to sign Rs 10,200 cr Pinaka rocket deal with Solar, MIL

The Defence Ministry is set to sign the Rs 10,200 crore contract for ammunition for the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher weapon system on Thursday with Solar Industries, Nagpur and public sector firm Munitions India Limited (MIL). The Cabinet Committee on Security had last week cleared the Indian Army proposal to buy the ammunition including the Area Denial Munitions, said Defence officials. The project would be divided between the rocket manufacturer Solar Industries of Nagpur and the former Ordnance Factory Board company Munitions India Limited (MIL), they said.

12:59 PM

IAS officer Sanjay Sethi appointed as chairman of state-run bus service MSRTC

In a departure from convention, the Maharashtra government has appointed an IAS officer as chairman of the state-run bus service MSRTC instead of a public representative. Transport Secretary Sanjay Sethi, an additional chief secretary-rank officer, was named as the new chairman of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation in a gazette notification on Wednesday. The decision could stir a controversy as in the last one decade, the transport minister or some other public representative has held this post. The previous chairman was Bharat Gogawale, a legislator of the Shiv Sena led by deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

11:58 AM

CLAT 2025: SC transfers pleas challenging exam results to Delhi HC

In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Thursday transferred all petitions challenging the 2025 Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) results to a division bench of the Delhi High Court. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan ordered that all the petitions will be taken up by the high court on March 3. The top court directed registrars of several high courts, including those of Bombay, Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Calcutta, to transfer the judicial records of pending cases to the Delhi High Court within seven days.

11:57 AM

Maha Kumbh 2025: CM Sawant flags off train carrying devotees from Goa to Prayagraj

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday flagged off a special train from Karmali railway station near Panaji to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh for devotees to travel free of cost to attend the Maha Kumbh. The Goa government has announced three special trains from the coastal state to Prayagraj for the devotees. Sawant flagged off the first train at Karmali, as it left carrying nearly 1,000 devotees from different parts of Goa for the 34-hour-long journey to Prayagraj.

11:30 AM

Pune Municipal Corporation seals 30 private water supply plants in wake of GBS outbreak

In a swift response to the growing Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) outbreak, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has sealed 30 private water supply plants in the Nanded village, Dhayari and adjoining areas on Sinhgad Road of Pune city. These areas have been identified as the epicentre of the outbreak. The action was taken on these plants in the last two days, said a PMC official. The PMC took action against these plants after collecting water samples that were found unfit for drinking. Some plants lacked proper permission to operate, while others were contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria. Additionally, certain plants were not using disinfectants and chlorine to control contamination

11:06 AM

2 staffers of Saif Ali Khan's house identify arrested Bangladeshi man as attacker

Two staffers at Saif Ali Khan's residence have identified Bangladeshi man Shariful Fakir as the one who attacked the actor after entering his house here last month, a police official said. Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30) alias Vijay Das was arrested last month for allegedly stabbing the actor, and is currently in judicial custody. The Mumbai police on Wednesday conducted an Identification Parade (IP) at the Arthur Road jail here in connection with the case of the attack on Khan, he said.

10:55 AM

Plane carrying 33 Gujarati immigrants, deported from US, lands in Ahmedabad

A plane carrying 33 persons from Gujarat, who were among 104 Indians deported from the US for illegal immigration, landed at Ahmedabad airport from Amritsar on Thursday morning, officials said. Soon after their arrival, the 33 immigrants, including some children and women, were transported to their native places in Gujarat in police vehicles.

10:27 AM

President Droupadi Murmu to be on 2-day visit to Jharkhand next week

President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Jharkhand next week for two days to attend a programme.

The president will arrive in Ranchi on February 14 and attend the platinum jubilee celebrations of BIT Mesra the next day. The institute will commemorate 70 years of academic excellence, research and technological innovation, said official.

10:13 AM

Train services affected between Bhivpuri Road and Karjat due to technical issue

Train services between Bhivpuri Road and Karjat station, a major rail terminus both on the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network have been severely affected due to a technical issue. Both up and down local trains and Mail/Express services are currently disrupted. According to the Mumbai Division of Central Railways, "Due to a technical issue between Bhivpuri Road and Karjat station, All UP/DN locals and Mail/Express are affected. Restoration work is in progress.

9:55 AM

6 states adopt joint resolution seeking withdrawal of draft UGC regulations 2025

Six States have adopted a joint resolution seeking the withdrawal of draft UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025. Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka adopted the 15-point resolution at the conclave of State Higher Education Ministers-2025 in Bengaluru.

9:30 AM

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh calls Donald Trump's Gaza plan 'bizarre' and 'unacceptable'

Congress General Secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, on Wednesday criticised US President Donald Trump's opinion of "taking over" the Gaza Strip, calling it "bizarre" and "unacceptable." "President Trump's loud thinking on the future of Gaza is bizarre, dangerous, and totally unacceptable. A two-state solution that fulfills the completely legitimate aspirations of the Palestianian people to lead a life in independence and dignity, and also ensures security for Israel, is the ONLY basis for sustainable peace in West Asia," the Congress leader and MP wrote in a post on X.

9:13 AM

Delhi wakes to light fog, rain likely with approaching western disturbance

Delhi woke up to a thin layer of fog on Thursday, with a slight rise in temperature expected later in the day, offering some relief from the cold. Delhi residents continue to experience fluctuating weather conditions, with a mix of warm and cold spells.

8:33 AM

GBS outbreak: Pune civic body seals 19 private RO water plants in Nanded village

The Pune Municipal Corporation has sealed 19 private RO plants in Nanded village area, the epicentre of the Guillain-Barr Syndrome (GBS) outbreak, after tests confirmed water from these facilities was unfit for drinking, officials said. Four fresh cases of suspected GBS, a nerve disorder, were reported in Pune district on Wednesday, taking the overall tally in Maharashtra to 170, they said. The now-sealed privately owned reverse-osmosis (RO) plants, located in Dhayari-Nanded area, supplied bottled water to a large number of people in the vicinity.

8:05 AM

Mumbai police conduct identification parade for accused in Saif Ali Khan stabbing case

Mumbai Police conducted identification parade for Shariful Islam Shehzad, the accused in the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case, at Arthur Road Jail on Wednesday, officials said. According to officials, Shehzad, who allegedly entered Saif's residence with the intent to commit theft, was identified by witnesses present during the incident.