News updates: Putin adviser says Russia-US talks were successful

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8:47 PM

Zelenskyy postpones his trip to Saudi Arabia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed a trip to Saudi Arabia scheduled for this week, citing the fact that officials from his country were not invited to US-Russia talks in the kingdom on negotiating an end to the war.

 

The Ukrainian leader suggested Tuesday that he wanted to avoid his visit being linked to the talks.

 

He said his visit was rescheduled for March 10.

8:42 PM

Delhi: Wait for new CM to end tomorrow; PM, ministers, celebrities to attend Feb 20 oath

Delhi's wait for its new chief minister after the assembly polls will end on Wednesday, when the BJP Legislature Party is slated to choose the Leader of the House, even as preparations for the February 20 oath-taking ceremony are in full swing at the historic Ramlila Ground here.

 

Party leaders said the chief minister and the entire Cabinet will take oath at a grand ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister and other dignitaries.

 

A huge crowd is expected at the event and around 40 celebrities have been invited, sources said, adding the ceremony would be held around noon rather than 4.30 pm, as was communicated by party leaders earlier.

 

BJP MP Yogender Chandolia said preparations for the ceremony are in full swing at the Ramlila Ground.

8:16 PM

Budget session of Gujarat assembly from Feb 19, budget on Thursday

Gujarat budget will be presented on February 20 during the state assembly session beginning Wednesday.

 

Governor Acharya Devvrat will address the House on the first day of the session, Minister of State for Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Praful Pansheria told reporters.

 

"The state budget for the financial year 2025-26 will be presented on February 20 by Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai," he added.

 

He said four bills will be presented during the month-long session, which will conclude on March 28.

 

"The government will bring a bill to repeal the Gujarat State Council for Physiotherapy. Another bill proposing amendments to the Gujarat Clinical Establishments Act will also be brought for discussion," said Pansheria.

 

Two other bills include a bill proposing amendments to the existing GST Act and another to repeal the Gujarat Professional Civil Engineers Act, he said.

8:04 PM

No water supply in some parts of Delhi on Feb 21, 22

7:51 PM

Power Grid Corporation of India (Powergrid) acquires Bidar Transco Ltd

Power Grid Corporation of India (Powergrid) on Tuesday said it was acquiring Bidar Transco Ltd (BTL) after being selected as a successful bidder under a tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB).

REC Power Development and Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL), and arm of REC Ltd, acted as the bid coordinator, Powergrid said in an exchange filing.

On the objectives behind the acquisition, it said BTL is engaged in the same business as that of Powergrid.

BTL has been acquired for an aggregate value of about Rs 6.52 crore, including 50,000 equity shares at par at Rs 10 each, along with assets and liabilities of BTL as on the acquisition date (18.02.2025).

However, the acquisition price is subject to adjustment as per the audited accounts of BTL as on the acquisition date.

7:50 PM

Jharkhand govt hikes DA of employees by 7% Ranchi

6:56 PM

Hamas says it will release 6 living Israeli hostages on Saturday, reports AP

6:22 PM

US, Russia agree to start push towards peace in Ukraine, State dept says

The United States and Russia agreed on Tuesday to address "irritants" to the US-Russia relationship and begin working on a path to end Russia's war in Ukraine, the State Department said, making clear the effort was in its early stages.
 

"One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace," department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said after meetings in Saudi Arabia.

5:51 PM

Putin adviser says Russia-US talks were successful

Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser said on Tuesday that the four-and-a-half-hour talks between Russia and the United States in Saudi Arabia have concluded and were successful.
 

Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday that the two sides discussed the terms of a meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, TASS reported.
 

A meeting between Putin and Trump is unlikely to take place next week, Ushakov said. He added that there was so far no concrete date for a meeting.

5:13 PM

Budget session of Mizoram assembly to begin on Wednesday

A 30-day budget session of the Mizoram legislative assembly will begin on Wednesday, an assembly secretariat official said.

 

Governor Vijay Kumar Singh will deliver his maiden address on the first day, while Chief Minister Lalduhoma will present the state's annual budget for the financial year 2025-2026 on March 4, she said.

 

Lalduhoma also holds the finance portfolio.

 

This is the fourth session of the present 9th assembly after the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) came to power in December 2023.

 

Three Bills, including one seeking to establish a state university, will be tabled in the assembly during the budget session, the official said.

 

Another Bill to be presented calls for allowing private placement agencies to send youths of the state for jobs in foreign countries, according to officials.

5:05 PM

Kashmir may see 'drought' as Jan, Feb record 80% precipitation deficit: MeT

Kashmir has witnessed a dry winter this year with the months of January and February recording a precipitation deficit of around 80 per cent, which has raised the possibility of drought in the valley this summer, the MeT department officials said.

 

Several water bodies are flowing below the zero level mark at many places while some springs in south Kashmir have dried up completely due to the receding water table, they said.

 

"There has been a 79 per cent deficient precipitation in the month of January and the situation in February so far is worse. If the dry weather continues, it is going to cause problems for the residents of the valley as there won't be enough water for drinking or irritating the fields," a MET department official said.

 

An official of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said the water level in River Jhelum and several other water bodies was more than a metre below the usual water level for this time of the year.

4:44 PM

Cancer vaccine for women to be available in five to six months, says Union Minister Jadhav

A vaccine to fight cancers affecting women will be available in five to six months, and those in the age group of nine to 16 years will be eligible for inoculation, Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference here, the Union Minister of State for Health, Family Welfare and Ayush (Independent Charge) said that research on a vaccine is nearly complete and trials are underway.

 

4:39 PM

Delhi Police implements 12-hour traffic restrictions on Chandni Chowk Road

Delhi Police has restricted the traffic movement for 12 hours on Chandni Chowk road from Red Fort to Fatehpuri, an advisory said on Tuesday. According to the advisory, the main Chandni Chowk Road from Red Fort to Fatehpuri has been notified as a non-motorised vehicle (NMV) zone from 9 am to 9 pm by Delhi Transport department. To enforce this notification, boom barriers have been installed on all roads/ streets leading to the main Chandni Chowk Road, it said.

4:33 PM

Kerala govt allocates Rs 1,905 cr to local bodies as third instalment of development fund

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Tuesday announced an allocation of Rs 1,905 crore to the three-tier panchayats and municipalities in the state. In a statement, the minister said that this amount is the third instalment of the development fund.

3:56 PM

BJP MLAs afraid of facing me that's why they boycott the House whenever I speak, alleges Mamata Banerjee

"I am accused of being member of Muslim League, I condemn such remark," says CM Mamata Banerjee in Bengal Assembly. 

3:54 PM

Centre should have sent our transport planes to bring back deportees from US: Mamata Banerjee

I don't speak on issues of national security or foreign policy, but bringing back deportees from US in chains is shameful, says Mamata Banerjee. 

3:35 PM

'Visionless' Modi govt tanked economy: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday termed as ironical the claim of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the Indian economy is giving good returns, and said a "visionless" Modi government has tanked the economy and ruined the lives of Indians. "Nothing can be more ironical than Modi Sarkar's FM saying that our Economy is delivering 'Good Returns', he said in a post on X. Kharge said Rs 45 trillion has been wiped out from the Indian stock markets so far in 2025 and Nifty 50 firms have shown the worst quarterly profit growth in five years.

3:17 PM

SC grants bail to Christian Michel James in AgustaWestland scam case

The top court observed that Christian Michel James was in custody for the past six years while the investigation in the matter was still underway.

2:14 PM

Ruckus in UP Assembly during Governor's address

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday saw uproar by Opposition Samajwadi Party members during Governor Anandiben Patel's address to the House, forcing adjournment of the proceedings for an hour. As soon as the governor started her address to the joint sitting of the House on the first day of the Budget session, SP members raised slogans of like 'Governor go back' and 'Give figures of deaths in Kumbh'. Amidst the uproar, Patel ended the address in just over 8 minutes.

2:05 PM

SC to hear pleas against CEC, ECs appointments on Feb 19

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would on February 19 take up on "priority basis" the pleas against the appointments of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (EC) under the 2023 law. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was informed by advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, that despite the Constitution bench verdict of 2023 directing selection and appointment of the CEC and ECs through a panel including the Chief Justice of India, the government excluded the CJI and made a "mockery of democracy".

1:53 PM

By removing CJI from panel, govt exacerbated concerns over integrity of poll process: Rahul Gandhi

Disrespectful, discourteous for PM, HM to have made a midnight decision to select new CEC when process is being challenged in Supreme Court, says Rahul Gandhi. 

1:43 PM

Top Russian, US officials meet for talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv

Top Russian and American officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin talks on improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. The meeting at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh marks another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse US policy on isolating Russia and is meant to pave the way for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

12:50 PM

SP members protest in UP Assembly premises ahead of Budget session

Ahead of the Budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday, Samajwadi Party members staged a demonstration in assembly premises over various issues, including Sambhal and death of devotees in the Kumbh stampede. Carrying banners and placards in their hands, they raised slogans against the government.

12:13 PM

Bombay HC refuses relief to blast convict alleging solitary confinement

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said there was no concern of any "psychological trauma" to Himayat Baig, convicted in the 2010 Pune German bakery blast case, who had alleged solitary confinement in prison. Baig in a petition filed last year claimed he has been kept in solitary confinement at the Nashik central prison in Maharashtra since the last 12 years. He sought to be shifted out of solitary confinement, claiming it was affecting his mental health.

11:57 AM

Defence industry in India at cusp of massive expansion: Defence secy

The defence industry in India is at the "cusp of a massive expansion", Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Monday even as he suggested that public-private-partnership would be "critical" in making the country a hub for advanced manufacturing in the sector. In his address at a defence conclave here late evening, he also said the intention of the government is to build a "technologically advanced" and "combat-ready force" that can effectively address the "complexities of modern warfare".

10:49 AM

SC issues contempt notice to UP over mosque demolition

The top court on Monday issued a contempt notice to the district magistrate of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly allegedly demolishing a portion of a mosque, going against the court's November 2024 ruling that prohibited demolitions nationwide unless preceded by notice.

10:32 AM

Prakriti Lamsal case: 2 officers of Nepal embassy likely to visit KIIT over student's death

Two officers from the Nepal embassy in Delhi are likely to visit a private engineering institute in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after a student from the neighbouring country was found dead in her hostel on the campus, officials said on Tuesday. The officers are also expected to meet a group of students from the Himalayan kingdom, who were allegedly evicted from their hostel, amid tension on the institute campus, they said.

10:11 AM

Bus falls into drain in Punjab's Faridkot, four people feared dead

At least four people are feared dead after a private bus fell into a drain in Punjab's Faridkot district on Tuesday morning, a senior police officer said. Faridkot Senior Superintendent of Police Pragya Jain said 26 passengers have been shifted to a hospital in Faridkot. The incident occurred near Kotkapura road when the bus was going to Amritsar.

9:23 AM

Argentine judge investigates fraud case against President Milei over crypto promotion

A judge in Argentina was selected on Monday to investigate allegations of fraud against President Javier Milei for his brief promotion of a cryptocurrency whose value collapsed within hours of its launch last week. Milei distanced himself from the scandal and said he acted in good faith.

9:17 AM

All 80 aboard Delta flight survive after jet flips upon arrival in Toronto

A Delta Air Lines jet flipped on its roof while landing Monday at Toronto's Pearson Airport, but all 80 people on board survived and those hurt had relatively minor injuries, the airport's chief executive said. Snow was being blown by winds gusting to 40 mph (65 kph) when the flight from Minneapolis carrying 76 passengers and four crew attempted to land on a dry runway at around 2:15 pm. Authorities said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.