India-U.S. interim trade deal: Amendments in the White House factsheet reflect shared understandings, MEA says

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday (February 12, 2026) said that the recent amendments made in the White House factsheet on the framework for the India-U.S. interim trade agreement reflect the “shared understandings contained in the joint statement” by the two countries. “Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalising the interim agreement,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing.

Defence Acquisition Council clears proposal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets

Defence Acquisition Council on Thursday (February 12, 2026) cleared a proposal to buy 114 Rafale fighter ‌jets from France’s Dassault Aviation. The clearance comes days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to India for the Artificial Intelligence Summit. Around 18 aircraft are likely to be acquired in fly-away condition to meet the IAF’s immediate operational requirements, while the remaining jets would be manufactured in India, an official told The Hindu.

Polling ends in Bangladesh for parliamentary election and referendum for constitutional changes

Bangladesh completed polling for the general election and referendum for constitutional changes on Thursday (February 12, 2026). Polling started in 36,031 election centres at 7:30 a.m. and ended at 4:30 p.m., with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) accusing Jamaat-e-Islami, leader of an 11-party alliance, of intimidating voters in various locations. In total, 2,028 candidates are in the fray for the election that will pave the way for the handover of power from the interim government to an elected administration. Credible early trends of the results are expected to trickle in by early morning on Friday (February 13, 2026), party sources said.

MEA refuses to deny U.S. claims on India’s Russian oil imports

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has once again refused to directly deny claims by the United States government on Russian oil imports on Thursday (February 12, 2026). This comes after a senior U.S. official said that India had reduced its purchases of Russian crude, as the U.S. “wanted [India] to.” The government expressed satisfaction at the amendments made by the U.S. administration to its “fact sheet” on the India-U.S. trade deal. “The amendments in the U.S. fact sheet reflect the shared understandings contained in the Joint Statement,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The joint statement does not contain any mention of Russian oil purchases.

Trump revokes basis of U.S. climate regulation and ends vehicle emission standards

The administration of President Donald Trump on Thursday (February 12, 2026) announced the repeal ‌of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, removing the legal basis ​for federal climate regulations. It also ended subsequent federal greenhouse gas emission standards for all ⁠vehicles and engines of model years 2012 to 2027. The move represents the most sweeping climate change policy rollback by the administration to date, after a string of regulatory cuts and other moves intended to unfetter fossil fuel development and ‌stymie the rollout of clean energy.

No conclusions reached yet in ongoing AI-171 crash probe, says investigation body

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, has said the investigation remains underway and no final conclusions have been reached. In a statement on Thursday (February 12, 2026), the AAIB categorically dismissed reports suggesting that the inquiry has been finalised, terming them “incorrect and speculative”. “The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached,” the agency said in response to a report in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which claimed Indian investigators may conclude in their final report that the crash was caused by one of the pilots shutting off the engines by moving the fuel control switches.

PM Modi to inaugurate new PMO at ‘Seva Teerth’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday (February 13, 2026) inaugurate the new Prime Minister’s Office ‘Seva Teerth’, and the Central Secretariat buildings, Kartavya Bhavan 1 and 2. The PM will also preside over the last meeting of the Union Cabinet at the South Block. An era will end when the iconic North and South Blocks are vacated. The North and South Blocks initially housed the British government, and were taken over by the government of independent India in 1947. They were designed by Herbert Baker, a contemporary of Edwin Lutyens, the architect of ‘Lutyen’s Delhi’.

Nationwide strike draws 30 crore participants, say trade unions

More than 30 crore workers, farmers, agricultural workers, and other groups of employees participated in the general strike on Thursday (February 12, 2026) to protest against the four Labour Codes and the free trade deals being struck with the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, the central trade unions said. The joint strike call was given by the CTUs and the farm unions of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). Their charter included demands to withdraw the Draft Seeds Bill, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill.

Quad ‘very important platform’: Top U.S. South Asia diplomat Paul Kapur

The U.S. views the Quad (Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue comprising India, the U.S., Japan, and Australia) as a “very important platform,” according to S. Paul Kapur, the top Trump administration diplomat for the South and Central Asian region. “… The Quad is a very important platform. It has done well,” Assistant Secretary Kapur told the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South & Central Asia on Wednesday (February 11, 2026), characterising India as an “active” and “important” participant. The U.S. and India were looking to expand defence exercises and interoperability following the signing of their latest ten-year defence cooperation framework (October 2025), according to Mr. Kapur.

Retail inflation climbs to 2.75% in January 2026 under new CPI series

India’s key inflation rate accelerated ​to 2.75% in January on higher ‌food and precious metal prices, the ​maiden print under a ⁠revised data series showed on Thursday (February 12, 2026), returning to the Reserve Bank of India’s target band for ‌the first time since August. The new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series changes the ‌weighting of key components such as ‌food ⁠and housing, while moving ⁠the base year to 2024 from 2012.India to receive same garment benefits as Bangladesh under U.S. trade pact: Piyush Goyal

India will get concessional duty access for garments made using American yarn and cotton under its trade agreement with the U.S., similar to the benefits currently provided to Bangladesh, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday (February 12, 2026).

BJP’s Nishikant Dubey files notice to cancel Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday (February 12, 2026) said he has given a notice to initiate a ‘substantive motion’ against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and demanded that his Lok Sabha membership be cancelled and he be debarred from contesting elections for life.

Muslim Personal Law Board objects to Govt’s mandate on Vande Mataram recitation

All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Thursday (February 12, 2026) objected to the Union government’s directions that mandate the recitation of six verses of Vande Mataram at official functions and in schools before the national anthem — Jana Gana Mana. Describing the move as “unconstitutional and contrary to religious freedom” the Board, in a statement, maintained that it directly conflicts with the religious beliefs of Muslims.