THE HEADLINES:
- Second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting begins in New Delhi this afternoon; All 22 Arab nations to participate in the event.
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal asserts India’s exports to the European Union can double in five years.
- Over 25 crore cards issued to farmers under Soil Health Card Scheme, launched in 2015 to address decline of soil nutrients.
- 39th Surajkund Festival begins today with the theme Local to Global – Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- In Men’s Cricket, India to take on New Zealand in fifth and final T20 International in Thiruvananthapuram this evening.
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The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be held in New Delhi this afternoon. The meeting will be co-chaired by India and the UAE. Foreign Ministers of Arab League Member States and Arab League Secretary General will participate in the meeting. This is the first India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be hosted by India in New Delhi. The event will witness the participation of all 22 Arab Nations. Ahead of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting was held in the national capital yesterday. Our correspondent reports that the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is expected to build on existing cooperation, expanding and deepening the partnership.
“India-Arab trade stands at over 240 billion dollars. Bilateral hydrocarbon trade exceeds 107 billion dollars and accounts for nearly half of the bilateral trade. India imports over 95 percent of LPG, 60 percent of LNG and 47 percent of crude oil requirement from the Arab League countries, in addition to more than 50 percent of fertilizers and related products. Most of India’s external trade passes through the Suez Canal, the Red.
Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. Indian companies invest in energy sector in Oman, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Algeria, Libya and Morocco. This Partnership spans Food and Energy, Financial Services, Health and Education, IT, Renewable Energy including start-ups and large infrastructure projects. Over 9 million Indian diaspora live in Arab League nations. With Dipendra Kumar, Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has asserted that with the India-EU Free Trade Agreement India’s exports to the European Union can double in five years. Mr Goyal also urged businesspersons, MSMEs, startups, and entrepreneurs to focus on going international. The Minister said this while sharing his interviews with prominent national dailies in a series of social media posts. The Minister highlighted how the trade deal will benefit the country in different ways.
The Minister said the India-EU agreement is a powerful FTA that will unlock major opportunities for India while protecting the country’s sensitive sectors.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Punjab tomorrow on the occasion of the 649th birth anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas,. Mr Modi will visit Adampur airport, where he will unveil the new name of the Airport as Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Airport, Adampur. Mr Modi will also inaugurate the Terminal Building at Halwara Airport in Ludhiana.
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NCP working president Praful Patel and state chief Sunil Tatkare today met Sunetra Pawar at Devgiri, the official residence of late Ajit Pawar in Mumbai, ahead of the legislature party meeting. Speaking to reporters, Sunil Tatkare informed that the legislature party meeting will be held this afternoon at the Vidhan Bhavan office, where Sunetra Pawar is expected to be formally elected as the leader of the legislative party. He added that, as the state chief of the NCP, he, along with other leaders, will then meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with the official letter regarding the party’s decision, following which the Chief Minister will take a further decision.
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Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has alleged that the West Bengal government is threatening the Matua and Namasudra community. Addressing a workers’ conference at Anandpuri playground in Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas, he said the Matua and Namasudra communities have no reason to be afraid. He stated that no matter how much the state government opposes the SIR process, it will continue in the state. He alleged that due to the state government’s noncooperation the fencing could not be erected in the border area of the state.
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Over 25 crore soil health cards have been distributed to farmers across the country. The Soil Health Card scheme was launched by the government in 2015 with a view to address the decline of soil nutrients. By July last year, more than 93 thousand farmer training programmes, over 6 lakh field demonstrations, and thousands of awareness campaigns were conducted under the scheme. The Government said, it reflects the scale and outreach of the scheme in promoting balanced nutrient management.
The Soil Health Card is issued every two years and provides farmers with a comprehensive understanding of the nutrient status and physicochemical conditions of their soils.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha tommorow. After presentation of the Budget in the Lower House, the copy of the budget will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha. This will be ninth consecutive Budget presentation by Mrs Sitharaman since assuming office in 2019.
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The government has made a two-year Central experience mandatory for Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) to be eligible for posting as Inspector General of Police (IGP) with the Union Government. The Union Home Ministry has written a letter to all the Chief Secretaries of the state governments in this regard. The Ministry said, this directive will be applicable to IPS officers from the 2011 batch onwards.
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Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur will lead the Indian delegation at the 64th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development at the UN Headquarters in New York. The session commencing from the 2nd of next month focuses on advancing international cooperation on social development issues, including social inclusion, equity, and welfare-oriented policies.
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Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) today informed that NEET PG Round three counselling has resumed. In a social media post, DGHS said that the counselling process has restarted with the facility for new registrations. It added that additional seats have also been included, providing more opportunities for eligible candidates. Aspirants have been advised to participate in the counselling process and exercise their choices accordingly. Further details are available on the Medical Counselling Committee website.
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The Supreme Court has ruled that the right to menstrual hygiene is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The Apex court yesterday issued a series of binding directions to states and Union Territories and schools to ensure dignity, health and equality for girls and women. A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed all states and Union Territories to ensure that every school provides biodegradable sanitary napkins free of cost to adolescent girls. The apex body made it clear that the compliance would be mandatory for both government and private institutions. It warned that private schools could face derecognition if they fail to provide separate toilets for girls and boys or do not ensure access to free sanitary pads for students.
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The 39th Surajkund International Self-reliant Crafts Festival began at Surajkund today. The fair with a theme”Local to Global – Atmanirbhar Bharat” was inaugurated by Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan.
Egypt is the partner country for the fourth time. Apart from this, the rich cultural and folk arts of the theme states of Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya have been showcased in the Mela premises. More than 1200 stalls have been set up by national and international weavers and craftsmen in the Crafts Festival. The closing ceremony of the 16-day Shilp Mahotsav will be held on the 15th of next month.
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The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has accused the government of grossly underreporting communal violence, claiming at least 522 incidents occurred across the country in 2025-far higher than the 71 acknowledged officially-raising serious concerns ahead of the February 12 parliamentary election. At a press conference in Dhaka, the minority rights group said, the incidents resulted in 66 deaths and included 28 cases of violence against women, 95 attacks on places of worship, and more than 100 attacks on minority homes and businesses.
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NASA has postponed the launch of its Artemis II mission to the Moon due to unfavourable weather conditions in Florida. The space agency now targets February 8 as the earliest possible launch date, replacing the earlier plan of February 6.The decision follows a review of cold weather and strong winds linked to a rare Arctic outbreak affecting the region. Artemis II is a 10-day crewed mission that will carry four astronauts on a journey around the Moon to test the Orion spacecraft and deep-space exploration systems.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over the inclusion of the Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah, Uttar Pradesh and Chhari-Dhand in Kutch, Gujarat in the list of Ramsar sites. In a social media post, Mr Modi congratulated local citizens of these districts.
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In Men’s Cricket, India will take on New Zealand in the fifth and final T20 International at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram this evening. The match will begin at 7 PM.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting begins in New Delhi this afternoon; All 22 Arab nations to participate in the event.
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal asserts India’s exports to the European Union can double in five years.
- Over 25 crore cards issued to farmers under Soil Health Card Scheme, launched in 2015 to address decline of soil nutrients.
- 39th Surajkund Festival begins today with the theme Local to Global – Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- In Men’s Cricket, India to take on New Zealand in fifth and final T20 International in Thiruvananthapuram this evening.
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