THE HEADLINES::
- Global AI Summit begins today in New Delhi; World leaders to participate.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, India has to be prepared at all times to deal with security challenges.
- Election Commission orders disciplinary action against seven Assistant Electoral Registration Officers in West Bengal over allegations of irregularities.
- Members of Board of Peace pledge five billion dollars toward rebuilding Gaza, says US President Donald Trump.
- In ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India beat Pakistan by 61 runs at Colombo; becomes second team to qualify for Super Eight.
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The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 is all set to get underway at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. The five-day Summit is the first-ever global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South. World leaders from twenty nations are scheduled to attend the event. They include President of France, Emmanuel Macron, Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin, Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof, UAE’s Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister of Mauritius Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Disanayaka and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Ministerial delegations from over 45 countries would be participating in the Summit. Our correspondent reports that the UN Secretary General and Senior Officials from several International Organizations will also join the deliberations.
“The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 is guided by three foundational pillars, or Sutras, which articulate the core principles guiding global cooperation on AI. These are – People, Planet and Progress. The Summit_s deliberations are organised through Chakras or Working Groups structured around seven interconnected thematic areas. The seven Chakras include Human Capital, Inclusion for Social Empowerment, Safe and Trusted AI, Science, Resilience, Innovation, and Efficiency, Democratizing AI Resources and AI for Economic Development and Social Good. Over a hundred countries have been invited to the Summit and more than 2 lakh people have registered online. The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 strengthens India_s role as a key platform for shaping the global AI agenda. The Summit positions India as a convenor and partner in global AI cooperation, supporting shared standards, collaborative frameworks, and scalable solutions for public good. It marks a transition from dialogue to delivery, reinforcing India_s commitment to responsible, inclusive, and development-focused AI pathways. Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the India AI Impact Expo 2026 in New Delhi today. The five-day expo is being held alongside the India AI Impact Summit 2026, and will serve as a national demonstration of Artificial Intelligence in action. It will feature 13 country pavilions, including Australia, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan, and Africa, showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem.
The Expo will host over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations, structured around three thematic chakras: People, Planet, and Progress. It will also feature over 600 high-potential startups, which are developing globally relevant, population-scale solutions.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said India is the right place to host the first-ever AI Summit in the global south. Speaking to a news agency, ahead of the AI Impact Summit, Guterres said artificial intelligence must serve the entire world and not just serve a handful of powerful nations.
Meanwhile, the British government has said that the UK’s focus during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi will be on championing how artificial intelligence can supercharge growth, unlock new jobs, improve public services and deliver benefits for people around the globe.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that India has to be prepared at all times to deal with security challenges. In an interview to a news agency, Mr Modi highlighted that the benefits of a decade of defence reforms were evident during Operation Sindoor. He stressed that India has a duty to modernise its defence sector in line with current realities as a country that is playing an increasingly important role in the world. Citing the allocation of 7.85 lakh crore rupees to the defence sector in the Union Budget 2026-27, Mr Modi said the outlay is 15 per cent higher than the previous budget. He further stated that it is also the biggest chunk given to any ministry or department.
The Prime Minister further said that this year’s Union Budget reflects India’s yearning to become developed nation. He also said that the tax incentives announced in the Budget are designed to accelerate investment in this space, lower the cost of building advanced facilities and position India as a globally-competitive destination for data infrastructure. He invited the whole world’s data to reside in India. He highlighted that India’s Free Trade Agreements are designed to expand market access for MSMEs in textile, leather, chemicals, handicrafts, gems and other sectors.
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Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman met Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals Keith Svendsen in Munich, Germany. In a social media post, the Ministry of Finance said that during the meeting both the sides discussed the advantages of the recently concluded India EU- Free Trade Agreement. It added that Mr Svendsen spoke about the positive and long-standing relationship of his company with India and mentioned about key investments and partnerships with India across its maritime ecosystem. He also conveyed the intention to continue expanding this association across India.
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The Election Commission has ordered disciplinary action against seven Assistant Electoral Registration Officers in West Bengal over multiple allegations of irregularities. Two from Canning Purba, and one each from Suti, Maynaguri, Shamsherganj, Debra, and Farakka constituencies are among those facing action. The Commission yesterday sent a letter to the state_s Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, directing steps against these seven AEROs.
The letter clearly states that evidence has been found of serious misconduct, negligence of duty, and abuse of lawful authority by these officials involved in the SIR process. Therefore, immediate suspension and disciplinary inquiry have been ordered.
Meanwhile, in compliance with the Supreme Court_s February 9 directive, the Election Commission has issued a stern message regarding the disposal of all Form-7 objections related to the SIR process.
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A full body of the Election Commission of India, headed by Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar will be visiting Guwahati today to review State’s preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections. During their three-day long tour, the Commission will hold detailed meeting with senior officials of the State and representatives of various political parties.
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Home Minister Amit Shah today extended the greetings on the Raising Day of Delhi Police. In a social media post, Mr Shah said that with unwavering dedication the personnel have set exemplary standards in serving and securing the people. He also paid tributes to the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
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Foreign dignitaries, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and foreign ministers from countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the new government in Bangladesh tomorrow. Our correspondent has the details:
“The Ministry of External Affairs said the Speaker Om Birla will represent the Government of India at the swearing-in of the government led by Tarique Rahman. According to the MEA, the Speaker_s participation highlights the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of the two countries and reaffirms India_s commitment to democratic values shared by both neighbours. The ministry said India welcomes Bangladesh_s transition to an elected government under Rahman_s leadership, noting that his vision has received an overwhelming public mandate. Law adviser of the Interim government, Asif Nazrul said the cabinet oath ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 pm at the South Plaza of Parliament and will be administered by the President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Navalsang Parmar, akashvani news, Dhaka.”
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US President Donald Trump has said that members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged five billion dollars toward rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory. He added that the pledges will be formally announced when board members gather in Washington on Thursday for their first meeting. He did not specify which member nations were making the pledges for reconstruction or would contribute personnel to the stabilization force. However, Indonesia’s military has announced that up to 8,000 of its troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for potential deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission.
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In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs in a Group A clash at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium last night and becomes second team to qualify for Super Eight. Chasing the target of 176 runs, Pakistan were all out for 114 in 18 overs.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya took two wickets each while Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma claimed a wicket each.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. India scored 175 runs losing seven wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Ishan Kishan scored 77. After the match, he said that this win will give a lot of confidence to the team.
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In our bilingual live phone-in programme ‘Public Speak’ at 09.30 tonight, we will bring an insightful discussion on Ways to Handle Exam Related Pressure and Stress During the programme, listeners can ask questions related to the subject.
To participate, simply dial the telephone numbers 011-23310481, 011-23717117, 011-23717106 and 011-23314444, 9:30 PM onwards.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Reforms to innovation, PM sets decades’s agenda is the headline in The Hindustan Times while the Indian Express headlines “PM hails budget, FTA’s Slams UPA’s economy mishandling and The Hindu headlines “Trade deals made from a position of strength.
- Most papers carry the story of the Delhi govt. announcing that it will issue a 14 digit identification number for every parcel of land in the capital to modernise land records. The Tribune says ‘Bhu-Aadhar to end land disputes in national capital” while the Pioneer reports “14 digit unique ID’s for city land parcels.
- The papers also report that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing in ceremony of Bangladesh’s next PM Tarique Rehman on February 17th. The Asian Age has on it’s front page ” Lok Sabha Speaker, Finance Secretary to attend Tarique’s oath tomorrow.
- Another World Cup Match another victory Ishan se headlines The Times of India while the Indian express headlines ‘Ishan blitz sinks Pakistan. The papers add that Ishan Kishan’s quickfire 77 helped India score a convincing win against Pakistan in the T20 World cup match.
- The Indian Express in it’s editorial title Global South must seize it’s AI moment says that the AI Impact Summit which begins in New Delhi which will be the first such conclave in the global south and the choice of venue is more than just symbolic. The paper adds that India’s journey offers a persuasive framework for an alternative AI pathway. The country’s digital public infrastructure(DPI) – the cornerstone of welfare provisions ranging from agriculture and food security to subsidies for cooking gas to vaccine delivery has underlined inclusion and affordability.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Global AI Summit begins today in New Delhi; World leaders to participate.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, India has to be prepared at all times to deal with security challenges.
- Election Commission orders disciplinary action against seven Assistant Electoral Registration Officers in West Bengal over allegations of irregularities.
- Members of Board of Peace pledge five billion dollars toward rebuilding Gaza, says US President Donald Trump.
- And In ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India beat Pakistan by 61 runs at Colombo; becomes second team to qualify for Super Eight.
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