The United Nations, alongside the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics organizers, has urged a 52-day pause in all global armed conflicts surrounding the Games, running from one week before the Feb. 6 opening until one week after the March 15 Paralympics conclude. Rooted in the ancient Olympic Truce tradition, the appeal seeks to symbolise peace, international cooperation, and respect for international law at a time of multiple ongoing wars, including in Ukraine and the Middle East. Although morally significant, past Olympic truces have often been broken, and no major belligerents have yet committed to halting hostilities. (PC: X)

India has secured a significant trade advantage over regional competitors like China, Bangladesh and Vietnam after the United States reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18 % from much higher rates under a new India-US trade deal. This tariff reduction places India ahead of nations such as Bangladesh and Vietnam (around 20 %) and China (around 34 %) in terms of export competitiveness in the US market, potentially boosting Indian exports significantly. The move also strengthens India-US economic ties and enhances India’s position in South and Southeast Asia’s export landscape. (PC: PTI)

The Indian rupee strengthened significantly, rising to ₹90.4 per US dollar after India and the United States announced a major trade agreement that cut U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to around 18 %. This boosted investor confidence and triggered a sharp rally in Indian equities, with Sensex and Nifty surging amid renewed foreign capital inflows. The deal also improved export prospects and attracted foreign institutional investors back to Indian markets, reversing recent capital outflows. Analysts believe the strengthened currency and positive market momentum reflect improved economic cooperation and optimism about India’s growth outlook. (PC: X)

Air India has started precautionary inspections of fuel control switches across its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet after a pilot reported a possible defect on a London-to-Bengaluru flight. The affected aircraft was grounded for detailed technical checks, and the issue — which involves the switch that regulates fuel flow to engines — has been escalated to Boeing for evaluation. Air India has notified India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, as the review continues. The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of the 787’s fuel control systems following the June 2025 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, where similar switches were under investigation. (PC: PTI)

After almost 12 months of strained negotiations marked by escalating tariffs, stalled discussions and disputes over energy sourcing, India and the United States reached a new trade agreement in early February 2026. Throughout 2025, talks were hampered by disputes over reciprocal duties and India’s purchase of Russian oil, with U.S. tariffs on Indian goods rising to 50% at one point amid diplomatic friction. Multiple negotiation rounds, phone calls between leaders and diplomatic engagement eventually led to a breakthrough, resulting in tariffs cut to 18% and renewed cooperation, signalling a thaw in ties after a year of setbacks. (PC: Reuters)

The Supreme Court of India delivered a stinging rebuke to Meta and its messaging app WhatsApp over the controversial 2021 privacy policy that expands data-sharing practices. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said the court will not allow the privacy of Indian citizens to be compromised and stressed that not “a single digit” of user data should be shared without lawful compliance. The CJI warned Meta that if it “can’t abide by India’s Constitution and laws,” it could leave the country. The case involves Meta’s appeal against a Competition Commission of India penalty over alleged exploitative data practices. (PC: NDTV)

In Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has launched a series of coordinated attacks against security forces and infrastructure, marking a significant escalation in its separatist insurgency. The group released images of two female ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) attackers, including Asifa Mengal, highlighting the growing involvement of women in frontline combat roles — a shift from the traditionally male-dominated rebellion. At least dozens of security personnel and civilians were killed in the violence. Pakistani authorities have responded with heavy military operations, raising concern over the conflict’s intensification and broader instability in the region. (PC: India Today)

Sex workers in Sonagachi, Asia’s largest red‑light district in Kolkata, are facing anxiety and uncertainty amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of elections. Many residents, mostly estranged from families and lacking required documentation linking them to the 2002 voter list, fear removal from voter rolls and potential disenfranchisement. Despite special camps by the Election Commission to assist with forms and verification, sex workers remain concerned about losing their constitutional voting rights due to bureaucratic hurdles and lack of family records. Welfare groups are urging sensitive handling of their cases. (PC: ANI)

Under the recently announced India–US trade agreement, Washington has cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18%, down from as high as 50% previously, by rescinding punitive levies and revising reciprocal duties. This lower rate now stands below tariffs faced by regional competitors such as Pakistan (19%), Bangladesh and Vietnam (20%), and China (34%), giving Indian exporters a competitive edge in the US market. The deal is expected to boost “Made in India” exports, support economic growth, and deepen bilateral ties, although exact implementation details are still awaited. (PC: X)

OpenAI is reportedly dissatisfied with certain Nvidia AI chips, particularly for inference workloads — the process where models like ChatGPT generate responses — and has been exploring alternative hardware options since 2025, sources say. Nvidia still dominates chips for training large AI models, but inference performance has become a growing priority for OpenAI’s products, including coding tools. The company has discussed potential chip partnerships with startups like Cerebras and Groq to improve speed and efficiency, though Nvidia’s related licensing deals have complicated such efforts. OpenAI and Nvidia continue to publicly affirm their partnership even as the hardware landscape evolves. (PC: Reuters)