Feb 13 News Live: My ‘power-sharing’ offer has become a political bomb in TN: Vijay

Opposition protests in Parliament premises, seeks Hardeep Singh Puri's resignation

Opposition MPs protest in the Parliament complex, demanding the resignation of Hardeep Singh Puri from the Union Cabinet. Multiple emails between Puri and Jeffrey Epstein have been disclosed as part of the Epstein file disclosures in the US. Lok Sabha has been adjourned till noon following the Opposition's ruckus in the House demanding Puri's resignation.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon amid Opposition ruckus

Proceedings commence in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha amid Opposition sloganeering in the Lower House. Soon after Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon. 

Lok Sabha to conclude Budget session’s first phase today

The Lok Sabha will convene Friday for the final sitting of the first leg of the Budget Session, with obituary references, Question Hour and pending government business on its agenda.

Proceedings will begin with members paying tribute to former MP Bhagwan Dass Rathor, who died in January 2026. An obituary reference is scheduled before the House moves to Question Hour, when ministers are expected to respond orally to queries from members.

Ministers from portfolios including Education, Culture, Health, Home Affairs, Law and Justice, Commerce and Industry, and Textiles are slated to lay official papers on the Table. The Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture will present a report examining skill development and professional training as part of a broader roadmap for India’s tourism sector.

Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav is set to brief the House on the status of recommendations concerning mental health care and the Central Government Health Scheme. Minister Suresh Gopi will outline action taken on suggestions related to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.

Under Private Members’ Business, resolutions will touch on railway services in Kerala, conservation of historic forts in Maharashtra, and steps to ease court backlogs by simplifying perjury provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

On Thursday, the House cleared the Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026 after an extended debate.

Sensex, Nifty slide over 1 per cent as IT stocks sink

Indian benchmark indices opened sharply lower on Friday, with technology shares dragging the market down amid fragile global sentiment and renewed anxiety over artificial intelligence-related disruption.

The 30-stock BSE Sensex fell 883.4 points, or 1.05 per cent, to 82,791.52 in early trade. The broader NSE Nifty 50 declined 262.60 points, or 1.02 per cent, to 25,544.60.

IT counters bore the brunt for a second straight session. Index heavyweights Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, HCL Technologies and Tech Mahindra were among the steepest losers. Shares of Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro and NTPC also traded lower.

Only a handful of stocks, including HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel, managed gains.

Broader markets mirrored the weakness, with the BSE SmallCap Select index sliding nearly 2 per cent and the MidCap Select index down 1.40 per cent.

VK Vijayakumar of Geojit Investments said turbulence was likely to unsettle investors even as it created selective opportunities. He noted that the sell-off in US AI-linked stocks was anticipated, though its scale caught markets off guard. According to him, India could benefit if the global AI-driven rally continues to unwind, given its limited participation last year.

Asian peers were mostly in the red, tracking losses on Wall Street, where technology shares led declines overnight.

Ramadoss accuses expelled PMK faction of smear campaign

PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday accused a group of expelled party members of trying to edge him out of public life by spreading what he described as deliberate falsehoods.

Addressing reporters at his Thailapuram residence, the veteran leader said the faction had mounted a sustained campaign to damage both his standing and the party’s prospects as Tamil Nadu moves toward the 2026 Assembly election. He alleged that he and senior functionary G. K. Mani had been subjected to “abusive language” as part of that effort.

Ramadoss also questioned the conduct of the Election Commission of India in the dispute over the party’s Mango symbol. He said official correspondence had been sent to the address of his estranged son, Anbumani Ramadoss, despite a Delhi High Court observation that leadership issues should be decided by a competent court.

The feud sharpened last year after Anbumani’s expulsion, a move his supporters contest. Both camps continue to claim control of the party’s name and symbol as alliance talks for the state polls proceed.

Counting of votes begins in Telangana municipal polls

The counting of votes polled in the February 11 elections to 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations in Telangana began on Friday morning. The counting began at 123 centres across the state at 8 am.

The outcome of the three-cornered contest involving the ruling Congress and opposition BJP and BRS is crucial for all of them as it would be an indicator of their popularity among the voters.

The counting process of votes is expected to take time as ballot papers were used in the election. Postal ballots were taken up first for counting.

Elaborate security and other arrangements have been made to ensure that the exercise passes off smoothly. Director General of Police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy has said comprehensive and foolproof security arrangements have been put in place for the counting of votes.

Nearly 12,000 police personnel and Quick Response Teams have been deployed at the counting centres to maintain law and order, he said.

6-year-old boy killed as car hits auto, pedestrians in Lucknow

A six-year-old boy was killed, and four people were injured after an unidentified car rammed into an auto-rickshaw and pedestrians near Hanuman Temple in Banthra area here on Thursday evening, police said.

Preliminary enquiry revealed that the speeding car hit an auto-rickshaw before mowing down people walking along the road around 6 pm on Thursday. The injured were identified as Armaan, 12, Awadh Bihari, 42, Sadhana Verma, 35, Meena Devi, 60, and six-year-old Dikshant Patel. All were taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.

Patel, who sustained critical injuries, was referred to another medical facility where he succumbed to injuries during treatment, police said.

Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler resigns after Epstein email revelations

Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, has resigned, after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an "older brother" and downplayed his sex crimes.

Up until her resignation on Thursday, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman's top legal post, which she had held since 2020.

While Ruemmler has called Epstein a "monster" in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. Ruemmler called Epstein "Uncle Jeffrey" in emails and said she adored him.

In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler "regrets ever knowing him".

During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender.

UN approves 40-member scientific panel on impact of AI over US objections

The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to approve a 40-member global scientific panel on the impacts and risks of artificial intelligence, with the United States strongly objecting.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who established the panel, called the adoption "a foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI". "In a world where AI is racing ahead," he said on Thursday, "this panel will provide what's been missing — rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all member states, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing." He has described it as the first fully independent global scientific body dedicated to bridging the knowledge gap in AI and assessing its real-world economic and social impacts.

The vote in the 193-member assembly was 117-2, with the United States and Paraguay voting "no" and Tunisia and Ukraine abstaining. America's allies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere voted in favour along with Russia, China and many developing countries.

Abhishek Sharma 'looks good' to play against Pakistan: Varun Chakravarthy

Abhishek Sharma looks good to play the marquee T20 clash against Pakistan, said India spinner Varun Chakravarthy on Thursday.

"As far as I have spoken to him he looks good, he did some practice today also. He told me he is on the way," said Chakravarthy, who starred with the ball in the win over Namibia in New Delhi. India play arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.

Abhishek, who missed the game against Namibia due to a stomach infection, was discharged from hospital here on Wednesday.

At the toss, India captain Suryakumar Yadav had said that Abhishek will miss a game or two before regaining full fitness.

Sanju Samson opened alongside Ishan Kishan in Abhishek's absence.