Feb 20 News Live: Wall Street cheers SC strike-down of Trump's global tariffs

India assumes IONS Chairmanship at conclave of chiefs in Vizag

Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff on Friday announced that India has assumed the Chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs being held in Vishakhapatnam.

He said India is prepared to take on greater responsibility to ensure peace, stability and security in maritime spaces as it assumes the leadership of the forum. "India has assumed the Chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs being held here," Sobti told reporters.

He noted that maritime challenges are shared across nations and require enhanced interoperability, structured communication mechanisms and coordinated responses among navies of the Indian Ocean Region.

The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium is a voluntary initiative aimed at increasing maritime cooperation among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. It provides an open and inclusive forum for discussion on regionally relevant maritime issues and seeks to promote the flow of information among naval professionals to foster common understanding and cooperative solutions.

IONS currently comprises 25 member navies and nine observer nations and has evolved into a credible multilateral framework promoting trust, transparency and practical collaboration.

19-year-old beaten up by live-in partner admitted to AIIMS in critical condition

A 19-year-old female student was beaten up brutally by her live-in partner here and was admitted to AIIMS Delhi in a critical condition, police said Friday. Police have arrested the accused partner, identified as Shivam (19), a resident of Delhi.

The victim, a native of North Tripura, was a biotechnology student at GD Goenka University in Gurugram. According to police, the couple met in September 2025 and had been living together in a PG accommodation at Sector 69 for the last few months. Discussions were underway between the families regarding their marriage.

On Thursday night, the couple had an altercation after which the accused assaulted the woman, severely injuring her. The woman was rescued by police, who reached the PG room after receiving a call from the woman's mother late on Thursday night to report the incident.

"The accused allegedly brutally attacked the victim in a fit of rage. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had developed doubts about his live-in partner's character. The accused, Shivam, has been arrested and is being interrogated. We have also collected evidence from the spot and are examining CCTV footage," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Hitesh Yadav.

SC refuses to entertain plea to restrain naming of religious structures in Babur's name

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to restrain the construction or naming of any mosque or religious structure in the name of Mughal emperor Babur or Babri Masjid.

After a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta showed its disinclination in entertaining the plea, the counsel appearing for the petitioner withdrew it. The counsel referred to suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir's announcement to construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in West Bengal's Murshidabad district.

The plea sought a direction to the Centre, states and others to consider the petitioner's case for restraining or banning the construction, establishment or naming of any mosque or religious structure in the name of Babur or Babri Masjid or any other derivative names across India.

US-India partnership has critical role to play to make AI benefits available to everyone: Pichai

The US-India partnership has a critical role to play in making the benefits of AI available to everyone and everywhere, said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc Sundar Pichai on Friday.

Speaking here at the AI Impact Summit ahead of India and US signing of PAX SILICA declaration, he said Google is proud to serve as a connection point between the two countries "both figuratively and literally".

"Yesterday, at the opening session, I shared some thoughts on this profound moment of AI. I said we are on the cusp of an era of hyper progress and new discoveries, but the best outcomes are not guaranteed," Pichai said.

He further said, "We must work together to ensure the benefits of AI are available to everyone and everywhere. The US India partnership has a critical role to play." Google is proud to serve as a connection point between them, both figuratively and literally, he added.

Elaborating, he said, "We have teams across both countries working seamlessly together on some of our most important initiatives, innovations that start in India, like Google Pay are making products better for people all over the world." Bullish on India, Pichai said, "I believe India is going to have an extraordinary trajectory with AI, and we are supporting it with a full stack commitment, including product scaling and infrastructure." 

India joins US-led global alliance Pax Silica on AI, supply chain

India on Friday (February 20) formally joined Pax Silica – United States' flagship effort on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners. 

India and the US signed the Pax Silica declaration - a move described as a “historic milestone” - on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit being held in New Delhi.

Pax Silica is the US Department of State's flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners. 

The Pax Silica Declaration underlines the importance of a reliable supply chain indispensable to mutual economic security and recognises AI as a transformative force for long-term prosperity.

The signatories of the Declaration include Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, UAE, UK, according to US State Department. Non-signatory participants are Canada, the Netherlands, European Union, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Taiwan.

Stock markets bounce back after falling in early trade

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty recovered their early losses and were trading higher on Friday, lifted by buying in banking and capital goods shares.

The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 291.93 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 82,206.21 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 74.6 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 25,379.75.

However, both benchmark indices soon rebounded from their early losses and were trading in positive territory. The BSE benchmark quoted 161.43 points higher at 82,659.57, and the Nifty traded 65.55 points up at 25,519.90.

Among the Sensex constituents, Bharat Electronics Ltd, NTPC, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever, Titan, Axis Bank, Tata Steel, PowerGrid, Sun Pharmaceuticals, UltraTech Cement, ICICI Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the gainers.

Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, HCL Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, and Trent were the laggards.

"Amidst the many crises, the strength of the Indian economy and the recovery in corporate earnings as reflected in Q3 numbers, are positives for the market," said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.

Tension during Shivaji Jayanti procession in Karnataka's Bagalkote, prohibitory orders imposed

Tension prevailed briefly during a Shivaji Jayanti procession here after stones were allegedly hurled at the rally, officials said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday in the old city when the procession, which began around 3:30 pm, was passing through the mosque area, they said. Superintendent of Police Siddharth Goyal said adequate forces were deployed for the procession.

"We were all present at the spot. The procession began around 3:30 pm on Thursday. As it approached the mosque, two stones were thrown from a distance toward us,” he said.

According to the SP, based on preliminary information and videos reviewed by the police so far, one stone struck a police constable while the other fell on his shoulder. “No one sustained any major injuries. After that, the procession continued smoothly, and the atmosphere remained peaceful,” Goyal said.

Police said adequate security arrangements have been made in view of the procession and the situation remained under control.

Defamation case: Rahul Gandhi to appear before Sultanpur court

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before an MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur on Friday to record his statement in a defamation case related to his remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Congress leader arrived in Lucknow in the morning and drove straight to Sultanpur for the court hearing. UP Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI that Gandhi has arrived for the court hearing. "He has come specifically for the hearing after which he will fly back to Delhi," Rai said.

Ahead of the court hearing, some local Congress leaders have put up posters in Sultanpur that read 'Satyamev Jayate' (truth always triumphs).

The case dates back to 2018 when local BJP leader Vijay Mishra had filed a defamation complaint against Rahul, alleging that during the Karnataka elections in 2018, the Congress leader made derogatory remarks against the then BJP president and current Union Home Minister Shah.

Grey’s Anatomy actor Eric Dane passes away at 53 following ALS battle

Renowned actor Eric Dane, who gained global recognition for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan in the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, has died after a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 53 and passed away on Thursday, February 19.

In a statement to People, his family confirmed the news, saying, “With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed away on Thursday afternoon after a courageous battle with ALS. He spent his final days surrounded by close friends, his devoted wife, and his two daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world.” 

Eric Dane was popular among fans as McSteamy, aka Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy. His effortless charm and transformation on the show made him one of the most loved characters. The charismatic blue-eyed plastic surgeon joined midway in the second season of Shonda Rhimes's Grey's Anatomy and became one of the main characters.

Rupee declines 27 paise to 90.95 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee depreciated 27 paise to 90.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, weighed down by a strong American currency and higher crude oil prices due to the escalated geopolitical tension.

A selling rush in domestic equities further pressured the Indian currency, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 90.94 and slipped further to trade at 90.95 against the greenback in early deals, losing 27 paise from its previous closing level.

The rupee rose 4 paise to settle at 90.68 against the US dollar on Wednesday. The currency exchange markets were closed on Thursday on account of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 97.89.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.14 per cent higher at USD 71.77 per barrel in futures trade.