Feb 11 News Live | Delhi Police issue notice to Penguin Random House India over ex-Army chief's book
Catch all the important news updates from India and across the world
Here is the top, trending news of Wednesday, February 11, 2026, including Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Read updates below.
Live Updates
- 11 Feb 2026 11:57 AM IST
Opposition members shout slogans, walk out of LS
Opposition members on Wednesday walked out of the Lok Sabha during the Question Hour while shouting slogans.
The members shouted "we want justice" the moment the House took up Question Hour.
P C Mohan, who was chairing the proceedings of the House, continued with the Question Hour despite the din.
Around 11.30 am, the Opposition members staged a walkout.
- 11 Feb 2026 11:55 AM IST
Delhi Police issues notice to Penguin Random House India over ex-Army chief's book
The Delhi Police's Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin Random House India seeking clarifications over the circulation of the unpublished book of former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on social media, an official said on Wednesday.
The notice was served as competing claims over the status of the book and the alleged circulation of unauthorised versions intensified, drawing the publisher, the former Army chief and senior political figures into a widening public dispute.
According to police, the Special Cell has formally approached the publishing house through the notice, posing multiple queries and seeking detailed responses.
"Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin India. Through the notice, several questions have been asked, and responses have been sought," a senior police officer said.
- 11 Feb 2026 11:32 AM IST
Punjab: Several private schools in Mohali get bomb threat emails
Sixteen private schools in Punjab's Mohali received bomb threat emails on Wednesday, triggering evacuation and prompting detailed anti-sabotage checks by police, an officer said.
School authorities sent messages to parents, declaring a holiday.
Manav Mangal School, Shivalik Public School, and Learning Paths School were among the schools which received the bomb threat emails.
Students on their way to schools were sent back home.
After the schools sounded the alert, the police conducted thorough searches of the educational institutions. Security has been mounted at the targeted schools, they said.
"Sixteen schools have received bomb threat emails," Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Harmandeep Singh Hans told reporters.
"We have sought more anti-sabotage teams from Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar districts for checking of schools," he added.
- 11 Feb 2026 11:12 AM IST
US used, abandoned Pakistan after Afghan wars, says Pak Defence Minister
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif delivered a blunt assessment in the National Assembly, acknowledging what he described as Islamabad’s costly alignment with the United States and the consequences that followed. He accused Washington of exploiting Pakistan for strategic ends and abandoning it once those goals were met.
Reflecting on the post-1999 shift in policy, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Asif said the decision to side with the US in Afghanistan left deep scars. “Pakistan was treated worse than a piece of toilet paper and was used for a purpose and then thrown away,” he said, describing the fallout as devastating, reported NDTV.
He called Islamabad’s participation in the two Afghan wars a mistake, rejecting long-standing narratives that framed involvement as a religious duty. Addressing Parliament, he said “two former military dictators (Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf) had joined the war in Afghanistan, not for the sake of Islam, but to appease a superpower.”
“We deny our history and do not accept our mistakes. Terrorism is a blowback of the mistakes committed by dictators in the past,” Asif said. “The losses we suffered can never be compensated.”
He also argued that Pakistan’s education system was reshaped to rationalise those wars, changes he said still linger.
- 11 Feb 2026 10:58 AM IST
Rupee falls 6 paise to 90.62 against US dollar in early trade
The rupee depreciated 6 paise to 90.62 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday as geopolitical tensions and dollar demand from importers weighed on investor sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.56 against the US dollar, then lost some ground to touch 90.62, registering a loss of 6 paise over its previous close.
In the initial trade, the rupee also touched 90.46 against the American currency.
On Tuesday, the rupee pared initial losses and settled on a positive note, higher by 10 paise at 90.56 against the US dollar.
Forex traders said that while markets initially welcomed the India-US trade deal, fresh concerns have emerged after the White House released its fact sheet.
The fact sheet highlights key terms of the agreement, including that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products.
This includes dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, and fresh and processed fruit. Certain pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products, and India has committed to buy more American products and purchase over USD 500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.
"The US document goes a step further than the February 6 joint statement by explicitly mentioning tariff reductions on additional American agricultural products, including certain pulses. This is a sensitive area for India — both politically and economically," CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said in a note.
Pabari said, "In the near term, the 90.00–90.20 zone continues to act as a strong support for the rupee. As long as this area remains intact, USD/INR could slowly move higher, with the 91.00–91.20 range emerging as the next potential upside zone in the coming sessions." Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.14 per cent lower at 96.66.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.78 per cent higher at USD 69.34 per barrel in futures trade.
For India, as a major oil-importing country, higher crude prices mean a heavier import bill. And a heavier import bill almost always translates into pressure on the rupee, even if the impact is gradual, Pabari said.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex rose 141.21 points to 84,415.13 in early trade, while Nifty advanced 51.95 points to 25,987.10.
On Tuesday, foreign institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 69.45 crore, according to exchange data.
- 11 Feb 2026 10:57 AM IST
Markets open higher; turn choppy amid mixed global trends
Equity benchmark indices started on a positive note on Wednesday, with Sensex rising over 200 points in early trade, amid mixed trends from global markets.
However, both indices later turned volatile as investors booked profits at higher levels.
The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 213.42 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 84,487.34 in early deals. The 50-share NSE Nifty rose 74.25 points to 26,009.40.
Among the Sensex constituents, Mahindra & Mahindra, Titan, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki India, State Bank of India, Sun Pharmaceuticals, NTPC, Hindustan Unilever, Tech Mahindra and Bajaj Finance were the gainers.
HCL Technologies, Trent, Bharat Electronics Ltd, ITC, Tata Consultancy Services, PowerGrid, Adani Ports, Larsen & Toubro and UltraTech Cement were the laggards.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, and Shanghai's SSE Composite index are trading higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark remained closed for trading on Wednesday on the account of National Foundation Day.
The US equities market ended lower in overnight deals on Tuesday.
Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.76 per cent to USD 69.32 per barrel.
Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 69.45 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors outnumbered the FIIs by acquiring the stocks worth Rs 1,174.21 crore, according to exchange data.
On Tuesday, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 208.17 points to close at 84,273.92, while the 50-share NSE Nifty rose 67.85 points to finish at 25,935.15.
- 11 Feb 2026 10:33 AM IST
Gujarat couple heading to US kidnapped in Azerbaijan; rescued with MEA’s help: Anand MP
A couple from Gujarat’s Anand district was kidnapped and held hostage for ransom in Azerbaijan while en route to the US, and was later rescued with the help of the Indian foreign ministry, the local Lok Sabha MP said on Tuesday.
Dhruv Patel and his wife Dipika have been released and are safe, thanks to the timely efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Member of Parliament from Anand Mitesh Patel said in a video statement.
“Two days ago, parents of Dhruv Patel and Dipika Patel contacted me and told me that they were kidnapped in Azerbaijan. They said they (family members) received a video call in which people (kidnappers) from Azerbaijan demanded ransom for their release," the BJP MP said on Tuesday.
The duo was kidnapped while on their way to the US with the help of agents who had promised them safe passage to America through illegal means, he informed.
When the couple’s worried family members contacted Mitesh Patel’s office for help, he made a high-level representation to the MEA and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday when he was in New Delhi for the ongoing Parliament session.
The MEA contacted the Indian Embassy in Azerbaijan and within 24 hours, both the kidnapped persons were rescued and brought to the Embassy in Baku, the capital of the country in the South Caucasus region, Mitesh Patel said.
“The kidnappers had threatened to kill the couple if they were not paid ransom. Our government worked very hard to bring them alive. I would like to appeal to the youth of Anand not to try to go abroad through such agents. Rather, work here. You will get the best opportunities here (in Gujarat),” the Lok Sabha MP said.
He thanked the MEA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the government’s efforts in rescuing the couple
- 11 Feb 2026 10:32 AM IST
Polling underway in Telangana municipal elections
Polling was underway on Wednesday in elections to 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations in Telangana, a three-way contest between the ruling Congress, and opposition parties, BJP and BRS.
Polling began at 7 am and would continue till 5 pm.
A total of 52.17 lakh voters, including 25.50 lakh men and 26.67 lakh women, are eligible to cast their votes.
The Telangana State Election Commission said 10,719 candidates are contesting for 2,569 wards in 116 municipalities. In the seven municipal corporations, 2,225 candidates are in the fray across 412 wards.
After a major success in the gram panchayat elections in December last year, the ruling Congress aims to consolidate its position as the dominant player in state politics, while the BJP hopes to emerge as a credible alternative to both the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Having suffered setbacks in the 2023 assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BRS came up with a decent performance in the gram panchayat polls and is keen to make substantial gains in the municipal elections to reverse its fortunes in the state.
Observing that the Congress government has implemented several welfare programmes, including the distribution of fine variety rice under the public distribution system (PDS), the Arogya Sri health scheme, free travel for women in state-run buses, and LPG cylinders for the poor at Rs 500, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday promised to prepare master plans for the development of every municipality.
The SEC has said over 41,000 polling personnel have been deployed, and 16,382 ballot boxes would be used for the election.
Counting of votes is scheduled for February 13.
- 11 Feb 2026 10:15 AM IST
UP: Over 120 students hospitalised in Farrukhabad, Mainpuri after deworming drive
Around 120 students were hospitalised in Farrukhabad and Mainpuri districts after they fell ill during a deworming drive conducted at their schools, officials said. The children complained of headache and vomiting shortly after being administered Albendazole tablets.
In Farrukhabad, the incident occurred on Tuesday at Jawahar Lal Prema Devi School in Rathora Mohaddinpur village of Kamalganj block. Out of around 150 students who were given the medication, about 100 complained of discomfort, triggering panic among parents and school authorities.
According to officials, 33 students were taken to the Community Health Centre in Kamalganj, while 67 others were shifted to the Lohia Hospital at the the district headquarters.
District Magistrate Ashutosh Kumar Dwivedi visited Lohia Hospital to monitor the situation and directed doctors to ensure proper treatment.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Avanindra Kumar said the deworming campaign was conducted in schools across the district. "Students of this particular school complained of headache and vomiting. All are stable and their condition is now normal," Dr Kumar said.
- 11 Feb 2026 9:42 AM IST
'No deal but US steal': Congress' dig at govt over Indo-US trade agreement
The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US interim trade agreement, saying the deal is a steal by the "PM's good friend in Washington" and reflects an "abject failure" of our "political huglomacy" as well as economic diplomacy.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said no matter what spin the "PM and his lie-brigade" may give, the hard reality is that the US has extracted more from India than it has conceded.
"It is significant that a number of independent analysts and commentators -- who have not been Modi-unfriendly -- have criticised the India-US trade deal as a capitulation, an asymmetrical set of commitments, a sell-out, and a humiliating cave-in," Ramesh said.
"Whatever the spin that the PM and his lie-brigade may give, the hard reality is that the US has extracted more from India than it has conceded. This is inspite of Mr. Modi's aggressive wooing of President Trump, including campaigning for him in September 2019," the Congress leader said.
PM Modi also managed to be among the first to greet the re-elected President Trump in February 2025, he pointed out.
The prime minister's public demonstrations of his personal friendship with President Trump have not yielded the desired results, Ramesh said.
President Trump too has given full expression to his friendship with Modi but while doing so has dealt India big blows, he claimed.
"This is an abject failure of our political huglomacy and economic diplomacy. The spin will, of course, continue. But facts are facts. The trade deal is a steal -- by the PM's good friend in Washington who has also claimed close to hundred times that he halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025," Ramesh said.
