Feb 11 News Live | 'PM has sold India': Rahul attacks Modi in LS
Rahul Gandhi speaks on data, martial arts, Economic Survey, India-US trade deal. He also brings up Epstein files issue
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 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.
- 11 Feb 2026 9:35 AM IST
India and Pakistan war could have been nuclear, 10 planes were shot down: Trump
US President Donald Trump repeated the claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year, which he said could have turned nuclear, through tariffs.
"I settled eight wars. Of the eight wars, at least six were settled because of tariffs. In other words, I said, ‘if you don't settle this war, I'm going to charge you tariffs, because I don't want to see people getting killed,” Trump said in an interview to Fox Business Tuesday.
"And they said, ‘Well, what does this have to do?’ I said, ‘you're going to be charged’. Like India and Pakistan. It would have been a nuclear war, in my opinion. They were really going at it, 10 planes were shot down. They were going at it,” Trump said.
He added that the Prime Minister of Pakistan said, ‘President Trump saved at least 10 million lives when he got us to stop fighting’. Because they were going to go nuclear, (in) my opinion. Without tariffs, that wouldn't happen,” Trump said.
- 11 Feb 2026 9:34 AM IST
Man dies after falling in uncovered manhole in Delhi's Rohini
Four days after a 25-year-old private bank employee died after falling into a pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board, a labourer died after falling into an uncovered manhole in the Begumpur area of Delhi's Rohini. The body of the labourer was recovered from a manhole after an overnight delay in reporting the incident, police said on Tuesday.
According to the police, a PCR call was received at 2.36 pm on Tuesday regarding a missing person suspected to have fallen into the sewer on vacant DDA land in Sector-32, Rohini.
"A team from the Begumpur police station immediately rushed to the spot. The caller, Amir Hussain, a resident of Bihar, told the police that his friend Birju Kumar Rai (32), a labourer, was missing since Monday," a senior police officer said.
During preliminary inquiry, another labourer, Budhan Das alias Suraj (33), informed the police that he and Birju had consumed alcohol on Monday night. He said that around 7.30 pm, while they were returning to their jhuggi located nearby, Birju lost balance and fell into an open manhole.
The police said Das did not inform anyone about the incident at night as he was intoxicated.
- 11 Feb 2026 9:28 AM IST
Journalist Ravi Nair convicted in Adani defamation case
The magistrate court in Mansa, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has convicted journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to a year's imprisonment and imposed a fine.
The case followed a complaint filed by Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), the Adani Group's flagship company, alleging that Ravi Nair published and disseminated a series of tweets containing false and defamatory statements intended to damage the reputation of AEL and the Adani Group.
AEL argued that the impugned tweets did not amount to fair comment or legitimate criticism but were designed to undermine the credibility of the company in the eyes of the public and investors.
After a full-fledged trial, the court held that AEL had successfully established its case and found Ravi Nair guilty of criminal defamation. The court convicted Ravi Nair and sentenced him to one year's imprisonment and imposed a fine.
- 11 Feb 2026 8:21 AM IST
School shooting in northeastern British Columbia leaves 8 dead
A school shooting in British Columbia left eight people dead, including a shooter, and dozens injured, Canadian police said Tuesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a suspect has been found dead with what is believed to be a self-inflicted injury.
Police earlier said officers are working to determine whether a second suspect is involved.
They are asking residents of the town of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of about 2,400 people, to stay inside as additional police resources are being deployed to the area from neighbouring areas.
The Peace River South School District said Tuesday that there was a the “lockdown and secure and hold” at both the secondary school and the Tumbler Ridge Elementary school.
