Feb 3 News Live: 8 MPs suspended for ruckus in Lok Sabha

US President Donald Trump’s claim on Monday (February 2) that Washington and New Delhi have struck a trade deal has generated widespread attention, but concrete details remain limited. More than 12 hours after the announcement, neither government has released a joint statement, negotiated text or official fact sheet outlining the terms of the agreement.

So far, what is known in the public domain is based largely on Trump’s statements and subsequent clarifications by US officials.

Read here for a point-by-point look at what has been announced, what has been clarified and what remains uncertain.

US President Donald Trump’s claim of a sweeping trade deal with India has triggered several questions, with trade experts urging caution until official details emerge.

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), in a statement on Monday (February 2, said the announcement, made by Trump on his Truth Social platform, should be seen as a political signal rather than a concluded agreement.

GTRI pointed out that even the basic contours of the announcement remain unclear. “The Truth Social post leaves major questions unanswered — what products are covered, what the timelines are, and whether India has really agreed to zero tariffs and zero non-tariff barriers, especially in sensitive areas like agriculture and regulated imports,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder of GTRI, in comments included in the press release.

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Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational certificate has not been revealed, but the uneducated and poor are asked to produce several documents during the SIR of the electoral roll initiated by the EC.

Speaking at an event on Monday (February 2), the CM also hit out at BRS for protesting against the examination of its president K Chandrasekhar Rao, in the phone-tapping case.

Referring to the proposal of 'One Nation One Election', he alleged that it is an attempt to usher in 'one person - one party' in the country.

Claiming that the BJP sought 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to "remove the Constitution", he said a simple majority would be adequate to make Constitutional amendments in the public interest.

After the BJP failed to get a simple majority, the party is now conspiring to "remove voting right" of illiterate and poor through the SIR, he claimed. Birth details of father and grandfather are being asked (as part of SIR), he said.

Top American leaders said the trade deal announced by US President Donald Trump with “close partner” India will increase exports of farm products from America to the massive Indian market and the agreement will also help counter Russian aggression.

“Congratulations to President Trump for a superb accomplishment on today’s trade agreement with India,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch said in a post on X Monday (February 2).

He said he is “very glad to learn that the world’s oldest and largest democracy has agreed to reduce trade barriers with the United States.” Describing India as a “close partner” of the US, with a prominent diaspora in America, Risch said New Delhi is an integral partner in countering China's “malign influence" in the Indo-Pacific.

“Now, under this new agreement India has pledged to buy American. It will also help the US counter Russian aggression and in its work to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine by cutting off India’s support of the Russian energy sector,” Risch said.

US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins thanked Trump for “once again” delivering for American farmers.

“New US-India deal will export more American farm products to India's massive market, lifting prices, and pumping cash into rural America,” she said in a post on X.

Noting that in 2024, America’s agricultural trade deficit with India was $1.3 billion, she said India’s growing population is an “important market” for America’s agricultural products and the deal will go a long way in reducing this deficit.

Two persons were injured and more than 70 trapped people rescued after a fire broke out in an electric duct of an 18-storey residential building in Maharashtra's Thane city early on Tuesday (February 3), an official said.

The blaze was reported at 4.14 am on the 10th floor of the Milan Hill building in Shastri Nagar locality, Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said. The fire spread through the electric duct between the 10th and 13th floors, causing heavy smoke inside the building.

Nearly 70 residents were trapped due to the smoke and were later rescued by the fire brigade and disaster management staff, the official said. Two residents, aged 62 and 74, suffered burn injuries and were admitted to private hospitals, Tadvi said.

The fire caused damage to the electric duct and the main doors of two flats on the 10th floor, he said, adding that the blaze was extinguished by 5.30 am. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Months after consuming Coldrif cough syrup, four-year-old boy from Madhya Pradesh has died at AIIMS Nagpur, after he fell critically ill and slipped into a coma, officials said.

In September-October last year, at least 24 children died after consuming the cough syrup, which was found to contain a highly poisonous compound that causes renal failure.

Harsh, from Tikabarri village in MP's Betul district bordering Chhindwara, had been in a coma for more than four months and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital in Nagpur, where he died during treatment on Sunday night, an official said on Monday (February 2).

Betul's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr Manoj Hurmade, confirmed the child’s death and said the post-mortem examination was conducted in Nagpur on Monday, and the body was handed over to the family.

The exact cause of death would be ascertained after the post-mortem report, he said.

Security forces recovered arms and explosives and arrested two militants in separate incidents in two districts of Manipur, police said on Tuesday (February 3). The warlike stores were found near Bongmol and SL Zougam villages in Tengnoupal district.

One AK-47 rifle with a magazine, two pistols, two single-barrel rifles, eleven live rounds of ammunition, three radio sets and IED wires were recovered. Security forces also “safely disposed of" 18 IEDs at the spot after recovery, the police said in a statement.

Two militants belonging to different proscribed outfits were also arrested in Imphal West district, it said. A cadre of the banned Peoples' Liberation Army was apprehended on Monday from his residence at Lambal Awang Leikai. Another member of Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup was arrested on Sunday in Mayang Imphal.

Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence since May 3, 2023, after a tribal solidarity march was taken out in the hill districts, in protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since then, at least 260 people, including members of both the Kuki and Meitei communities as well as security personnel, have been killed in the violence, while thousands have become homeless. The state has been under President’s Rule since February last year.

At least 300 trees were planted in Moshav Nevatim, Israel to jointly celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “Ek Ped Maa ke Naam” initiative along with the Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat, which is celebrated as an ecological awareness day in Israel.

The event, which saw participation of hundreds of people, was organised by the Embassy of India in collaboration with Keren Kayemet LeIsrael and Moshav Nevatim, symbolising a shared commitment to environmental sustainability, community participation, and people-to-people ties between India and Israel, a press statement released after the event said.

Rami Rozen, Director General of Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection, JP Singh, Ambassador of India to Israel, and Nir Zamir, Head of Bnei Shimon Regional Council, participated in the event with each one of them highlighting the shared commitment of India and Israel towards environmental protection and sustainable development.

"Both Tu Bishvat and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam place trees at the centre of community engagement and sustainable living. These shared practices reflect the deep cultural connections and strong people-to-people ties between India and Israel, underscoring the importance both our nations place on nature, community, and shared values", Singh told the gathering.

“I firmly believe that these trees will stand as enduring symbols of India–Israel friendship, carrying this bond forward to future generations,” the Indian envoy stressed.

"Today's event symbolises the close relationship between Israel and India. The two countries are currently cooperating in many fields, particularly in climate and environmental fields. Beyond our shared aspiration for innovation, we also share a common spirit — a recognition that protecting nature is an integral part of protecting life", Rozen said.