February 7 News Live: US set June deadline for Ukraine-Russia deal, says Zelenskyy
Catch all the important news updates from India and across the world
Here is the top, trending news of Saturday, February 7, 2026, including Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Read updates below.
Live Updates
- 7 Feb 2026 8:45 PM IST
Zero-duty access for 800-1,600 cc US bikes to benefit Harley-Davidson?
India will grant zero-duty access to US motorcycle makers for bikes with engine capacities of 800-1,600 cc and above under the interim trade agreement, a move that would benefit iconic American brand Harley-Davidson, news agency PTI reported quoting an unnamed official.
India is a small market for high-end premium bikes, and the US share in the segment is minuscule.
The move assumes significance as the US President has on multiple occasions earlier flagged concerns over India’s import duties on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, saying the company was unable to sell its bikes in the country due to high tariffs.
In October 2020, Hero MotoCorp and Harley-Davidson announced a partnership for the Indian market. The deal envisaged Hero MotoCorp developing and selling a range of premium motorcycles under the Harley-Davidson brand in the country.
It is also entrusted to take care of service and parts requirements for Harley bikes.
- 7 Feb 2026 8:41 PM IST
Domestic spirits makers seek fair play in India-US trade deal
Domestic spirits makers’ body CIABC on Saturday said it expects tariffs on spirituous beverages to be aligned with India’s recently signed free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UK and the EU.
According to the framework finalised by India and the US for an interim trade agreement, American goods ranging from wines and spirits to dry fruits will enter India either duty-free or at reduced import tariffs.
Urging the Indian government to ensure a “fair and level-playing field against imports”, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) said it hopes the deal will be “equitable and mutually beneficial” for both nations.
CIABC, which represents home-grown Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) players, said it is not against reduction in import duty, but wants it in a “phased manner”.
CIABC further said the domestic industry is already at a disadvantage compared to manufacturers from developed countries due to high capital and operational costs and restrictive licensing regimes.
Highlighting the impact of duty cuts, CIABC has requested state governments to withdraw excise concessions currently extended to imported liquor, warning that a simultaneous reduction in customs duties would deliver a “double whammy” to Indian producers in both spirits and wine categories.
- 7 Feb 2026 8:37 PM IST
Quota-based duty concessions on US apples; farmers fully protected: Goyal
India has granted a quota-based duty concession to the US on apples under the interim trade pact, while fully protecting domestic apple growers, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday.
India has imposed a minimum import price (MIP) of Rs 80 per kg and an import duty of 25 per cent on apples from the US under the proposed India-US trade pact, which is expected to be signed by mid-March.
This effectively means apples priced below Rs 100 per kg cannot be imported into the country from the US.
At present, imported apples attract a 50 per cent import duty with an MIP of Rs 50 per kg, effectively barring imports of apples priced below Rs 75 per kg.
“Our apple farmers are fully protected, and there is no need to worry,” Goyal told reporters.
India imports about six lakh tonnes of apples every year, including from the US. About 25.7 per cent of the fruits come from Iran, 22.5 per cent from Turkiye, and around 8 per cent from Afghanistan. The EU accounts for 11.3 per cent of the shipments.
- 7 Feb 2026 5:16 PM IST
Assam CM says probe against Gogoi's 'Pak links' driven by national security, not politics
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said a probe into Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan links is underway “for the sake of national security,” insisting that any political fallout is “secondary.”
Addressing reporters at a government event, Sarma said two individuals — a Pakistani national and a British citizen — played “central roles” in the matter, without naming them. “The state cabinet will discuss the SIT report today and decide on the future course of action. One Pakistani citizen and one British citizen are related and have central roles. The British person is wife of an MP,” he said, stressing, “This investigation is for the sake of national security. Its impact on politics is secondary.”
The state had formed a Special Investigation Team to examine alleged interference by Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, said to have links with Gogoi’s British wife, Elizabeth Colburn. The SIT submitted its report on September 10.
After delays, Sarma said the findings would be made public on February 8. He added, “What we have done is just 10 per cent, 90 per cent is yet to be found out.” Gogoi dismissed the charges as “ridiculous, baseless, insane and nonsense,” accusing Sarma of acting like an “IT cell troll.”
- 7 Feb 2026 4:42 PM IST
Boeing: India-US trade pact will open multifold opportunities
Aircraft maker Boeing on Saturday (February 7) said the India-US interim trade agreement will open multi-fold opportunities and emphasised that the company has always advocated for zero-for-zero tariff approach for the aerospace and defence sector.
Under the framework announced by India and the US, tariffs will go down to zero on various goods, including generic pharmaceuticals and aircraft parts.
Boeing India and South Asia President Salil Gupte said, "this deal creates momentum to extend that principle, which would boost industrial growth, strengthen national security, and deliver win-win opportunities for both countries."
- 7 Feb 2026 3:27 PM IST
Pappu Yadav's arrest political vendetta aimed at silencing voice seeking accountability: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that the arrest of Bihar MP Pappu Yadav is an act of political vendetta aimed at intimidating and silencing every voice that demands accountability from the government.
In a post on X, Gandhi said Yadav stood as the voice for justice for an NEET aspirant who recently died under mysterious circumstances in Patna. "This is not politics; it is a question of justice. It is a question of the honour and safety of Bihar's daughters," the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"His arrest today is clearly an act of political vendetta, aimed at intimidating and silencing every voice that demands accountability," he added.
Gandhi said the suspicious death of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant in Patna and the entire sequence of actions that followed have once again "exposed the deep rot" in the system.
"When the victim's family demanded a fair investigation and justice, the same old BJP-NDA playbook came into play -- derail the case, harass the family and shield the culprits with the power of the State," the former Congress president said.
"The most alarming fact is that this incident does not appear confined to a single case. It points towards a terrifying conspiracy and a dangerous pattern, where more daughters are falling victim, and those in power sit with eyes shut to this horrifying reality," he said in his post in Hindi.
- 7 Feb 2026 3:26 PM IST
Drone attack by paramilitary group in Sudan kills 24, including 8 children
A drone attack by a notorious paramilitary group hit a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, a doctors' group said, a day after a World Food Program aid convoy was targeted.
Saturday's attack by the Rapid Support Forces occurred close to the city of Rahad in North Kordofan province, said the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country's ongoing war. The vehicle was transporting displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area, the group said in a statement. Among the dead children were two infants.
Several others were wounded and taken for treatment in Rahad, which suffers severe medical supplies shortages, like many areas in the Kordofan region, the statement said.
The doctors' group urged the international community and rights organisations to “take immediate action to protect civilians and hold the RSF leadership directly accountable for these violations.” There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which has been at war against the Sudanese military for control of the country for about three years.
- 7 Feb 2026 3:22 PM IST
Zelenskyy says US gave Ukraine, Russia June deadline to reach agreement to end war
The US has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters.
If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely put pressure on both sides to meet it, he added.
“The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said, speaking to reporters on Friday. Zelenskyy's comments were embargoed until Saturday morning.
“And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events,” he said.
- 7 Feb 2026 3:20 PM IST
SBI reports all-time high standalone profit of Rs 21,028 cr in Q3
State Bank of India on Saturday reported an all-time high profit of Rs 21,028 crore in December quarter FY26 on a standalone basis. On a consolidated basis, the state-owned lender reported a 13.06 per cent increase in profit at Rs 21,317 crore, as per a regulatory filing.
The bank's core net interest income on a standalone basis grew 9.04 per cent to Rs 45,190 crore from Rs 41,446 crore in the year-ago period on the back of 15.14 per cent loan growth and a 0.03 per cent compression in the domestic net interest margin at 3.12 per cent.
Non-interest income grew 15.65 per cent to Rs 8,404 crore during the quarter. Overall expenses were up at Rs 1,08,052 crore as against Rs 1,04,917 crore in Q32024-25. The bank reported a 9.02 per cent deposit growth during October-December period. Fresh slippages came in at Rs 4,458 crore, as against Rs 3,823 crore in the year-ago period.
Gross non-performing assets ratio improved to 1.57 per cent as of December 31, 2025 from 1.73 per cent in September, while overall provisions were at Rs 4,507 crore as against Rs 911 crore in the year-ago period.
- 7 Feb 2026 3:18 PM IST
Oppn MPs had barged into Speaker's chamber before PM's speech in Parl: Rijiju
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, on Saturday said that "40-50 opposition MPs" had stormed the chamber of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and spoken "in a nasty way" ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled speech in the House.
Rijiju, who was addressing a press conference at the BJP's Bihar headquarters, also said that he was present inside Birla's chamber when the exchange took place and a decision was, therefore, taken that it would be better if the PM did not come to the House.
"We are in power and have sufficient numerical strength. We could have muscled our way through the proceedings by making use of marshals. But we did not want to do that. And therefore, we found a way around the problem," said the minister when he was asked about Modi's much talked about absence in the debate on Motion of Thanks to President's address, which was supposed to conclude after the PM's speech.
Rijiju pointed out that the PM did speak at length in the Rajya Sabha.
"We took a different decision in Lok Sabha after 40-50 opposition MPs barged into the Speaker's chamber and spoke nastily. I was present there. We realised that they were itching to create trouble and it would be better if the Prime Minister stayed away," he added.
