Feb 10 News Live | No trust motion: LS Speaker decides to step aside from House

BJP's women MPs urge Speaker to take action against Oppn MPs for Feb 4 ruckus

BJP's women MPs have urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take the strongest possible action against the opposition MPs who have committed "heinous acts" like moving deep inside treasury benches, climbing the table and laying a siege of the seat of the Prime Minister.

The women MPs of the BJP also said that the "alarming turn of events" in the precincts of the Lok Sabha on February 4 has left everyone deeply concerned, as the situation had the potential to result in serious and untoward consequences and could have marked one of the "darkest moments" in the history of India's parliamentary democracy.

On February 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to Parliament due to the opposition protests.

In their letter, the BJP's women MPs said they want to put on record their deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for the exemplary manner in which the Speaker upheld and protected the dignity, decorum, and sanctity of the Lok Sabha on February 4 during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.

Yunus makes clarion call for 'Yes' vote for Bangladesh referendum

Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus late Monday made a strong appeal to people to vote 'Yes' in the February 12 referendum being held simultaneously with the general elections and back his proposed reform package.

"If the 'Yes' vote wins in the referendum, Bangladesh's future will be built in a more positive way," he said, addressing senior secretaries and top bureaucrats as the poll campaign ended at 12 midnight, 48 hours before the polls in line with election laws.

Yunus said a ‘Yes’ referendum would keep "misrule" away, after his administration actively campaigned to elicit public support for the complicated 84-point reform package the past several weeks.

In line with a Bangladesh Bank order, the commercial banks too display 'Yes' vote banners at government offices, while the central bank has also asked banks to use their CSR funds to support NGO campaigns for the referendum.

State functionaries who would be involved in conducting the polls continued canvassing till January 29, when the election commission strictly debarred government officials from engaging in such a campaign, calling it a “punishable offence”.

Several legal experts said that since the referendum asks voters to choose either “Yes” or “No”, the interim government was expected to maintain an impartial position instead of adopting an openly partisan role, given the considerable amount of public money required for it.

Democrats, White House trade offers as shutdown of Homeland Security looms

Democrats have begun tentative talks with the White House on their demands for “dramatic” new restrictions on President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, trading offers just days before funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Democrats had sent the White House their list of demands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies. The White House said it had responded with a counterproposal. No details were immediately available.

Time is running short, with another partial government shutdown threatening to begin Saturday. Among the Democrats' demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling. They say such changes are necessary after two protesters were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

“Republicans, the clock is ticking,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “We have sent you our proposals and they are exceedingly reasonable.” There were some small signs of progress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday there has been a “good back and forth” between the sides on substantive issues and Republicans would send a counterproposal “soon.” Still, it was unclear if the two sides could find agreement on the charged issue of immigration enforcement — and as rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties were skeptical about finding common ground.

Drought leaves people hungry in Kenya as their livestock die

Drought conditions have left over 2 million people facing hunger in parts of Kenya, with cattle-keeping communities in the northeast the hardest hit, according to the United Nations and others.

In recent weeks, images of emaciated livestock in the arid area near the Somali border have shocked many in a region that reels from the effects of climate change.

In recent years, rainy seasons have become shorter for some communities, exposing them to drought. Normally, animals are the first to die.

The livestock losses echo what happened between 2020 and 2023, when millions of animals died in the region that extends from Kenya into parts of Ethiopia and Somalia. At the time, a famine predicted for Somalia was averted by a surge in international aid.

Four consecutive wet seasons have failed in parts of the Horn of Africa, which juts into the Indian Ocean. The wet season from October to December was one of the driest ever recorded, according to the UN health agency. Because the rains were brief, parts of eastern Kenya were the driest they have been during that season since 1981.

Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba because of aviation fuel shortage

Air Canada said Monday it is suspending service to Cuba because of a shortage of aviation fuel on the island.

Canada's largest airline said it took the decision after the Cuban government announced aviation fuel would not be available at Cuban airports as of Tuesday. Cuba has been facing a worsening energy crisis amid a US blockade of oil to the Caribbean nation.

Canadian tourism is vital to Cuba's economy. Global Affairs Canada, a governmental office, has said Canada is Cuba's second-largest source of direct investment to the island, particularly in the mining and tourism sectors, which have never fully recovered from the pandemic slump.

Air Canada said that in the coming days it will send empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3,000 customers to bring them home.

CMs seek AIMIM's help, not the other way round: Akbaruddin Owaisi

AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi said on Monday that chief ministers, regardless of their political affiliation, seek support from his party, rather than the other way around.

While addressing a rally in Karimnagar, approximately 150 kilometres from Hyderabad, he questioned whether the ruling Congress party in Telangana would have won the recent by-election for the Jubilee Hills assembly constituency without the support of AIMIM.

In a veiled attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he claimed that Telangana has not benefited, despite the 'chota feku' (younger bragger) making frequent visits to Delhi and meeting 'bada feku' (elder bragger) for developmental funds.

Owaisi claimed that Telangana suffered a loss of Rs 7,000 crores due to GST rationalisation. "We are not close to every chief minister; rather, every chief minister attempts to align themselves with us. If they weren't close to us, would the 'chota feku' have won Jubilee Hills (Assembly bypoll)? We have strength. Everyone is compelled to respect those with power, and 'strength' refers to the Majlis (AIMIM) and the Owaisi brothers," he said.

British PM vows to fight for his job after furore over Epstein ties

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Monday to fight for his job as revelations about the relationship between the former UK ambassador to Washington and Jeffrey Epstein spiralled into a full-blown crisis for his 19-month-old government.

The prime minister's authority with his own Labour Party has been battered by fallout from the publication of files related to Epstein — a man he never met and whose sexual misconduct has not implicated Starmer.

Some lawmakers in Starmer's centre-left Labour Party have called on him to resign for his judgment in appointing Peter Mandelson to the high-profile diplomatic post in 2024 despite his ties to the convicted sex offender. The leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, joined those calls Monday, saying “there have been too many mistakes" and "the leadership in Downing Street has to change.” Starmer's chief of staff and his communications director have also quit in quick succession. But Starmer insisted he will not step down.

"Every fight I have ever been in, I've won," he told Labour lawmakers at a meeting in Parliament. “I'm not prepared to walk away from my mandate and my responsibility to my country,” he added. 

US trims tariffs on Bangladesh to 19 per cent

Bangladesh on Monday secured a reduced 19 per cent tariff under a trade agreement with the United States that would exempt some textiles and garments manufactured with US materials, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus said.

In an X post, he said Washington had "committed to establishing a mechanism for certain textile and apparel goods from Bangladesh using US-produced cotton and man-made fibre to receive zero reciprocal tariff in (the) US market". Yunus, known for his pro-US stance, said the deal was reached after nine months of negotiations since April last year.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department or any office of the Trump administration made no immediate comment on the development.

According to Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, Bangladesh’s key export-earning ready-made garments (RMG) made from cotton and synthetic fibres imported from the US would enjoy zero reciprocal duty under the deal. He said the agreement was signed in Washington by Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin and US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.