Feb 6 News Live I Sena ministers target NCP over Sunetra's `hasty' oath-taking

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Friday (February 6) following protests by Opposition members over various issues. As soon as the House convened for the day, many Opposition members trooped into the Well, shouting slogans and displaying placards.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he wants the House to function, noting that people have elected members to raise issues, not to shout slogans. The members are disrespecting the House, he said while noting that in the current session, 19 hours and 13 minutes have been wasted due to disruptions.

While urging the protesting members to allow the House to run, Birla also mentioned that there is a question marked for Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi.

As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings in less than four minutes of convening till 12 noon.

The government and the Opposition are at loggerheads over various issues including former Army Chief’s unpublished memoir and US-India trade deal.

In an unprecedented development, the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks on Thursday (February 5) without the Prime Minister's customary reply that was scheduled a day earlier in the face of relentless sloganeering by the Opposition members.

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have formally signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for their proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), marking a crucial institutional step towards commencing negotiations on a comprehensive trade pact between the two sides.

The ToR was signed at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, on Tuesday (February 3) by Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary and Chief Negotiator, Department of Commerce, and Dr Raja Al Marzouqi, Chief Negotiator from the Secretariat General of the GCC.

The signed Terms of Reference will serve as the guiding framework for negotiations, laying down the scope, structure, sequencing and modalities of discussions for the proposed India–GCC Free Trade Agreement. Officials said the ToR provides clarity on the negotiating architecture and will enable both sides to move forward with structured and time-bound negotiations aimed at enhancing trade, investment, and economic cooperation.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said the signing of the ToR was a significant milestone that would help create a stable and predictable trade framework between India and the GCC. Describing the proposed FTA as a “force multiplier for global good”, Goyal said it would facilitate smoother movement of goods and services, boost investment flows, generate employment, and strengthen food and energy security across the region.

Highlighting the long history of commercial ties between India and GCC countries, Dr Raja Al Marzouqi said the ToR signing formally marks the beginning of negotiations for a mutually-beneficial agreement. He noted that deepening economic cooperation through the FTA assumes greater significance amid ongoing global economic and geopolitical uncertainties.

India’s trade with the GCC stood at USD 178.56 billion in FY 2024–25, accounting for 15.42 per cent of India’s total global trade, making the bloc one of New Delhi’s largest trading partners. Bilateral trade has grown at an average annual rate of 15.3 per cent over the past five years.

Malayalam actor Maniyanpilla Raju was arrested on Friday (February 6) in connection with a hit-and-run case that left two men injured in Thiruvananthapuram late Thursday night, as per local media reports.

According to preliminary information, the actor’s car allegedly hit a motorcycle carrying two youths Sooraj and Nidev, both aged 20, near the Trivandrum Club on the Vellayambalam–Vazhuthakkad road around 9.30 pm, before fleeing the scene. Raju was reportedly unreachable for nearly ten hours following the incident.

Police launched an investigation and later took the actor into custody.

Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh said the top priority of his government was to look into the problems of the people displaced by the ethnic violence in both hill and valley districts.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday (February 5), he said the government will soon formulate a roadmap for the return of these people to their homes.

"Our first priority will be to look after the problems of IDPs (internally displaced persons) in both hills and the valley. The biggest issue is that they are not able to return to their home. The government will formulate a roadmap very soon," he said.

Singh took the oath as the chief minister of the restive state on Wednesday (February 4).