NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed the India-US interim trade agreement, calling it a major step towards strengthening economic ties, boosting domestic manufacturing and creating jobs.In a post on X, PM Modi said: “Great news for India and USA! We have agreed on a framework for an Interim Trade Agreement between our two great nations. I thank President Trump for his personal commitment to robust ties between our countries. This framework reflects the growing depth, trust and dynamism of our partnership. It strengthens ‘Make in India’ by opening new opportunities for India’s hardworking farmers, entrepreneurs, MSMEs, StartUp innovators, fishermen and more. It will generate large-scale employment for women and youngsters. India and the United States share a commitment to promoting innovation and this framework will further deepen investment and technology partnerships between us. This framework will also strengthen resilient and trusted supply chains and contribute to global growth. As India moves forward towards building a Viksit Bharat, we remain committed to building global partner”.

India and the United States earlier released a joint statement announcing the framework for an interim trade agreement, under which tariffs on Indian goods entering the US will be reduced from 50% to 18%. “The US and India are pleased to announce that they have reached a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade,” the statement said.The announcement follows months of negotiations after trade talks stalled when Washington imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports. Of these, 25% duties were introduced in August, with the US alleging that India was supporting Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine through oil purchases.The framework also reaffirms both sides’ commitment to negotiations on a broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement, launched by Modi and US President Donald Trump in February 2025 amid prolonged trade tensions linked to India’s energy imports from Russia.Under the interim deal, the United States will lower tariffs to 18% on a wide range of Indian products, including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber goods, organic chemicals, home décor, artisanal products and select machinery. Subject to the successful conclusion of the agreement, Washington has also said it will remove tariffs on additional Indian exports such as generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts.India, in turn, will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a broad basket of food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits.Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said the agreement protects India’s agriculture sector, with sensitive farm and dairy products fully safeguarded. These include maize, wheat, rice, soya, poultry, milk, cheese, ethanol for fuel, tobacco, certain vegetables and meat.The framework also outlines India’s intent to purchase $500 billion worth of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products and coking coal over the next five years, a move expected to significantly expand bilateral trade.On claims that India would end Russian oil imports, New Delhi has not confirmed any such commitment. The government has reiterated that energy security remains its top priority. “Diversifying our energy sourcing in keeping with objective market conditions and evolving international dynamics is at the core of our strategy to ensure this,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.The agreement provides for preferential market access for both countries in key sectors. The US will remove tariffs on certain Indian aircraft and aircraft parts imposed on national security grounds, while India will receive preferential tariff rate quotas for automotive parts and negotiated outcomes for generic pharmaceuticals and ingredients.Goyal said the pact opens up a $30 trillion market for Indian exporters, particularly MSMEs, farmers and fishermen, and is expected to create lakhs of jobs for women and youth.The framework also includes steps to boost digital and technology trade, with both sides committing to address barriers to digital commerce, increase trade in technology products including GPUs and data centre equipment, and expand joint technology cooperation.Both countries have agreed to work on removing non-tariff barriers affecting bilateral trade. India will address issues related to US medical devices, information and communication technology goods, and food and agricultural products, eliminate restrictive import licensing and review standards within six months to ease market access.Officials said the framework paves the way for finalising the interim agreement and advancing negotiations on a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, with scope for further tariff reductions.

File photo: AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Friday strongly criticised the Delhi Police and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government following the tragic death of 25-year-old Kamal Dhyin Janakpuri, alleging police negligence and deliberate attempts to withhold crucial information.Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj described the incident as a reflection of the government’s and police’s “shamelessness.”“What happened in Janakpuri has exposed the BJP government in Delhi, the Delhi Police Commissioner, and the entire Delhi Police… Today, a 25-year-old youth has died… Serious allegations have been slapped on the police. Around 12 am, the family went to the police station in search of their son… Not just one, but they went to six police stations, yet no one filed their report. Their children’s phone location was deliberately deleted in haste. Why did they do this? What is the police trying to hide? When the boy’s phone was on, the police had his location. If they wanted to, they could have found him. Maybe he might have been saved, but no one saved him. In the morning, Ashish Sood went there and lied about having proper arrangements. If there were proper arrangements, then did that boy jump to take his own life? This is simply the shamelessness of the government and the police, who are falsifying data. Today, with concrete evidence, this has been exposed to the entire country,” he told ANI.Bhardwaj visited the accident site to assess the situation and pointed out alleged tampering with the scene.“This is the crime scene… On one side of this road, there’s an 8-foot-high barricade with wire on top. There’s also a barricade on the other side of the road. On the third side of this road, there’s a large iron barricade, and there’s a barricade on the other side of this ditch as well. The Delhi Police have directly tampered with the crime scene. They have openly committed fraud by altering it. It’s obvious to everyone here that the biker could only have fallen if someone had thrown him from an aeroplane. This is clear to any basic person… Did the man just appear out of thin air? Should any department stoop to such a level of depravity? Can any government fall to such a low level of dishonesty, just to claim that it wasn’t anyone’s fault and that the boy died on his own? That’s why the crime scene was later barricaded from all sides,” he added. The criticism comes after Kamal Dhyani, a 25-year-old Janakpuri resident, reportedly fell into a deep pit while riding his motorcycle home late Thursday night. Police confirmed the identification of the deceased.Dhyani’s brother claimed that the family did not recieve any help even after visiting six police stations and received the information only after calling him on his phone in the morning, which was received by an official to extend the news of his death.Dhyani’s friend condemned the police department, saying that they neglected the urgency of the situation by not providing the exact location of his mobile phone during the search, resulting in his death. He further questioned how his phone could not be tracked last night.Meanwhile, Delhi urban development minister Ashish Sood is scheduled to inspect the site on February 7. The Delhi government, on Friday, issued a notification taking cognisance of the incident and assuring action against the responsible authorities.The tragedy has evoked comparisons with a similar incident in January, when a 27-year-old IT professional, Yuvraj Mehta, lost his life after his car plunged into an unmarked, water-filled construction pit in Noida amid dense winter fog. The incident had sparked widespread concern over urban safety standards, incomplete construction sites, and the urgent need for better road safety measures in the Delhi-NCR region.

Here are the top 5 news of the day:

Suicide blast rocks Pakistan: At least 31 killed, over 160 hurt in explosion

At least 31 people were killed and more than 160 injured in a suicide blast at a crowded Imambargah in Islamabad. The explosion took place at the Terlai Imambargah in the Shehzad Town area during Friday prayers, according to Pakistani media reports.

Police and rescue teams rushed the injured to nearby hospitals, including the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, where an emergency was declared. Read full story

Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra says no leadership change likely in Karnataka; Shivakumar reacts

Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah said there is unlikely to be any change in Karnataka’s leadership and that chief minister Siddaramaiah is expected to complete his full five-year term. Speaking in Mysuru, he said the party high command had given clear indications that the issue was settled.Yathindra said no one within the party had suggested removing Siddaramaiah as chief minister. His remarks come amid ongoing speculation about leadership changes within the Karnataka Congress. Read full story

IND vs ENG U19: RS Ambrish strikes as England lose early wicket

India struck early in the match as RS Ambrish dismissed England’s Joseph Moores just when the batter was beginning to find rhythm. Moores was cramped by a short delivery and dragged his cut shot onto the stumps.The wicket left England needing to rebuild once again after a cautious start, with Moores departing for a quick 17. England Under-19 were 15 for 1 after 4.5 overs at the time of the dismissal.Read live updates

Andhra CM Naidu alleges adulterated ghee used in Tirupati laddus under YSRCP rule

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that Tirupati laddus were prepared using ghee adulterated with “bathroom-cleaning chemicals” during the previous YSRCP government led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.Addressing a public meeting in Kurnool district, Naidu claimed the practice had damaged the sanctity of Lord Venkateswara Swamy and said such adulterated ghee was also supplied to the Srisailam temple. The YSRCP has not responded to the allegations so far.Read full story

Supreme Court allows abortion of 30-week pregnant minor

The Supreme Court allowed the medical termination of a 30-week pregnancy of a 17-year-old girl, observing that courts cannot force a woman, especially a minor, to continue a pregnancy against her will.The bench said the key issue was the minor’s right to reproductive choice and autonomy. While a medical board had said the pregnancy posed no immediate risk, the court ruled that the girl’s wishes must be respected given her age and circumstances. Read full story

In a major institutional reform aimed at transforming urban mobility in the national capital, the Delhi government under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has initiated the process of drafting a comprehensive Bill for the creation of the Delhi Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (DUMTA) along with a dedicated Delhi Urban Transport Fund (DUTF).“The proposed legislation seeks to rationalise, integrate and coordinate Delhi’s presently fragmented transport ecosystem under a single, coherent planning and governance framework. The move marks a significant milestone in the government’s vision to create a modern, efficient, people-centric and environmentally sustainable transport system for the Capital,” a statement read.To ensure expeditious and inclusive drafting of the proposed law, the statement said that the Chief Minister has constituted a high-level task force under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. “The task force has been mandated to prepare and submit the draft Bill at the earliest, reflecting the government’s sense of urgency and commitment to reform. This decision responds to long-standing demands from urban planners, transport experts and civic stakeholders for a unified transport authority capable of synchronising planning, investment and operations across agencies.“Recognising that Delhi’s rapid urbanisation, rising population and mounting vehicular pressure demands systemic solutions rather than piecemeal interventions, the Chief Minister has taken a proactive step by setting the legislative process in motion.The task force brings together senior officials from key departments including transport, urban development, finance, planning, public works and Delhi Police. It also includes representatives from major civic and transport authorities such as the Delhi Development Authority, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi Transport Corporation, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation and Indian Railways. CM has suggested that renowned experts in urban transportation may also be co-opted to ensure that global best practices and local realities are seamlessly integrated into the proposed framework.Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta noted that Delhi’s transport agencies have historically functioned in silos, with limited coordination in route planning, infrastructure development and service delivery. “DUMTA will bring cohesion to Delhi’s entire urban mobility system. By placing all modes of transport like metro, buses, regional rail, railways and feeder services, within a single planning jurisdiction, we will ensure that mobility solutions are integrated, efficient and citizen-focused,” the CM said.The Chief Minister emphasised that DUMTA will play a critical role in decongesting Delhi’s roads by strengthening public transport, improving last-mile connectivity and encouraging a shift away from private vehicles. This, she said, is integral to the government’s long-term strategy to combat air pollution, one of the Capital’s most pressing challenges. Vehicular emissions remain a major local source of pollution, and expanding a reliable, well-connected public transport network is central to achieving sustainable environmental outcomes.“Our government is working on short, medium and long-term solutions to address…”