Top school assembly news February 13, 2026: Defence, politics, economy and global headlines

Here are the top national and international headlines for February 13, 2026, covering politics, governance, technology, and diplomatic developments shaping India and the world.

National News

• India clears procurement of 114 Rafale jets worth Rs 3.6 lakh crore

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry cleared a proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets from France under a government-to-government framework. The overall defence acquisition projects approved are worth about Rs 3.6 lakh crore. The decision comes nearly 13 years after a similar deal was close to finalisation and is aimed at strengthening the Indian Air Force’s combat capabilities.

• Govt ignored voices of workers, farmers: Rahul Gandhi amid nationwide strike

New Delhi: As trade unions observed a nationwide strike against the Centre’s policies, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government ignored the voices of workers and farmers while making decisions about their future. The Congress extended support to the strike called against the new labour codes.

• BJP MP seeks cancellation of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership

New Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said he has submitted a notice to initiate a substantive motion against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He demanded that Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership be cancelled and that he be barred from contesting elections for life.

• Opposition accuses govt of favouring industrialists over labourers

New Delhi: During discussions in the Lok Sabha, Opposition members accused the government of favouring industrialists while framing the industrial relations code. They claimed that workers’ rights, including the right to protest, were being curtailed.

• Tharoor criticises Kerala shutdown during trade union strike

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticised the complete shutdown in Kerala during the nationwide strike. He described it as an “organised tyranny” and called it a “lamentable irony” that it turned into a Kerala bandh.

• Nationwide strike sees mixed response across states

Hyderabad/Bhopal/Raipur/Ahmedabad: Trade unions, along with Congress and Left parties, organised protests in several states against the Centre’s labour codes. While Telangana and parts of Madhya Pradesh witnessed demonstrations, normal life remained largely unaffected in Gujarat. Chhattisgarh reported a mixed response, and over 25,000 civilian defence staff in Madhya Pradesh reported late to work.

• Lamborghini crash accused granted bail in Kanpur

Kanpur: Shivam Mishra, son of a local businessman, was granted bail by a Kanpur court hours after his arrest in connection with a Lamborghini crash on VIP Road earlier this week. The incident had left several people injured.

• Supreme Court says RERA ‘facilitating defaulting builders’

New Delhi: The Supreme Court observed that the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) was doing “nothing except facilitating defaulting builders”. The court said states should reconsider how RERA bodies are constituted.

• SC raps filmmaker over movie title ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’

New Delhi: The Supreme Court told filmmaker Neeraj Pandey that a section of society cannot be denigrated in the name of freedom of expression. The court raised objections to the title of his film ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’.

• Bombay HC warns Vijay Mallya over fugitive tag plea

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court reiterated that it would not hear Vijay Mallya’s petition challenging the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act unless he returns to India.

• Rahul Gandhi vows full support to farmers against Modi govt

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha posted on social media that he will withstand all measures—including FIR, registering a legal case, or raising a privilege motion against him in Parliament—to protect farmers’ interests.

International News

• Over 32 per cent voter turnout in Bangladesh parliamentary polls

Dhaka: More than 32 per cent of voters cast their ballots by noon in Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections. The polls were reported to be crucial and were marred by sporadic incidents of violence.

• India-EU free trade agreement boosts hopes for organic food sector

Nuremberg: Organic food traders from India and the European Union expressed optimism over the recently announced free trade agreement. They said it would expand market access and create new opportunities for businesses on both sides.

• Kim Jong Un chooses his 13-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae as North Korea’s next leader

Seoul: South Korea’s top spy agency reported on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has formally entered the stage of designating his teenage daughter as his successor, marking a definitive shift in the regime’s efforts to cement a fourth generation of dynastic rule.

• Supreme Court directs immediate health examination for Imran Khan

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, 73, currently jailed in Adiala Jail since August 2023, has reportedly lost nearly 85 percent of vision in his right eye due to central retinal vein occlusion, according to a medical report submitted to the Supreme Court.