Friday, February 13, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 111 | 28 Pages WORLD RADIO DAY Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition GAMES NATION Nipah-affected nurse in West Bengal dies due to complications Cinema 7-time Grammy winner John Mayer enthrals Mumbai Mosca brothers clinch maiden T20 WC victory for debutants Italy against Nepal in Mumbai Edit Mumbai needs basic infra, not hideous ‘beautification’ Shiv Sena (UBT) BIG PUSH | The go-ahead for the `3.60 lakh crore acquisition comes four days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India from February 17-19 has mayor in Parbani, thanks to Congress The ‘Boat’ DAC CLEARS PURCHASE that refuses to drift away OF 114 RAFALE JETS PTI DORNIERS FROM HAL NEW DELHI Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday installed its only mayor (Sayed Iqbal) across Maharashtra’s municipal corporations in Parbhani, securing the post with the backing of the Congress even as strains within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) remained visible following the Chandrapur episode. Parbhani is one of the 29 municipal corporations that went to polls last month. The election has acquired wider political significance as the Sena (UBT) chose a Muslim candidate for the mayor’s post, inviting sharp attacks from the BJP and the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. In the 65-member Parbhani Municipal Corporation, the Sena (UBT) emerged as the single largest party with 25 corporators, while the Congress won 12 seats. Together, the two parties command 37 seats, well above the majority mark of 34. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday cleared capital acquisition proposals worth about Rs 3.60 lakh crore, including a longpending plan to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a gove r n m e n t- to - gove r n m e n t framework with France. The approval for the Rafale jets comes nearly 13 years after a similar acquisition was almost firmed up but could not be sealed. The decision was taken at a meeting of the DAC chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Under the project, 18 aircraft will be supplied by Dassault Aviation in fly-away condition, while the remaining jets will be manufactured he Ministry of Defence has signed a Rs 2,312 crore contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Transport Aircraft Division, Kanpur, for eight Dornier 228 aircraft with Operational Role Equipment for the Indian Coast Guard under the Buy (Indian) category. The Ministry said the programme will generate employment, strengthen HAL’s ecosystem, support MSMEs and create MRO opportunities. It reinforces Aatmanirbhar Bharat. T in India with over 50 per cent indigenous content to be met in phases, sources said. Though the defence ministry did not disclose the cost of the Rafale procurement, it is expected to be in the range of Rs 2.90 lakh crore to Rs 3.15 lakh crore. The approval has come just four days ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India. However, a formal contract is unlikely be- fore the end of the year as the defence ministry will now negotiate with Dassault Aviation to finalise the cost and details of the weapons package. 4Contd on | nation Nishikant Dubey opens gambit to expel Rahul Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has escalated its confrontation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by filing a substantive motion in the Lok Sabha seeking his expulsion and permanent dis- 4Contd on | nation BJP MP wants Leader of Opposition disqualified permanently from contesting elections and sent out of Lok Sabha qualification from contesting elections. The move comes a day after Gandhi’s sharp criticism of the government over the India–US interim trade deal, which he described as a “wholesale surrender” of national interests. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey submitted the notice to Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Gandhi has consistently aligned with “anti-India forces” and deliberately undermined democratic institutions. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation FPJ Special BANGLADESH MANDATE Sufia Chowdhury DHAKA As polling wound down at 4.30 pm on Thursday at a government residential college in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur, Nusrat Mahal was among the few voters still standing patiently in line. The sluggish pace told its own story. Voter turnout at the centre hovered below 50 per cent, a sharp drop from the usual 65–70 per cent recorded here in past elections. Across the capital, and much of Bangladesh, the enthusiasm that typically accompanies election day was muted. Fear, fatigue and political disillusionment appeared to have replaced the frenzy of campaigning by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its orthodox rival, Jamaat-e-Islami, along with Ja- maat’s ally, Hefajat-e-Islam. The Awami League's boat symbol was missing from ballot papers in Bangladesh's general election for the first time in 30 years. “In the early hours there were hardly any voters,” Mahal said. “Those of us who live in Geneva Camp were worried. The army had been patrolling the streets all night, stopping vehicles. We thought there might be violence, so we waited to see how things unfolded.” 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world India is turning Italian report blames pilot, AAIB terms it speculative away from buying Russian oil: US AI-171 CRASH Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI Deeksha Pandey An Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, claiming that the final investigation report into last year’s Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad will fault the pilot, MUMBAI The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur told a US House subcommittee that India is gradually reducing its purchases of Russian oil. “The Indians have been reducing their purchases of Russian oil and diversifying away, which is what we wanted them to do. India has increased imports of US energy,” he said, suggesting that replacing Russian crude with American supplies, along with sourcing from other global producers, offered a viable path forward. At a hearing on South and Central Asia on Wednesday, Republican Congressman Keith Self raised concerns that ongoing Russian oil exports were continuing to bankroll Moscow’s war against Ukraine. “The sale of Russian oil continues to fund the Ukraine war,” Self said, pressing the administration on enforcement mechanisms. He asked, “How are you going to enforce or measure if India has stopped buying Rus- sian oil?” and pointed to opaque trading practices such as thirdparty traders, blended cargoes, ship-to-ship transfers and socalled “ghost ships”, which are often used to mask the origin of crude. When pressed for clarity, Kapur avoided giving a direct answer, deflecting the question instead. He said, “I won’t be in the enforcement business. That will be, I think, probably my DOW colleagues, will be thinking about ships that are travelling around.” He said that he did not have operational details. “I don’t know the details of how that’s going to be worked out. I’m happy to stay in touch with you about it,” Kapur said. 4Contd on | nation has triggered a storm in aviation circles. While the Indian aviation community outright rejected the report as speculative and premature, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) clarified that the probe is still ongoing and that no final conclusions have been reached. The report, published on Tuesday, claimed that the AAIB AP The city of Seattle has reached a $29 million (roughly ₹262 crore) settlement with the family of a 23-year-old graduate student from India who was struck and killed by a speeding police officer in 2023. Jaahnavi Kandula was hit by Officer Kevin Dave, who was driving as fast as 119 kph in a 40-kph zone while responding to a drug overdose call. He had his emergency lights on and had been using his siren at intersections. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement on Wednesday. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, her friends and to our community,” Evans said. Kandula had been working toward a master’s degree in information systems at the Seattle campus of Northeastern University. had re-analysed “cleaned-up” cockpit voice recordings (CVR) at the National Transportation Safety Board laboratories in Washington in December. It claimed the audio analysis identified the pilot who moved the fuel control switches from the run to the cutoff position. 4See also | nation Delhi mulling invite to Board of Peace Better to abolish FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said India received an invitation from the United States to join the Board of Peace and is reviewing it. Addressing a weekly Media Briefing, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have received an invitation from the US government to join the Board of Peace. We are currently reviewing this proposal and considering its implementation. India has consistently supported efforts to promote peace, stability, and dialogue in West Asia." He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wel- comed all initiatives that pave the way for long-term and sustainable peace across Gaza. "As for the invitation from the Board of Peace, we are still in the process of reviewing it," The MEA also addressed concerns regarding recent revisions in the United States factsheet on the India-US interim trade agreement, emphasizing that the changes reflect “shared understandings” between the two nations. Jaiswal also underscored that the Joint Statement issued on February 7, 2026, remains the foundation of mutual understanding and cooperation. “The Joint Statement is the framework and continues to serve as the basis of our mutual understanding. Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalising the Interim Agreement,” Jaiswal stated, adding that the amendments in the US document align with the spirit of the Joint Statement. The clarification comes after reports highlighted discrepancies between the initial US factsheet and India’s official statement. The White House subsequently released a revised version, softening language around India’s commitments. For instance, the original factsheet claimed India had “committed” to purchase over USD 500 billion worth of American goods, including agricultural products. The updated version replaced “committed” with “intends” and removed “agricultural” from the list, thereby easing concerns about binding obligations. 4Contd on | nation Seattle to compensate `262 cr to student family SEATTLE was preparing to conclude that the aircraft’s fuel switches were manually turned off. It named the flight’s commander, Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, as the “prime suspect” and suggested the act was “almost certainly intentional” rather than accidental. Citing sources within Western aviation agencies, the newspaper said Indian investigators Indian student Jaahanvi Kandula was killed by car being driven by speeding police officer in 2023 Attorneys for Kandula’s family did not immediately respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. The parties filed a notice of settlement in King County Superior Court last Friday. The local news website PubliCola first reported about the agreement. Kandula’s death sparked outrage and demonstrations, particularly after a recording from another officer’s body camera surfaced in which the officer laughed and suggested Kandula’s life had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check.” Diplomats from India sought an investigation into the incident. The city’s civilian watchdog later found that the comments by Officer Daniel Auderer, who was a union leader, damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust. Auderer was subsequently fired and has sued the city for wrongful termination. He said his remarks were intended to criticise how attorneys were likely to respond to the death. The police department also dismissed Officer Kevin Dave, the driver involved in the crash. He was cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a USD 5,000 fine. However, King County prosecutors declined to file felony charges against him, stating they could not prove he was deliberately disregarding safety when he struck Kandula. About $20 million of the settlement is expected to be covered by the city’s insurance. RERA, it only helps builders: SC FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Himachal Pradesh High Court order that had restrained the State government from shifting the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) office from Shimla to Dharamshala, and permitted the State to go ahead with the move. While hearing the plea filed by the State of Himachal Pradesh against the High Court’s order, a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made strong remarks on the functioning of RERA across the country, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. “All States should now think of the people for whom the institution of RERA was created. Except facilitating builders in default, it is not doing anything else. Better to just abolish this institution,” CJI Kant said. The Court was hearing an appeal challenging the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s decision to stay a State government notification for shifting the RERA office to Dharamshala. In its order passed last year, the High Court had noted that the decision to shift RERA had been taken “without even identifying the alternative office place.” “We are of the considered opinion that the Notification dated 13.06.2025 shall remain stayed till further order and the subsequent order that the 18 outsourced employees, further on their application, have been directed to be adjusted in other Boards and Corporations since the same would render the functioning of RERA defunct,” the High Court had said. 4Contd on | nation