In Kerala, the hill shrine of Sabarimala will celebrate the Makaravilakku festival today, coinciding with Makara Sankrama night, when devotees will witness the appearance of the Makarajyothi at Ponnambalamedu.

Rituals, including the procession with Thiruvabharanam, the sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, will be held as part of the celebrations.

Akashvani’s correspondent reports that thousands of pilgrims have already camped at various locations of Sabari Mala to witness Makara Vilakku.

The festival is also coinciding with Makara Sankrama night. Rituals, including the procession with Thiruvabharan, the sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, will be held as part of the celebrations. Makara Sankrama pooja will be held at 3 pm today. Strict restrictions have been imposed at Sabari Mala and only 35,000 pilgrims will be allowed at Sabari Mala today.

The India Open Badminton tournament has started at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi today. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will lead India’s challenge in the competition. Currently ranked 18th, Sindhu is returning after a difficult 2025 season and a long injury layoff. She recently reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open and will be keen to build on that form at home. Malvika Bansod and young Tanvi Sharma will also represent India in women’s singles.

In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will lead the Indian challenge, which has a strong home presence. In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty will face each other in the opening round, meaning only one will progress. Former world championship medallists Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy are also in the draw.

In men’s doubles, world number three pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim to reclaim the title they won in 2022, while MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan will also be in action.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday launched the website, theme, and logo for BRICS 2026, scheduled to take place under India's chairship.

Union Ministers of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Kirti Vardhan Singh were present on the occasion.

BRICS brings together eleven major emerging markets and developing countries of the world - Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. It serves as a useful platform for consultation and cooperation on contemporary issues having global and regional significance, as well as issues of global political and economic governance.

The All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF) will host the 9th edition of the International Spice Conference (ISC 2026) from February 23 to 26, 2026 in Kochi.

The 4-day conference with the theme -- “Spice 360 – Getting Future Ready”-- will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and innovators from across the world to deliberate on the future of the global spice industry.

Amitabh Kant, former G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog will inaugurate the conference and deliver keynote address on “Transforming Agro-Industry: Innovation, Inclusion & Global Leadership.” Martin Sonntag, CEO of Oterra, will be the Guest of Honour and speak on “Shaping the Next Decade of Food & Nutrition: Collaboration, Trust, and Responsibility.”

Mumbai today hosted the fifth edition of the Tri-Services Veterans Day parade at Marine Drive, ahead of Veterans Day to be observed on Wednesday. The event was held between 8 AM and 11 AM and saw the participation of over 500 veterans, including gallantry award winners and octogenarians.

The parade was flagged off by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, who attended the event as the chief guest. Senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with other dignitaries, were present on the occasion.

Mumbai is the only city in the country to host a city-level parade to mark Veterans Day. The event was organised by the Navy Foundation Mumbai Chapter with the support of Headquarters Western Naval Command.

In Ladakh, the 5th LG Cup Ice Hockey Tournament began at the Ice Hockey Rink in Biamathang, Kargil. The inaugural match was played between the Drass Warriors and the Indian Army. The tournament will witness the participation of 10 men’s teams from across Ladakh and 5 women’s teams, highlighting the growing popularity of ice hockey in the region, organised by Youth Services and Sports UT Ladakh.

The live telecast of the tournament on the official YouTube channel of Akashvani Kargil, AIR News Kargil, marks a significant step towards connecting with a wider audience and ice hockey enthusiasts worldwide.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has successfully created four Guinness World Records on the under-implementation Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada Economic Corridor of NH-544G. On the 6th of this month, NHAI made two Guinness World Records near Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh.

First was the record for the longest continuous laying of Bituminous Concrete, covering a 3-lane wide 9.63 kilometre long section within 24 hours. The second record was created for continuous laying of the highest quantity of 10 thousand 655 metric tonnes of Bituminous Concrete in 24 hours.

Both records were established for the first time globally under the six-lane National Highway project on this Corridor. Building further on this momentum, two additional Guinness World Records were created today. These include the continuous laying of 57 thousand 500 metric tonnes of Bituminous Concrete and a record for continuous paving of a 3-lane, wide 52-kilometre section. The 343 km long, access-controlled six-lane Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada Economic Corridor has been designed for a safe, high-speed, and scenic travel experience.

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission on Monday encountered an anomaly after launch, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirming that a deviation was observed during the rocket's third stage.

ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan said the data is being analysed and that the space agency will share details at the earliest, stopping short of declaring the mission either a success or a failure.

The 64th mission of PSLV, PSLV-C62 carrying EOS-N1, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10:18 am, marking a crucial flight for the launch vehicle after its failure in 2025.

India and Germany today deepened their strategic partnership following high-level delegation talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Gandhinagar. The visit, marking the 25th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership, resulted in the exchange of 19 MoUs and eight key announcements across defence, technology, and clean energy. Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz reiterated their support for the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement as a key outcome of the upcoming EU-India Summit. The German Chancellor indicated that the European Union and India may conclude a free trade agreement by the end of this month.

The visit witnessed the signing of several joint declarations of intent between the two countries, ranging from sectors like semiconductors, Critical Minerals cooperation, telecommunications and the Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, focusing on the co-development and co-production of military hardware. Both countries placed special focus on talent mobility and skills cooperation. A major highlight of the visit is the announcement of a visa-free transit facility for Indian passport holders transiting through Germany.

Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Rathan U Kelkar has said that the ERONET system, in connection with the Special Intensive Revision is now operational to facilitate NRI voters for submitting the necessary documents for hearing. He said that this facility will enable NRI voters to submit documents without the need to appear personally for the hearing.