In a major breakthrough, Karnataka has been declared Naxal-free following the surrender of a Naxalite in Chikkamagaluru district. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikram Amathe confirmed the development, stating, "With this surrender, Karnataka is now Naxal-free."

Kotehonda Ravindra (44), a resident of Kotehonda in Hulagaru Bail near Kigga, Sringeri Taluk, had been living in the forests for years. On Friday, he arrived in Sringeri and voluntarily surrendered before SP Amathe. Following this, he was taken to Deputy Commissioner Meena Nagaraj, where the formal surrender procedures were completed.

Veteran English actor Brian Murphy has died. He was 92. Brian was best known for appearing in 70s sitcoms such as Man About the House and George and Mildred. Brian died on Sunday, February 2.

Murphy was born on the Isle of Wight on September 25, 1932. He completed his military services before enrolling into an acting workshop.

After bagging roles in projects such as The Avengers, Callan, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Murphy was cast in the popular Man About the House. The sitcom ran for a period of three years (1973-76), where Murphy was seen in the role of George Roper, a landlord who moves into a house with two single women. The show was remade in America by the name of Three's Company, which was telecast from 1977 to 1984.

The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of millions of Ismaili Muslims at just 20 while studying at Harvard and dedicated his vast fortune to funding homes, hospitals, and schools in developing countries, passed away aged 88.

His Aga Khan Foundation and the Ismaili religious community announced on their websites that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV and 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, died Tuesday in Portugal, surrounded by his family. They stated that an announcement regarding his successor would follow later. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.

The Supreme Court collegium on Wednesday approved the proposal for appointment of five additional judges of the high courts of Madras and Telangana as permanent judges.

The collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, held its meeting on Wednesday.

"The Supreme Court collegium in its meeting held on February 5, 2025 has approved the proposal for appointment of the following additional judges as permanent judges in the Madras High Court -- Justice Venkatachari Lakshminarayanan and Justice Periyasamy Vadamalai," read the collegium statement.

Another statement said the collegium had approved the proposal for appointment of additional judges -- Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty, Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti and Justice Sujana Kalasikam -- as permanent judges in the Telangana High Court.

Ministry of Electronics & IT noted in a latest update that India has made significant progress in mobile and electronics manufacturing and become the worlds 2nd largest mobile manufacturing country. In 2014, India had only 2 mobile manufacturing units but fast forward to today, the nation boasts over 300 manufacturing units, underscoring a significant expansion in this vital sector. In 2014 -15 only 26% of the mobile phones which were being sold in India were made in India, the rest were being imported. It is worth mentioning that today, 99.2% of all mobile phones which are sold in India are made in India. The manufacturing value of mobile phones has surged from Rs 18,900 crore in FY14 to a staggering Rs 4,22,000 crore in FY24.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has given it’s approval for global steel giant POSCO Group’s intra-group restructuring by acquiring the entire shareholding of LX International Corporation in POSCO-India Pune Processing Centre Private Ltd (IPPC).

The acquisition will be executed by POSCO-India Processing Centre Private Ltd (PIPC), a subsidiary of POSCO Holdings Inc.

“CCI approves the proposed acquisition of certain shareholding in POSCO - India Pune Processing Centre Private Ltd by POSCO India Processing Centre Private Ltd,” said a social media post in platform “X”.

Sri Madhav Kaushik, President, Sahitya Akademi, has approved Sahitya Akademi Award 2024 in Dogri for Ik Hor Ashwthama (Short Stories) by Late Chaman Arora. The book was selected on the basis of recommendation made by the Jury comprising three members in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down for the purpose. The book was selected unanimously.

The Award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque and a payment of Rs.1,00,000/- will be presented to the family member/nominee of the awardee at a special function will be held on 8 March 2025 at New Delhi.

Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, and Deputy Chair of the Global System of Mobile Communication or GSMA, an industry body representing the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, has been appointed as the Acting Chair of the Board. The elevation was following the resignation of José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica, from the post.

Gopal Vittal, who was recently re-elected as Deputy Chair of the GSMA Board, has previously served as a key member during the 2019-2020 term.

“Following the announcement that José Maria Álvares-Pallete resigned from his position as Chairman & CEO of Telefónica, he is no longer able to continue in the position of Chair of the GSMA Board of Directors. The GSMA is grateful for his contribution to the organisation and to the industry overall. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel Group and GSMA’s Deputy Chair, will be Acting Chair of the GSMA Board until the Board elects a new chair after MWC Barcelona,” said GSMA in a press note.

Reserve Bank of India has informed that the total value of 2000 rupee banknotes in circulation dropped to 6,577 crore rupees as of 31st of last month. In a statement, RBI has clarified that 98.15 per cent of the 3.56 lakh crore worth of currency notes in circulation in May 2023 have been returned to the system.

The RBI announced the withdrawal of 2000 rupee notes on 19th May 2023, urging citizens to deposit or exchange them at banks by 7th October 2023. While the 2000 rupee note remains legal tender, RBI has reminded the public that they can still deposit or exchange the notes at any of the 19 RBI Issue Offices through India Post.

The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit—WAVES 2025 will unveil AI-powered solutions for combating misinformation in live broadcasting. The Electronics and IT Ministry said that the upcoming TruthTell Hackathon challenge, part of the inaugural WAVES, is a pioneering initiative that will bring much-needed solutions in live broadcasting.

The hackathon carries a prize pool of 10 lakh rupees, with developers, data scientists, and media professionals called upon to create AI-driven tools for real-time misinformation detection and fact verification. The winning teams will receive cash prizes, mentorship opportunities, and incubation support from leading tech professionals. The ministry mentioned that to date, the hackathon has received overwhelming interest, with over 5,600 registrations globally, including 36 per cent participation from women.

The TruthTell Hackathon challenge was earlier announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and is being organised, in collaboration with the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA).