🇮🇳National

• NEET PG Counselling: The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has resumed the Round 3 counselling process with additional seats and fresh registrations.
• Union Budget 2026 Infrastructure: The government has prioritised a "strong infrastructure push" in the recent budget, specifically focusing on port development in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam.
• Syllabus Reduction: The Kerala state government has announced a 25% reduction in the Class 10 syllabus to alleviate academic workload for students.
• Security Leadership: The Centre has amended IPS empanelment guidelines to ease IG-level postings, aiming to fill critical vacancies at the SP and DIG ranks in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

🌍International

• Diplomatic Reset: The United States has officially reopened its diplomatic mission in Venezuela after seven years, marked by the arrival of a new US ambassador.
• UN Global Growth Forecast: The United Nations’ "World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026" report forecasts global economic growth at 2.7% for the year 2026.
• Geopolitical Tensions: Tensions have escalated between Washington and Tehran following new US military deployments in the Middle East, leading to a formal warning from Iran's leadership.

💰Economy

• India-US Trade Pact: A landmark reciprocal tariff agreement between India and the US is expected to boost Indian exports, with BofA Global Research raising India's GDP forecast to 7%.
• Defence Allocation: The Union Defence Budget for 2026–27 has been set at approximately ₹7.85 lakh crore, a 15% increase from the previous year, crossing 2% of the GDP.
• Manufacturing Strategy: The 2026 Budget focuses on scaling up 200 legacy industrial clusters and supporting MSMEs to reach a 25% GDP share for the manufacturing sector.
• Market Reaction: Following the Union Budget announcements, Indian markets saw significant volatility, with the Sensex and Nifty reacting to new fiscal priorities and sectoral allocations.

🗓️Date’s importance

• Rose Day: 7 February marks the beginning of Valentine's Week globally, observed as 'Rose Day'.
• Historical Milestone: On this day in 2013, Mississippi became the last US state to officially certify the 13th Amendment, formally abolishing slavery (ratified by the state in 1995).

👱‍♂️👩‍🦳Person of the day

• Carlos Alcaraz: The Spanish tennis star recently made history by becoming the youngest player to complete a 'Career Grand Slam' after his victory at the Australian Open 2026.
• Jon Hamm: The Emmy-winning actor is the designated host for the NFL Honors 2026 ceremony held in San Francisco.

🏅Sports

• T20 World Cup: The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to begin today, 7 February, in Sri Lanka.
• India-Pakistan Friction: The Pakistan government has directed its team to boycott the group stage fixture against India, though they have been cleared to travel for the rest of the tournament.
• National Sports Tribunal: Under the new Sports Act, India is in the process of constituting a National Sports Tribunal to adjudicate disputes within sporting federations.

🏆Awards

• 68th Grammy Awards: The music industry’s biggest night took place recently; Bad Bunny won 'Album of the Year', surpassing artists like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
• NFL Honors 2026: Major awards including the AP Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the newly introduced 'Protector of the Year' (for offensive linemen) were presented in San Francisco.

⭐️Other important significance

• Medical Advancements: The 2026 Budget has allocated significant funds for the expansion of NIMHANS and the creation of content creation labs for medical education.
• Fastag Regulations: New compliance norms for FASTag and tobacco regulations have officially come into effect this week, impacting daily commuters and consumers.

📚Word of the day

• Resilience: The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. (Relevant to the strategic economic and defence shifts discussed in current affairs).