Month: February 2026

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Sunday said that the preliminary report into the plane crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be released before February 28, reiterating that the probe is being conducted as per laid-down norms.

Ajit Pawar and four others died on the morning of January 28 after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at the Baramati airport in Pune district.

Speaking to reporters in Pune, Mohol said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had already issued a detailed press release on the matter.

“I have already told you earlier that on this issue of Civil Aviation, DGCA issued a press release two days ago in which all the necessary information has been provided,” Mohol said.

Responding to questions regarding multiple allegations levelled by NCP (SP) MLA and Ajit Pawar’s nephew, Rohit Pawar, Mohol declined to engage in political commentary and emphasised the role of investigative agencies.

“I do not wish to comment on what others are saying. However, as I am the Minister of this department, I can say that the investigation agencies, whether it is the AAIB or the DGC, regularly share information through press releases,” he said.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the DGCA are conducting the probe into the crash, examining technical, operational and other possible factors that may have led to the mishap.

Mohol further clarified that the timeline for the preliminary findings had already been communicated through official channels.

“It has also been clearly stated in the latest press release that the Preliminary report will be released within one month. The details mentioned in the press release are what we are conveying. The primary report will be released before the 28th, that is, within a month, and thereafter the final report will be issued,” he added.

On allegations and complaints reportedly filed in connection with the incident, Mohol said that any submissions made to appropriate authorities would be taken into consideration.

“If anyone (Rohit Pawar) has anything to state on this matter, they have already filed complaints at the appropriate forums and made their demands. All such matters are duly gets considered,” he said. (ANI)

Additional security forces have been deployed to districts outside Kathmandu valley, especially the southern plains of Nepal, to maintain security across nearly 11 thousand polling stations. More than 3 lakh security personnel, including police, Army, election police and more are tasked with ensuring a peaceful election process on March 5. These are the first elections being held after the Gen-z uprising which led to the resignation of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli

At the Nepal Police Academy in Kathmandu, over three thousand police personnel boarded buses as they started off for assigned districts to maintain security for the March 5 election.

“Except for Karnali, we are deploying personnel to the remaining six provinces. An additional 13 thousand police personnel will be deployed across various districts for the election. Those sent today will be stationed in Morang, Dhankuta, Udaypur, Sankhuwasabha, Terhathum, Siraha, Parsa, Saptari, Sarlahi, and Rautahat districts,” Central Spokesperson of the Nepal Police, Abinarayan Kafle, confirmed to ANI over the phone.

Earlier this month, the Nepal Army was deployed for security as the Himalayan nation heads for the parliamentary election, which is scheduled for March 5. The polls, which come six months after the September Gen-Z uprising is being observed with caution.

With hundreds of inmates on the loose and a higher number of polling stations deemed sensitive in comparison to the previous elections, security has been revamped all across the nation.

The Nepal Army alone has deployed a total of 79,727 personnel across the nation as support for the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and election police in holding the polls peacefully.

The deployment comes in line with the Integrated Election Security Plan and an earlier Cabinet decision. As per the Integrated Election Security Plan endorsed by the president in November, the army will replace police forces in airports, prisons, and other sensitive areas. Apart from guarding those sensitive areas, the army will provide security in the third layer while also patrolling as and when needed.

As many as 338,000 security personnel, including the election police, are being deployed in the election period. The authorities have classified 3,680 of the country’s 10,967 polling stations as “highly sensitive”.

According to the Nepal Police, among those polling stations, 2,845 have been placed in the “normal” category based on the level of security risk, while 4,442 have been designated as “sensitive” and 3,680 as “highly sensitive”.

There are more highly sensitive stations than in the 2022 election, according to Nepal Police data.

In the previous election, 3,412 polling stations were classified as highly sensitive. This time, the number has risen to 3,680. In total, 268 more polling stations, compared to the last election, have been classified as highly sensitive stations.

In the previous election, there were a total of 10,892 polling stations. This time, the number has increased to 10,967. (ANI)

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy affirmed that all the projects which are being taken up between Tummidihatti barrage and Bhadrachalam on the river Godavari will be completed.

The Chief Minister also announced that the State Government is ready to resolve inter-state water disputes through a dialogue. If not, the government is ready to knock on the doors of the courts to protect the state’s interests in the utilisation of the river Krishna and Godavari waters.

The CM conducted a review of the progress of the Devadula project works with top irrigation officials today.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office release, during the meeting, CM Reddy said that former Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for Devadula in 2001 and the works were still pending.

“We wanted to complete the construction with determination, but the state was reeling under the mounting debt burden of Rs 8.11 lakh crore. We will release funds immediately and complete the project for which the estimations were already escalated to Rs 18,500 crore from Rs 6000 crore,” he added.

Stating that the government will not abandon the Kaleshwaram project, the Chief Minister said that Telangana stood number one in Paddy production without using a single drop of water from Kaleshwaram in 2 years. “We are not criticising the government for constructing Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. Agencies are examining the changes which may happen inside the earth at the barrages,” he added.

We are taking precautions to prevent any damage in the future. “We also constituted an expert committee. Kaleshwaram is not their own property. It is people’s money. We will bring Kaleshwaram back into use”.

Observing that the river Godavari water dispute has taken a political turn, the Chief Minister said that the State Government is ready for a dialogue with the neighbouring state on water sharing disputes. If it is not resolved through discussions, we are ready to approach the courts. We will do politics only during the elections. We are not hesitating for discussions with neighbouring states.

CM Reddy ridiculed the opposition’s allegations of helping the neighbouring states in the exploitation of the river Krishna and Godavari waters. “Will any of the leaders who contested and became public representatives from Telangana cooperate with AP? The opposition was indulging in cheap accusations against the government, the CM charged.

Reiterating that all the pending projects will be completed in 2 years, the Chief Minister took strong exception to the opposition party’s false propaganda on water issues when the government is striving to provide irrigation to the entire North Telangana. We faced numerous problems in the united Andhra Pradesh. All the projects should have been completed in the united AP state but the Telangana projects were neglected.

The CM criticised the previous government for not completing the Pranahita, SRSP, and Devadula projects during the 10-year rule. Telangana would have utilised 967 TMC of water if the previous BRS completed these projects with available funds and water resources.

The Chief Minister also slammed the BRS President K Chandrashekhar Rao for spreading canards against the government and spewing venom on people for supporting Congress in Assembly, Gram Panchayat, Municipal and by-elections held recently.

CM Reddy noted that the government had already held a debate on the river Krishna water issues in the Assembly and clarified every doubt and apprehension raised by the opposition party. Now, the government is ready for a debate on Godavari water in the assembly. We hoped that the opposition would change. Unfortunately, the opposition remains the same.

The CM stated that there is a possibility of lifting Godavari water to the Krishna catchment area. Except for Kaleshwaram, the remaining projects on the Godavari were ignored.

The Chief Minister appealed to the opposition party to make suggestions to the government and are ready to invite them for the development of the State. We are also ready to rectify the mistakes, if any, during the 2-year rule.

“Our goal is to provide irrigation water to every acre of land and drinking water to every citizen”, the CM said, reiterating that Congress will be in power until 2034. (ANI)

US President Donald Trump has publicly urged Netflix to remove board member Susan Rice, warning the streaming giant to act “immediately, or pay the consequences.”

His remarks came in response to comments Rice made during a recent podcast appearance, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

In a post shared on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump wrote, “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences.”

He further added, “She’s got no talent or skills – Purely a political hack! HER POWER IS GONE, AND WILL NEVER BE BACK. How much is she being paid, and for what???”

The post included a screenshot of a message shared on X by political activist Laura Loomer, reacting to Rice’s appearance on the Stay Tuned with Preet podcast hosted by Preet Bharara. During the interview, Rice spoke about corporations that she believes acted in short-term self-interest by aligning with Trump.

“For those that decided that they would act in their perceived very narrow self interest, which I would underscore as very short-term self-interest, and take a knee to Trump, I think they are now starting to realize, ‘Wait a minute, this is not popular. Trump is not popular,'” Rice said, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Bharara added that there could be political consequences for such companies if electoral outcomes shift. Rice also stated, “There will be an accountability agenda. You know, companies already are starting to hear they better preserve their documents. They better be ready for subpoenas. If they’ve done something wrong, they’ll be held accountable, and if they haven’t broken the law, good for them,” as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Loomer’s social media post referenced the “accountability agenda” remark and also criticised a potential Netflix-Warner Bros. merger. She alleged that such a merger could create a streaming monopoly and tagged both Trump and FCC chairman Brendan Carr in her message.

Earlier this month, amid the ongoing battle involving Netflix and Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, Trump said he would not intervene in the matter.

“I haven’t been involved… I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it,” he said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Rice currently serves as a Netflix board member and previously held roles as US National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017 and Domestic Policy Advisor from 2021 to 2023. (ANI)

Actors Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Rannta, who are set to share the screen in Netflix’s upcoming psychological thriller titled ‘Accused’, have said the fact that the plot with a woman perpetrator drew them to the film.

The film is directed by Anubhuti Kashyap and will stream later this month.

On what made her say yes to the project, Konkona said the idea itself felt new and uncommon. She also spoke about how research played a big role in shaping the story. “When I got the offer, I was very excited. We have never heard of a case where the accused is a woman, since the perpetrators are mostly male.

“But when they researched, the writing and direction team found out that there are cases like this. I think there is a lot of documentation in the US and the UK. They wrote the script based on that research. I found it very unusual,” Konkona told ANI.

Pratibha Rannta said that when she auditioned for the film she got two scenes. “I read them, and those scenes interested me a lot. I had never read anything like this before. Ma’am saw my audition. She liked it.”

Director Anubhuti Kashyap shared that the film began with just an idea and no written script. She explained how the team slowly built the story over several months.

“I didn’t have the written script for the film. I was only given an idea. I had never heard of a story where a woman is accused of sexual harassment at work.”

“I really liked this idea. We started from there. I have worked with the writers of this film, Yash and Seema. We wrote the script for six to eight months. We created the script. It started from that idea.”

‘Accused’ will premiere on Netflix on February 27. (ANI)

Ram Gopal Varma, who is often known for his unfiltered opinions and fearless takes on cinema, has shared his thoughts on the big box office clash brewing for 2026.

Yash’s ‘Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups’ and Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ are set to release in theatres on March 19, and the filmmaker took to his X account to share his thoughts on how he sees the face-off.

In his X post, RGV wrote that he feels this face-off should not be seen as North versus South or Bollywood versus Sandalwood but should be seen as a “brutal clash” between two different “cultures” of cinema.

“I strongly believe that #Dhuroxic is not about North versus South, not Bollywood versus Sandalwood. It is actually a brutal clash between two CULTURES, not of regions, but of cinema,” RGV wrote.

“The principal difference between the two is that #Dhurandhar respects the audience’s intelligence, while #Toxic presumes their dumbness. KGF 2 was a LOCAL film that aimed at the DUMBNESS in the MASSES, and Dhurandhar aimed at the INTELLIGENCE in the MASSES,” he added.

Take a look at his full post

‘Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups’ is written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas and directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film is produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations. It will be released in theatres on March 19, 2026.

On the other hand, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge,’ a sequel starring Ranveer Singh, is backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, with T-Series handling the music. The film will have a pan-India release in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. The release date also falls during Eid, Gudi Padwa, and Ugadi, adding to the buzz around the clash. (ANI)

Allu Arjun starrer ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ has won big at the 70th Filmfare Awards South, clinching the leading awards of the night.

Allu Arjun, who won the Best Actor trophy at the Filmfare Awards, took to his Instagram and expressed his gratitude for the honour.

“Thank you, Filmfare, for this wonderful honour. It’s my absolute pleasure to receive it in a land where I am loved in such a unique way. I’m humbled by everyone’s blessings, and I dedicate this award to all my fans for their infinite love,” he wrote.

Allu also shared a picture of himself from the Filmfare Awards, holding the Best Actor trophy. The actor looked dapper in an all-black ensemble, which he accessorised with a few jewellery pieces.

In other milestones, ‘Pushpa 2’ won the Best Director (Sukumar), Best Film (Naveen Yerneni, Y Ravi Shankar), Best Music Director (Devi Sri Prasad), and Best Production Design (Ramakrishna and Monika).

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVDbwHzj5xw

Directed by Sukumar B, ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ was released in 2024, emerging as a big hit at the box office. A sequel to 2021’s ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, the film featured Allu Arjun in the lead, alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Jagapathi Babu, Sunil and Rao Ramesh.

The team is expected to return for the third instalment of ‘Pushpa’.

Earlier this year, the makers held a grand premiere of the ‘Pushpa’ sequel in Japan, where both Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna delighted the fans with their arrival.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTkJnPfDF0k

Allu Arjun shared a picture of himself from the event and wrote, “#Pushpa2TheRule releases in Japan today. Grateful for the immense love and warmth from Japanese fans. Hope you all enjoy experiencing this film on the big screen.”

In a key highlight, Allu surprised the audience by recreating a ‘Pushpa 2’ dialogue in Japanese, instantly prompting a rousing response from the crowd. (ANI)

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar, 85, was on Sunday admitted to a private hospital after experiencing mild dehydration, doctors said

Dr. Purvez Grant, Chairman and Managing Trustee of Ruby Hall Clinic, informed that the health of the veteran leader is stable.

“He needs fluids. His condition is stable. He will remain in Ruby Hall Clinic for two days,” he said.

NCP (SP) MP and the daughter of Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, also shared health updates of the former Maharashtra Chief Minister.

“We are admitting Baba to Ruby Hall, Pune for follow-up tests and hydration. Thanking all the doctors and healthcare workers,” Sule wrote on X.

Sharad Pawar was admitted to the same Pune hospital on February 9 and discharged on February 14, following treatment for chest congestion and breathing difficulties.

The hospital had in a statement said that the medical team had advised him to take adequate rest for a few days, following which he may gradually resume his routine work and public engagements. (ANI)

The mother of the 19-year-old girl who was allegedly assaulted by her live-in partner in Gurugram said on Sunday that her daughter had called to inform about the atrocities on February 16, and said at that time that she will be killed by the accused.

“On 16th February at 10 PM, my daughter called me and said ‘I don’t have time, I will be killed. A man named Shivam has been assaulting me for the last 3 days. He hit me and also burnt me, he will kill me today…” she told ANI. The victim is from Tripura state.

The victim’s mother said that the accused, Shivam, locked her in a room for three days and tortured her by burning her private parts, urinating on her, and cutting her at various parts repeatedly for three days.

“She informed me that Shivam locked her in a room for three days and urinated on her. He also burnt her private parts thrice everyday for the last 3 days. He used a knife and cut her at various places in the body. My daughter came to Gurugram to study Bio-technology. She became friends with Shivam (accused) through online apps. Shivam raped my daughter, too. In the guise of marrying her, Shivam did all of this to her. The condition of my daughter is very bad…” she stated.

According to officials, the victim, also a student, met a young man from Narela, Delhi, through an online app. The case of extreme cruelty occurred in the Badshahpur police station area of Gurugram. The police have registered a case under serious sections and started an investigation.

According to the statement recorded in the FIR, on February 16, 2026, the alleged accused brutally thrashed the victim. It is alleged that he attacked her head with a steel bottle, smashed her head against the wall and furniture, hit her with an earthen pot, and even attempted to set her private parts on fire after pouring sanitiser on them.

Furthermore, the alleged accused attacked her legs with a knife and threatened that he would beat her so badly that she would never be able to walk or become a mother. The victim also alleged that the alleged accused recorded nude videos of her.

On the night of February 18, the victim managed to use the alleged accused’s phone to tell her mother everything in Bengali, as the accused did not understand the language. Her mother then called 112. The police arrived at the spot and admitted the victim to the government hospital. Sections 115, 118(1), 118(2), 127(2), 69 and 351(2) of BNS have been invoked in the FIR. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday remembered former Tamil Nadu chief Minister J Jayaram Jayalalithaa ahead of her birth anniversary (February 24) and said the AIADMK leader was known for empowering women while ensuring strict law and order in Tamil Nadu during her tenure.

In his address in the 131st Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi recalled his meetings and conversations with Jayalalithaa.

“In our country, those who have worked for the welfare of society…those who have prioritised the public in their noble deeds always remain in the hearts of the people. Amma Jayalalithaa ji was one such popular leader. February 24th is the occasion of her birth anniversary. I still feel the deep affection the people of Tamil Nadu had for her, even today, during my visits to the state,” PM Modi said.

“The mention of Amma Jayalalithaa brings a glow to the faces of the people of Tamil Nadu. Our ‘Nari Shakti’ connection with her has been even more special. This is also because, while in government, she made many commendable efforts for the welfare of mothers, sisters, and daughters. She also took concrete steps to maintain law and order in the state. The spirit of Patriotism was deeply embedded within her. She was also deeply proud of India’s cultural heritage. Every meeting and every conversation with Amma Jayalalithaa is still fresh in my mind,” he added.

PM Modi recalled Jayalalithaa attending his oath-taking ceremony when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

“She also attended two of my swearing-in ceremonies in Gujarat, in 2002 and 2012. When we were both Chief Ministers of our respective states, we often discussed topics like good governance. Her thinking was crystal clear, and her thoughts were uncluttered. This was a significant characteristic of hers. Many years ago, she invited me to Chennai over lunch on the auspicious occasion of Pongal. That affectionate gesture will remain unforgettable for me. Once again, I pay my humble tributes to her,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday remembered Kerala’s 10-month-old organ donor, Alin Sherin Abraham, in his Mann ki Baat programme, stressing that awareness regarding organ donation is increasing. Speaking during the 131st ‘Mann Ki Baat’ episode, PM Modi sympathised with the family of Alin and said that the pain of losing a very young child is deeper.

“There is no greater sorrow for any parent than losing one’s own child. The pain of losing a very young child is deeper. Just a few days ago, we lost Aalin Sherin Abraham, a little innocent girl from Kerala… Awareness regarding organ donation is increasing… Medical research is also getting a boost… There are many people like Aalin who have given another life to someone by organ donation…” he said. (ANI)