Month: February 2026

King Charles III’s younger brother and former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with investigations linked to the late convicted sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, CNN reported, citing the police.

According to a statement issued by Thames Valley Police, a man in his sixties from Norfolk was arrested on February 19 as part of an ongoing investigation.

Police said searches were being carried out at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. The suspect remains in custody.

“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court,” the force said in a statement.

Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright of Thames Valley Police said, “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office. It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”

According to CNN, police arrived early Thursday at Sandringham, the private Norfolk estate of King Charles III, where Andrew had recently moved after vacating his long-time residence at Windsor.

The Sandringham estate falls under the jurisdiction of Norfolk Constabulary, which confirmed it is supporting the Thames Valley Police investigation.

Police had earlier said they were reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew, CNN reported.

Authorities were also examining claims that Andrew shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

Andrew has previously denied all allegations, stating that he never witnessed or suspected any of Epstein’s criminal activities and has not commented on the latest allegations relating to misconduct in public office, as reported by CNN.

The arrest comes months after King Charles III stripped Andrew of his title as prince in October, amid renewed scrutiny following the release of additional Epstein-related documents by the US Department of Justice.

The King also initiated proceedings to remove Andrew from his residence at Windsor, where he had lived since 2003.

Reports earlier this month indicated that Andrew had relocated to Norfolk after the holiday season and was to be provided accommodation on the King’s private Sandringham estate, along with financial support, CNN reported.

At least seven British police forces–including London’s Metropolitan Police, Thames Valley Police, Norfolk Constabulary, Essex Police, Bedfordshire Police, West Midlands Police and Wiltshire Police–are said to be reviewing or assisting with enquiries related to disclosures in the Epstein files. (ANI)

Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajeev Chandrasekhar hit out at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s “hate-mongering film” remarks about ‘The Kerala Story’ sequel, calling it an attempt to distract the people.

Speaking to ANI, Rajeev Chandrasekhar shared, “Pinarayi Vijayan has 45 days more as Chief Minister, and he knows that on the 46th day, he is going to have to move his residence. When a movie came out which is against the BJP, we did not protest or say anything. He quoted Freedom of Expression. How is it that when somebody else makes a movie against his political thinking, it suddenly becomes a problem? This is hypocrisy. This is basically an attempt to distract the people of Kerala from his 10 years of failure.”

Noting that the filmmakers have the right to make movies, he added, “I wanted to tell you, Pinarayi Vijayan, that nobody has appointed you protector. There is no need for you to act like you’re a protector of any community. Every Indian today, every Malayali, is given the same fundamental rights. Stop making fools out of people. This movie will be shown because just as much as you have the right to watch a movie, I have the right to watch a movie. Just as any director has the right to make a movie, this director also has the right to make a movie.”

The Kerala BJP chief asked Vijayan not to threaten the people or create fear, as he continued, “If you have a problem with it, and if there is something illegal in the movie, go to court. But don’t try to threaten people. Don’t try to use your Chief Minister’s position to create fear amongst people that we will not allow.”

Earlier in the day, Pinarayi Vijayan took to his X handle and expressed strong opposition to the reports of a sequel to ‘The Kerala Story’. He also said that a sequel would be another attempt to incite “communal discord” within the state.

“The reports regarding the release of a sequel to the hate-mongering film ‘The Kerala Story’ should be seen with utmost gravity. Having already seen through the communal agenda and blatant lies of the first part, Kerala will once again reject this attempt to demonise our secular fabric with contempt,” Vijayan added.

The makers of ‘The Kerala Story 2’ released the trailer of the sequel recently, which showcased how Hindu women were trapped by the Islamic men in the name of love. Their parallel lives show how romance and rebellion transform into control and silence, turning love into a weapon that destroys freedom.

The film is written by Amarnath Jha and Vipul Amrutlal Shah, while it is directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh.

The film will hit theatres on February 27. (ANI)

Rapper Lil Poppa, born as Janarious Mykel Wheeler, has passed away at 25, reported Billboard. Hailing from Jacksonville, the rapper’s death was confirmed by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday.

While the cause of his death remains unknown, the matter is being currently investigated.

Since the news came out, there has been an outpouring of support and tributes from Lil Poppa’s fans and colleagues from the industry, including the likes of rappers Dej Loaf, Mozzy, and Nardo Wick.

Great Day Records CEO Caroline “Baroline” Diaz took to X and wrote, “My little brother is gone, Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed 4 of his projects. I’m so sad right now.”

Comedian and musician Lil Duval added, “this one really hurt me cuz i really cared about lil poppa. Most of us in Jacksonville knew him since he was a kid. And we all wanted him to win and he was. Cuz once the drill music died done he was the only one left standing. And he deserved it cuz He was really who all these other YN rappers wanted to be in Jacksonville. Even his enemies was his fans first.”

Lil Poppa, who signed to Yo Gotti’s CMG label in 2022, has notched multiple collaborations over the years with Gotti, Polo G, Rylo Rodriguez, Toossi, Mozzy, Seddy Hendrix, and Yungeen Ace.

Earlier this month, he unveiled his ‘Out of Town Bae’ single. The rapper, who had been on tour in late 2025, was set for the Birthday Bash show in March this year, as per Billboard. (ANI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday paid a heartfelt tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the birth anniversary of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Shivneri Fort in Pune.

“At a time when many kings and princely rulers of this land were bowing at the feet of the Mughals, Jijamata raised and nurtured Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. While doing so, she taught him that he must free this land from Mughal rule and establish a swarajya…” he said while speaking at the event.

Speaking about Shivaji Maharaj, Fadnavis recalled his devotion to the nation, supreme leadership, and strong ideals. He remembered Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy, stating that he encouraged his soldiers to fight for God, the nation, and the common people.

“As you all know, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj brought together people from different communities and built such a powerful force that established Swarajya. Shivaji Maharaj declared, ‘This is not my kingdom; it is the kingdom of the people.’ He told his soldiers that the battle they were fighting was not for him personally, but for God, the nation, and dharma, and to free the common people from Mughal oppression…” he stated.

Fadnavis said that Shivaji Maharaj established a state where there was equality and rights for all, where injustice and oppression had no place, and where women were safe.

“He created such an ideal system of governance that people across the world were left wondering how a single ruler could achieve so much…” he said.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated 12 forts of Shivaji Maharaj, including Shivneri Fort, for World Heritage status. Subsequently, 27 countries of the world unanimously granted these forts recognition as World Heritage Sites, Fadnavis said.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister urged that the nation must follow in the footsteps of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for the development and upliftment of all sectors of society.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a 17th-century Indian warrior king who founded the Maratha Empire. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors in Indian history. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj birth anniversary or Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti is commemorated every year on February 19. (ANI)

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Thursday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to enhance the security of party MLA Rohit Pawar, saying he had raised questions about NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash and there were concerns about his security.

Supriya Sule, MP, said that questions had been raised by Ajit Pawar’s death with factual arguments.

“We all are seeing that Rohit (Pawar) is raising so many questions (on Ajit Pawar’s plane crash), and that too are being raised with some factual arguments. And after raising questions, we are seeing reactions in the media and on social media, also about the security concerns of Rohit Pawar. Even I am concerned about his security, so I appeal to the Chief Minister that Rohit Pawar’s security be reviewed and enhanced in these circumstances,”Supriya Sule told media persons.

She said Ajit Pawar’s sons, Parth and Jay, are really saddened by the way their father lost his life.

“No one can still believe how the aircraft crashed. Jay also expressed his thoughts on it yesterday,” she said.

Rohit Pawar on Wednesday said Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu should step down during the investigation into the Ajit Pawar plane crash case, citing a potential conflict of interest.

Rohit Pawar said that “a main leader” from the Aviation Minister’s party attended the wedding of the VSR Aviation owner’s son, raising concerns that the investigation may not proceed in an impartial direction.

“The owner of VSR Aviation recently held his son’s wedding in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which was attended by a main leader of the TDP. The Aviation Minister belongs to that party. If they can attend the wedding of the VSR Aviation owner’s son, the investigation may not proceed in the right direction. That is why we believe he should not remain in that post while the investigation is ongoing.”

He said if probes are conducted in a transparent way, a proper conclusion can be reached.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Maharashtra Chief Minister demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of Ajit Pawar in the Baramati plane crash.

Late Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, NCP National Working President and MP Praful Patel, state president and MP Sunil Tatkare, Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif, and youth leader Parth Pawar submitted the memorandum.

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. Nationalist Congress Party (SP), along with Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, have raised questions over the incident, suggesting “foul play.” (ANI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) must directly benefit the bottom half of India’s population through transformative interventions in education, healthcare and agriculture, tech leader Vinod Khosla said while addressing the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in the national capital.

Khosla, founder of Sun Microsystems, outlined a roadmap to deploy AI at scale within the next one to two years to deliver immediate and meaningful impact to nearly 1.5 billion people across the country.

“I am going to talk about what can be done today, within a year or two, to reach 1.5 billion people in this country with really impactful, immediate benefits. Unless AI benefits the bottom half of the Indian population, we are not going to see any real impact,” he said.

Khosla identified three priority areas, AI-based personal tutors, 24×7 AI doctors and AI-powered agronomy assistants, to democratise access to essential services.

On education, he noted that millions of children, particularly in rural India, lack adequate academic support, adding that AI tutors could help bridge gaps in areas where teachers are absent or resources are limited.

“On AI tutors, there are a lot of children in India who don’t get much help in their education, and in rural India, teachers often don’t show up. This kind of service is very important to make available to these children,” he said.

Referring to global examples, Khosla mentioned that the non-profit CK-12 Foundation, run by his wife, offers AI-enabled learning support. He added that around 4 million students in India have already benefited from AI tutors and that such tools are compatible with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP), with curriculum support available in English and other official languages.

“In India, 4 million students have benefited from AI tutors,” he added.

He also revealed collaboration efforts to upgrade the government’s digital learning platform DIKSHA into an AI-first system.

“We are working with Sarvam in India to enhance DIKSHA and create DIKSHA 3.0 with an AI-first user experience to make it more usable. There is also a teacher development curriculum included,” he said.

On healthcare, Khosla proposed round-the-clock AI doctors available round-the-clock at minimal or no cost. These systems, he said, could provide primary care, chronic disease management, and mental and physical therapy, as well as health and nutrition coaching.

“None of this is available at this level, even in the US and Western countries. These AI systems would triage cases to human doctors when needed,” he said, emphasising that critical and emergency cases must always be escalated to medical professionals.

Khosla further suggested integrating AI tutors and AI doctors into India’s digital public infrastructure and proposed that Aadhaar could evolve into an AI-enabled portal for essential services, alongside Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

He proposed setting up a Section 8 non-profit company to build, operate and eventually transfer AI-driven education, healthcare and agronomy services into the Aadhaar ecosystem.

“What I am proposing is to build a Section 8 non-profit company to build, operate, and then transfer these services to the Aadhaar ecosystem–focused on education, healthcare, and agronomy–alongside UPI,” the founder of Sun Microsystems said.

The AI tutor, he said, could identify learning gaps, personalise instruction and align with central and state policies.

In agriculture, Khosla advocated for a voice-first, low-literacy, multilingual AI assistant for farmers. The tool could offer photo-based crop and pest diagnosis, weather-linked advisories using IMD and ICAR-GKMS data, crop calendar guidance, irrigation and nutrient recommendations, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices and safety escalation to human experts when necessary.

“The same is possible for agronomy. A voice-first, low-literacy, mixed-language-friendly assistant; photo-based diagnosis and triage for plants, pests, and label images; weather-aware micro-advice leveraging IMD and ICAR-GKMS data; crop calendars and stage-specific recommendations; practical nutrient and irrigation guidance; Integrated Pest Management (IPM) recommendations; and safety escalation to trusted human experts,” he said.

“The future is here today in these massive-impact services and they can be delivered very, very cheaply,” he added.

Stressing urgency, Khosla said that failing to deploy AI for the most underserved sections would amount to a missed opportunity.

“These services impact the bottom half of the population the most, as they need them more than almost anybody else. If we don’t do this, it is a massive opportunity lost for us,” Kholsa said. (ANI)

After 25 years of marriage, love no longer comes wrapped in roses and surprise dinners. Instead, it’s found in the laughter you share, the playful teasing, and those moments when you don’t need to say anything to know exactly what the other person is thinking. That’s exactly where Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna are today.

One of Bollywood’s most loved couples, Akshay and Twinkle, celebrated 25 years of togetherness earlier this year. With Valentine’s Day now behind us, “Mr. Khiladi” found himself fielding questions during a special Q&A session with the media last week on his show, ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ True to his form, the actor responded in his signature style.

When asked by ANI about his Valentine’s Day plans, Akshay first laughed off the idea of being labelled a “power couple,” admitting that such titles only add pressure. With his trademark wit, the ‘Singh is King’ actor also joked about how remembering every special occasion after 25 years of marriage could mean he’s always scrambling for a gift!

The actor joked, “Dekhie power couple bol ke aap phir pressure mein daal rahe hain… Ab pachis saal ho gaye hain. Ab Valentine, phir birthday, phir 25vi salgirah, bohot saari cheezein hoti hain. Yaad karne ki zarurat nahi, warna phir kuch laake dena padega.” (You call us a power couple and put pressure on us. It’s been 25 years now. There’s Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and too many occasions. Better not remember them all, otherwise I’ll have to keep buying gifts.)

Earlier in January, Akshay marked their silver jubilee with a deeply personal post for Twinkle. In his caption, he recalled what his mother-in-law, veteran actress Dimple Kapadia, jokingly told him about Twinkle on their wedding day 25 years ago.

“When we got married this day in 2001, her mother had said, ‘Beta, get ready to burst out laughing in the most weird situations because she’ll do exactly that.’ 25 years, and I know ki meri mother-in-law kabhi jhooth nahi bolti hai… Her daughter refuses to even walk straight… she prefers to dance through life instead. From day one to year twenty-five, cheers to my lady who keeps me laughing, guessing, and slightly anxious at times! Happy anniversary to us, Tina. 25 years of madness that we both love,” Akshay wrote.

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna tied the knot on January 17, 2001, and are parents to son Aarav and daughter Nitara. (ANI)

On day 4 of the AI-India Impact Summit in the national capital it was time for Tech’s biggest voices to speak about AI as a technology and the central role of India in the diffusion and deployment of this technology. Google CEO Sundar Pichai adressed the summit saying that Artificial intelligence shows that nothing is impossible when humanity dreams big, and it represents the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes. Pichai highlighted India’s growing role in the global AI ecosystem and the emergence of Visakhapatnam as a global AI hub.

Addressing the AI-India Impact Summit, Pichai said it is remarkable to see Visakhapatnam, where Google has made a major investment, transform into a major centre for artificial intelligence as part of Google’s long-term investment in India.

“Through Visakhapatnam, Vizag. I remember it being a quiet and modest coastal city brimming with potential. Now in that same city, Google is establishing a full-stack AI hub, part of our USD 15 billion infrastructure investment in India. When finished, this hub will house gigawatt-scale compute and a new international subsea cable gateway, bringing jobs and cutting-edge AI to people and businesses across India. Sitting on the train, I never imagined Vizag becoming a global AI hub,” he said.

Pichai emphasised that AI represents a transformative shift in technology with the potential to accelerate progress across sectors and help emerging economies advance faster.

“The product shows what’s possible when humanity dreams big, and no technology has me dreaming bigger than AI. It is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes. We are on the cusp of hyper-progress and new discoveries that can help emerging economies leapfrog legacy gaps. But that outcome is neither guaranteed nor automatic.” he said.

Explaining the reasons for optimism around AI, Pichai pointed to its role in advancing scientific discovery and improving lives globally.

“Because AI can improve billions of lives and solve some of the hardest problems in science. For 50 years, predicting protein structures was a grand challenge and a blind spot that stalled drug discovery. Demis Hassabis and his team at Google DeepMind asked an audacious question: how could we use AI to solve this? That question led to AlphaFold,” he said.

He added that the breakthrough, which won a Nobel Prize, compressed decades of research into an open database accessible worldwide.

“This breakthrough, that just win a Nobel Prize, it compressed decades of research into a database that is now open to the world. Today, over 3 million researchers in more than 190 countries are using it to develop malaria vaccines, fight antibiotic resistance, and much more,” he noted.

Pichai further said that AI is being used across the scientific ecosystem, from cataloging DNA disease markers to building AI agents that can act as partners in scientific research.

“And we are asking similarly bold questions across the scientific stack, from cataloging DNA disease markers to building AI agents that act as true partners in the scientific method. We must be equally bold in tackling problems in regions that have lacked access to technology,” he added.

He stressed that AI has the potential to drive innovation, create opportunities, and help address global challenges, while underscoring the need for responsible and inclusive development to ensure its benefits reach everyone. (ANI)

Artificial intelligence is the next major infrastructure that will have a profound impact on society, similar to transformative technologies like steam engines, electricity, and the internet, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Thursday.

Addressing the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Chandrasekaran emphasised that AI represents a new form of infrastructure that will shape the future of economies and societies.

“AI, in my mind, is the next big infrastructure. It is the infrastructure of intelligence. It will have a very profound impact, exactly the same way in the past other infrastructure changes have done, steam engines, electricity, or the internet,” he stated.

He added that the mission should be to make AI accessible to every individual and citizen in the country and across the world.

“Our mission should be to make AI work for every individual and every citizen in this country. We should put the AI tools in the hands of the last person in the country and in fact on the Earth, and that’s the mission that we should all work towards,” he said.

Highlighting the accessibility of AI, Chandrasekaran shared an example from a recent event at Bharat Mandapam, where 1,500 rural women with no background in computing or digital tools were able to learn and use AI within hours.

“A couple of days ago, we requested 1,500 rural women here in Bharat Mandapam, who had no background of computing, no background of digital tools, in a matter of a few hours could learn AI, could build products, could build marketing materials, campaigns, all in front of a global audience, and they did it in four hours,” he noted.

Chandrasekaran said India is a nation of AI optimists, driven by its success in building large-scale digital infrastructure. He pointed out that India has built the largest digital identity system in the world, covering 1.4 billion people, and a digital payments interface that accounts for half of the world’s total transactions.

He added that under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has treated AI as a strategic national capability and is building capabilities across the full technology stack.

“Learning the full stack, from chips to systems to energy and to applications, through Semiconductor India, an India AI mission, and most importantly, the recent reforms such as the Shakti Act for clean energy, we are building AI at scale with trust, resilience, and long-term competitiveness,” he said.

Chandrasekaran also described AI as a foundational technology that cuts across industries. He said AI learns from data, improves continuously, and is not based on fixed rules. He added that AI can scale rapidly and drive innovation across sectors.

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, is being held on February 19-20 in New Delhi. It is the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.

The summit aims to chart a path towards a future where the transformative power of AI serves humanity, drives inclusive growth, fosters social development, and promotes people-centric innovations that protect the planet. (ANI)

Actor Rajpal Yadav, who was recently released from Tihar jail in a cheque bounce case, reflected on his nearly 30-year-long journey in Indian cinema and thanked his supporters across the country.

“I got the privilege of coming out, and regarding the matter which is in the honourable High Court, for any legal questions that arise, the one who will give proper facts and truth-filled answers is our lawyer, Mr Bhaskar Upadhyay. I have given him the responsibility to stay in proper touch regarding this,” Yadav told ANI.

He further stated, “As for me, I will share some personal things about myself very soon. I will also hold a proper press conference in front of the media of the entire country. Since I didn’t get time right now, I just want to say that every child, elderly, and youth of the entire country, every child, elderly, and youth of the entire world who has given me their blessings. I am like a seed for everyone. Since childhood, and now until my half-century, I have been raised by the blessings of children, the elderly, and youth.”

“Someone irrigated me, someone nurtured me; I am just a tiny seed. And in that, today’s social media is like a child to me, through which, because we have been serving cinema for 20 continuous years, people from the country and the world connected with us; they joined with heart, soul, and resources. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. And those who are not on social media, but there’s a very long list in our Indian cinema, our family, who are indirectly connected with us, I thank them from the bottom of my heart as well,” Yadav added.

“Next year in ’27, it will be three decades. My birthplace is Kudra, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and my workplace is Mumbai, Maharashtra. Next year, I will complete 30 years of serving Indian cinema. Everyone was with me, everyone is with me, everyone will always be with me. And whoever gave me love in whatever way, I am grateful to all from my heart and will always be,” said Yadav.

“One thing is for sure with you: every day is a beginning, a learning, a working, a new day. I have always received your sympathy; that’s why I am here. But I need time more than sympathy. Time makes very good, decisive decisions. So whatever happens, time will bring out the truth,” Yadav further stated.

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted an interim suspension of his sentence until March 18.

The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, while passing the order, directed Yadav to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with one surety of the same amount.

The Court noted that Rs 1.5 crore has been deposited in the respondent’s bank account while considering the relief.

It ordered the suspension of the sentence on the condition that Yadav furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with one surety of the same amount. (ANI)