Month: February 2026

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said that the Trump administration was examining claims related to Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Addressing reporters during a press briefing, Leavitt said, “The people in this room, considering that you all said, for many years, that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump, you should all be very happy that we finally have an administration that is looking into that.”

According to CNN, DNI Tulsi Gabbard had argued that intelligence assessments alleging Russian interference were based on “manufactured” intelligence.

The report said she had cited a memo disputing claims that the CIA concluded Russia intervened in the election to help Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.

CNN reported that the intelligence document referenced by Gabbard, a President’s Daily Brief, had stated only that Russia had not altered election results through cyberattacks on election infrastructure. The report noted that the Obama administration had never claimed that Russia manipulated vote counts or election machinery.

The CNN article had also noted that Gabbard’s assertions conflicted with findings of multiple congressional investigations, including a bipartisan 2020 report by the Senate Intelligence Committee led by then-Senator Marco Rubio.

That report had concluded that Russia engaged in an “aggressive, multi-faceted effort” to influence the 2016 presidential election and that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered actions aimed at damaging Hillary Clinton’s campaign and benefiting Trump.

CNN said Rubio had sharply rebuked Trump in 2018 for siding with Putin over US intelligence agencies, stating that the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference was “100% accurate.”

The report further said that a Republican-led House Intelligence Committee report released in 2018 had concluded that Russia interfered in the election at Putin’s direction, though it did not explicitly state that the effort was meant to help Trump. (ANI)

A protest against the swearing in of new Deputy Chief Ministers of Manipur between Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho turned violent on Thursday as security forces clashed with the mob in Churachandpur district.

The unrest reportedly began on Thursday at around 6 pm in the Tuibong Main Market area, where hundreds of young protesters attempted to push security forces back to their barracks.

However, when the security forces were reluctant to comply, confrontations escalated side by side with stone pelting, while others burnt tyres in the middle of the road.

The youngsters’ anger and resentment overflowed as they were taken to believe that three Kuki Zomi MLAs are joining the Manipur Government with Nemcha having been sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister and another two, LM Khaute and Ngursanglur, due to be sworn in.

According to sources, the Kuki Zomi people have suffered tremendously with hundreds of people butchered in broad daylight at Imphal and their properties worth millions reduced to cinders besides their churches having been torched.

Assam Rifles officials, including the Commander of the 27 Sectors, were deployed to calm the situation, but initial attempts yielded little success. Eventually, security forces temporarily retreated but maintained positions, while the protesters pressed forward.

Tear gas shells were then fired to disperse the crowd, and clashes continued as of the latest reports.

Now the security forces are still chasing. More details are awaited. (ANI)

Ahead of the visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in the third week of February, the Defence Ministry of India is likely to discuss the Rs 3.25 lakh crore proposal to buy 114 Rafale combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Air Force proposal was given the initial nod by the Defence Procurement Board last month.

“The proposal is likely to be taken up for discussion next week at a high-level meeting of the defence ministry and is seen as critical for meeting the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force in view of the present security scenario in the region,” defence sources told ANI.

The Indian Air Force is currently operating only around 30 fighter aircraft squadrons, whereas its sanctioned strength is 42 squadrons.

With increasing collusion between Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Pakistan and China, the threat perception has now gone up further.

The project is expected to help the Indian Air Force to meet its requirement for a 4.5-generation-plus multirole fighter aircraft for a long time.

About 80 per cent of the 114 Rafale fighter aircraft proposed to be acquired under the deal are planned to be manufactured in India.

Sources said that the Indian Air Force is going to get 88 single-seater and 26 twin-seater aircraft under the project, of which the majority would be built in India with the collaboration of Dassault and Indian private sector companies.

Once the deal gets completed, the Indian Air Force will have a fleet of 150 Rafales, along with 26 of the Indian Navy, which will have an aircraft carrier-compatible version of the French planes.

The French President is expected to be in Delhi for the AI summit on February 18. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Congress in Rajya Sabha and cited a speech of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, stating that she and her father Jawaharlal Nehru had referred to citizens of the country as a “problem”.

Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President’s address, PM Modi also took veiled digs at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

He said there is a huge difference in the way the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance looks at a situation or the thinking towards the solution of a problem and how the Congress does.

“Whether is it BJP or NDA, our approach to looking at a situation and at looking for solutions to problems, there is a vast difference between us and the Congress. Our approach is that 140 crore citizens are so capable that they can tackle challenges. We have trust in the citizens and their capabilities. This is also the true strength of democracy. But Congress considers the citizens a problem,” he said.

“I want to tell this with an example how they used to think about people of country. What was the thinking of Nehruji and Indiraji for the people of the country, I want to tell about this. Indiraji once went to Iran, she was giving a speech. In her speech, she mentioned her conversation with Nehruji. She said ‘When someone asked my father (Nehru) how many problems he had, my father replied 35 crore’. At that time, our country’s population was 35 crore. The citizens of the country were seen as a problem by Nehruji. Can there be a leader like this,” PM Modi asked.

He said that Indira Gandhi gave this example and said in her speech that “today the country’s population is 57 crore and the number of problems I have is of this magnitude”.

“The father saw 35 crore citizens as a problem, she felt 57 crore to be a problem. Can someone be like this who considers their own citizens a problem? This is the difference in their thinking and our thinking, their approach and our approach,” he said to thumping of desks from the members of the treasury benches.

According to the compilation of Indira Gandhi’s speeches, she said nothing in India is simple or small and when asked how many problems he had, “my father once replied ‘350 million’, which was our population at that time. Now the population is 570 million, so that is the dimension of my problems”.

Slamming the Congress, PM Modi said a significant part of the government’s energy is being spent on correcting the mistakes of the past.

“It takes great effort to erase the image that was created in the minds of the world during that period, they left things in such a damaged state. That is why we have placed strong emphasis on future-ready policies. Today, the country is being governed on the basis of policy and strategy. Global trust in India is growing. Guided by the mantra of ‘reform, perform, transform,’ we have moved forward, and the reality today is that the nation has boarded the Reform Express,” he said.

PM Modi also referred to Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu.

“What happened yesterday – the ‘Yuvraj’ of Congress who has ‘shaatir dimag’, called an MP of this House ‘traitor’. His arrogance is at its peak. He did not call anyone else who has left the Congress a traitor. But he called the MP a traitor, because he is a Sikh. This was an insult to the Sikhs, an insult to the Gurus,” he said.

“This was an expression of the hatred for Sikhs that is filled in the Congress…He is a member of the family who sacrificed themselves for the country. Just because he changed his political ideology, he became a traitor? This is not a small word. How can the country tolerate a citizen being called a traitor?…This is highly unfortunate. Such people will sink Congress,” he added. (ANI)

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that the visit will see discussions on issues across all areas. Secretary (East) Kumaran made the remarks when asked about the extradition of Zakir Nair to India during the special briefing prior to PM Modi’s visit.

On the extradition of fugitive preacher Zakir Naik to India, Secretary (East) P Kumaran said, “As far as the question of Zakir Naik is concerned, I can assure you that all issues will be discussed during the visit. We have had opportunities to discuss these issues in past visits also at various levels. We will continue to take up the issue until all technical procedures are completed. We hope to get the outcome that we desire.”

He also spoke about several other avenues between India and Malaysia.

Kumaran said that both countries are also discussing a joint review of the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.

“Our countries are working towards further enhancing our bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable manner… The two countries are also discussing a joint review of the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. The PM will address the Indian community in Malaysia, which numbers around 2.9 million,” the MEA official said.

In August 2024 during his visit to India, Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim said that if sufficient evidence is presented in the case related to fugitive preacher Zakir Naik, then the country will ‘not condone terrorism’.

Addressing the 50th Sapru House Lecture, the Malaysian Prime Minister said, “I am talking about sentiment of extremism, of compelling case, evidence that suggest that atrocities committed by an individual, group or factions or parties. These are of concern to us.”

Zakir Naik is known for his inflammatory speeches and is currently wanted by the National Investigation Agency of the Government of India under a 2016 money laundering case.

He is also alleged to have incited people by his hate speech. Naik runs a channel by the name PeaceTV, which is banned across India, and other countries due to its controversial nature and he has also been denied entry into Canada and the United Kingdom because of it.

Coming back to India-Malaysia ties, Kumaran said that both sides will review progress on the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Malaysia on February 7-8.

“Upon invitation by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Kuala Lumpur on 7th and 8th February… Our PM had earlier visited Malaysia in 2015. During that visit, India-Malaysia bilateral relations were elevated to enhance the strategic partnership… The forthcoming visit comes within 1.5 years of the elevation of our bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during the state visit to PM Amwar Ibrahim in August 2024, and reflects India’s strong commitment to our relations with Malaysia,” he said. (ANI)

In 2026, several Bollywood films will feature fresh on-screen pairings, and one such movie is Vvan, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia opposite each other.

On Thursday, a BTS picture from the sets of Vvan was unveiled. It gave a sneak peek into a cute chemistry between Sidharth and Tamannaah.

In the image, Tamannaah can be seen blushing while sitting on a scooter, as Sidharth looks at her affectionately.

Have a look at the picture here.

Balaji Motion Pictures, a division of Balaji Telefilms Ltd, in association with TVF, an 11.11 Production, are presenting VVAN – Force of the Forest.

Written by Arunabh Kumar, directed by Deepak Mishra and Arunabh Kumar, with DOP and Visual Director Manu Anand; and produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, Arunabh Kumar and Niraj Kothari, ‘Vvan’ will hit the theatres this year.

Set in the dense, mythical heartlands of Central India, the film is rooted in Indian folklore and promises a gripping cinematic experience filled with ancient legends, hidden temples, and secrets buried deep within nature, as per the makers. (ANI)

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday expressed confidence that the legacy waste at the Okhla and Bhalaswa landfill sites will be cleared by the end of this year.

In an interview with ANI, the Chief Minister said that that the BJP government has ramped up bio-mining capacity to over 30,000 metric tonnes daily.

She said the legacy waste at the Ghazipur landfill site will take about two years to be cleared.

“I want to tell people of Delhi that by the end of 2026, we will end the legacy waste of two garbage mountains in Okhla and Bhalaswa. The Ghazipur landfill site might take two more years. We are building plants so that as much of the generated waste is processed. We are working by segregating the legacy waste,” she said.

Hitting out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), she said that their government was in power in Delhi for 11 years and did little to address problems of people.

“I can also ask how the garbage mountains were built. The garbage kept accumulating, and hence these mountains were formed. We started processing it (the waste), we started bio-mining, which was earlier at 5000 metric tonnes, and we brought it to 30,000 metric tonnes daily. Work goes on in day-night shifts,” she said.

“The inert (waste), RDF (refuse-derived fuel), are put in the low-lying areas. This has been going on for ages. But in your (AAP) tenure, there was no biomining. When an industry requests us for inert, we transport it there. When the inert gets aside, then only you get the room to process the garbage. Otherwise, how has the height of the garbage mountains reduced to half? The previous government did not think of putting in biogas plants. Thousands of tonnes of cow dung are generated in cities. Where does it go? In sewers and the Yanuma River. Did the city not need a biogas plant? We are working on processing 1500 tonnes of cow dung,” she told ANI.

Answering a query, she said air pollution and pollution of the Yamuna river are “legacy problems” caused by years of neglect and “short-term policymaking by the previous AAP government”, asserting that her administration is pursuing a comprehensive, long-term strategy to address both challenges.

Pollution is a legacy problem resulting from the negligence of previous governments. If we look at pollution only from the perspective that the air should be clean, we will not get results. You have to work on dust, air and water together, with a holistic vision,” she said.

Taking a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Gupta said previous administrations relied heavily on temporary relief measures and publicity, while ignoring structural reforms.

“Sprinklers, anti-smog guns and mist can give only short-term relief. The real work should have been done on dust mitigation, public transport and long-term planning,” she said.

The Chief Minister identified vehicular emissions, road dust and waste mismanagement as key contributors to Delhi’s air pollution.

“Vehicular emission is said to be a major cause of pollution, but public transport was never taken to the extent it should have been,” she said.

Gupta said her government has drawn up a phased plan to move Delhi’s public transport system towards zero emissions. “When we came, we planned that public transport should be 100 per cent electric and on clean fuel. Today, there are around 3,600 buses in Delhi. We added 1,700 buses after coming to power, and by December 2026, this will reach 7,700. Our requirement is 11,000 buses, which we will complete by 2028,” she said. (ANI)

The Bombay High Court on Thursday denied permission to underworld gangster Abu Salem to visit his native place in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh to mourn the death of his brother Abu Hakim Ansari.

Salem has been in prison for over 23 years.

On January 12, the Supreme Court rejected the petition of extradited gangster Abu Salem for a premature release in the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blast cases, asking him to justify his claims of completing 25 years of his life sentence.

The convict was challenging the Bombay HC’s rejection of his remission plea.

Earlier, the Bombay HC rejected his plea for early release.

Abu Salem is currently serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 Bombay bombings and other cases. He was extradited from Portugal to India in 2005 and has been jailed since then.

On September 18, 2002, Abu Salem was detained in LISBON (Portugal). After lengthy proceedings in the Court of Appeal in Lisbon and the Constitutional Court of Portugal, the extradition of Abu Salem was granted, and his custody was transferred to Indian authorities on November 10, 2005. (ANI)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday organised briefing meetings for General, Police and Expenditure Observers to be deployed as Central Observers for the forthcoming assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

According to an official release, 1,444 Officers, including 714 General Observers, 233 Police Observers and 497 Expenditure Observers, have been called for the briefing meetings.

The briefing meetings are being held in three batches over two days – February 5 and 6 – at IIIDEM in the national capital.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, briefed the Central Observers.

CEC Kumar said that the Observers have been selected to serve as beacons for the ECI. He added that the Observers should ensure free, fair and transparent elections. He said that their presence will energise the entire election machinery across 824 constituencies where elections are going to be held.

Election Commissioner SS Sandhu said the Observers should serve as a friend, philosopher, and guide to election officials on the field.

“Their arrival must be well publicised, and they should remain accessible, ensuring grievances of the electors are swiftly redressed to avoid even perceptions of favouritism,” he added.

Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi said that the Observers must ensure ECI instructions are implemented in letter and spirit, upholding impartiality and democratic values. He also instructed that Voter Information Slips (VIS) be distributed well in time to voters so they are not inconvenienced on election day.

The Commission also interacted with the Observers in a doubt-clearing session. Senior officials of the Commission also briefed the Observers on various aspects of the preparation of Electoral Rolls and the Conduct of Elections in the five poll-bound States/UTs.

As per the release, the Commission appoints Central Observers under the plenary powers conferred on it by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, to assist the Commission in the conduct of free and fair polls. They also oversee the efficient and effective management of the electoral process at the field level. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced ex-gratia worth Rs 2 lakh each for the families of 16 victims who lost their lives in the tragic Meghalaya coal mine incident.

Those who have been injured in the incident in the Thangskai area of East Jaintia Hills district will be given ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each.

The ex-gratia will be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

“Pained by the mishap in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” the PMO posted on X.

Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the state government has ordered an inquiry into the coal mine incident that claimed 16 lives.

He said that accountability will be fixed for the incident at a suspected illegal coal mine, and those responsible will face strict legal action.

“Profoundly saddened by the tragic coal mine incident in East Jaintia Hills. My deepest sympathies are with the families who have lost their loved ones in this unfortunate tragedy. The Government of Meghalaya has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident. Accountability will be fixed, and those responsible will face strict legal action. There will be no compromise when it comes to the safety of lives,” Sangma posted on X.

“In this moment of sorrow, the State stands in solidarity with all those affected,” he added.

Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been moved to carry out rescue operations after at least 16 people were killed and several labourers were feared trapped in an explosion at a suspected illegal coal mine in a village on Thursday, officials said.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Kumar said that 16 bodies have recovered so far.

“The incident took place in the Thangsku (Thangskai) area on Thursday. Several labourers trapped inside the coal mine following an explosion. SDRF, police, and local administration engaged in search and rescue operations. So far, 16 bodies have been recovered. One person received burn injuries,” SP Kumar said.

Several people are still trapped inside the coal mine.

More details are awaited. (ANI)