Mani Shankar Aiyar (File Photo)

NEW DELHI: After Congress dissociated itself from Mani Shankar Aiyar following his prediction that the rival Left front will win in Kerala elections, the veteran hit back on Monday saying he remains with the party even as ‘friends of Rahul Gandhi’ have left for other parties. The issue flared up on Sunday when Aiyar, attending a function organised by Kerala govt, said Vijayan will return to power. Taking up cudgels on behalf of the Left, Aiyar had said in Thiruvananthapuram, “As a Congressman, I want UDF to win. As a Gandhian, I am obliged to tell the truth, irrespective of what I wish. I am not a voter in Kerala, but I think he (Kerala’s chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan) is going to get another term.” A stung Congress dissociated itself from Aiyar, with spokesman Pawan Khera saying Aiyar has been writing and speaking in personal capacity for past few years, and Khera’s post on X was corroborated by Jairam Ramesh. A day later, Aiyar got back with a bitter attack on Congress. “The Nehru-Gandhi family is built into the DNA of every Congressman. Why should anyone be in Congress when all of Rahul Gandhi’s friends have departed for other shores. It’s only because if you don’t believe in the leadership of the Nehru-Gandhi family, you would not be in Congress,” he said, adding, “I am in Congress, I have not left it. If Pawan Khera is going to expel me, I will happily go outside and kick his backside.” Interestingly, Aiyar also made remarks like “I am Rajivian (Rajiv Gandhi), not Rahulian (Rahul Gandhi)”, and that he does not need Congress, as it does not need him. Besides, he also criticised other Congress members at the national level and in Kerala. Aiyar has been a thorn in the flesh for Congress, with his remarks on politicians and politics having embarrassed Congress many times. His barb at PM Narendra Modi ahead of 2017 Gujarat assembly elections had resulted in Congress suspending him in Dec 2017, but the suspension was revoked in Aug 2018. It is not clear if Congress will again act against Aiyar. Sources said there had not been any discussion on it till late afternoon.

You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/police-respond-to-reports-of-shooting-at-rhode-island-rink-multiple-injured-11012765” on this server.

Reference #18.34a21ab8.1771283295.7b86c19

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.34a21ab8.1771283295.7b86c19

Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir was briefly stopped and asked to produce his identity card by security staff at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.A video that went viral on social media showed a security officer asking the Pakistani army chief to keep his identity card visible. Just steps away from the conference entry, a security official is heard saying, “Stop… where is your ID? Please flip your ID card.”

The Munich Security Conference, widely regarded as a key platform for dialogue and conflict resolution, annually brings together world leaders, diplomats, and security experts to address international peace and security challenges.Meanwhile, Munir’s visit was also objected to by Germany-based Sindhi political organisation Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), which called the invitation “deeply regrettable.” Members of the JSMM protested outside the venue, highlighting alleged human rights violations in Pakistan.In a formal statement addressed to the United Nations, the European Union, the German government, and international human rights bodies, JSMM Chairman Shafi Burfat expressed what he described as “deep shock and regret” over Munir’s presence at the high-level global forum.JSMM alleged that Pakistan’s military establishment has a historical record of human rights violations and political interference. The group referred to the 1971 events in former East Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh, describing them as genocide. It also accused Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies of supporting extremist elements in the region — allegations that Islamabad has consistently denied.The organisation further claimed that Pakistan’s military wields disproportionate influence over the country’s political and judicial institutions. It cited the assassinations of former leaders, including Liaquat Ali Khan and Benazir Bhutto, as well as the execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, as examples of alleged instability linked to military dominance. It also referenced the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, attributing it to tensions with the current military leadership.

A major blow for the Sri Lanka national cricket team as one of their key pacers walked out from the Pallekele International Cricket Ground on February 16 after sustaining an injury. The limping Matheesha Pathirana must have caused worries among the Sri Lankan cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans.

After securing two back-to-back victories, Sri Lanka is currently up against Australia. Matheesha Pathirana was named for the match for conducting an effective pace bowling attack.

Matheesha Pathirana received a hamstring injury

Sri Lanka’s blueprint took a scratch as soon as the pacer grabbed his left leg in pain and fell on the ground. Physios quickly rushed to the spot to take care of Pathirana. According to media reports, the Sri Lankan pacer suffered a hamstring injury. He got the knock after pitching the fourth ball of his opening spell.

Your daily dose of cricket!

He needed assistance to walk off the ground. This can be a major setback for the team, as the seamer is among the top talents in the national setup. To replace the injured Matheesha Pathirana, Dasun Shanaka stepped onto the field and completed the over.

Pathirana was in decent form in the tournament

Cricket fans are eagerly awaiting the pacer’s injury update. His absence can provide discomfort not only for the Sri Lanka cricket team but also for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, KKR roped in the Lankan bowler from the mini auction for a whopping price tag of INR 18 crore.

Pathirana is in decent rhythm from the beginning of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Against Ireland he bagged a couple of scalps, though he remained wicketless against Oman. Before the 2026 T20 World Cup, when the island nation engaged with England for the T20I series, he succeeded in a regular manner. The Sri Lankan quick took 5 wickets in 3 matches against England.

Australia openers smashed half-centuries

In the absence of Matheesha Pathirana, Australia went off to a flying start. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, both of their openers, slammed a half-century each. Skipper Marsh returned for 54 off 27, and Head registered a 56-run knock against 19 deliveries. For the opening stand, they secured 104 runs. Together they smashed a total of twenty boundaries, including fifteen 4s and five 6s.

The co-hosts of the tournament dragged themselves back into the contest as soon as the openers departed. The middle-order batters of Australia—Cameron Green and Tim David—failed to protect their wickets. Green went for 3; David went for only 6 runs. Dushan Hemantha, the right-arm leg spinner, looked effective against the Australian batting lineup.

Read More: ‘Benjamin Manenti take a bow’, social media flooded as Italy put on great fight against England

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei

BENGALURU: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said even as artificial intelligence technology produces great value, it will also bring big economic turmoil. So it is important, he said, to ensure everyone shares in the benefits, and urged India, as the world’s largest democracy, to use AI to make governance more efficient and citizen-centric. “That’s a really valuable use of the technology,” Amodei said at the maiden edition of Anthropic’s Builder Summit in Bengaluru on Monday.Anthropic, valued at $380 billion and whose AI products are used widely by enterprises to make coding more efficient, recently launched a slew of new tools for other enterprise functions like legal, sales and marketing that caused a collapse in the share prices of software and IT services companies around the world.Amodei’s visit coincided with the AI company launching its Bengaluru operations. Speaking to some 250 developers and entrepreneurs, he noted that the technical intensity of AI adoption in India tends to be higher than elsewhere. He said he’s heard ministry of statistics is building an AI system to query economic data and statistics. “Generally, govt bodies elsewhere don’t move this fast,” he said.Anthropic’s business run rate revenue in India, he said, has doubled over the past four months. “It’s just really incredible… It mirrors the general progress and explosion in Claude models and coding models. But I think it’s even more extreme in India than we’ve seen in other places of the world.”

‘Tech Produces Great Value, But Also Turmoil’

Amodei also pointed to India’s extraordinary scale as a catalyst for innovation. “You can run experiments with hundreds of millions of people. That scale allows entrepreneurs and builders to pivot quickly and learn faster in ways that simply aren’t possible in smaller markets.”He said India’s linguistic diversity as a powerful driver for AI innovation. It enables, he said, building tools interoperate across languages, make translation easier, and enable true multilingual capabilities. Claude, he said, is working hard to support the long tail of languages, and “with so many regional languages in India, I’ve seen some cool applications, including in the non-profit and social benefit space.“On the philosophy of his 38-page essay ‘The Adolescence of Technology’, Amodei said, “We need to understand that this technology is really going to change the world at a speed and to a degree that we haven’t seen with any other technology before. That may sound hyperbolic, but if we look at the rate of improvement, diffusion, and adoption, it’s something that has no real precedent in modern history.” The essay emphasises core principles aimed at protecting against the worst-case risks posed by AI.Amodei highlighted the transformative potential of AI in specialised fields such as medicine and biology, noting that innovations rooted in the physical world are likely to create the most defensible businesses. “I really encourage people to build where AI intersects with areas like medicine and health. The biggest moats will come from applications tied to the physical world – things that aren’t easy to do and require specialised skills. Biology and medicine fit all of those criteria. It’s a complex, knowledge-heavy space that involves navigating regulatory systems, but that hard work will lead to durable businesses. So I strongly encourage builders to move in that direction.”

India’s Hardik Pandya celebrates with teammates (PTI Photo)

Durban was where it all truly ignited. When India met Pakistan in the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, the contest felt like the beginning of a new chapter. India tied one thriller and then edged a nerve-shredding final in Johannesburg to lift the trophy. At that point, India already held a 4-0 advantage over Pakistan in 50-over World Cups, yet that dramatic T20 finale suggested a rivalry that might finally find balance.Nearly two decades on, that promise has faded. Nineteen years later, the pattern remains painfully familiar for Pakistan. India continue to dominate them at World Cups, irrespective of format. Sunday’s result marked India’s eighth win over Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, further extending a streak that has stripped the contest of its once-feared unpredictability.

What was once celebrated as the ‘Mother of all Battles’ has become distressingly one-sided. Through the 1980s, 1990s and even the early 2000s, an India-Pakistan clash guaranteed drama and high tension. Today, anticipation is often replaced by resignation. Each tournament brings renewed hope from Pakistan’s media and former players, only for India to assert control yet again.Pakistan’s lone T20 World Cup triumph over India came in 2021 in Dubai, a crushing 10-wicket win. But since then, they have not beaten India in any format or tournament. India’s victories in 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024 and 2026 underline the widening gap in quality.The emotional toll was evident when former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis reacted on air. As Pommie Mbangwa remarked, “The domination of this fixture by India would undoubtedly be annoying for Pakistan. 11th consecutive win in Men’s ICC T20 World Cups,” Waqar interjected: “Alright! Enough. Leave it there. We’ve had enough of that. India have been too good in the last 15-20 years, I would say.”Waqar has endured this narrative personally. He was head coach when Virat Kohli crafted a sublime half-century at Eden Gardens in 2016 to steer India home. As a player, he also featured in Pakistan’s 50-over World Cup defeats to India in 1996 in Bengaluru and in 2003 at Centurion. Few have witnessed the rivalry’s painful tilt as closely as he has.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha on Sunday shared his thoughts on the defeat to India and admitted his team did not perform well. He said the team trusted their spinners, but they had a bad day and failed to execute their plans properly. He explained that losing early wickets in T20 cricket makes it very hard to recover.

“We were believing in our spinners, and they had an off day today. Execution was missing in some parts of the game. We were obviously always going to believe our spinners, because they’ve done really well in the last six months. And with the batting, I think we didn’t start well, and in T20 games, if we lose 3 or 4 wickets in the powerplay, you are always chasing the game,” Agha said in the post-match presentation.Agha also explained why Pakistan chose to bowl first. He said the pitch was difficult early on, with the ball gripping, but it became better for batting later. He admitted the bowlers did not adjust to the situation, and the batters did not play long enough to take the game deep.Talking about pressure in big matches, he added, “In these kinds of games, the emotions are always going to be high. We just need to deal with that because we have played enough cricket and we have played enough games like that. So, it’s just we need to gather ourselves very quickly, and we have a game in two days’ time, and we need to look forward to that as well.” Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, he stressed staying positive and focusing on the bigger goal, saying, “Yeah, obviously, you have to see the bigger picture. We have a game in two days’ time. We need to win that game and qualify for the Super Eights and then it’s a new tournament start again.”On the field, India dominated. Ishan Kishan scored 77 to help India reach 175/7. Then India’s bowlers bowled Pakistan out for 114, giving India a 61-run win. India are now top of Group A, while Pakistan sit third with two wins and one loss. Pakistan will have to win their last group-stage game against Namibia to qualify for the Super 8s of the tournament.

Alix Earle makes a cryptic post as Tom Brady prioritizes his family for Valentine’s Day.(Image via Phillip Faraone/Getty, Kevin Mazur/Getty)

Tom Brady, the NFL legend, has dominated headlines over the last few years as he has strictly stayed away from any serious relationships in the public eye after his messy divorce in 2022.But now, he has been linked to the 25 year old influencer, Alix Earle, after the two were spotted getting close at two separate parties. Amid all the rumors of a potential romance brewing between the two, Alix Earle has shared a cryptic post.

Alix Earle makes a cryptic post as Tom Brady stays silent

Just a few hours ago, the popular social media influencer and podcast host Alix Earle, took to her social media to post a few stunning pictures of herself in a shimmery gold mini dress from Gucci, which she paired with black stockings.While Alix Earle looks beautiful, the caption of the post reads as, “Cupid told me to just sit and look pretty…” and it has raised eyebrows considering her rumored romance with Tom Brady.Interestingly, the Super Bowl champion Tom Brady shared a post with his children, Bejamin and Vivian, from Switzerland as he credited them and his other son, Jack, for being his Valentine.It is not confirmed if Tom Brady was on a trip to Switzerland with his children or if these are old pictures.The caption of Tom Brady’s heartfelt post reads as, “Jack, Benny and Vivi…My forever valentines!”The NFL legend added, “Love you three so much and the awesome adventures we get to share together. From the court to the slopes to everywhere in between, you make all my days brighter! … Loving these Swiss slopes! Just missing you Jack!”

What happened between Tom Brady and 25 year old popular influencer, Alix Earle, after they were spotted together in December?

As per the U.S. Sun, Tom Brady and 25 year old Alix Earle are “casually” dating even though both of them have stayed away from making any comments about it.Before Tom Brady, Alix Earle was in a pretty serious relationship with popular player, Braxton Berrios, and the two were public about their romance.However, Alix Earle announced their separation in an emotional video in December 2025, just two weeks before she was spotted with Tom Brady at a New Year’s Eve party in St. Barths.