Iran fired two missiles in the direction of Cyprus, where the United Kingdom maintains military bases, defence secretary John Healey said, warning that the retaliation from Tehran showed signs of being indiscriminate.Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News, Mr Healey said: “We are pretty sure they weren’t targeted at our bases.” However, he added that “it shows how indiscriminate” the Iranian retaliation is.

He also confirmed that 300 UK military personnel were close to missile targets in Bahrain. “Some of them were in several hundred yards of the missile strikes,” he revealed on Sky News.Follow live update on US-Israel stikes in IranThe comments came a day after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK had ordered “planes in the sky” over the Middle East to carry out defensive operations. Mr Healey repeated the prime minister’s call for Iran to halt its actions and “steps back from its increasing uncontrolled indiscriminate attacks in the region” and “gives up its weapons programs.”The escalation follows waves of missile strikes launched by the United States and Israel on Iran in what they described as pre-emptive operations targeting military infrastructure and senior leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.Speaking on Sky News, Mr Healey said: “Few people will mourn the Ayatollah’s death.”He added that he was more concerned about the wider regional repercussions. Citing Iran’s activities, he referred to 20 terror plots on UK streets organised by Tehran, the deaths of tens of thousands of its own citizens and the supply of 50,000 drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.“Make no mistake that this is a regime which harasses other countries and can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” he said on Sky News.Mr Healey declined to comment on whether the US and Israeli strikes were lawful. Asked about the legality of the action, he told Sky News: “No one who has seen the way that Iran has menaced us and sponsored terror around the world, been a source of instability in the region, is developing a nuclear weapons program, can be under any doubt about the character of this regime, and the threat it poses.”Pressed again, he said: “That is for the US to set out and explain. It’s not for me, as defence secretary of the UK, I’m here to speak for the UK.“I can speak for the very active participation that we have in coordinated defence across the region.”He added that “everything the UK does is within international law”.The defence secretary also declined to say whether Britain could be drawn into direct operations alongside the United States and Israel.Describing current UK activity, he told Sky News: “When our UK planes fly from Qatar, they are protecting against any missiles or drones directed towards Qatar.“When they fly from Cyprus, they’re doing the same for Cyprus.“But of course, when our planes are in the air and they see things, missiles or drones directed towards other countries, they’ll take them down.”He said Britain was reinforcing regional stability as part of coordinated defence efforts across the Middle East.

Sanju Samson’s scintillating 97 not out off just 50 balls against the West Indies at Eden Gardens has not only powered India into the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals but also unleashed a wave of celebrations across the country, particularly in his home state of Kerala. Leading the chorus of praise were Malayalam cinema’s biggest superstars, including Mammootty, Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, who took to social media to hail the cricketer’s “fearless statement on the biggest stage.” 

Mammootty leads celebrity praise for Sanju Samson

Megastar Mammootty was among the first to react to Samson’s heroic knock, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to express his admiration. “What a knock, @IamSanjuSamson. Pure class. Pure dominance. A fearless statement on the biggest stage. Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for marching into the #T20WorldCup2026 Semi Final,” Mammootty wrote, capturing the sentiment of millions of fans who witnessed the match.

The post quickly went viral, with fans agreeing that Samson’s fearless approach against a formidable West Indian bowling attack exemplified exactly the kind of dominance required in a high-pressure World Cup encounter.

Mohanlal applauds Samson’s “masterful innings” as India storm into the semifinals

Mohanlal, another legendary figure in Malayalam cinema, was equally effusive in his praise. “Exhilarating to watch @IamSanjuSamson in such sublime form! A truly masterful innings that speaks volumes of his character and talent. Hearty congratulations to the entire Indian team for storming into the #T20WorldCup2026 Semi-Finals. Keep the flag flying high!” the actor posted, sharing a picture of Samson looking skyward after sealing the victory.

Exhilarating to watch @IamSanjuSamson in such sublime form! A truly masterful innings that speaks volumes of his character and talent. Hearty congratulations to the entire Indian team for storming into the #T20WorldCup2026 Semi-Finals. Keep the flag flying high! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/jLMYCQSOWc

— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) March 1, 2026

The message resonated deeply with cricket fans in Kerala, who have long championed Samson’s inclusion in the national team and watched with pride as their homegrown talent delivered on the grandest stage.

“One of the greatest T20 innings ever”: Prithviraj’s shoutout 

Actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran took to his Instagram story to give a special shoutout to Samson, describing the knock in remarkable terms. “One of the greatest T20 innings ever! That too in a virtual quarter final on the World Cup stage!” he captioned his post.

Prithviraj’s assessment was echoed by cricket analysts worldwide, who noted that Samson’s ability to remain unbeaten while guiding a record chase of 196 – India’s highest successful T20 World Cup chase – elevated the innings to legendary status.

‘The Kerala Story’: CS Amudhan’s witty tribute 

Adding a touch of humor to the celebrations, Tamil director CS Amudhan, known for the “Tamizh Padam” film series, coined a phrase that quickly gained traction online. “THE KERALA STORY: Sanju Samson takes India to the semis,” Amudhan posted, cleverly repurposing the title of a controversial film to celebrate Samson’s match-winning heroics .

The witty remark captured the essence of the moment—a Kerala cricketer single-handedly steering India to semi-final qualification in front of a capacity crowd at Eden Gardens.

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026 – Suryakumar Yadav heartwarmingly bows to Sanju Samson after India reaches the semis; video goes viral

Mollywood unites to celebrate Sanju Samson’s record-breaking knock

The outpouring of praise extended across Mollywood’s celebrity spectrum. Nivin Pauly wrote, “India into the SEMIS! What a sensational knock by @imsanjusamson! Take a bow, champion!”  Dulquer Salmaan shared a picture of Samson with clapping and heart-eye emojis, while Tovino Thomas posted simply, “What an innings!!”

Kalidas Jayaram expressed his pride, writing “Proud of you Macha” , while director Basil Joseph appreciated Samson’s never-give-up attitude, calling it a “statement of an innings.”  Veteran actor Prakash Raj offered a heartfelt “Thank you @IamSanjuSamson.”

Samson’s 97* against the West Indies on Sunday guided India to their highest successful T20I chase in World Cup history at Eden Gardens. The innings surpassed Virat Kohli’s 82 to become the second-highest individual score for India in T20 World Cups .

Remarkably, this marked the first instance in 29 run-chases across T20Is and IPL where Samson remained unbeaten till the end of the innings while opening the batting.

With India now set to face England in the semi-final on March 5 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Samson’s form has given the defending champions renewed hope of retaining their title.

Also READ: Gautam Gambhir makes bold statement after India beat West Indies to reach T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals

India and Canada took a step towards strengthening their economic ties on Monday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Mark J Carney agreed to pursue a trade-led partnership to boost bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030 and speed up negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The two leaders held bilateral talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, where they discussed critical minerals cooperation, uranium procurement, the exchange of Terms of Reference for CEPA, enhance maritime domain awareness and the establishment of a defence dialogue. Our goal is to reach $50 billion in trade by 2030. Unlocking the full potential of economic cooperation is our priority. Therefore, we have decided to finalise the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement soon. This will create new investment and employment opportunities in both countries. Canadian pension funds have invested $100 billion in India. This is a symbol of their deep belief in India’s growth story. Speaking after the talks, PM Modi emphasised that economic collaboration would anchor the next phase of ties between the two countries. “Today, we discussed transforming this vision into a next-level partnership. Our goal is to reach $50 billion in trade by 2030. Unlocking the full potential of economic cooperation is our priority. Therefore, we have decided to finalize a comprehensive economic partnership agreement soon”, PM Modi said. He also noted that the proposed agreement would generate fresh opportunities across sectors in both economies. “This will create new investment and employment opportunities in both countries. Canadian pension funds have invested $100 billion in India. This is a symbol of their deep belief in India’s growth story,” he added. PM Modi added that the two sides would also engage business leaders later in the day, adding that their recommendations would help shape the future economic roadmap. Several memoranda of understanding were exchanged in the presence of the two leaders. Canada’s Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal exchanged documents relating to the CEPA Terms of Reference and a Declaration of Intent on a Joint Pulse Protein Centre of Excellence. In a separate set of agreements, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Jaishankar also exchanged several MoUs covering critical mineral cooperation, promotion of renewable energy use, and cultural cooperation. Another trilateral MoU involving India, Canada and Australia on cooperation in technology and innovation was also exchanged. Recalling his earlier interaction with Carney at the G7 meeting in Canada, Modi also said, “There are very few people in the world whose CVs include central banking leadership in two countries. Since our first meeting, our relationship has been energised, mutual trust and positivity have blossomed.” The visit is being seen as an important step in the ongoing normalisation of India–Canada relations, with both sides placing strong emphasis on trade, investment and long-term economic cooperation.

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Aviation and travel stocks were struggling with sharp sell-offs on Monday after Middle East conflict intensified and regional air traffic was disrupted. Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, along with SpiceJet, Ixigo and Easy Trip Planners, dropped by up to 13.5% as multiple countries shut their airspace following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. InterGlobe Aviation fell as much as 7.5% during the session, touching a low of Rs 4,460 on the BSE before recovering to 4,540 around 1:00 pm. SpiceJet declined over 7% to 14.84 per share. Ixigo also added to the downward momentum, plunging 13.5% to Rs 147 before easing to 164. Easy Trip Planners slipped up to 9% to an intraday low of Rs 7.8. As the situation continues to intensify, aviation giant IndiGo has suspended all flights to and from the Middle East, calling the move precautionary. In its passenger advisory, the airline said, “In an endeavour to provide support to our customers, we are extending full flexibility and waivers for travel to/from the Middle East and select international sectors until 7 March 2026, applicable to bookings made on or before 28 February 2026. Customers may opt for a full refund or reschedule at no additional cost.” Air travel across the Gulf region faced major disruption as key hubs, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international airport hub, as well as Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar, were either closed or functioning under heavy restrictions due to widespread airspace shutdowns. The situation intensified after Iran’s attacks reportedly caused damage at Dubai International Airport, while facilities in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also struck. Flight-tracking platform FlightAware indicated that thousands of flights across the Middle East have been affected. As the conflict unfolded on Saturday, at least eight countries, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, announced complete airspace closures. Syria separately said it would shut part of its southern airspace along the border with Israel. The developments are seen weighing on the travel and tourism sector, as widespread rerouting, cancellations and operational disruptions typically push up airline costs, particularly fuel and crew expenses. At the same time, heightened geopolitical uncertainty risks dampening travel demand through booking cancellations and slower fresh reservations, clouding near-term revenue visibility for companies in the sector.

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