Russia has fully blocked US-based messaging platform WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, over what the Kremlin described as the company’s failure to comply with local laws. The move comes amid a broader push by Russian authorities to promote a state-backed “national messenger” called MAX.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the decision on Thursday, saying the government had implemented the block because of Meta’s non-compliance.

"Due to Meta's unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed made and implemented," Peskov told reporters, urging citizens to switch to MAX.

"MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative," he said.

Italy registered a historic maiden victory in their World Cup history as they beat Nepal on Thursday, February 12 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It was a momentous occasion for the football giants, who are making their debut at the Cricket World Cup after sealing qualification through the European Qualifiers in 2025.

Justin Mosca (60* off 44 balls) and Anthony Mosca (62* off 32 balls) led the charge for Italy while chasing a modest target of 124. The Mosca brothers were involved in an unbeaten 124-run stand off just 76 deliveries, helping Italy register a comprehensive ten-wicket victory.

The duo showed no mercy to the Nepal bowlers, walking out to bat in top gear and bringing up their fifty-run partnership in just four overs. They later completed a 100-run stand in only 64 deliveries, with both batters reaching their respective half-centuries in emphatic fashion.

Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova moved Thursday to quell the country’s chronic political instability by appointing a senior central bank official as interim prime minister until national elections in April.

Andrey Gyurov, deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, will lead a caretaker government whose main task will be to organize a free and fair vote in a country that is holding its eighth election in five years.

The political uncertainty that has plagued the EU and NATO member state during this period has eroded public trust in institutions, created an opening for populist and nationalist groups, and paved the way for Russian hybrid influence.

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday signed a major deal with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the acquisition of eight Dornier 228 aircraft along with Operational Role Equipment for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for Rs 2,312 crore.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said that a contract has been signed with the Kanpur-based Transport Aircraft Division of HAL under the Buy (Indian) category in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi.

This is the second major deal that the government has signed with HAL in this financial year.

In a major push towards digitisation of land records and prevention of property fraud, the state government will introduce an upgraded version of the record of rights (RoR) embedded with a QR code and an electronic security chip, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said on Thursday.

The Smart RoR will allow instant verification of land ownership details. When the QR code is scanned, it will display the complete transaction history of the land parcel, including past sale and purchase records. The embedded electronic chip will act as a tamper-detection mechanism. Any unauthorised alteration or illegal intervention in the document will automatically trigger alerts to the revenue inspector (RI) and tehsildar concerned, enabling swift administrative action.

Officials said the initiative aims to plug loopholes in land transactions, curb forgery and bring greater transparency to property dealings. The Revenue department has begun upgrading its digital land records infrastructure to integrate historical data with the new system. Land transaction records are being standardised and linked with existing digitised databases under the state’s land records modernisation programme.

In a discovery that reinforces the footprint of ancient Tamil civilisation across the globe, around 30 inscriptions, the majority of them in Tamil Brahmi, the early Tamil script, have been identified in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.

These findings establish that people from Tamil landscape visited and lived in Roman Egypt between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD - not merely as distant trading partners, but as travellers whose names were etched into royal tombs.

“This discovery stands as a resounding reminder to the world that the Tamil people are a proud civilisation that left their imprint across global cultures, far beyond the seas. Tamil Brahmi inscriptions dating back 2,000 years have been found in the pyramid tombs of Egypt. The name of a Tamil merchant, Sikai Kotran, has been discovered eight times across five different pyramids. This underlines how deeply the Tamils were embedded in the ancient global trade network,” Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said in a post on X.

The Parliament has passed the Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026 with the Rajya Sabha approving it this evening. Earlier in the day the Lok Sabha had passed the legislation.

Replying to a short debate on the Bill, Minister for Labour and Employment Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said, the amendment bill has been brought for legal clarity. Mentioning details, he said, annual health check-ups have been made mandatory for workers above 40 years of age under the four Labour Codes. The Minister said, guarantee of equal pay for equal work for women and men workers has been ensured under the Labour Codes. He added that under the Labour Codes, a guarantee has been ensured to provide an appointment letter along with a job to every youth. Mr Madvaviya said, the opposition against the Labor Codes is merely motivated by politics.

Opposing the legislation, Jairam Ramesh of Congress said, the Bill will not enable ease of hiring. He alleged that these labour codes are anti-labour.

Supporting the Bill, YSRCP MP Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla said that this amendment seeks to address a narrow but important drafting concern.

In Shooting, India finished with a double podium at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in New Delhi today. India’s Aakriti Dahiya clinched the silver medal in the women’s 50-metre rifle three position event with a score of 354.2 points, finishing four points behind Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Shulzhenko, who won the gold. Anjum Moudgil secured the bronze medal with a score of 340.4 points.

Meanwhile, the Indian trio of Aakriti Dahiya, Anjum Moudgil, and Aashi Chouksey claimed silver in the women’s 50-metre rifle three-position team event with a combined score of 1,756 points. Kazakhstan bagged the gold medal with a total score of 1,760 points.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued comprehensive guidelines formalising the official protocol for the rendition of Vande Mataram, outlining when and how India’s national song should be performed at government and public functions.

The Ministry forwarded the “Orders relating to the National Song of India” for strict compliance and necessary instructions to concerned agencies.

The MHA guidelines seek to standardise the ceremonial status of Vande Mataram, originally written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and clarify the occasions on which it must be played or sung, along with the decorum to be observed by the public.

In a landmark moment for urban infrastructure and commuter experience, Mumbai has officially unveiled India's first-ever melody road, a stretch of roadway engineered to play the iconic 'Jai Ho' tune from the film Slumdog Millionaire as vehicles pass over it at designated speeds. The installation was inaugurated today by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alongside other dignitaries, marking a unique blend of engineering innovation and cultural expression on the city's Coastal Road.

The musical stretch has been created on the northbound carriageway of the Coastal Road, between Nariman Point and Worli, immediately after vehicles emerge from the Coastal Road tunnel. Over a 500-metre section adjacent to the central divider, precisely cut grooves commonly known as rumble strips have been laid out so that tyres create sound vibrations resembling the rhythm of 'Jai Ho' when a vehicle drives over them at around 70-80 km/h.