Former US president Bill Clinton will be grilled by a Congressional panel on Friday on his well-documented links to Jeffrey Epstein, as Democrats seek to shift focus onto Donald Trump's own ties to the convicted sex offender. Clinton features prominently throughout the latest Epstein files disclosures, with the former president insisting that he broke ties with him well before the disgraced billionaire's 2008 conviction for sex offenses. Mere mention in the files released by the US Department of Justice does not imply wrongdoing, and Clinton has not been accused of a crime or formally investigated. He follows his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who testified Thursday, defiantly calling for President Trump -- who like Bill Clinton had ties with Epstein -- to appear before the panel. "If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes... it would ask (Trump) directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files," she said in an opening statement published online. The depositions are being held behind closed doors even though the Clintons called for them to be open and televised, a move Bill Clinton denounced as akin to a "kangaroo court." The grilling comes with greater peril for the former president than for his wife, as he has acknowledged extensive interactions with Epstein, but said he never visited the shady financier's private Caribbean island. Epstein associated with the world's rich, famous and powerful, and was convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. He died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while facing trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing those who were linked to Epstein, particularly in light of the Justice Department's disclosures of millions of new documents related to its investigation of him. Hillary insisted that she had neither flown on Epstein's plane nor visited his island. The Clintons had initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify in the panel's probe, but the Democratic power couple agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress. Newly released pictures Hillary Clinton said in her opening statement to the panel that it "justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell." "Let me be as clear as I can. I do not." Democrats say the investigation is being weaponized to attack Trump's political opponents rather than to conduct legitimate oversight. Bill Clinton features prominently in the trove of investigative files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department but has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Previously unseen photographs from the files include one showing the former president reclining in a hot tub, part of the image obscured by a stark black rectangle. In another, Clinton is pictured swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein's private plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work. David Markus, an attorney for Maxwell, said recently that Clinton and Trump are "innocent of any wrongdoing." The depositions are being held in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside. Dozens of journalists have converged on the wealthy hamlet and the Secret Service erected metal barricades around the arts center where the depositions are happening. Republican committee chair James Comer said at the conclusion of Hillary's appearance that lawmakers had "a lot of questions for her husband tomorrow." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
27 February,2026 12:30 PM IST | Chappaqua, United States | AFPOren Marmorstein, Spokesperson of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hailed PM Modi's visit, saying that they were all moved by PM Modi's speech in the Knesset. Marmorstein, in a conversation with ANI, said that Israel stood with India during Operation Sindoor. "This was an historic visit, an amazing visit. We were all moved by Prime Minister Modi's speech yesterday in the Knesset. This is based on shared values, also shared history. Our bonds together, Israel, India, the people, go back more than 2,000 years ago," he said. He added that Israel and India also have the same threats and interests. "And shared interests and also shared threats. We have, unfortunately, shared threats that we need to struggle against. And Israel was there for India in Operation Sindoor. And India was there for Israel on October 7. And we're grateful for this," he said. He noted that the relations between both nations deepened by PM Modi's visit. "The relationship because of this visit has now went and we are now in a different level. We are now in a special strategic partnership. Already 16 agreements were signed. Huge success. And this is thanks to the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Ministry, India Foreign Ministry, we were able to bring this relationship to the next level," he said. When asked about the Free Trade Agreement between both nations, Marmorstein said that it was difficult to point a date, but there is a keen interest on both sides to push the relations forward. "So it's hard to pencil a date, but I think you've witnessed the desire, the keen interest of both countries, both leadership, Israel and India. To push this forward. And I think in terms of fields and areas of expertise, the sky is the limit. We're talking about cooperation already signed in the fields of AI, innovation, cyber. The future is for us together," he said. Marmorstein highlighted the untapped reservoir that Artificial intelligence has in combination with defence. "So obviously there are some details that we can go into when it comes to defence. But again, we are looking into doing amazing things together. In terms of defence, but not only defence. We're talking about, for example, trying to harness the potential of AI for the benefit of both of our countries. So it can go directly to the fields of defence," he said. He gave examples of potential of AI in agriculture and defence. "For example, think of drones being used and being upgraded by AI, but also AI can help us fully take the potential of agriculture to the next level. Because with drip irrigation and technologies based on AI, we can do amazing things together. And this is what we're talking about," he said. Marmorstein said that Israel was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. "So first, we are grateful for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support and friendship. And this was throughout the war, like I said, October 7. Prime Minister Modi was there showing support and being with Israel shoulder to shoulder," he said. Marmorstein lauded US President Donald Trump for his Gaza Peace Plan, saying that the plan makes sure that the Hamas is being disarmed. "And in terms of President Trump's peace plan, yes, Israel said yes to this visionary plan, and we're trying to push this forward. And the number one condition, the number one element that needs to be implemented in this plan is making sure that Hamas is being disarmed. Because if you maintain Hamas as a terror organization, with its weapon, with its power of destruction, no good can come out of this. So the number one condition, the number one element that the peace plan itself of President Trump is articulating is making sure that Hamas is being disarmed," he said. Marmorstein also added that PM Modi's visit was an honour for Israel, and that both countries are not just partners, but were friends. "Indeed, this was a huge honor that the state of Israel showed to the Prime Minister of India and I think in terms of the future the sky is the limit. Israel and India are close, not only partners, friends and the people of Israel and the people of India feel very much close together. We can do great things together and we're looking forward to the future," he said. Prime Minister Modi made a state visit to Israel from 25 to 26 February 2026 on the invitation of Netanyahu. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 10:40 AM IST | Jerusalem | ANINew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani held an unannounced meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, marking a striking encounter between two political opposites who have clashed sharply in recent months. The meeting was not listed on the public schedule. No television cameras were invited into the Oval Office. Hours later, Mamdani described the interaction as “a productive meeting” and said he was “looking forward to building more housing in New York City.” A photograph released by the mayor showed Trump seated behind the Resolute Desk holding two mock New York Daily News front pages. One was an authentic 1975 edition carrying the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The other was a fabricated page reading “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” crediting the president with backing a “New Era of Housing.” In smaller print, the mock page declared: “Trump Delivers 12,000+ Homes; Most Since 1973.” City Hall spokeswoman Anna Bahr said the mayor had presented “a couple of pitches that would produce and construct more housing in a handful of projects than has happened in 50 years.” No further details were immediately provided on the scope, location or funding of the proposed housing projects. The visit also took an unexpected turn on immigration. After leaving the White House, Mamdani wrote on X: “In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. He has just informed me that she will be released imminently.” Aghayeva was later released. She had been detained early Thursday morning after federal agents entered a residential building on Columbia University’s Manhattan campus. Columbia said immigration officials “made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building” in order to arrest her. Acting President Claire Shipman said: “Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person.’ We are working to gather more details.” She added: “If law enforcement agents seek entry to non-public areas of the University, ask the agents to wait to enter any non-public areas until contacting Public Safety. Public Safety will contact the Office of the General Counsel to coordinate the University’s response. Do not allow them to enter or accept service of a warrant or subpoena.” In a statement to the Columbia Daily Spectator, the Department of Homeland Security said Aghayeva’s visa was terminated in 2016 for failing to attend class. “The building manager and her roommate let officers into the apartment. She has no pending appeals or applications with DHS,” the statement said. The White House did not immediately comment on the meeting. The encounter underscores an evolving dynamic between Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and Trump, a Republican president who has frequently criticised Democratic-led cities over immigration and federal policy. Despite sharp rhetoric during the election campaign, the two have now met more than once in the Oval Office. New York City depends heavily on federal funding streams and has been at the centre of national debates over immigration enforcement. Columbia University, one of the most prominent private institutions in the United States, has in recent years been a focal point in disputes involving campus access and federal authority. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
27 February,2026 10:37 AM IST | Washington | IANSCross-border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated sharply on Friday, with Islamabad declaring "open war" on Kabul after carrying out airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, further intensifying tensions between the two neighbouring countries. In a post on X, Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, issued a strong statement declaring the "open war" against Afghanistan, stating that Islamabad has lost its patience and accusing the Taliban-led administration of harbouring militants. "After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was expected that there would be peace in Afghanistan and that the Taliban would focus on the interests of the Afghan people and peace in the region...They gathered all the terrorists of the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights. They snatched away the rights that Islam grants to women," his post read. "Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you. Now it will be 'Dama Dam Mast Qalandar'. Pakistan's army did not come from across the seas. We are your neighbours; we know your ins and outs. Allahu Akbar," the Pakistani Defence Minister added. Following the Pakistani strikes on Afghan soil, Afghanistan's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, condemned the attack, calling the act by the Pakistani military "cowardly". "The cowardly Pakistani military has carried out airstrikes in certain areas of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia; fortunately, there have been no reported casualties," Mujahid said in a statement on X. The escalation comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration in Kabul over cross-border security concerns along the Durand Line, the border drawn by the British in the 19th century, which has remained a topic of dispute between the two countries. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defence of Afghanistan said that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory operations carried out along the Durand Line on Thursday. In a press release, the ministry said the action was launched at 8:00 PM on the 9th of Ramadan, corresponding to February 26, in response to what it described as a violation of Afghan territory by Pakistani military forces days earlier. "A few days ago, the Pakistani military circles, with great audacity, violated Afghan territory, breached our borders, and martyred women and children here," the statement read. "In these retaliatory operations along the Durand Line, a total of 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, two bases and 19 posts were captured," the statement added. In retaliation, Pakistan initiated the 'Ghazab Lil Haq' operation targeting the Afghan Taliban regime, as reported by ARY News. Spokesperson of Pakistani Prime Minister Mosharraf Zaidi alleged that 133 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed and over 200 wounded, with 27 Taliban posts destroyed and nine captured. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
27 February,2026 10:06 AM IST | Islamabad [Pakistan] | ANIA Hong Kong court has quashed fraud convictions against Jimmy Lai, 78. Founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, Lai will stay in prison because he was sentenced to 20 years weeks ago after being convicted in another case. The conviction overturned on Thursday was from an earlier fraud case regarding rented office space. Lai had earlier been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison in 2022. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:38 AM IST | Hong Kong | AgenciesRussia launched a barrage of 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as US and Ukrainian envoys prepared to hold more talks in Geneva on ending the war that is now in its fifth year. The nighttime bombardment, which included 11 ballistic missiles, targeted critical infrastructure and residential areas across eight regions of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Dozens of people, including children, were injured, officials said, though authorities did not immediately publish a confirmed total. Zelenskyy said late on Wednesday he had spoken by phone with US President Donald Trump and thanked him for peace negotiations. The US-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv are continuing but are deadlocked. Trump representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were due to meet with Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council. They also joined Zelenskyy’s call. 11No. of ballistic missiles Russia fired This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:35 AM IST | Kyiv | AgenciesA court in Bangladesh’s capital on Thursday ordered authorities to ask Interpol to issue a red notice for the arrest of a British lawmaker on charges of corruption in a private real estate project. Tulip Siddiq, former British minister and an MP from Hampstead and Highgate in London, has already been sentenced to six years in jail in Bangladesh in cases involving her aunt and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in a student-led uprising in 2024. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:32 AM IST | Dhaka | AgenciesResearchers in Japan unveiled ‘Buddharoid’, a humanoid robot trained on Buddhist scriptures, based on Chinese company Unitree’s G1 humanoid. The robot attended a temple event, performing hand gestures and answering questions like a spiritual priest. Buddharoid is equipped with ‘BuddhaBot-Plus’, an AI chatbot built on the base of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The robot can speak, gesture, move, and perform traditional prayer postures within temple environments. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:29 AM IST | Tokyo | AgenciesA researcher team has unveiled a near-complete skeleton of Alnashetri cerropoliciensis hidden in the red sandstones of Patagonia in Argentina. Weighing under 1 kg, Alnashetri stands out as one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs ever discovered in South America. This bird-like dinosaur, a member of the alvarezsaur family, has long been a phantom of the fossil record. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:27 AM IST | Buenos Aires | AgenciesIran and the US began indirect talks Thursday in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear negotiations viewed as a last chance for diplomacy as America has gathered a fleet of aircraft and warships to the Middle East to pressure Tehran into a deal. US President Donald Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear programme, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests last month. Iran has maintained it wants to continue to enrich uranium even as its program sits in ruins, following Trump ordering an attack in June on three of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites during a 12-day war last year. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:25 AM IST | Geneva | AgenciesThree leading AI models — OpenAI’s GPT-5.2, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4, and Google’s Gemini 3 Flash — deployed tactical nuclear weapons in 95 per cent of 21 simulated war games run by King’s College London researchers. The models never chose surrender or accommodation, made unintended escalations in 86 per cent of conflicts, and produced 780,000 words explaining their strategic reasoning across 329 turns. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 February,2026 09:24 AM IST | London | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
