Breaking news live updates: India and France agree to elevate ties to ' special global strategic partnership'

• The emergence of AI has caused worry among professionals across the globe, including those in India. With several prominent companies carrying out mass layoffs amid the advent of AI, the fear continues to grow.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the matter in an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, stressing that "preparation is the best antidote to fear". His remarks come amid the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.

• PM Modi says India-France ties are special.
• France is India's oldest strategic partner, says PM Modi.
• India and France believe in multi-polar world.
• Both countries are forging partnership across many critical sectors.
• India and France will always pursue 'mission of peace'

• Modi and Macron review progress of India-France strategic partnership.
• EAM Jaishankar, NSA Doval attend meeting with French President Macron.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai, as part of the latter's fourth visit to India. The two leaders met at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai, where they were seen sharing a warm hug before commencing discussions.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday took oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at Rahman's swearing-in ceremony. Birla reached Dhaka earlier today, and was accompanied by foreign secretary Vikram Misri and other officials, reported PTI.

• The leaders exchanged a warm hug and a handshake before the formal talks.
•  Earlier today, French President paid  tribute to 26/11 victims at Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

Randhir Jaiswal says, "The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has arrived in the city of Mumbai. He arrived yesterday late in the evening. There are two aspects to his visit to India this time. One, he will be holding volatile talks with Prime Minister Modi later this afternoon here in Mumbai, and thereafter, he travels to Delhi to attend the AI Impact Summit. There's so much that is happening between India and France, two strategic partners in the fields of digital technology, the fields of innovation, student mobility, culture, defence, security, green pathways, and a lot more. All these issues will come up for discussion when the two leaders meet this afternoon. Thereafter, we'll have the celebration of India-France collaboration in the field of innovation. There are several programs to celebrate this beautiful partnership, and of course, we have a colourful delight awaiting you at the Gateway of India..."

Birla arrived in Dhaka this morning to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh’s newly elected government led by Tarique Rahman, Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Birla was received at the airport by Bangladesh Foreign Ministry Secretary Nazrul Islam, along with officials from the High Commission of India.

According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, his participation “underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India’s steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind the two nations.”

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today opposed before the Delhi High Court a plea by Jaideep Sengar, brother of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, seeking a three-month extension of interim bail in the custodial death case of the Unnao rape survivor’s father.

Jaideep Sengar, 50, who is serving a 10-year sentence awarded by a trial court, sought extension of relief on medical grounds, claiming he is suffering from Stage IV oral cancer and has shown signs of recurrence requiring continuous and specialised treatment.

Opposing the plea, the CBI told the court that the case was “not fit” for extension of interim bail. The agency’s counsel argued that the medical prescription placed on record by Sengar was “not genuine” and appeared to be fabricated. The CBI further submitted that the convict should have approached the court “well within time” if he intended to seek an extension of his interim bail.

In a major development, Infosys today announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, to develop and deploy advanced artificial intelligence solutions for enterprises in heavily regulated industries, beginning with telecommunications.

According to an exchange filing, Anthropic’s Claude family of AI models, including the coding-focused Claude Code, will be integrated with Infosys’ Topaz AI platform. The collaboration aims to automate complex business processes, accelerate software development and enable governed adoption of AI systems.

As part of the agreement, the two companies will set up a dedicated Anthropic Centre of Excellence focused on the telecommunications sector. The centre will work on building AI agents tailored to industry-specific operations such as network management and customer lifecycle processes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today welcomed French President Macron, saying New Delhi looks forward to advancing bilateral ties to new heights.

Responding to Macron’s post on X about his departure for India, Modi said he was confident their discussions would further strengthen cooperation across sectors and contribute to global progress.

“Welcome to India! India looks forward to your visit and to advancing our bilateral ties to new heights. I am confident that our discussions will further strengthen cooperation across sectors and contribute to global progress. See you in Mumbai and later in Delhi, my dear friend @EmmanuelMacron,” PM Modi wrote.

The Uttarakhand government is set to introduce a fee for online registration for the Char Dham Yatra, officials said.

Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Additional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division to determine the registration fee at the earliest.

According to Pandey, a minimum fee of Rs 10 has been proposed to prevent fake registrations for the annual pilgrimage. The final amount, however, will be decided after the committee submits its report and the state government grants approval.

The Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year to the shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. Online registration is mandatory for pilgrims undertaking the yatra.

A 23-year-old motorcycle rider was killed in a road accident in Delhi’s Dwarka area this morning, police said.

According to the Delhi Police, a PCR call was received at 11:57 am regarding a fatal accident near Lal Bahadur Shastri College. When officers from Dwarka South police station reached the spot, they found two cars, including a taxi, and a motorcycle in a damaged condition.

The motorcycle rider, identified as Sahil Dhaneshra (23), was declared dead at the scene. His post-mortem examination has been conducted. The injured taxi driver, Ajit Singh, was shifted to IGI Hospital. His statement has been recorded and the final opinion on his medico-legal case (MLC) is awaited.

According to ANI and Bangladeshi media reports, Tarique Rahman will take oath along with newly elected MPs today. The BNP-led alliance won over 200 seats in the 300-member parliament, while Jamaat-e-Islami emerged as the principal opposition force.

India will be represented at the ceremony by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Questions remain over whether MPs will also take oath as members of a proposed constitutional reform council. BNP sources told Prothom Alo that such a step would require constitutional backing and cannot proceed without formal amendment.

During the visit, PM Modi and President Macron will hold bilateral engagements in Mumbai and exchange views on regional and global issues. They are expected to review progress in the India-France strategic partnership and explore cooperation in new and emerging areas.

French President Macron is visiting India from February 17 to 19 at PM Modi’s invitation and will also participate in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India. Later today, the two leaders will inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and address a gathering of business leaders, startups, researchers and innovators from both countries.