In this file photo from February 22, 2026, local residents stand next to a damaged car at the site of a cross-border Pakistani army strike in the Behsud district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. AP/PTI
Feb 27 News Live | Go for ceasefire, China urges Pak, Afghanistan
Catch all the important news updates from India and across the world
Here is the top, trending news of Friday, February 27, 2026, including Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Read updates below.
Live Updates
- 27 Feb 2026 3:03 PM IST
Tickets booked for 'The Kerala Story 2' being refunded, film not released: Lawyers
The tickets booked during the day for 'The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond' were being refunded and the film has not been released, the lawyers for the petitioners who opposed the movie's screening said on Friday (February 27).
Advocate Maitreyi Sachidananda Hegde, who represents one of the petitioners -- Sreedev Namboodiri -- told PTI in the afternoon that she will not be moving a contempt plea against the film's producer as the movie has not been released and the ticket sales were being refunded.
Hegde, in the morning, mentioned before Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas that despite a stay on the release of the film, ticket bookings for the film were going on.
She mentioned it before the single judge even as the matter of the release of the movie was before a division bench which had reserved order regarding it on Thursday after a late night hearing.
She also told Justice Thomas that she will verify whether the film was being screened in theatres during the day and accordingly, will file a contempt plea.
In the afternoon, Hegde said that on verification she found that "the film has not been released and the ticket amounts were being refunded".
- 27 Feb 2026 3:01 PM IST
Liquor policy case: Congress calls Kejriwal discharge a ‘predictable script’ by BJP
With a Delhi court discharging former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the Congress on Friday (February 27) said it was a "predictable script" from the BJP and proceedings against its convenient "allies" in the AAP, and others will quietly vanish in light of the Gujarat and Punjab elections.
The Congress termed the BJP a "shape-shifter, a wishful serpent -- Icchadhari Naag".
Reacting to the development, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "The BJP is not a political party. It is a shape-shifter, a wishful serpent - Icchadhari Naag. It will stoop to any level for one obsessive goal: defeat Congress - Congress Mukt Bharat." "For 12 years, they spewed venom at the TMC. And now? Narendra Modi himself is showering it with praise -- not out of respect, but to land a cheap blow at Congress," Khera said in a post in Hindi on X.
- 27 Feb 2026 2:48 PM IST
Three killed in Paktika air strikes: Afghan media
Afghanistan National TV reported that three people were killed in Pakistani air strikes in Paktika province, including a woman and two schoolchildren. The broadcaster said the casualties occurred when strikes hit the area, with one bomb striking a civilian residence.
According to the report, seven others were wounded in the same incident. Those injured were taken for treatment after the blast damaged the home. The channel did not provide further details about the condition of the আহত or the extent of the damage caused by the air strikes in the province.
- 27 Feb 2026 2:47 PM IST
Karzai condemns Pakistani strikes, urges unity
Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president from 2002 to 2014, issued a statement earlier today reacting to Pakistani strikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
"The Afghans will defend their beloved homeland with complete unity in all circumstances and will respond to aggression with courage," he wrote on X.
Pakistan "must change its own policy and choose the path of good neighborliness, respect, and civilized relations with Afghanistan", he wrote.
Karzai is among the few prominent Afghan political figures who have stayed in the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
- 27 Feb 2026 2:45 PM IST
China voices concern over Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions
China has voiced serious concern over the rising tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, with its foreign ministry urging both countries to “settle differences and disputes through dialogue and negotiation”.
The ministry said Beijing has been “working for mediation on the conflict via its own channels, and stands ready to continue playing a constructive role for de-escalation and improvement of bilateral ties," reported the BBC.
“As a neighbour and a friend, China is deeply concerned over the escalation and is saddened by the casualties caused by the conflict,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, warning that “any escalation will inflict harm and losses on both sides”.
The statement further said that bringing hostilities to an end was “in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, and can help keep the region peaceful and stable”.
- 27 Feb 2026 1:35 PM IST
Earthquake jolts Kolkata, epicentre likely in Bangladesh
A strong earthquake rattled Kolkata on Friday afternoon, with tremors reported across much of the city around 1:30 pm. Seismic readings from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) put the preliminary magnitude at 5.5.
The EMSC said the epicentre was about 26km southwest of Khulna in Bangladesh. The quake struck at 1:22:30pm Indian Standard Time (IST), reported the Hindustan Times.
Tremors were also felt in districts adjacent to Kolkata, causing panic among people.
Given its closeness to the India-Bangladesh border, shaking was felt widely in Kolkata and nearby areas. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Residents described buildings shaking as the tremors passed. “It was so strong the building moved,” said a 12-year-old who lives in an apartment complex in Salt Lake, reported The Telegraph.
- 27 Feb 2026 12:58 PM IST
UN chief urges civilian protection amid escalating Pak-Afghan conflict
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is closely following the escalating violence and has voiced deep concern over the recent surge in fighting between Pakistan and Afghanisthan.
In a statement delivered by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres called on both sides to meet their obligations under international law, stressing in particular the need to uphold international humanitarian law, reported Al Jazeera.
He urged the parties to place the protection of civilians at the forefront as hostilities continue.
- 27 Feb 2026 12:52 PM IST
Pakistan strikes target in Kandahar: Taliban
Pakistani forces carried out strikes on a target in Daman district of Kandahar province, a Taliban spokesman said.
Speaking to the BBC, the spokesman said the attack caused no casualties.
Daman is home to a base used by Taliban border guards, making it a sensitive location along the frontier.
The BBC has not been able to independently verify the extent of the damage or confirm whether there were any casualties.
- 27 Feb 2026 12:49 PM IST
Taliban claims 50 Pakistani troops killed in retaliatory border strikes
Afghanistan’s Taliban administration says it has launched reprisal attacks on Pakistani border positions in the country’s east and south-east, escalating tensions along the frontier.
Government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the BBC that Afghan forces had destroyed 19 Pakistani outposts and taken several Pakistani soldiers into custody. He further alleged that more than 50 Pakistani troops were killed in the fighting, as reported by the BBC.
Those casualty claims have not been independently verified.
Islamabad, for its part, offered a sharply different account. Pakistani officials said their forces had destroyed 27 posts they described as belonging to the Afghan Taliban and had inflicted significant losses on Taliban fighters.
- 27 Feb 2026 11:50 AM IST
Ranji Trophy final: Jammu and Kashmir take 291-run lead
Paceman Auqib Nabi took 5/54 as Jammu and Kashmir bowled out Karnataka for 293 in the first session on Day 4 of the Ranji Trophy final in Hubballi. For the hosts, Mayank Agarwal top-scored with a fine 160. J&K scored 584, and now have a 291-run lead. They did not enforce the follow on.
