Carl Grillmair, NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal awardee, fatally shot at 67.
[National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States]
Key Updates:
- Carl Grillmair, 67, was found shot dead on his porch in Llano, Antelope Valley on 16 February 2026.
- He was a research scientist at Caltech's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC).
- Grillmair received NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2011 for his 2007 paper detecting water on an exoplanet.
- His research focused on dark matter, Milky Way structure, stellar populations and exoplanets.
- Freddy Snyder, 29, was arrested and charged with Grillmair’s murder, carjacking and first-degree burglary.
- On 20 December 2025 Grillmair had called deputies to remove Snyder from his property.
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- Astronomers from the University of Warwick (UoW) have discovered a unique planetary system around a cool red dwarf star named LHS 1903.
- The discovery was made using the European Space Agency (ESA) CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS).
- The system consists of four planets arranged in an unusual rocky-gaseous-gaseous-rocky order, which challenges traditional planetary formation models.
- The research, published in the journal Science, proposes a theory of inside-out planet formation where planets develop one after another rather than simultaneously.
- The outermost rocky planet in the LHS 1903 system is believed to have formed in a gas-depleted environment after the system ran out of gas required for gaseous atmospheres.
- Scientists from the University of Birmingham contributed to the analysis and confirmation of the planetary system properties.
- The Institute of Biology Bucharest team extracted a 25-metre ice core from Scarisoara Ice Cave in Romania’s Apuseni mountains.
- Psychrobacter SC65A.3, dormant for 5000 years, carries over 100 resistance-related genes and withstands 28 tested drugs including rifampicin, vancomycin, trimethoprim and metronidazole.
- The genome of SC65A.3 encodes 11 antimicrobial compounds and nearly 600 genes of unknown function, offering potential for new antibiotics and cold-active industrial enzymes.
- Researchers warn that melting ice could release these ancient resistance genes, which may spread to modern pathogens via horizontal gene transfer.
- NASA’s SPHEREx mission observed comet 3I/ATLAS in December 2025, detecting infrared light from dust, water, organic molecules, and carbon dioxide in its coma.
- Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object discovered passing through our solar system.
- SPHEREx detected organic molecules including methanol, cyanide, and methane within the comet’s coma.
- The comet showed a dramatic brightness increase two months after its closest approach to the Sun, due to sublimation of water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide.
- The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and launched on March 11, 2025.
- SPHEREx completed the first of four planned all-sky infrared maps of the cosmos in late 2025.
- Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, on July 1, 2025.
- Lonar lake in Buldhana district is India’s only basaltic meteor impact crater and a Ramsar wetland.
- The lake’s pH has dropped from 11.5 to nearly 8.5 due to freshwater influx.
- Fish were spotted in the lake last year for the first time, signalling ecosystem shift.
- Nine of the 15 shoreline temples are now partially or fully underwater.
- Lake level has risen by around 20 feet because deep borewells drilled by farmers punctured basalt layers.
- Two additional freshwater springs now flow into the crater beyond the historical two.
- Hydrogeologist Ashok Tejankar recommends intercepting spring water to supply Lonar town after purification.
Karan Adani received Business Leader of the Year award from All India Management Association (AIMA).
[All India Management Association (AIMA), Adani Group]
Key Updates:
- Karan Adani, Managing Director of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited, was honoured as Business Leader of the Year at the Foundation Day of All India Management Association (AIMA).
- He dedicated the award to employees of the Adani Group, stating they work day and night at plants and remote sites across the country.
- Karan Adani credited his father for teaching him perseverance, hard work and long-term thinking.
- He thanked his mother for teaching him compassion, humility and the need to be a better human being.
- He acknowledged the support of his three brothers and his wife Paridhi for their constant encouragement.
- He expressed gratitude to his three daughters for inspiring him daily to be a better father and person.
- The award recognised leadership that combines business growth with strong human values.
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- Sameer Kanodia is the Managing Director and CEO of Lumina Datamatics.
- He received the CEO of the Year® Award at Taj Lands' End, Mumbai.
- The award is part of The Business Leader of the Year®.
- Lumina Datamatics also holds the Great Place to Work Award®.
- Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge, received the Indian of the Year 2025 award in the Business category at CNN-News18’s annual ceremony.
- He was honoured for advancing India’s “Make in India” footprint in the defence sector.
- Under his leadership, Bharat Forge and its defence subsidiary Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL) built a major private-sector defence manufacturing ecosystem.
- Bharat Forge has become a defence exporter, delivering artillery systems to Europe.
- BSE (BSE) received the Asia Best Employer Brand Award 2026 at the Hong Kong Leadership Awards for excellence in workplace culture and employee engagement.
- Indian Bank redeemed ₹2,000 Crore Tier-2 bonds and paid ₹123.6 Crore in interest.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) appointed Takafumi Kadono as Country Director for Papua New Guinea and Aaron Batten as Country Director for Thailand.
- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) formed an expert committee to develop a framework for assured payouts under the National Pension System (NPS).
- Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) invited emergency tenders for repair works at the ₹800MW North Chennai Power Project.
- NLC India Limited (NLC) revised the record date for its FY26 interim dividend to January 20.
- Axis Bank allotted 88,198 equity shares under the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), increasing its paid-up capital.
- THDC India Limited (THDC) secured a credit rating upgrade to “AA+”.
- Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) appointed Sunil Kumar Ranjan as Government Nominee Director.
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi won the strategy case challenge organized by Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
- BW Legal World (BWLW) announced the winners of the 6th Edition of the 40 Under 40 Lawyers and Legal Influencers Awards 2025 on December 21, 2025.
- The award ceremony was hosted in Delhi and brought together rising leaders from across India’s legal and policy ecosystem.
- The 40 Under 40 Awards 2025 jury comprised distinguished individuals including Dr U.K. Chaudhary, Dr Anurag Batra, Rakhi Biswas, Pramod Dubey, and Arvind Nayar.
- The winners included Abhinav Mishra of Chambers of Abhinav Mishra, Abhisaar Bairagi of Khaitan & Co, Arjit Pratap Singh of Adani Energy Solutions, and Prateek Sethi of Bharti Group.
- The awards recognized practitioners for exceptional contributions in corporate advisory, dispute resolution, regulatory practice, technology transactions, and cross-border mandates.
- The jury also included legal experts such as Gopika Pant of Indian Law Partners, Harry Chawla of Luthra & Luthra Law Offices India, and Vani Mehta of GE Aerospace.
Rajan Bajaj appointed MD and CEO of Slice Small Finance Bank
[Slice Small Finance Bank]
Key Updates:
- Rajan Bajaj assumed the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Slice Small Finance Bank on 17 February 2026.
- The appointment was approved by the Slice Board, shareholders and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- Bajaj, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, founded Slice in 2016 in Bengaluru.
- He previously served as Executive Director of the company.
- He led Slice’s transition from a consumer fintech startup to a regulated bank after its 2024 merger with North East Small Finance Bank.
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- IndusInd Bank has appointed Arijit Basu as an Additional Director in the category of Non-Executive Independent Director and Part-time Chairman for a three-year term starting 31 January 2026.
- Arijit Basu will succeed Sunil Mehta, whose tenure as the Part-time Chairman and Director of the bank concludes on 30 January 2026.
- The appointee is the former Managing Director (MD) and Board Member of State Bank of India (SBI) and former MD and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SBI Life Insurance Company.
- He has previously served as the Chairman of the Board of HDB Financial Services Ltd, which is a subsidiary of HDFC Bank.
- Arijit Basu holds a master’s degree in arts from the University of Delhi and has completed the Certified Associate course of the Indian Institute of Bankers.
- He currently serves as an Independent Director for Prudential Plc, Peerless Hospitex and Hospital Research Centre Ltd, and CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions Ltd.
- The appointment follows the earlier exits of former CEO Sumant Kathpalia and Deputy CEO Arun Khurana amidst investor criticism over accounting lapses in 2025.
- IndusInd Bank shares fell by 10% last year, making it the worst-performing stock on the private bank index, which rose nearly 16% during the same period.
- The bank stated that the appointment is in line with the regulatory disclosures of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- Shashwat Sharma has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel India for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval.
- Gopal Vittal has been appointed as Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval.
- Soumen Ray has been appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer of Bharti Airtel.
- Akhil Garg has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Airtel India.
- Rohit Krishan Puri has been appointed as Company Secretary and Compliance Officer of Bharti Airtel.
- Ravi Ranjan has been appointed as Managing Director of State Bank of India (SBI) with effect from December 15.
- He previously served as Deputy Managing Director of SBI and led the Global Markets division for more than a year.
- His tenure as Managing Director will continue until his superannuation on September 30, 2028, or until further directives, whichever is earlier.
- Ajai Kumar Shukla has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PNB Housing Finance for five years starting December 18.
- He succeeds Girish Kousgi, who was seen as a key driver of the company’s push into the affordable housing segment.
- Shukla is currently the chief business officer at Tata Capital Housing Finance and has previously worked with ICICI Bank and LIC Housing Finance.
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) guarantees $197.67 million to Citibank N.A. for SBI rooftop solar refinancing.
[Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), Citibank N.A., State Bank of India (SBI)]
Key Updates:
- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) issued a five-year guarantee of $197.67 million to Citibank N.A. for its loan to State Bank of India (SBI).
- The guarantee supports refinancing of a $500 million World Bank facility for grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic systems for commercial and industrial users across India.
- SBI launched the programme in 2016 with World Bank financing and technical assistance and has achieved 1,004 MW of rooftop solar installations.
- Citibank acted as sole lender and coordinator, building on a 2024 collaboration.
- The refinancing is expected to reduce borrowing costs and diversify funding sources while shifting loan exposure to commercial lenders.
- SBI must allocate 7.5% of domestic advances to green financing as India requires $160 billion to $300 billion annually to reach net zero by 2070.
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- Ireda Global Green Energy Finance IFSC Ltd (IGGEFIL) approved its first international loan of USD 22.5 million during the board meeting held in New Delhi.
- The loan will finance Swarna Solar Limited's development of a 100 MW Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant in Serenje District, Central Province, Zambia.
- IGGEFIL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (Ireda).
- Axis Bank has launched Rooftop Solar Finance, a tailored financing solution to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in transitioning to solar energy.
- Under this programme, MSMEs can avail collateral-free loans ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹2 crore.
- The financing scheme offers flexible repayment tenures ranging from 4 to 7 years.
- The product is available nationwide through the branch network of Axis Bank.
- Axis Bank has partnered with leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and a Technology Partner to provide transparency regarding system costs and projected savings.
- PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PM Surya Ghar) provides up to 40% subsidy for households installing rooftop solar panels.
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned over Rs 16,000 crore in subsidies and solarised more than 2.8 million households in two years.
- The scheme has a total budget allocation of Rs 75,000 crore to support 10 million homes.
- National Solar Portal operates as India’s unified digital platform for solar permits and subsidy tracking.
- Residential solar loans under the scheme are classified as priority-sector lending with attractive interest rates.
- Households installing rooftop solar through SolarSquare have cut monthly electricity bills by up to 90%.
- Key growth states include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, with rising demand in Tier-II cities such as Nagpur, Bhopal, Jabalpur, and Gwalior.
- The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) launched SoLAR Phase II to expand climate-resilient solar irrigation across India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Ethiopia.
- Studies under Gujarat’s Suryashakti Kisan Yojana found that grid-connected solar irrigation pumps did not increase groundwater extraction while delivering about 12.3 tCO2 offset per farmer per year.
- IWMI trained more than 2,000 farmers, enabling a 23 per cent rise in net energy evacuation and an average additional income of Rs 14,000 per farmer.
- Off-grid solar irrigation pilots reduced diesel dependence and strengthened livelihoods.
- SolaReady, a spatial decision-support platform, was launched to map solar irrigation opportunities aligned with climate adaptation, mitigation and groundwater sustainability.
ICICI Prudential Pension Funds Management Company launches Swasthya Pension Scheme under PFRDA sandbox
[ICICI Prudential Pension Funds Management Company, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)]
Key Updates:
- ICICI Prudential Pension Funds Management Company introduced the Swasthya Pension Scheme under the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) regulatory sandbox framework.
- Subscribers can make multiple withdrawals of up to 25 per cent of their own contributions.
- In medical emergencies exceeding 70 per cent of the corpus, premature closure is allowed with payments made directly to the healthcare provider.
- For the sandbox phase, the healthcare network is anchored by Apollo Hospitals and services are accessible through the Apollo 24/7 app, pharmacies, hospitals and diagnostic centres.
- Physical pharmacies and hospitals under the scheme are currently limited to Bengaluru and Hyderabad during the pilot.
- KFin Technologies is the digital partner for the initiative.
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- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has introduced NPS Swasthya on a pilot basis to help subscribers build a separate health corpus within their pension account.
- Any Indian citizen can voluntarily enrol in NPS Swasthya and contribute any amount without an upper limit through their chosen pension fund manager.
- Existing non-government NPS subscribers above 40 years can transfer up to 30% of their total contributions from Common Account to Swasthya Account.
- Subscribers can withdraw up to 25% of their own contributions per instance for medical expenses after accumulating a minimum corpus of Rs 50,000.
- For critical hospitalisation bills exceeding 70% of the Swasthya corpus, 100% lump-sum withdrawal is allowed under the premature exit option.
- Withdrawn amounts are paid directly to the Health Benefit Administrator (HBA) or Third Party Administrator (TPA) against valid medical bills, and any surplus is transferred back to the Common Scheme Account.
- The scheme operates under PFRDA's Regulatory Sandbox Framework with limited enrollment, and if found unviable, the accumulated corpus can be transferred back to the Common Account without loss.
- The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) issued the circular on Tuesday.
- The pilot NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme operates under the Regulatory Sandbox Framework as a proof of concept.
- Subscribers can withdraw up to 25 per cent of their own contributions for medical expenses with no cap on the number of withdrawals.
- A minimum accumulated corpus of Rs 50,000 is required before the first withdrawal.
- Full premature exit with 100 per cent lump sum is allowed if inpatient medical expenses exceed 70 per cent of the total corpus in a single instance.
- Subscribers above 40 years (excluding government sector) may transfer up to 30 per cent of contributions from their existing NPS common account to the Swasthya Pension Scheme account.
- Pension funds (PFs) must obtain prior PFRDA approval and may partner with fintech firms, health benefit administrators (HBAs), or third-party administrators (TPAs).
- The pilot runs for a limited period with a restricted subscriber base; unviability will allow corpus transfer back to the common NPS account.
- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the Sthree Suraksha Scheme on 11 February 2026 at Malayinkeezhu, Thiruvananthapuram.
- The scheme provides ₹1,000 per month to 10,18,042 women and transwomen beneficiaries.
- Eligible beneficiaries are women aged 35 to 60 who are economically backward and not receiving other social welfare pensions, as well as trans women.
- The first month’s payment was transferred to the cleared beneficiaries on the afternoon of 10 February 2026.
- The government has introduced a new health insurance plan for central government health scheme (CGHS) beneficiaries known as Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima.
- It offers indemnity-based in-patient hospitalisation cover within India, with sum insured options of Rs 10 lakh or Rs 20 lakh available to CGHS beneficiaries.
- AYUSH treatments are covered up to 100% of the sum insured for in-patient hospitalisation; modern treatments are covered up to 25% of the sum insured, with an optional rider for 100% coverage.
- CGHS beneficiaries need to pay a premium, but the plan is available at a discount of 28% and 42% for 70:30 and 50:50 premium co-sharing, respectively.
- The policy is optional and can cover up to six family members under a single policy with no GST applicable.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launches UPI One World wallet for foreign delegates at India AI Impact Summit 2026
[National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)]
Key Updates:
- National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) extended UPI One World wallet service to international delegates attending India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 16-20 February.
- The wallet enables inbound foreign travellers from over 40 countries to perform real-time Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions across India without a local bank account or Indian mobile number.
- Maximum loading limit is Rs 25,000 per transaction and Rs 50,000 per month; remaining balance can be transferred back to the original payment source per foreign exchange regulations.
- Wallet accessible at New Delhi International Airport and NPCI Pavilion; loading done via international debit or credit cards and payments made by scanning standard UPI QR codes.
- UPI processed 21.70 billion transactions in January 2026.
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- NPCI BHIM Services Limited introduced UPI Circle Full Delegation on the BHIM Payments App.
- Primary users can authorise trusted contacts to make UPI payments up to Rs 15,000 per month.
- The feature allows setting a monthly spending limit of up to Rs 15,000 and an expiry duration of up to 5 years.
- Secondary users can initiate and complete UPI payments directly from the primary user’s account without needing their own bank-linked UPI ID.
- Use-cases include senior citizens making small-valued transactions independently and parents enabling controlled access for young adults’ daily or educational expenses.
- Business owners can delegate operational payments such as fuel and tolls to staff while maintaining transparency and eliminating cash handling.
- Identity verification is done using Aadhaar or other available documents during the delegation setup.
- India has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)/agreements with 23 countries for sharing and cooperation on India Stack / Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
- The MoUs focus on digital identity, digital payments, data exchange and service delivery platforms under India Stack framework.
- The countries are: Republic of Armenia, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Cuba, Republic of Colombia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Gambia, Fiji, Guyana, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Lesotho, Maldives, Mongolia.
- UPI is now live in over eight countries: UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar.
- MoUs for Digilocker have been signed with Cuba, Kenya, United Arab Emirates and Lao People's Democratic Republic.
- India Stack Global portal (www.indiastack.global) showcases 18 key digital platforms for global adoption.
- Global DPI Repository (www.dpi.global) was launched during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, with India contributing the highest number of DPI solutions.
- Key DPI platforms include Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, API Setu, DigiLocker, Aarogya Setu, GeM, UMANG, DIKSHA, e-Sanjeevani, e-Hospital, e-Office, eCourts, POSHAN Tracker, National NCD Platform, Skill India Digital Hub, PFMS and PM GatiShakti.
- The information was provided by Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Shri Jitin Prasada in Rajya Sabha on 06.02.2026.
- Canara Bank (CB) launches Canara ai1Pe, a unified UPI app enabling instant payments, shared expenses via UPI Delegate, spend analytics, UPI Lite, and rewards.
- The app allows users to link bank accounts from any bank for instant money transfers, merchant payments, and bill settlements.
- Payments are secured through UPI PIN authentication and device-binding that restricts transactions to the registered mobile handset.
- UPI Delegate (UPI Circle) lets a primary account holder add trusted family members as delegates who can spend up to ₹15,000 per month.
- Spend analytics provide month-on-month spending insights, expenditure categorisation and financial trends.
- UPI Autopay automates recurring payments for subscriptions, EMIs, SIPs and utility bills.
- UPI Lite permits small-value payments without entering UPI PIN for every transaction.
- The app features a widget-based QR scan for quick scan-and-pay from the home screen and offers real-time transaction updates, payment reminders, transaction history access, plus rewards and cashback eligibility.
- The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with Japanese IT services firm NTT Data to roll out Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Japan on a trial basis in fiscal 2026.
- The initial phase of the service will be available to Indian tourists visiting Japan, allowing payments to be debited directly from their bank accounts in India.
- Japan will join eight other countries that have already adopted the UPI platform, including Bhutan, Singapore, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sri Lanka, Qatar, Mauritius, and France.
- UPI transactions in India grew by 42 percent in fiscal 2024, reaching a total of 185.8 billion transactions.
- A June 2025 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) described UPI as the world’s largest real-time payment system.
- Data from 2023 shows that 49 percent of all instant-payment transactions worldwide were processed through the UPI network.
- NTT Data provides payment terminals and processing services to approximately six million stores in India and plans to promote UPI adoption among merchants in Japan.
Boong wins Best Children’s & Family Film award at BAFTA 2026
[British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), United Kingdom]
Key Updates:
- Manipuri-language film Boong won the Best Children’s & Family Film award at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
- Boong was produced by Excel Entertainment, Chalkboard Entertainment and Suitable Pictures and beat Zootopia 2, Arco and Lilo & Stitch in the category.
- Director Lakshmipriya Devi and producers Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar and Alan McAlex received the award.
Similar Coverage
- The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced the nominations for the 2026 BAFTA awards on January 27, 2026.
- The 79th BAFTA awards ceremony will be held on February 22, 2026, at London's Royal Festival Hall.
- Manipuri film 'Boong' has been nominated in the Best Children's and Family Film category.
- 'Boong' is directed by Lakshmipriya Devi and produced by Excel Entertainment, the production house of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.
- The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was named the Spotlight Film at the 2025 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
- Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' leads with 14 nominations, and Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' has 13 nominations.
- Scottish actor Alan Cumming will host the 2026 BAFTA awards ceremony.
- The Tamil Nadu government announced the winners of the State Film Awards for the years 2016 to 2022, honouring excellence across 32 categories for actors, filmmakers, and technicians.
- Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin will present the awards on February 13, 2026, at the Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai.
- The Best Film (First Prize) winners for the period 2016-2022 are Maanagaram, Aramm, Pariyerum Perumal, Asuran, Koozhangal, Jai Bhim, and Gargi.
- Best Actor awardees for the seven-year period include Vijay Sethupathi, Karthi, Dhanush, R. Parthiban, Suriya, Arya, and Vikram Prabhu.
- Best Actress awardees for the period 2016-2022 are Keerthy Suresh, Nayanthara, Jyothika, Manju Warrier, Aparna Balamurali, Lijomol Jose, and Sai Pallavi.
- Best Director winners include Lokesh Kanagaraj, Pushkar-Gayathri, Mari Selvaraj, R. Parthiban, Sudha Kongara, T.J. Gnanavel, and Gautham Ramachandran.
- Best Music Director awards were conferred upon Sam C.S., Hip Hop Tamizha, Santhosh Narayanan, Thaman, G.V. Prakash Kumar, Sean Roldan, and A.R. Rahman.
- Best Supporting Actor winners include R. Parthiban, Bose Venkat (twice), Ameer, Prakash Raj, Karunas, and K. Manikandan.
- Best Supporting Actress winners include Manisha Yadav, Sunu Lakshmi, Viji Chandrasekhar, Sriranjani, Vadivukkarasi, Raichal Rebecca, and Vasundara Kashyap.
- Television (TV) serial first prize winners from 2014 to 2022 include Azhagi, Romapuri Pandian, Ramanujar, Nandhini, Poove Poochudava, Sembaruthi, Raasathi, Sundari, and Ethir Neechal.
- Documentary awardees for the Tamil Nadu Government M.G.R. Film and Television Institute include P. Ram Kumar, S. Kannan, A.K. Kranthi, S. Varun Subbiah, S. Karunakaran, and R. Giridharan.
- Vietnamese film Skin Of Youth, written and directed by Ash Mayfair, emerged as the recipient of the Golden Peacock for Best Feature Film at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
- The Golden Peacock Award included a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh.
- Set in 1990s Saigon, Skin Of Youth is about San, who wants to have enough money for a sex-change operation to fulfil her dream of living in a woman's body.
- SIFFCY 2026, organised by Smile Foundation in partnership with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) and Delegation of the European Union to India, runs from 28 January to 3 February 2026.
- The festival theme is Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility through cinema.
- SIFFCY 2026 presents the ECFA Award, CIFEJ Award and FCCI Award.
- Finnish Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta announced the first SIFFCY screening of Moomins as part of their 80th anniversary celebrations.
- Estonian Ambassador Marje Luup highlighted Estonia’s participation with six short films made by children, including Ukrainian refugee children.