Iran’s ruling regime is facing what opposition leader Prince Reza Pahlavi describes as its most vulnerable moment as economic pressure and anti-regime demonstrations continue across the country.

Pahlavi, the former crown prince and a leading voice of the democratic opposition, joined FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” to argue that financial sanctions are compounding internal unrest and weakening Tehran’s grip on power.

“Clearly, the regime that is on its last leg and about to collapse would … be even more a challenge as a result of economic sanctions, and it would precipitate its downfall,” he said, describing a government he believes is running out of options.

He framed the current moment as a decisive turning point.

“This is a moment in time where the circumstances are the most favorable for this to happen,” Pahlavi said, adding that he doubts Tehran will change course voluntarily.

“I doubt that this regime will ever come clean. It has always been this disingenuous and dishonest,” he said.

Pahlavi’s strategy hinges on what he calls “maximum support for the people parallel to maximum pressure on the regime,” a combination he says would trigger “maximum defections from the regime elements to the people” and a smooth post-collapse transition. He argued that momentum inside the country has reached a critical threshold.

“The Iranians are unified today more than ever in understanding how pivotal, how critical it is for this regime to no longer be in place,” Pahlavi said.

Beyond the immediate political crisis, Pahlavi is pitching what he calls the “Iran Prosperity Project,” a post-regime roadmap aimed at rebuilding the economy and reopening Iran to Western investment.

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“We anticipate that, as a result of a fundamental change in Iran, this will probably represent an over $1 trillion worth of revenue to the American market in the span of the first ten, 15 years,” he said.

Framing the stakes as both economic and geopolitical, Pahlavi urged Western leaders to rethink their approach.

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“Your best bet is to trust the Iranian people and not trust more this regime,” he said, arguing that the outcome of this moment will determine whether Iran remains aligned with authoritarian powers or pivots toward a secular democratic future.

Pahlavi argues that now is not the time to give Tehran another opportunity to survive.

“Just push the regime over the cliff, because it’s on its way down, and not throw it yet again another lifeline,” he said.

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Vishal Mega Mart‘s promoter entity Samayat Services LLP is expected to sell 6.5% stake in the company via a block deal. The shares are likely to be sold at a price of Rs 115 apiece, which implies a 10% discount from today’s closing price, according to ET Now report.

Samayat Services held 54.09% (252.74 crore) in Vishal Mega Mart as of December 31, 2025 and under the stake sale, 3.05 crore shares will be offloaded, the report said.

Shares of Vishal Mega Mart today ended at Rs 127.53 on the NSE, up by Rs 4.56 or 3.71% from the Wednesday closing price. The stock today traded amid strong volumes with over 4 crore shares changing hands.

Vishal Mega Mart shares have surged 24% over a one year period, which is an outperformance over Nifty’s 13% and BSE Sensex’s 10% in the same period.

The stock is currently trading above its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of Rs 127 while below its 200-day SMA of Rs 136, according to Trendlyne data.

The company’s consolidated net profit for the December ended quarter stood at Rs 313 crore, which is a growth of 19% over Rs 263 crore in the year ago period. Its total revenue in the quarter under review stood at Rs 3,695 crore, up 17% 3,155 crore in the corresponding quarter of the last financial year.
Vishal Mega Mart is one of the leading Indian fashion-led hypermarket chain with over 780 stores, focusing on affordable fashion, general merchandise, and grocery for middle-income customers.In another news, Home First Finance Company India’s promoter entities Aether (Mauritius) Limited and True North Fund V LLP today sold stakes worth Rs 326 crore and Rs 334 crore in separate bulk deals on Thursday. The buyers were French multinational bank Societe Generale and PICTET – Indian Equities.

Between them they sold shares worth Rs 660 crore.

The stock fell sharply today, closing at Rs 1,176.25, down nearly 6% from Wednesday’s closing price.

Read more: Home First Finance bulk deal alert: Promoters sell stake worth Rs 660 crore; Societe Generale among buyers

(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)

Pop superstar Justin Bieber turned heads courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night, Feb. 24, 2026, as he cheered on the Los Angeles Lakers during their narrow 110-109 loss to the Orlando Magic — but the real highlight came from a wholesome interaction with NBA icon LeBron James that quickly went viral across social media.

Bieber, 31, arrived solo for the matchup, dressed casually in a green hoodie with white polka dots and sunglasses, and took his spot in prime courtside seats. Videos and photos shared by the Lakers’ official X account and outlets like TMZ captured the singer sipping a beverage, flashing smiles and reacting energetically to the action on the floor. His enthusiasm peaked during James’ plays, with Bieber jumping to his feet, pumping his fists and hyping the crowd after one of the forward’s signature drives and jumpers that gave the Lakers an early 16-10 lead.

The most talked-about moment occurred before tipoff when James, 41, made his way over to Bieber’s seat for a friendly dap — a quick handshake and greeting that fans described as “pure love” and “respect between legends.” Clips of the exchange, including James interrupting Bieber’s hydration break mid-sip, spread rapidly on Instagram, TikTok and X, amassing millions of views within hours. One viral reel from Bleacher Report showed Bieber “hyped” for James, with captions calling it “JB 🤝 LBJ.”

NBA fans flooded social media with reactions, praising the crossover between music and basketball royalty. Comments ranged from “Two GOATs linking up” to jokes about Bieber being James’ biggest cheerleader. The interaction underscored the long-standing mutual admiration: Bieber has frequently attended Lakers games and expressed fandom for James, while the four-time NBA champion has previously shouted out the Canadian singer in interviews and on social platforms.

Despite the celebrity spotlight, the game itself was a thriller. The Lakers battled the Magic in a back-and-forth contest, with James delivering strong performances but missing a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. The defeat dropped Los Angeles in the Western Conference standings amid a competitive playoff push, though postgame conversation largely centered on the Bieber-James moment rather than the outcome.

Bieber’s appearance comes as he prepares for a high-profile return to the stage. Reports indicate the “Sorry” hitmaker is headlining Coachella 2026, marking his first major festival performance in years following a hiatus focused on family life with wife Hailey Bieber and personal health. His courtside outing appeared relaxed and joyful, a contrast to recent quieter public sightings.

The viral clip highlights how celebrity attendance continues to amplify NBA games’ cultural reach. Courtside stars like Bieber draw massive online engagement, blending sports, entertainment and fan culture. Similar moments — from previous sightings of Bieber with other athletes to James’ interactions with Hollywood figures — have become staples of Lakers home games at Crypto.com Arena.

As clips continued circulating Thursday, Feb. 26, outlets including Yahoo Sports, People, TMZ and AOL ran features on the “sweet” and “wholesome” exchange. Fans noted Bieber’s transformation from reserved sips to full-on cheering once engaged with James, with one viral description calling it “LeBron showing love for us.”

The moment also fueled lighthearted online banter about cross-industry friendships in Los Angeles, where stars from music, film and sports frequently intersect. Bieber’s energy injected extra buzz into an otherwise standard midseason game, reminding observers why celebrity sightings remain a beloved — and sometimes overshadowing — part of the NBA experience.

Neither Bieber nor James has publicly commented on the interaction beyond the shared visuals, but the footage speaks volumes about their camaraderie. For Lakers faithful, it was a bright spot in a tough loss; for pop culture observers, proof that the worlds of hoops and hits still collide in memorable ways.

As the Lakers gear up for their next slate of games and Bieber eyes his Coachella comeback, this courtside dap serves as the latest viral reminder of celebrity’s enduring pull in sports.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) shares fell sharply in late February trading, dipping below $203 amid broader semiconductor sector volatility and investor digestion of recent gains tied to artificial intelligence demand.

As of midday Feb. 26, 2026, AMD stock traded around $202.50, down approximately 4% from the previous close of $210.86. The decline placed the shares well off the 52-week high of $267.08 reached in late 2025, though still significantly above the 52-week low of $76.48. Trading volume exceeded 20 million shares in early sessions, reflecting heightened investor interest.

The pullback comes despite positive developments in AMD’s AI chip business. On Feb. 24, the company announced a major multi-year deal to supply up to $60 billion worth of artificial intelligence accelerators to Meta Platforms Inc. over five years. The agreement allows Meta to acquire as much as 10% of AMD’s equity under certain conditions. News of the partnership initially propelled shares higher, with gains of more than 8% in one session to around $213.84.

Analysts viewed the Meta deal as a validation of AMD’s growing presence in the data center AI market, where it competes directly with Nvidia Corp. The transaction follows AMD’s push into high-performance computing with its Instinct series GPUs and EPYC processors.

“AMD is accelerating adoption of its high-performance EPYC and Ryzen CPUs while rapidly scaling its data center AI franchise,” AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su said in recent statements highlighting momentum entering 2026.

The company’s latest financial results, reported Feb. 3, underscored robust growth. For the fourth quarter of 2025, AMD posted record revenue of $10.3 billion, up 34% year-over-year. Gross margin reached 54% (57% non-GAAP), operating income hit $1.8 billion ($2.9 billion non-GAAP), and net income stood at $1.5 billion ($2.5 billion non-GAAP). Diluted earnings per share were $0.92 ($1.53 non-GAAP), surpassing analyst expectations.

Full-year 2025 results showed record revenue of $34.6 billion, with non-GAAP operating income of $7.8 billion and diluted EPS of $4.17. The data center segment, fueled by AI demand, drove much of the performance.

Management expressed optimism for 2026, forecasting significant top- and bottom-line growth. Executives projected a 60% compound annual growth rate in data center revenue over the coming years, supported by hyperscaler spending. Major cloud providers, including Meta, Amazon and Alphabet, plan hundreds of billions in capital expenditures for AI infrastructure in 2026, creating opportunities for AMD’s offerings.

Despite these tailwinds, shares have retreated about 18% in the past month. Some investors appeared to take profits after the post-earnings surge and subsequent deal announcement. Broader market concerns, including interest rate uncertainty and competition in AI chips, contributed to the pressure.

Analysts remain largely bullish. Consensus price targets hover around $285 to $286, implying substantial upside from current levels. Bank of America recently adjusted its target following the Meta news, while other firms highlighted AMD’s competitive positioning against Nvidia in cost-effective AI solutions.

The company continues innovating in AI hardware. Partnerships, such as the Helios rack-scale system developed with Meta through the Open Compute Project, position AMD to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in data center deployments. Initial shipments of advanced systems are expected later in 2026.

AMD’s broader portfolio includes Ryzen processors for consumer and enterprise markets, where demand remains steady. The company benefits from trends in personal computing, gaming and embedded systems.

Investors monitor upcoming catalysts, including progress on the Meta deal, new product launches and quarterly guidance. With AI infrastructure spending projected to rise sharply, AMD appears well-placed for multi-year expansion, though near-term volatility persists in a competitive landscape.

Market capitalization stands at approximately $330 billion to $344 billion, depending on intraday fluctuations. The price-to-earnings ratio remains elevated, reflecting growth expectations in the AI era.

As the semiconductor industry navigates rapid technological shifts, AMD’s trajectory hinges on execution in capturing AI market share while maintaining profitability. The recent stock dip may represent a buying opportunity for long-term investors betting on sustained data center growth.

Mortgage rates fell below 6% this week for the first time in three and a half years, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.98% from last week’s reading of 6.01%. 

The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.76% a year ago. It was most recently under 6% on Sept. 8, 2022, at 5.89%.

RENT BECOMING MORE AFFORDABLE FOR MANY AMERICANS AS MARKET STABILIZES

“This rate, combined with the improving availability of homes for sale, is meaningful and will drive more potential buyers into the market for spring homebuying season,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage increased to 5.44% from last week’s reading of 5.35%.

TEXAS CAPITAL’S HOUSEHOLD GROWTH SURGES, FAR OUTPACING NATIONAL RATE

Mortgage rates are affected by several factors, including the Federal Reserve and geopolitics. Though mortgage rates are not directly affected by the Fed’s interest rate decisions, they closely track the 10-year Treasury yield. The 10-year yield hovered around 4.02% as of Thursday afternoon.

Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu said the dip in rates comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling against the Trump administration’s use of emergency tariff powers.

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“This legal tug-of-war has triggered a flight to safety among investors, pushing bond prices higher and yields lower, helping mortgage rates settle around 6%,” Xu said. “However, as this week’s decline stems from market volatility rather than fundamental economic data, more supportive economic data is needed to establish a consistent trend.”

Instagram will begin notifying parents if their teenagers repeatedly search for suicide or self-harm related content, marking the first time owner Meta has proactively flagged search behaviour rather than simply blocking it.

From next week, parents and teenagers enrolled in Instagram’s “Teen Accounts” supervision programme in the UK, US, Australia and Canada will receive alerts if a young user searches for harmful terms within a short period of time. The feature will be rolled out globally at a later stage.

Previously, Instagram restricted access to certain harmful material and redirected users to support resources. The new measure goes further by directly alerting parents via email, text message, WhatsApp or within the Instagram app itself, depending on available contact details.

Meta said the alerts are designed to flag sudden changes in search patterns that may indicate distress. Notifications will be accompanied by guidance and expert-backed resources to help parents navigate what are likely to be sensitive conversations.

The move has been met with sharp criticism from the Molly Rose Foundation, established by the family of Molly Russell, who died in 2017 aged 14 after viewing self-harm and suicide content online.

Chief executive Andy Burrows described the announcement as “fraught with risk”, warning that “forced disclosures could do more harm than good”.

“Every parent would want to know if their child is struggling,” Burrows said, “but these flimsy notifications will leave parents panicked and ill-prepared to have the sensitive and difficult conversations that will follow.”

He added that the onus should be on preventing harmful content from appearing in the first place, rather than shifting responsibility onto families after the fact.

The foundation previously published research claiming Instagram was still actively recommending content related to depression, suicide and self-harm to vulnerable young people. Meta rejected those findings, saying they misrepresented its safety efforts.

Ged Flynn, chief executive of Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, welcomed the attempt to increase transparency but argued that it did not address deeper systemic issues.

“Parents contact us every day to say how worried they are about their children online,” he said. “They don’t want to be warned after their children search for harmful content, they don’t want it to be spoon-fed to them by unthinking algorithms.”

‘Erring on the side of caution’

Meta said the system is designed to “err on the side of caution” and acknowledged that parents may occasionally receive alerts even when there is no serious cause for concern.

The company said the feature builds on broader Teen Account protections, which include automatically limiting exposure to sensitive material, restricting who can contact teens, and blocking certain harmful searches outright.

Two in-app screenshots released by Meta show alerts titled “Alert about your teen’s safety” followed by a screen offering advice on “How you can support your teen”.

Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, said the impact of the new feature would depend heavily on the quality of guidance provided alongside the alert.

“You can’t drop a notification on a parent and leave them on their own,” he said. “What matters is the immediate support and context that follows.”

Meta also confirmed that it plans to introduce similar parental alerts in the coming months if teenagers discuss self-harm or suicide with Instagram’s AI chatbot. The company said young people are increasingly turning to AI tools for advice and emotional support.

The expansion comes amid heightened scrutiny of social media companies’ impact on children’s mental health.

Australia recently passed legislation banning social media access for under-16s, while policymakers in Spain, France and the UK are considering similar measures. In the US, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri have faced legal challenges and congressional hearings over allegations the company’s platforms were designed to attract and retain younger users.

For now, Instagram’s new alert system represents a shift in Meta’s child-safety strategy — moving from passive content restriction to active parental notification. Whether that approach proves protective or problematic will likely depend on how families, regulators and mental health experts respond in the months ahead.

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The Trump administration isn’t letting a Supreme Court setback derail its tariff strategy. The nation’s top trade official says the White House won’t wait on Congress to restore the program.

In a 6-3 ruling last week, the high court struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariff authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Democrats lauded the Supreme Court’s ruling as a victory, arguing tariffs raise prices for everyday Americans.

But U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said while he’s “disappointed,” it’s not the end of tariffs, adding that he doesn’t plan on waiting for Congress to reestablish the program. He noted that while some members of Congress have offered to work with the White House, the administration has other strategies.

“I have had individual members of Congress come to me and express interest in that, and I’m happy to continue having those conversations,” Greer said on the “Fox News Rundown” podcast.

“But I’m not [going to] wait for that to reestablish the president’s tariff program,” he added.

US TRADE REPRESENTATIVE GREER SAYS TARIFFS WILL GO UP TO 15% OR HIGHER FOR SOME COUNTRIES

Greer said the Trump administration is “very confident” that the program could be back up within months. He confirmed they are pivoting to existing authorities, like Section 301 and Section 232, to launch investigations targeting unfair trade practices and national security threats.

“We are very confident that within the next few months we can reestablish through these investigations, tariffs to deal with the challenges that have been identified by the president,” Greer told FOX News Audio White House correspondent Jared Halpern.

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During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Trump criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling, calling it “very unfortunate” and saying the program brought in revenue for the country.

Greer confirmed that no foreign countries have called the United States to renege on trade deals yet, only asking for clarity.

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“It’s not really in the interest of these countries to renege on the deal because then their auto tariffs go up, all these other things. So, I’d say they’ve been very constructive conversations,” Greer said.

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Tariffs have become a signature aspect of the second Trump administration. In 2025, the president declared the country’s trade deficit a “national emergency,” arguing the IEEPA gave him broad tariff authority.

In response to the Supreme Court ruling, the president wrote on Truth Social that he would raise a global tariff rate to 15%.