By DANICA KIRKA

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. Parliament on Tuesday will debate calls for greater accountability from a member of the royal family as the arrest of the former Prince Andrew and his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein force British society to re-examine its deference to the monarchy.

Lawmakers will confront the issue when they consider a motion calling for the release of confidential documents related to Andrew’s appointment as Britain’s special envoy for international trade in 2001.

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King Charles III’s younger brother, who was stripped of his princely title last year due to revelations about his relationship with Epstein, was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid allegations that he shared confidential documents with Epstein during his time as trade envoy. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, was released without charge and the investigation continues.

A history of deference

Tuesday’s debate marks a departure for the House of Commons, where the rules of the house have historically prohibited members of Parliament from criticizing members of the royal family. Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and the lawmaker who introduced the motion, wants to change that.

“One thing the Liberal Democrats stand for is to hold the powerful to account,” Davey told the BBC. “And I think we’ve seen too often in the past that people, because of their title or their friend or whatever, have not been properly held to account.”

The debate comes as the U.S. Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein exposes how the wealthy financier used an international web of rich, powerful friends to gain influence and sexually exploit young women. Nowhere has the fallout been felt more strongly than in the U.K., where the scandal has raised questions about the way power is wielded by the aristocracy, senior politicians and influential businessmen, known collectively as “the Establishment.”

Investigations continue

British police on Monday arrested Peter Mandelson, a one-time government minister who later served as ambassador to the United States, on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to allegations that he, too, shared confidential information with Epstein. Mandelson was released early Tuesday morning after more than nine hours of questioning. He hasn’t been charged, and the investigation is continuing.

While they haven’t spoken publicly about the investigations, both Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson have previously denied any wrongdoing. Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

For the House of Windsor, Tuesday’s debate is a reflection of a crisis that shows no sign of abating.

Buckingham Palace has tried to insulate the monarchy from the scandal, drawing a clear bold line between Mountbatten-Windsor and the rest of the royal family. In addition to removing his royal titles, Charles forced his brother to move out of the 30-room estate near Windsor Castle where he had lived rent free for more than 20 years.

But that may not be enough to quell the voices demanding change. The loudest of those comes from the campaign group Republic, which has long called for the monarchy to be replaced by an elected head of state.

Soft power, and a lot of it

While the U.K.’s constitutional monarchy no longer wields political power, it remains hugely influential at the apex of British society. The king is a symbol of continuity who serves as head of state for Britain and 14 other independent countries with ties to the former British Empire. Working members of the royal family support him by making hundreds of public appearances each year, visiting charities, military bases and community groups that still clamor for their attention.

Commentators have compared the pressures facing the House of Windsor to 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the thrown to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

“Unlike the last significant family crisis of the modern monarchy, the abdication of 1936, this is not an immediate matter of constitutional crisis, yet its implications may well prove more significant for the monarchy, and so they should,’’ royal historian Anna Whitelock wrote this week in the Sunday Times newspaper. “It is the last of our public institutions to face the full glare of public scrutiny, with questions raised about its role, purpose, governance, financing and accountability.’’

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed Tuesday after U.S. stocks slumped on heavy selling of shares in companies that could be losers in the artificial-intelligence boom.

A report by Citrini Research, a New York-based financial services company, that outlined a future scenario in which AI’s dominance caused the “human-centric consumer economy,” to wither away with dire consequences for employment, was the latest hit to confidence for companies that might be displaced by fast expanding use of the technology.

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“Policy response has always lagged economic reality, but lack of a comprehensive plan is now threatening to accelerate a deflationary spiral,” the report says.

Still, Tuesday brought gains for computer-chip makers and other companies that profit from development of AI.

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX edged 0.2% lower to 24,952.11 and in Paris the CAC 40 was down less than 0.1% at 8,491.94. Britain’s FTSE 100 also lost less than 0.1%, to 10,673.99.

The futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up less than 0.1%.

In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index surged 0.9% to 57,321.09. Chip testing equipment maker Advantest rose 4.5%, while machinery maker Disco Corp. added 2.1%.

Markets in mainland China advanced as they reopened following a weeklong holiday, but Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell as traders locked in profits from recent gains, slipping 1.8% to 26,590.32.

The Shanghai Composite index rose 0.9% to 4,117.41.

In South Korea, the Kospi picked up 2.1% to 5,969.64, setting fresh records on gains for memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics, which jumped 3.6%. SK Hynix, another chipmaker, closed 5.7% higher.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged less than 0.1% lower, ending at 9,022.30, while Taiwan’s Taiex gained 2.8%.

India’s Sensex fell 1.3%.

Tuesday will bring President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

On Monday, U.S. stocks slumped after Trump ramped up his newest tariffs.

The S&P 500 fell 1% to 6,837.75 after the president said he would place temporary 15% tariffs on other countries following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down his sweeping “reciprocal” taxes on imports from around the world.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.7% to 48,804.06. The Nasdaq composite sank 1.1% to 22,627.27.

Trump’s quick shift toward more aggressive tariffs shows how much uncertainty still hangs over the global economy, even after the Supreme Court said the president lacked the legal authority to institute his sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.

Investors may be sensing it will take a long time, as well as more court battles, before more clarity comes about how global trade will look.

On Wall Street, big losses hit companies under suspicion of getting undercut by AI-powered rivals.

CrowdStrike fell 9.8% to widen its loss for the young year so far to 25.3%. A new tool from Anthropic that scans codebases for security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted software patches for human review has been hitting stocks across the cybersecurity industry.

AppLovin sank 9.1% and took its loss for the year to date to 43.5%. It’s among the software companies hurt by worries that AI competition will steal customers and fundamentally reset their industries.

A profit report from Nvidia is due on Wednesday. Worries are rising that companies like Alphabet and Amazon may be spending so much on Nvidia’s chips that they’ll never be able to recoup their investments through higher productivity and future profits.

In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 31 cents to $66.62 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 30 cents at $71.41 per barrel.

Crude prices have been gaining on worries that President Donald Trump might take military action against Iran.

The U.S. dollar rose to 155.86 Japanese yen from 154.66 yen. The euro fell to $1.1783 from $1.1786.

The price of bitcoin fell 4.3% to $63,180.

LONDON (AP) — British comedian Russell Brand pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to new counts of rape and sexual assault.

Brand, who was already facing similar charges involving four women, denied the new charges in Southwark Crown Court. The alleged offenses took place in 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Brand, 50, was charged in April with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. Prosecutors said those offenses involving four women took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and three in London. Brand pleaded not guilty to those charges in a London court earlier this year.

A trial scheduled for June is expected to last four to five weeks.

The “Get Him To The Greek” actor, known for risqué stand-up routines, battles with drugs and alcohol, has dropped out of mainstream media in recent years. He built a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories, as well as discussing his religious devotion.

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2026. There are 310 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 24, 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $200,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt.

Also on this date:

In 1803, in its landmark Marbury v. Madison decision, the U.S. Supreme Court established the foundational principle of judicial review of the constitutionality of laws and statutes.

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In 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate by a single vote.

In 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship attempting to carry nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees died.

In 1981, a jury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of “Scarsdale Diet” author Dr. Herman Tarnower. (Sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, Harris was granted clemency by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo in December 1992.)

In 1991, the United States began ground operations in the Gulf War by entering Iraqi-held Kuwait.

In 2008, Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother, Fidel, who announced days earlier that he would not seek reelection. Raul Castro served as president until April 2018.

In 2011, Discovery, the world’s most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey marking the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

In 2020, Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York and was led off to prison in handcuffs in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement. An appeals court later threw out the verdict and ordered a new trial, but Weinstein remained behind bars after other convictions.

In 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions.

Today’s birthdays:

Actor Dominic Chianese is 95.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight is 88.
Actor Barry Bostwick is 81.
Actor Edward James Olmos is 79.
Musician George Thorogood is 76.
Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 70.
Actor Billy Zane is 60.
Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 49.
Tennis Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt is 45.
Actor Daniel Kaluuya is 37.
Singer-songwriter Domenic Innarella is 15.