NATIONAL 
EXPRESS

In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, New Zealand won by 8 wicket defeating Canada in the Group D match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Earlier, chosen to bat first, Canada scored 173 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Chasing the target of 174 runs, Canada, losing 2 wickets, successfully achieved the target in just 15.1 overs. Glenn Phillips with 76 runs was top scorer for Canada while Yuvraj Sarma was the top scorer with 110 runs for New Zealand. Later in the day, Ireland will face Zimbabwe in a Group B Match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. The match will start at 3.00 pm local time. In the third fixture, Scotland will lock horns with Nepal in a Group C match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The match will start at 7 pm. Earlier, Sri Lanka have sealed Super 8 berth in the T20 World Cup with a commanding victory over Australia at Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy last night. In another fixture yesterday, England defeated Italy by 24 runs in a Group C match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.Earlier in the day, Afghanistan pulled off a five-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a Group D clash to register their first win of the tournament at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold meetings with several global leaders today who are in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit. PM Modi is scheduled to meet the President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Finland, Antti Petteri Orpo, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, the President of Estonia, Alar Karis, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay and the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov.

President Droupadi Murmu will be on a two-day visit to Andhra Pradesh beginning today to witness the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026. She will arrive in Visakhapatnam this evening. Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will receive her. A Presidential Banquet will be hosted later in the evening. Tomorrow, the President will witness the IFR 2026 in her capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. She will review an impressive array of ships, submarines and aircraft from India and friendly foreign nations off the Visakhapatnam coast. Organised by the Indian Navy under the theme “United Through Oceans, Strengthening Bridges of Friendship,” the review showcases maritime capability, cooperation and India’s sovereign oversight at sea. The IFR is being held alongside the 13th edition of the MILAN multilateral naval exercise and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave, aimed at deepening professional engagement, interoperability and strategic collaboration among participating navies in the Bay of Bengal region.

The Union Education Ministry will host a special session titled Ministry of Education – Pushing the Frontier of AI in India at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi today. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary will attend the session, underscoring the Ministry’s continued push to harness the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence in education. The Ministry has underlined that the session aligns with the vision of the National Education Policy and the national goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. Over the past decade, the Ministry has laid the foundation for AI-enabled education through digital platforms, policy frameworks, institutional reforms, and large-scale capacity building across school education, higher education, skilling, research, and innovation. The Summit session will highlight India’s shift from policy vision to large-scale implementation through public digital infrastructure, Centres of Excellence, teacher training, curriculum integration, and collaboration with industry and startups.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will inaugurate the 23rd edition of BioAsia 2026 international summit today. The two-day global conference will be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). This year’s summit is themed ‘TechBio Unleashed – AI, Automation, and the Revolutionary Changes in Life Sciences.’ As India rapidly emerges as a global hub for TechBio innovations, the event will focus on leveraging advanced technology to shape the future of healthcare. The Chief Minister will officially open the international exhibition, featuring world-renowned life sciences organisations, before delivering the keynote address to inaugurate the summit. The event will bring together global experts, scientists, and industry leaders to discuss critical advancements in the field. Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu will participate alongside prominent international speakers, including Professor Bruce L. Levine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dr. Howard Y. Chang, Chief Scientific Officer at Amgen. Delegates from around the world will engage in discussions covering crucial topics such as next-generation biologics, AI-driven R&D, digital transformation, and the future of pharma and biotech, under the overarching theme of ‘Telangana Rising 2047 – World-Class Life Sciences Ecosystem.’

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin will co-chair 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru today. The meeting will review the entire gamut of bilateral defence cooperation, with focus on expanding industrial collaboration. During the meeting, a defence cooperation agreement is expected to be renewed for another 10 years, with an MoU on Joint Venture for manufacturing of Hammer missiles likely to be signed in the presence of both Defence Ministers. An announcement is also expected with respect to reciprocal deployment of officers at the Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments. The two Ministers are also expected to witness the virtual inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly of Tata Airbus by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Vemagal, Karnataka. Defence has traditionally formed an important pillar of the relationship between the two countries. The strong and enduring bilateral ties were vividly reflected in 2024-2025 through a series of high-profile exchanges. Mr Modi was the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade in July 2023, before the French President graced the Republic Day Parade 2024 as the Chief Guest. The recent India-EU Security & Defence Partnership marks a significant step in deepening collective engagement with European nations. Military-to-Military cooperation is on an increase. India and France have been regularly carrying out three major exercises – Exercise Shakti with Army, Exercise Varuna with Navy, and Exercise Garuda with Air Force, and several other opportunity engagements. This would be the maiden visit of Ms Catherine Vautrin to India after she took over as the French Defence Minister on October 12, 2025. The India-France Annual Defence Dialogue is a structured ministerial-level bilateral meeting to review and guide defence & security cooperation. The 5th edition of the meeting was held in France from October 11-13, 2023.

The Delhi Airport has advised passengers to use metro for convenient access ahead of the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam. In a social media post, the Delhi Airport informed travellers of possible traffic congestion and delays to and from the airport and advised planning their travel accordingly.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast scattered rainfall in places over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Lakshadeep till 18 February. It has predicted a thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and gusty winds over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands today. The Weather Agency said that hot and humid weather conditions will prevail over Coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa for the day. Meanwhile, squally weather is expected to prevail over parts of the southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining east Equatorial Indian Ocean.

In Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, a major fire broke out late at night at the Steel Gate vegetable market in the Saraidhela police station area, reducing more than 12 shops to ashes. Four fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after sustained efforts. Former Jharia MLA Sanjeev Singh reached the site, monitored relief operations and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident. Shopkeepers expressed concern over repeated fire incidents and sought permanent security arrangements and financial assistance, while police have begun an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) today conducted a Joint Counter-Terrorist Mock Exercise at Delhi Airport to enhance inter-agency coordination, preparedness and response to security threats. In a social media post, CISF said that the exercise focused on strengthening threat response, sharpening tactical readiness and ensuring seamless inter-agency coordination. It carried out the exercise in coordination with the National Security Guard, Delhi Police, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (Delhi International Airport Limited), Fire Services and Medical Services. It added that during the Mock Exercise, Quick Reaction Team, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, and Canine squad of CISF played a key role by swiftly neutralising simulated threats through close operational synergy with all stakeholders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that India has to be prepared at all times to deal with security challenges. In an interview with a news agency, Mr Modi highlighted that the benefits of a decade of defence reforms were evident during Operation Sindoor. He stressed that India has a duty to modernise its defence sector in line with current realities as a country that is playing an increasingly important role in the world. Citing the allocation of 7.85 lakh crore rupees to the defence sector in the Union Budget 2026-27, Mr Modi said the outlay is 15 per cent higher than the previous budget. He further stated that it is also the biggest chunk given to any ministry or department. Prime Minister further said that this year’s Union Budget reflects India’s yearning to become a developed nation. He added that the budget is not a ‘now or never’ moment born out of compulsion but a ‘we are ready’ moment born out of preparation and inspiration. He also said that the tax incentives announced in the Budget are designed to accelerate investment in this space, lower the cost of building advanced facilities and position India as a globally-competitive destination for data infrastructure. He invited the whole world’s data to reside in India. He further stated that the tax incentives announced in the Budget are designed to accelerate investment in this space, lower the cost of building advanced facilities and position India as a globally-competitive destination for data infrastructure. Mr Modi listed three priorities for the next decade: more structural reforms, deepening innovation, and simpler governance. He also asserted that his government’s “Reform Express” is benefiting common citizens in a big way. Prime Minister further said that women will play the most important role in creating Viksit Bharat, and initiatives taken by the government will empower them. On the trade deals being done by India, the Prime Minister remarked that political stability and political predictability have restored investor confidence in India. He added that stronger manufacturing, services, and MSMEs have enabled India to negotiate trade pacts from a position of strength. He highlighted that India’s Free Trade Agreements are designed to expand market access for MSMEs in textile, leather, chemicals, handicrafts, gems and other sectors. Mr Modi criticised the UPA government, alleging that their economic mismanagement left India unable to negotiate from a position of confidence. He further stated that reform is the commitment of his government, and this has been demonstrated in letter and spirit. Emphasising that the private sector is critical for the next phase of economic transformation, the Prime Minister requested a ‘decisive response’ from them. He added that the private sector must focus less on protecting margins and invest aggressively in R&D, supply chain, and quality. He said the next leap to Viksit Bharat will depend on bold investment by the private sector in innovation, long-term capacity, and global competitiveness. Mr Modi said he is never fully satisfied and believes that public life demands a certain constructive restlessness and a constant urge to do more. He, however, stressed that it is important to acknowledge the scale of progress achieved in the journey of Reform Express. The Prime Minister said there is always a strong desire to achieve more for the people and to take the country forward.

Gayatri Ashish Yadav, the visionary founder of GTR Academy, has emerged as a transformative force in the fields of education and technology. With a deep commitment to digital innovation and academic excellence, she has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in the EdTech sector, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. In 2026, Gayatri Ashish Yadav was honored with the prestigious World Icon Award for her groundbreaking innovations in cybersecurity within India’s EdTech ecosystem. This recognition celebrated her efforts to strengthen digital safety in educational environments—an increasingly critical need in an era of rapid digital transformation. Through her leadership at GTR Academy, she has developed and implemented robust cybersecurity frameworks that safeguard students, educators, and institutions from evolving online threats. Her influence extends beyond cybersecurity. In 2025, she received the Indo Spanish International Award, specifically the AI Research Impact Award. This accolade acknowledged her impactful research in artificial intelligence and its practical applications in education. By integrating AI-driven tools and adaptive learning technologies, she has contributed to creating more personalized, efficient, and accessible educational experiences for learners across diverse backgrounds. Continuing her streak of excellence, Gayatri Ashish Yadav was also conferred the Kamal Ratna Puraskar in 2026 for her outstanding leadership in Technical EdTech. This award recognized her strategic vision in blending technological advancement with educational values, ensuring that innovation remains aligned with the needs of students and educators. In the same year, she was honored with the Rashtra Seva Puraskar, receiving the Digital & Tech Education Transformation Award. This distinction underscored her unwavering dedication to revolutionizing educational practices through digital solutions, policy advocacy, and inclusive technology initiatives. Gayatri Ashish Yadav’s journey reflects a powerful combination of technical expertise, visionary leadership, and social responsibility. Through her pioneering work in cybersecurity and AI-driven education, she has not only elevated standards within the EdTech industry but has also inspired a new generation of innovators and educators. Her contributions continue to shape a safer, smarter, and more resilient digital future for education in India and beyond.