Shillong Lok Sabha MP Ricky Syngkon passes away

IANS | February 19, 2026 10:02 PM

Shillong, Feb 19 (IANS) Shillong Member of Parliament Ricky A.J. Syngkon of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) passed away on Thursday evening after suddenly falling ill while playing football, triggering widespread shock and grief across Meghalaya’s political spectrum.

Hindi to unite India, AI to power future: Tripura CM Saha​

IANS | February 19, 2026 9:54 PM

Agartala, Feb 19 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday underlined the importance of promoting the Hindi language alongside local languages, saying it (Hindi) plays a vital role in communication and national unity. ​

Nepal: Parties unveil election manifestos, pledge friendly relations with neighbours

IANS | February 19, 2026 9:18 PM

Kathmandu, Feb 19 (IANS) As Nepal heads toward the March 5 General Elections, the country’s three major political forces — the Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) — on Thursday unveiled distinct yet overlapping foreign policy agendas, placing strong emphasis on friendly relations with neighbouring countries.

India is third largest AI power in world, must leverage to own advantage: Mohandas Pai

IANS | February 19, 2026 8:37 PM

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) Noted businessman Mohandas Pai, lauding the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026, on Thursday, exuded confidence that the deep tech and AI solutions will unfold unprecedented opportunities for the nation as well as mankind, and also cautioned on optimum and humane utilisation of the high-end technology.

Gujarat Budget: Rs 2,000 crore for six-region economic plan

IANS | February 19, 2026 7:47 PM

Gandhinagar, Feb 19 (IANS) The Gujarat government has set aside Rs 2,000 crore in this year's state Budget to implement region-specific economic master plans for six parts of the state, Minister of State for Higher and Technical Education Trikam Chhanga said on Thursday.