Stage II GRAP curbs revoked in NCR as Delhi AQI improves

IANS | February 18, 2026 6:58 PM

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday revoked Stage II restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR) following a steady improvement in Delhi’s air quality.

'Attended Mayapur ISKCON event as devotee, not Home Minister': HM Shah

IANS | February 18, 2026 6:33 PM

Kolkata, Feb 18 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that he was attending a religious congregation at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Mayapur in West Bengal's Nadia district not in his official capacity but as a follower of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

'Loss-making state enterprises bleeding Pakistan'

IANS | February 18, 2026 6:22 PM

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Plagued by chronic losses and mounting debt, Pakistan’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have for years drained public funds that could have been spent on sectors such as healthcare and education, with frequent equity injections, subsidies, loans and sovereign guarantees reducing the pressure on these entities to fix their inefficiencies and instead of reform, the outcome has been a growing pile of liabilities, a Pakistani media article said.

AI summit marks transformational moment in India’s tech journey: Nikhil Pahwa

IANS | February 18, 2026 5:16 PM

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Digital rights activist and tech policy commentator Nikhil Pahwa on Wednesday described the ongoing India AI Summit as a "transformational moment", saying the event could significantly accelerate artificial intelligence adoption across governance, industry and academia in the country.

Unlike thousands elsewhere, lakhs turned up for India AI Summit: Ex-IT minister shares data to dispel ‘narrative’

IANS | February 18, 2026 4:55 PM

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Amidst the uproar over alleged mismanagement and chaos at the ongoing India AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam, former Information and Technology (IT) minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday sought to defend the organisation of the 'largest ever' AI-related congregation in India, bringing hordes of tech giants and global leaders under one roof for elaborate discussion and deliberations on Artificial Intelligence and deep tech.