Eminent author Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay, known in Bengali literature by his pen name Sankar, died in Kolkata on Friday.The Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer died in a private hospital due to old-age ailments at the age of 92. He is survived by two daughters.
His passing represents not just the end of a prolific writing career but the end of an era in Bengali literature, leaving behind a legacy of timeless stories.
Sankar’s first book "Kata Ajanare" (The Great Unknown) depicting the last days of British barrister Noel Frederick Barwell practising at the Calcutta High Court was published in 1955 and became an instant success.
Two films from Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray’s city trilogy – Seemabaddha and Jana Aranya - were based on Sankar’s novels. While Seemabaddha (Company Limited) is a story about a stinging indictment of the corporate rat race, Jana Aranya (The Middleman) is a story of unemployed trying hard to become rich, exposing the darker underbelly of middle-class life.
He also wrote several books on Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and Swami Vivekananda. The legendary writer received several honours during his prolific career, including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2021.
India joined the Pax Silica group on Friday (February 20, 2026), teaming up with the United States and other countries that have sought to build a common supply chain for electronics and critical minerals.
At an event during the AI Impact Summit, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw signed a document formally including India in the
Pax Silica’s other signatories include Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union. They have sought to make their supply chains more resilient to shocks from China, which has exercised its leverage over the last year as the sole source of refined rare earth elements, to gain an upper hand in trade negotiations with the U.S.
India was not a signatory at the initial summit for reasons that remain unconfirmed. However, the U.S., as the convening party of the group, has said for weeks that it is open to India joining.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, today launched Vibrant Villages Programme–II (VVP–II), at a cost of ₹6,839 crore, in Nathanpur village of Assam. On this occasion, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Home Secretary and several other dignitaries were present.
Shri Amit Shah said that under Vibrant Villages Programme–II, nearly ₹6,900 crore is being spent which includes 1,954 villages across 334 blocks in 17 states, including 9 districts, 26 blocks, and 140 villages in Assam. He said that all basic facilities, similar to those available in any other village in India, will be provided to these 140 villages in Assam. Shri Shah said
Union Home Minister said that in the coming years, Assam will be amongst the developed states of the country, and the Vibrant Villages Programme–II is a crucial component of this vision. He said that the government is committed to ensuring that every border village is developed at par with other villages in the country, there is no migration from border areas, infiltrators
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel later this month, an MoU was signed between India and Israel to deepen defence ties and strengthen ongoing joint activities, including future seminars and cooperative initiatives.
The International Defence Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) within Israel's Ministry of Defense (IMOD) have facilitated meetings between leading Indian and Israel defence industries leading to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
SIBAT in cooperation with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and India's Ministry of Defence led a seminar and B2B meetings this week between leading Indian and Israeli defence companies, the IMOD said.
The IMOD said that the strategic seminar advances the strategic vision of Israel Ministry of Defence Director General Maj Gen (Res.) Amir Baram to broaden Israel's defence exports and deepen strategic partnerships with key countries.
The event follows the Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held in November last year when the two sides inked a landmark agreement to enhance defence, industrial and technological cooperation, enabling sharing of advanced technology to promote co-development and co-production.
The Tata Group, Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) HyperVault unit and OpenAI have agreed to a multi-year partnership to develop AI infrastructure in India. TCS will develop an AI infrastructure with 100MW capacity, with an option to scale to 1 GW to power next-generation AI workloads. TCS will leverage OpenAI’s Codex to boost software engineering outcomes.
TCS established HyperVault in 2025 to deliver gigawatt-scale, secure, reliable, large-scale AI-ready infrastructure for hyperscalers and AI-driven organisations.
All Tata Group employees will get access to Enterprise ChatGPT, while the two companies will provide AI training and resources to Indian youth, enabling them to apply AI responsibly and efficiently at scale. They will develop technology toolkits for NGOs and launch initiatives focused on at least one million Indian youth.
According to Greyhound Research, a 100MW AI facility (assuming high density AI racks drawing roughly 120 to 130 kilowatts each) can support 750 to 800 next generation rack scale AI systems. This makes the facility an industrial grade AI infrastructure capable of hosting large scale training clusters and inference at enterprise density.
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 18: India's most decorated cueist, Pankaj Advani, etched yet another glorious chapter in his storied career by clinching the inaugural Liber Win Champions Cup 2026, defeating Kamal Chawla 6-3 in a commanding best-of-11 final at the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA), Bengaluru.
In a fitting finale to a high-quality three-day invitational event featuring 16 of India's finest professional cueists, Advani showcased composure, tactical mastery, and clinical break-building to lift the prestigious trophy and become the first-ever Liber Win Champions Cup champion.
In a fitting finale to a high-quality three-day invitational event featuring 16 of India's finest professional cueists, Advani showcased composure, tactical mastery, and clinical break-building to lift the prestigious trophy and become the first-ever Liber Win Champions Cup champion.
The 2026 Liber Win Champions Cup marked the formal entry of Liber Win Cloth into the Indian market, following its dominance in China -- currently the world's largest cue sports market. Over three days, the Bengaluru crowd witnessed world-class snooker in an atmosphere befitting a major international event.
In a historic announcement at the conclusion of the tournament, Liber Win officially unveiled Pankaj Advani as its Indian Brand Ambassador, strengthening its commitment to Indian cue sports.
Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan released and launched the book, The Sage who Reimagined Hinduism: The Life, Lessons and Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru, in New Delhi. The book is authored by Member of Parliament, Dr. Shashi Tharoor.
Addressing the gathering, the Vice-President said that Sree Narayana Guru emerged as a spiritual guide at a time when caste divisions and social discrimination were deeply entrenched in society.
Mr Radhakrishnan noted that Guru’s teachings served as a roadmap for social justice and continue to guide efforts to eliminate discrimination and promote inclusive development. He expressed confidence that the book would inspire scholars to undertake deeper research, encourage youth to think critically and motivate society to act responsibly.
The Vice-President further said that the work would expand the global reach of India’s civilisational heritage.
The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), has constituted a high-level Advisory Group (AG) on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) under the Chairmanship of Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General & CEO, IICA.
The initiative follows the Ministry’s order dated 31 December 2025 and aligns with the Government of India’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, aimed at fostering a robust, transparent, and globally competitive business ecosystem.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed Merger of Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited with and into NDL Ventures Limited.
The proposed combination seeks to merge and consolidate the businesses of Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited with and into NDL Ventures Limited.
Hinduja Leyland Finance Limited (HLFL) is an NBFC-Asset Finance Company which focuses on providing small ticket size Loans to urban and semi-urban retail customers.
HLF finances a wide range of vehicles, which include Two wheelers, Three Wheelers, Medium and Heavy commercial vehicles (MHCVs), Light commercial vehicles (LCVs), Small commercial vehicles, Cars (SCVs), Multi-utility vehicles. It also provides Loan against property and home loans including affordable Housing Loans.
NDL Ventures Limited (NDL) does not have any active business, currently.
India wrapped up their Asian Shooting Championships 2026 campaign in New Delhi with seven medals on the final day, to take their overall tally in senior rifle and pistol events to 33, including 13 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze. Amanpreet Singh clinched gold in the 25m centre fire pistol, topping the field with a score of 589 points across the precision and rapid rounds.
His compatriots Gurpreet Singh secured silver with 584 points, while Ankur Goel claimed bronze with 570 points, completing a clean podium sweep for India in the individual event.
In the women’s 50m rifle prone event, India added two more individual medals. Sift Kaur Samra claimed silver with a score of 623.2, narrowly edged out by Kazakhstan’s Yelizaveta Bezrukova, who won gold with 623.4. Veteran shooter Tejaswini Sawant secured bronze after finishing with 621.0.
In the women’s team event, Sift Kaur Samra, Tejaswini Sawant and Manini Kaushik added gold with a combined total score of 1862.9.
International Mother Language Day is being observed globally on February 21 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The idea to celebrate the International Mother Language Day was approved by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO in 1999.
International Mother Language Day is celebrated to underscore the role of languages in promoting inclusion and achieving the SDGs. Multilingual education not only promotes inclusive societies but also aids in preserving non-dominant, minority and indigenous languages.
It is a cornerstone for achieving equitable access to education and lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals.
The theme for 2026 is: Youth voices on multilingual education
