1 DRDO conducts successful qualification test of Gaganyaan Drogue Parachute
India’s human spaceflight program has achieved a significant milestone. The Rail Track Rocket Sled ( RTRS ) facility at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), successfully conducted a qualification-level load test of the parachute for the Gaganyaan program . RTRS is a specialized dynamic test facility widely used for high-speed aerodynamic and ballistic evaluations . The test was conducted on February 18, 2026, in collaboration with various dedicated teams from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO , the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, DRDO, and TBRL. The RTRS dynamic test simulated qualification-level loads that exceed the maximum flight weight. This demonstrates the additional design safety margin of the parachute. Gaganyaan, operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is India’s first human spaceflight mission. Under this mission, there is a plan to send a three-member Indian crew to a low Earth orbit of 400 km for three days and bring it back safely.
The Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, released the book ” The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism: The Life, Lessons and Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru, ” written by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, at the India International Centre in New Delhi. Published by Aleph Book Company, the biography chronicles the life of the 19th-century Kerala-born social reformer and spiritual leader who fought against caste discrimination.
3 VoiceRA launched on Bhashini National Infrastructure at India AI Impact Summit 2026
Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation ( DIC) , Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, launched VoiceERA at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. This marks a major milestone in India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) journey with the launch of an open-source, end-to-end voice AI stack . Mr. Amitabh Nag , Chief Executive Officer, Digital India Bhashini Division , led the launch in collaboration with EkStep Foundation, COSS , IIIT Bengaluru , and AI4Bharat . Deployed on the Bhashini National Language Infrastructure, VoiceERA establishes a national execution layer for multilingual voice and language AI . It is designed to be open, pluggable, interoperable, cloud-deployable, and on-premises ready. The platform enables secure and scalable deployment of voice systems across government, research institutions, and the innovation ecosystem. By making the voice stack modular, it reduces duplication of effort and eliminates vendor lock-in.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, facilitated the export of 0.5 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Salem Sago from Salem, Tamil Nadu, to Canada . This is the first direct export by SagoServ, the GI authorized user, after the product received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in March 2023. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of tapioca sago. Salem has long been recognized as the hub of the sago and starch industry in the country. SagoServ, obtained from tapioca roots, is a staple food in many parts of India. SagoServ, under the Tamil Nadu government, received the GI registration for Salem sago in March 2023.
5 Former South Korean President Yoon Sen sentenced to life imprisonment in martial law case
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024. A Seoul court announced the verdict on Thursday. In the initial ruling on the case, the Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of inciting rebellion through martial law, Yonhap News Agency reported. However, a special prosecutor had appealed for the death penalty. The court clarified that the former president’s martial law order amounted to rebellion. Yoon had attempted to undermine the National Assembly by sending troops into the parliamentary constituency. In January of last year, Yoon was charged with inciting rebellion through the six-hour martial law invocation on December 3, 2024. According to the indictment, Yoon, along with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others, conspired to incite a riot with the intention of undermining the constitution and illegally declared martial law even when there was no war or similar national emergency.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Marseille Port , France ‘s largest port . The agreement aims to strengthen India-EU trade through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) . The partnership will focus on trade facilitation, port innovation, and energy transition. It also proposes to establish an “IMEC Ports Club” to coordinate major ports along the IMEC corridor, boosting global supply chains and maritime cooperation . Launched at the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi , IMEC is a 6,000-kilometer multimodal connectivity initiative linking India and Europe through integrated maritime routes, rail networks, digital systems, and clean energy pathways.
7 DBS and Visa launch AI-based agentic payments pilot
DBS Bank Limited , Southeast Asia ‘s largest lender, entered into a strategic partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments, to advance the future of agent-initiated payments through a joint pilot under Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC) . With this, DBS has now become the first issuer in the Asia Pacific to pioneer real-world agentic commerce use cases . It will deliver a comprehensive suite of integrated application programming interfaces (APIs) and partner programs that leverage Visa’s secure infrastructure to enable secure, transparent, and consent-based payments by artificial intelligence (AI) agents on behalf of customers . Under the pilot, AI-powered agents successfully executed food and beverage transactions on behalf of customers using DBS/POSB credit and debit cards, with payments processed through a secure, issuer-controlled flow and with customer consent. Following the successful demonstration, DBS and Visa plan to expand the pilot to include online shopping, travel bookings and other regular digital payment transactions.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary was celebrated with great enthusiasm and reverence across India, especially in Maharashtra, on Thursday, February 19 , 2026. This day commemorates the courage, unparalleled military prowess, skillful leadership, and noble vision of Swarajya (self-rule) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in Shivneri Fort to Shahaji Raje Bhosale and his mother, Jijabai . He was crowned on June 6, 1674, at Raigad Fort, becoming the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire . His reign, from 1674 to 1680, established a strong, people-centered, and well-organized state.
9 Famous actress Pravina Deshpande passes away
Actress Pravina Deshpande died on February 17, 2026, in Mumbai at the age of 60. She was suffering from multiple myeloma , a cancer of the white blood cells . Pravina Deshpande fought a long battle with multiple myeloma, a serious blood cancer that affects plasma cells, which are a vital part of the body’s immune system. Despite undergoing treatment since 2019, she did not make her health condition public. Before her death, Pravina Deshpande had a cameo role in the Netflix series Taskaree, in which she shared the screen with actor Emraan Hashmi. In films, she worked in Marathi and Hindi cinema.