News of The Day : 18th February 2026

News of The Day – 18th Feb 2026

The Hindu, Indian Express, Live Mint, Business Standard, Economic Times, PIB and AIR, etc

(with Syllabus Relevance)

• What is ‘Snowball Earth’? 
• Geological hypothesis that Earth was entirely or nearly frozen during the Cryogenian Period (~700 million years ago).
• Evidence: glacial deposits in tropical latitudes.
• Impacts understanding of climate evolution & atmospheric changes.

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• The Supreme Court emphasised Fraternity as a core constitutional value in the Preamble.
• Constitutional Provision
  • Linked to Articles 14, 19 & 21 ensuring equality, liberty & dignity.
  • Upholding Fraternity as a Fundamental Duty.
• Highlights role of political speech in maintaining social harmony.
• Reinforces constitutional morality and responsibility of public representatives.

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• Challenge to Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 over exemptions to government & limits on RTI disclosures.
• Concerns: proportionality test (Puttaswamy judgment), surveillance risks & dilution of transparency.
• Raises balance between privacy (Art 21) & accountability.

(GS-2: International Relations)

• India–France Strategic Partnership (since 1998) expanding in defence, space, nuclear energy & Indo-Pacific cooperation.
• Key areas: Rafale jets, Scorpene submarines, maritime security, climate action & civil nuclear cooperation (Jaitapur).
• France supports India’s UNSC permanent membership bid.

• About Project Vault
  • Proposed U.S. strategic initiative focusing on safeguarding critical national assets/data. Linked to digital sovereignty, cybersecurity & strategic reserves.
• Reflects global trend of techno-nationalism & supply chain security.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Rapid aviation growth requires stronger DGCA oversight.
• Focus on safety audits, predictive analytics & accident prevention.
• Linked to UDAN scheme, airport privatization & rising passenger traffic.
• Highlights need for institutional capacity & aviation safety regulation reforms.

• Proposal for interoperable AI platform for MSMEs similar to UPI architecture.
• Enables AI-as-a-service for small enterprises. Boosts digital public infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem.
• Supports innovation, productivity & formalisation of MSME sector.

(GS-3: Disaster Management)

• Kerala recognises tidal flooding as state-specific disaster under State Disaster Response Fund norms.
• About Tidal Flooding
  • Linked to sea-level rise, climate change & coastal erosion.
• Important for localised disaster classification under Disaster Management Act, 2005.

(GS-3: Defence)

• About H125 project
  • Refers to Airbus H125 helicopter manufacturing project in India.
• Boosts indigenous defence production under Make in India.
• Enhances civil aviation & high-altitude operational capabilities.
• Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat in aerospace manufacturing.

(GS-3: Security)

• Dual-use AI refers to technologies serving both civilian & military purposes.
• Applications: surveillance, logistics, autonomous systems & cyber defence.
• Raises concerns of AI weaponisation, regulation & global AI governance.