Wednesday, February 18, 2026 TAJ Mahotsav | Vol. 69 No. 115 | 30 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition FRENCH TOAST | PM Modi holds talks with President Macron, says ties now at ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’ level as India & France ink 20 agreements ‘Relationship sans boundaries’ S Balakrishnan MUMBAI Prime minister Narendra Modi (75), who had a wide range of talks at Lok Bhavan here on Tuesday with French president Emmanul Macron (48), said strategic ties between the two nations has now been taken to “adbhoot” (astonishing) levels. He did not elaborate. But sources said tremendous depth has been added to the strategic partnership aimed at countering global hegemony. Even though they did not name USA, the reference was obviously to President Donald Trump's outlandish actions like the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president and re- peated threat to annex Greenland. Both the leaders emphasised that the rule of law should prevail at the global level. Twenty agreements were signed by the two leaders covering a wide range of topics. Macron's speech was also almost on the same lines as Modi. Said Modi: “India– France partnership knows no boundaries. It can reach from the deep oceans to the tallest mountains.” While Macron observed that Indo-French relations were rooted in transparency, Modi noted that “France was one of India’s oldest strategic partners and together with President Macron, we have given unprecedented depth and dynamism to this strategic partnership. Based on this trust and shared vision, today we are elevating our ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership." The leaders said 2026 will be a defining year during which Indo-French ties will be upscaled majorly in several fields, including defence manufacture, artificial intelligence, space explorations, and skilling. 4See also | city, cinema Macron Economix ■ Partnership elevated globally ■ Tax pact boosts investment ■ Fighter jet cooperation expands ■ Submarine ties deepen security ■ Technology transfer strengthened ■ Innovation cooperation launched ■ Helicopter line inaugurated ■ Trade and investment boosted ■ Macron invites Modi to G7 ■ Officers’ deployment agreed on ■ Critical minerals cooperation declared NCP seeks CBI probe into Baramati jet crash Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI Even as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Maharashtra Police’s CID continue their inquiries into the Samco MF’s chief biz officer, 39, found dead Baramati plane crash that claimed the lives of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and four others, NCP has demanded a probe by CBI. A delegation comprising Deputy CM Sunetra Ajit Pawar, NCP working president FPJ News Service MUMBAI What was meant to be India’s grand coming-of-age moment in artificial intelligence instead transitioned instead into chaos. The India AI Impact Summit 2026, inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, quickly ran into turbulence on its opening day, forcing Union IT Minister Megha Kuchik 4Contd on | nation Tatkare said the CM had assured them that the state government would take up their demand with the Union Home Ministry. Significantly, AAIB on Tuesday released its preliminary findings, stating that as- AI summit chaos sparks apology MUMBAI Samco Mutual Fund’s Chief Business Officer, Pankit Vijay Shah (39), was found dead in Andheri East on Tuesday after reportedly falling from a staircase window of a building. According to police, the incident occurred around 10.15 am at Chhadda Apartment in Teli Galli, behind Ginger Hotel. Shah allegedly fell from a staircase window between the third and fourth floors. An ATM card belonging to the State Bank of India was found on the parapet ledge, and a broom was recovered near his body. Datta Nalavade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 9), said an accidental death report (ADR) has been registered at Andheri Police Station. “Further investigation is ongoing,” he said. Senior Police Inspector Machhinder Umesh Machhinder said preliminary findings suggest the death may have been accidental, though all angles are being probed. Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare, minister Hasan Mushrif, and Ajit Pawar’s son Parth met CM Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a memorandum seeking a CBI probe. Speaking to reporters later, SC alarm over AI use for petitions FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday raised concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in drafting court petitions after it came across cases where lawyers had cited judgments and quotations that were found to be non-existent or inaccurate. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and BV Nagarathna said the Court was increasingly noticing pleadings that appeared to have been generated using AI tools without proper verification, Bar & Bench reports. “We have been alarmingly told that some law- Judgments and quotations, also precedents found to be non-existent Ashwini Vaishnaw to issue a public apology amid mounting complaints over crowd mismanagement, poor connectivity and basic logistical failures. On Monday, the summit’s opening day, thousands of startup founders, tech experts and foreign delegates thronged the venue, triggering chaos at the gates. 4Contd on | nation Assembly polls in April? PTI NEW DELHI yers have started using AI for drafting,” CJI Kant noted during the hearing. The Court was informed that some lawyers were relying on AI tools to prepare petitions containing non-existent judgments and inaccurate citations. Justice Nagarathna recalled an instance where a fictitious judgment had been cited before the Court. Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are likely to be held on different dates in April, with the Election Commission (EC) expected to announce the schedule in midMarch, officials said on Tuesday reported PTI. According to officials, the poll panel is considering a staggered voting plan and will formally declare the election timetable “sometime in the middle of March”. The terms of all five assemblies expire in May and June, making April the most probable window for polling. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Parisian hoards 104 cats in 650 sq ft flat FPJ News Service Woman has Noah’s syndrome. It took volunteers five days to capture all the animals. Half of them died when they came into contact with other cats at the rescue organization. MUMBAI A Paris court has convicted a woman after authorities discovered her living with 104 cats inside a cramped 650-squarefoot apartment described as filthy, uninhabitable and reeking of an unbearable stench. According to The Independent and animal protection organisation YouCare, the animals were found crammed into the tiny space under severely unsanitary conditions. The case, which surfaced following concerns over the animals’ welfare, led to a court order on February 6 imposing a €4,530 (around �4.2 lakh) fine and banning the woman from owning pets for three years. YouCare, which was involved in the rescue, described the scene as among the worst its team had encountered. “I have taken part in many difficult rescue operations, but never on such a scale. The smell and the chaos were indescribable,” the organisation said in a statement posted in French. The rescuers said they were confronted with disturbing sights, including one cat that had died, its head trapped in the boiler mechanism, hanging beneath the machinery. The president of Vosges Animal Protection (SVPA) described the apartment as being in a “deplorable state.” 4Contd on | nation Tarique sworn in Bangladesh PM sistance was being sought to retrieve data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 45 aircraft involved in the January 28 fatal crash. 4Contd on | nation Agencies DHAKA Tarique Rahman was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday, marking the end of the 18-month rule of the interim government which took charge after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August 2024. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to 60-year-old Rahman at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad instead of Bangabhaban, in a departure from a long-standing tradition. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami clashed over oath-taking on 'referendum'. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world INVITATION ACCEPTED L ok Sabha Speaker Om Birla invited Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman to visit India, and the newly sworn-in leader accepted the invitation, officials said on Tuesday. Birla met Rahman shortly after the oath ceremony at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka and handed over a congratulatory letter from PM Narendra Modi. The two leaders held brief talks, expressing optimism about strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in trade, connectivity, technology and people-to-people exchanges. Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the ceremony, signalling New Delhi’s intent to deepen ties. NEW RULES FOR PILOT BREATHALYSER TESTS Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made significant revisions to the civil aviation requirements (CAR) regarding breath analyser (BA) examinations for flight crew by relaxing the treatment to the first violation for up to 0.009% of blood alcohol content with counselling, which was earlier dealt with a three-month suspension. The revised air safety CAR for pre-flight breath analyser test introduces a more nuanced approach for very low alcohol readings, it overall tightens the leash on repeat offenders, including the permanent revocation of flying privileges for certain violations. 4Contd on | nation