Highlights / News Headlines, February 17
Key Points
- IMD issues yellow warning for dense fog in 10 Odisha districts on Feb 18–19.
- CBSE board exams begin with over 43 lakh students appearing for Class 10 & 12.
- Four elephants rescued near Rourkela railway tracks using thermal cameras.
- Macron welcomed in Mumbai to deepen India-France strategic partnership.
Dense Fog Warning
The IMD has issued a yellow warning for 10 districts, predicting dense fog at isolated pockets on February 18 and 19. The alert ha been issued for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Angul and Dhenkanal.
Board Exams Begin
The CBSE commenced the 2026 board examinations from today. A total of 25,08,319 students will appear for the Class 10 board examinations, while 18,59,551 students are set to take the Class 12 exams.
Elephants Rescued
Cameras equipped with thermal imaging and motion sensors spotted four elephants near railway tracks in Rourkela, triggering real-time alerts. Forest officials immediately informed railway authorities, who halted trains in time, averting a major collision.
Newborn Found
A newborn baby girl was rescued near the house of a key accused in an alleged rape case involving a minor in Odisha’s Jajpur district. The infant was found near the residence of 70-year-old Padmanabha Satpathy, one of the two men arrested in the case under Jajpur Road police station limits.
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✨Vaishnaw On AI
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that AI is the fifth industrial revolution. On the second day of India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, the Minister said that the summit is serving as a platform to solve big problems on a population scale and a new energy can be seen among the youth.
Macron In Mumbai
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in India to deepen strategic ties and will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in launching the Year of Innovation. He was extended a warm welcome at Mumbai airport by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis.
Death Penalty
A court in Karnataka sentenced three men to death for the gangrape of an Israeli tourist and a homestay owner, and the murder of a male visitor from Odisha in 2025.
BNP MPs Sworn In
Newly elected Members of Parliament from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party took their oath at the National Parliament building in Dhaka. The oath was administered by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin.
‘Seven Sisters’ Remark
Outgoing Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus reignited controversy in his farewell speech by referring to India’s northeast “Seven Sisters” without mentioning India. Yunus had first raised the issue during his visit to China last year without mentioning India.
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