3-member SC bench does not know about vanuatu A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday said there is no country called Vanuatu, while hearing a bail plea in a cheating case THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l wednesday l fEBRUARY 18, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria was hearing a plea by the man challenging a Calcutta High Court order denying him bail. “You are a citizen of which country?” the bench asked. When the lawyer said the petitioner was a citizen of Vanuatu, the bench said, “There is no country like that. We also know a ‘country’ called Kailasa” CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ 80 islands, spread over 1,300 km in pacific ocean constitute vanuatu India-France ties elevated HC quashes state govt’s Nava Kerala ‘outreach’ to spl strategic partnership E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi PM Modi describes the relationship as a ‘force for global stability’ J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India and France on Tuesday elevated their bilateral ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership,” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing the relationship as a “force for global stability” amid rising geopolitical turbulence after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai. Following comprehensive talks in Mumbai during Macron’s threeday visit, the two sides announced 21 outcomes spanning defence, critical minerals, high technology renewable energy health, skilling, start, , ups and advanced materials. “The world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the IndiaFrance partnership is a force for global stability . We are combining France’s expertise and India’s scale,” Modi said. He added that the two nations share a “very special relationship” built on trust and shared democratic values. “Together with President Macron, we have given this strategic partnership unprecedented depth and energy Based on . this trust and shared vision, today we are establishing our relationship as a ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’,” he said. A key highlight of the visit was the virtual inauguration of the Airbus H125 helicopter final assembly line at Vemagal in Karnataka. The fa- In a setback to the LDF government in the run-up to the assembly elections, the Kerala H i g h C o u r t o n T u e s d ay quashed the state government’s ‘Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme’, a `20-crore initiative that proposed a door-todoor outreach to collect public feedback on development and welfare schemes. Terming the programme a “colourable exercise of executive power”, the court held that public funds cannot be allocated or spent without proper sanction under the Rules of Business. It also raised serious concerns over the involvement of ruling party cadre and the manner in which the programme was conceived and implemented. The programme had drawn criticism from opposition parties and petitioners, who alleged that the survey was a political outreach exercise disguised as a government initiative and was a aimed at strengthening the ruling front’s influence ahead of the elections using public funds. During the hearing, a key issue flagged by the HC was a let- ter issued by CPM state secretary M V Govindan, which called upon party affiliates to participate in the programme and register on the government’s social volunteer force portal. The court noted that the letter was issued well before the Cabinet approved the programme on October 8, 2025, and before the government formally issued its order authorising the initiative.  ● More on P4 EXPRESS READ Bars in state to remain open till midnight Prime Minister Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron during a car ride in Mumbai | PTI cility set up by Airbus in collaboration with In, dian partners, is expected to strengthen India’s aeronautical manufacturing capabilities, boost workforce skilling and generate employment. “Today’s inauguration of the helicopter assembly line is another shining example of this deep trust. We are proud that India and France will jointly manufacture the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest. And we will also export it to the entire world,” Modi said. “In other words, the India-France partnership knows no boundaries; it can reach from deep oceans to the tallest mountains.” The agreements signed include enhanced defence cooperation, collaboration in critical minerals and advanced materials, and expanded engagement in clean energy and health sectors. T’Puram: Heeding to the demand from various stakeholders, the state government has extended the timings of bars hotels across the state by two hours. As per a new notification, bars can function from 10 am to midnight. The previous timing for bar hotels in nontourism destinations was from 11 am to 11 pm. P5 Two persons die due to suspected food allergy Raging blaze Fire and rescue services personnel attempting to douse a massive blaze that broke out at Jayalakshmi Silks in Kozhikode on Tuesday evening. Multiple fire fighting units were pressed into service as the effort continued for hours | Vimith Shal Infosys partners with AI major Anthropic T’Puram: In a suspected instance of food allergy, two persons belonging to a family died on Tuesday morning after consuming seafood from a hotel in Vizhinjam. An inspection by the food safety officials had found no major issues with the restaurant. P5 New Delhi: Infosys on Tuesday announced a strategic tie-up with US-based Anthropic to develop advanced enterprise AI solutions for companies across telecommunications, software development, etc. P10 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express