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 ■ ■ BHUBANESWAR l wednesday l february 18, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late CITY EDITION Special global strategic partnership deal done 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 three-day visit, the two sides announced 21 outcomes spanning defence, critical minerals, high technology, renewable energy, health, skilling, s t a r t u p s a n d a dv a n c e d 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 com. bining 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 facility, set up by Airbus in collaboration PM Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron during a car ride, in Mumbai | PTI The world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability. We are combining France’s expertise and India’s scale Narendra Modi India and France have decided to elevate their strategic partnership to the level of a Special Global Strategic Partnership. In diplomacy, that is a big deal Emmanuel Macron with Indian partners, is expected to strengthen India’s aeronautical manufacturing capabilities, boost workforce skilling and generate employment. “Today’s inauguration of the helicopter assembly line in India 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 IndiaFrance 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. Both sides also launched the ‘India-France Year of Innovation’ initiative to deepen people-to-people and startup linkages. Macron described India as one of France’s most trusted partners and underlined the expanding defence relationship. “From Rafale jets to submarines, we are expanding defence cooperation,” he said. 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 Odisha will lead Viksit Bharat, says Governor E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Tuesday said Odisha is no longer waiting to be recognised, it is ready to thrive, blossom and lead the growth engine for Viksit Bharat. Addressing the Odisha Assembly on the first day of the Budget session, Kambhampati said, the Vision Document unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Odisha on June 20, 2025, targets transformation of the state into a $500 billion economy by 2036 and $1.5 trillion economy by 2047. The Governor said the state’s contribution to the national GDP in that period will increase from three per cent to five per cent, with annual growth rising from seven per cent to 9.5 per cent through reforms in investment, execution and technology adoption. The Odisha government has prepared a comprehensive vision document for 2036, when the state turns 100 years, and for 2047 to mark the centenary of India’s independence. The Governor’s speech highlighted the steps taken by the government for all-round development of the state, in industry, infrastructure, health, education and agriculture sec- Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati addressing the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday tors even as the Opposition BJD and Congress walked out of the House alleging it was all empty rhetoric. The Governor said the state targets raising the per capita income from `1.8 lakh to `32 lakh by 2047, improving living standards, reducing multi-di- Anthropic AI inks pact with Infosys Pa d m i n i D h r u v a r a j @ Bengaluru A fortnight ago, the launch of US-based Anthropic’s AI tool had given Indian IT majors the jitters, raising questions about their future. On Tuesday how, ever, Infosys announced its partnership with Anthropic to develop advanced artificial intelligence solutions for businesses, aiming to bridge the gap between AI models that perform well in demonstrations and those that can operate effectively in highly regulated industries. The two companies plan to help organisations in tightly regulated sectors adopt AI more effectively Telecommuni. cations, financial services, manufacturing and software development are expected to be the key beneficiaries. Shares in Infosys climbed nearly 3% to about `1,407 on Creating customised AI agents for clients Anthropic’s Claude AI models will be combined with Infosys’ Topaz AI platform. Together, they aim to create customised AI agents capable of handling complex tasks. To begin with, a dedicated Anthropic Centre of Excellence will be set up for the telecom sector Tuesday following the announcement and closed the session with 2% higher. “There’s a big gap between an AI model that works in a demo and one that works in a regulated industry – and if you want to close that gap, you need domain expertise,” said Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic. “Infosys has exactly that kind of expertise across important industries — telecom, financial services, and manufacturing. Their developers are already using Claude Code to accelerate their work and to create AI agents for industries that demand precision, compliance, and deep domain knowledge,” he said. The partnership focuses on building intelligent AI tools for enterprise use. “AI is not just transforming business — it is redefining the way industries operate and innovate,” said Salil Parekh, Infosys CEO. Early this month, Anthropic unveiled new automation tools for its Claude platform that can carry out tasks across legal, sales, marketing and data analysis functions. It triggered a bloodbath in Indian IT stocks, with the Nifty IT Index declining by 14%. mensional poverty to five per cent, improving female labour force participation to 70 per cent, raising life expectancy beyond 80 years and eliminating anaemia and malnutrition, in alignment with India’s vision and global best practices. Stating that the Odisha government is grateful to the Centre for approval of two state-ofthe-art semiconductor manufacturing units in the state under the India Semiconductor Mission, involving an investment of `2,066 crore, he said this marks a landmark step towards positioning Odisha as a semiconductor and electronic hub.  Continued on P7 express read Gujarat SIR adds 5.6 lakh new voters Ahmedabad: After a three-andhalf month long SIR, Gujarat’s final electoral roll was published on February 17, revealing net addition of 5.60 lakh voters even as 3.95 lakh names were deleted | P7 Today’s Matches 11am: South Africa vs UAE (Delhi), 3pm: Pakistan vs Namibia (Colombo), 7pm: India vs Netherlands (Ahmedabad) Aussies out After Australia’s loss to Sri Lanka, ZImbabwe-Ireland match was washed out. With this, Zimbabwe progressed to Super 8s