Daily Current Affairs – February 18, 2026

The government is pushing states to quickly approve and implement projects under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure scheme. Over ₹1.04 lakh crore has already been released. With the March 31 deadline approaching, the focus is on timely utilization of the remaining funds. This initiative supports infrastructure spending by states.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had drawn up a tentative list of 24 road assets to be monetised in 2025-26 with the total length to be monetised pegged at 1,472 km. The central government releases funds to NHAI for monetization primarily to unlock the capital value of operational highway assets and to reinvest these funds into building new, critical infrastructure.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said his party is of the opinion that matches should not be played between India and Pakistan

The roundtable aims to create a blueprint for the State’s development in areas such as health, education, agriculture, industry, science and technology, gender justice, research, climate change, environment, food security, and knowledge-based economy

Polymarket and Kalshi, two popular prediction market platforms, allow users to bet on anything from Bitcoin prices to bombings, raising a host of legal and ethical red flags

The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on October 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge

Shares of Netweb Technologies India Ltd may be in focus after it unveiled the ‘Make in India’ Tyrone Camarero GB200 AI Supercomputer and the compact Tyrone Camarero Spark. Built on NVIDIA’s Grace Blackwell platform, the systems target AI training, inference and high-performance computing, strengthening Netweb’s domestic manufacturing and advanced AI infrastructure play.

Qode Advisors' QAW strategy defied January 2026 market declines, posting a nearly 7% gain against the Nifty50's 3% fall. Fund Manager Rishabh Nahar credits a higher gold allocation and dynamic derivative hedges for cushioning risk and generating alpha. This "all weather" approach prioritizes stability and consistent returns amid global uncertainties.

Bank holiday today, 18 February: Since there is a bank holiday today in Sikkim due to Losar, lenders including SBI, HDFC Bank, PNB, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and others will remain closed in the state. However, banks will be open everywhere else in India.

India’s rising population of high-net-worth individuals has triggered an intense talent war for relationship managers. Wealth firms are luring bank RMs with 20-40% salary hikes and bonuses, driving attrition as high as 40%. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said his party is of the opinion that matches should not be played between India and Pakistan