Daily Current Affairs Brief: February 12, 2026

Authored By: K Shiva

1. International Current Affairs

Bangladesh General Elections: Bangladesh is set to hold crucial parliamentary elections today, 18 months after the collapse of Sheikh Hasina's regime. A record 1 million security personnel have been deployed to ensure safety during the polls.

Canada Mass Shooting: A tragic shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, left seven people dead. Two additional bodies were found at a nearby home, and the female shooter is believed to have died from a self-inflicted wound.

US-Israel Talks on Iran: President Trump hosted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Netanyahu is expected to urge the US to expand negotiations with Iran to include limits on Tehran's missile arsenal.

EU Regulation Simplification: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for simplifying EU regulations and creating a single, deep capital market to compete with the US and China.

Global Conflict Resolution: Poland and Italy have declined to join Trump’s "Board of Peace," an initiative originally designed for Gaza that may expand to resolve other global conflicts

2. National Current Affairs

US-India Trade Deal Revision: The White House revised its trade deal fact sheet, softening language from a "commitment" to an "intent to buy" over $500 billion in US goods. References to India scrapping digital services taxes and reducing tariffs on "certain pulses" were also removed.

Direct Tax Collections: Net direct tax collections grew by 9.4% year-on-year, reaching ₹19.43 lakh crore as of February 10. Notably, tax refunds declined by 18.8% to ₹3.34 lakh crore during this period.

Sovereign AI Goal: Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw declared "Sovereign AI" as a national goal, aiming for India to be competitive across all layers of the AI stack, including models, chipsets, and infrastructure.

FDI Policy Overhaul: The government is examining a rationalisation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rules to treat investments in listed and unlisted firms more consistently.

Parliamentary Debate: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attacked the government in the Lok Sabha, alleging a "wholesale surrender" of national interests in the US trade deal. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman countered, stating the deal is calibrated to protect farmers and exporters.

3. Science & Technology

AI Impact Summit: Global leaders from over 100 countries are converging in Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit. Investments between $70–100 billion are expected to be announced during the event.

Hydrogen Reservoir Discovery: New research published in Nature Communications reveals that Earth possesses a massive "hydrogen reservoir," with hydrogen making up approximately 0.36% to 0.7% of the planet's total weight.

WWW Inventor's Warning: Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, cautioned that AI could become more powerful than its creators and urged for AI assistants that serve user interests rather than corporate incentives.

Humanoid Robotics Funding: The startup Apptronik raised $520 million in a funding round backed by Google and Mercedes-Benz to commercialize humanoid robots for industrial use.

Bhashini AI Platform: India's Bhashini is being highlighted for its transformation into a critical AI backbone for language translation and inclusive digital services.

4. States Current Affairs

Andhra Pradesh Budget Session: Governor Abdul Nazeer addressed a joint session of the AP legislature, emphasizing the state's transition from "destruction to reconstruction". He highlighted that ₹33,000 crore is being transferred annually to the poor via cash transfers.

Rajasthan Budget: Deputy CM Diya Kumari presented a ₹6.10 lakh crore budget, announcing the formation of the Rajasthan State Testing Agency (RSTA) for transparent competitive exams.

Mumbai Mayor Election: BJP’s Ritu Tawde was elected as the 78th Mayor of Mumbai, marking the first time in 44 years the BJP has held the post.

Manipur Peace Mission: CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh visited Jiribam district to interact with Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in a broader effort to rebuild trust following ethnic violence

Delhi Pollution Control: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta announced that pollution will ease within two years, citing wall-to-wall carpeting of 1,400km of roads and the induction of 4,200 EV buses.

5. District & Local News

Delhi Sewer Death: A case of death by negligence was registered after a 10-year-old labourer died falling into an open sewer manhole in Rohini's Begumpur.

Hyderabad Infrastructure: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) issued tenders for providing a gravity main and butterfly valves for the KDWSP Phase-IV project.

Bengaluru Family Tragedy: A 28-year-old US-returned software engineer was arrested for allegedly murdering his parents over a dispute regarding funding for his startup.

Guntur Shipping Facility: The A.P. Maritime Board invited tenders for setting up a shipbuilding and ship repair facility at Machilipatnam.

Nizamabad & Adilabad Polls: During municipal elections, police assisted elderly voters with wheelchairs, while a woman in Adilabad was caught entering a booth with a 4-inch kitchen knife, which was seized.

6. Sports & Games

T20 World Cup Craze: Ad rates for the upcoming India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash have surged to ₹35–40 lakh per 10-second spot. Total commercial value for the match is estimated at nearly ₹4,000 crore.

Hockey Pro League: The Indian men's hockey team faced Belgium, losing after a dominant performance by the Belgians who took an early lead.

Cricket T20 Highlights: South Africa won a "Super Over" thriller against Afghanistan, while Australia crushed Ireland by 67 runs, led by Nathan Ellis's three-wicket burst.

Formula 1 Testing: Pre-season testing began in Bahrain with new regulations making cars shorter and lighter. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen posted the fastest time in the morning session.

Athletics: Champion decathlete Tejaswin Shankar is targeting the 9,000-point mark for the 2026 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

7. Cinema & Entertainment

Extortion Threat to Ranveer Singh: Mumbai Police stepped up security for actor Ranveer Singh after he received a ₹10 crore extortion threat via a voice note.

Britney Spears Music Rights: Pop star Britney Spears has sold the rights to her music catalog to the publisher 'Primary Wave' for approximately $200 million.

Sreeleela's Medical Degree: South Indian actress Sreeleela graduated with a medical degree from DY Patil University, balancing her film career with her studies.

The Mummy 4: Actors Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser are set to return for The Mummy 4, scheduled for release in 2028.

• Margot Robbie's "Worst Gift": The Barbie star recalled receiving a book on weight loss from a male co-star early in her career, which she described as the worst gift she ever received (source: Tabloid snippets).

8. General Knowledge Points

1. Which day is celebrated globally on February 12 to commemorate the birth of the father of evolutionary biology? Answer: Darwin Day (It marks the birth anniversary of Charles Darwin, honoring his contributions to science and humanity.)

2. In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 released today, what is India's global rank? Answer: 91st (India scored 39 out of 100, while Denmark retained the top spot as the least corrupt country.)

3. Which organization is celebrating its 68th Foundation Day today, kicking off "National Productivity Week 2026"? Answer: National Productivity Council (NPC) (The theme for 2026 is "Productivity through AI and Innovation.")

4. India is holding the presidency for which major global grouping in 2026, with the first Sherpa meeting recently held in Delhi? Answer: BRICS (The theme for the 18th BRICS Summit is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.")

5. Which Indian city recently unveiled the country's first "Musical Road" that plays the song 'Jai Ho' when driven over? Answer: Mumbai (The special stretch is located on the new Coastal Road to encourage speed limit compliance through auditory feedback.)

6. Who has been appointed as India's Sherpa for the BRICS 2026 Presidency? Answer: Sudhakar Dalela

7. Which major health campaign was launched by Union Minister J.P. Nadda to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2027? Answer: National Mass Drug Administration (MDA) Campaign (India aims to eliminate this public health problem three years ahead of the global target.)

8. According to the latest NSO data, what is India’s unemployment rate for Q3 (Oct-Dec 2025)? Answer: 4.8% (This is a three-quarter low, indicating a positive trend in the labor market.)

9. Which portal was recently launched by the Ministry of Electronics (MeitY) to digitize the entire certification lifecycle for IT products? Answer: SATYA (STQC Lab Automation Portal)

10. Which two world leaders were the Chief Guests for India's 77th Republic Day celebrations? Answer: Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa (Representing the European Commission and European Council respectively.)

11. SBI vs. TCS: For the first time in over 15 years, State Bank of India’s (SBI) market capitalization has surpassed that of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

12. Ancient Indian Graffiti: 2,000-year-old Tamil Brahmi inscriptions have been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, proving the reach of ancient Indian merchants.

13. World's Largest Consumer of AI: India accounted for 16% of the world’s 3.8 billion generative AI app downloads in 2025, the highest globally.

14. New CPI Series: India is switching its Consumer Price Index (CPI) base year from 2012 to 2024 to better reflect current household spending patterns.

15. Rare Earth Pilot: Kerala is launching a pilot project to extract rare earth minerals from monazite residues using indigenous technology.

9. Do You Know?

• The "Jai Ho" Road: Mumbai's new musical road uses specifically spaced grooves in the asphalt. If you drive exactly at the speed limit, the vibrations create the melody of A.R. Rahman's 'Jai Ho'.

• The 20-Second Hug: Today is Hug Day (Valentine’s Week). Science shows that a hug lasting 20 seconds releases Oxytocin, which can lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

• Interstellar Visitor: Astronomers are tracking 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar comet ever spotted in our solar system, which slipped in earlier this week.

• Venus Volcanoes: For the first time, radar data from 1990 has been re-analyzed today to confirm a large underground lava tube on Venus—the first subsurface feature ever detected on our neighbor planet.

• Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday: Aside from Darwin, today is also the birth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President who famously self-educated himself by candlelight.

• The "Buy Indian-IDDM" (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category in defense procurement now excludes wholly-owned local subsidiaries of foreign companies to boost true local manufacturing.

• The RBI has proposed a complete ban on sales incentives for bank staff from third parties like insurance companies to prevent mis-selling.

• India's first multi-sector Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) is being planned to encompass assets across various sectors rather than just highways.

10. Job & Educational Topics

Group-1 Investigation: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities in the evaluation of Group-1 main exam answer sheets.

Senior Advocate Designation: The Supreme Court has notified new guidelines for designating "Senior Advocate" status to lawyers, involving a permanent committee and a Secretariat

UPPSC Exams: Computer-based Hindi typing tests for Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) will be held from February 16 to 19, 2026.

Akasa Air Leadership: Following the resignation of co-founder Praveen Iyer, Anand Srinivasan will take over as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) from May 1.

11. Day Special: February 12

• Daily Quiz Point: On this day in year, legendary English scientist Charles Darwin was born (shared birth date with Abraham Lincoln).

• International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): The word of the day is "Presentiment," meaning a feeling of evil to come; synonyms include foreboding and premonition.

• Special Health Initiative: The Punjab government is promoting the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, providing ₹10 lakh free treatment per family annually at 900+ empanelled hospitals.