Daily Current Affairs Brief : February 25, 2026

Authored By : K Shiva

1. International Current Affairs

PM Modi’s Standalone Visit to Israel: Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a two-day strategic visit to Israel (Feb 25–26, 2026), marking his second trip to the country. Notably, this is a "standalone" visit with no scheduled engagement with Palestinian leadership, highlighting India's "de-hyphenated" foreign policy.

US-Iran Negotiations in Geneva: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi announced Iran is ready for "any necessary steps" to reach a deal as fresh talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set for Thursday in Geneva.

China's Secret Nuclear Tests: US Under Secretary Christopher Ye revealed that Beijing conducted secret underground nuclear tests at Lop Nur in June 2024, despite international monitoring.

US Seizes Third Oil Tanker: The US military captured a third sanctioned oil tanker, the Bertha, in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean for defying Iran-related sanctions.

German Chancellor’s China Visit: Friedrich Merz begins his maiden visit to China, leading a delegation of senior business leaders from Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz to reset trade relations.

2. National Current Affairs

Union Cabinet Approves "Keralam": The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, approved the proposal to officially rename the state of Kerala to "Keralam," reflecting the long-standing linguistic and cultural demand of the state.

New PMO Complex "Seva Teerth": The Union Cabinet held its first meeting at the newly inaugurated "Seva Teerth" complex, adopting a resolution to make India one of the world's top three economies.

Supreme Court on Mandatory Voting: The SC observed that a mechanism should be devised to make voting mandatory—though not necessarily through punitive steps—to strengthen democracy and make the NOTA option redundant.

Aadhaar Not Proof of Citizenship: The Supreme Court clarified that Aadhaar cards can be used strictly as identity (ID) proof and cannot be used to claim Indian citizenship.

Special Revision of Electoral Rolls: The SC permitted judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha to be drafted into West Bengal to expedite the scrutiny of 50 lakh voter claims and objections.

3. Science & Technology

Advanced AI in Road Construction: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that AI and satellite imagery are now being used for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPR), identifying landslide-prone areas, and monitoring road safety.

Digital Twin Tech for Power Grids: Utilities in Delhi are testing "Digital Twin" technology, which uses AI-driven analytics to predict potential equipment failures and reduce power outage durations.

Committee Probes PSLV Failures: A national-level expert committee has been constituted to investigate the repeated failures of the PSLV (C61 and C62 missions), specifically focusing on third-stage ignition anomalies.

US R&D Centre in Hyderabad: US firm Nasuni opened a major Research and Development centre in Hyderabad, focusing on unified file data management and protection.

Neural Basis for Handedness: Recent scientific studies highlighted in the Text & Context section explain that handedness is polygenic (due to many genes) and reflects how the brain organizes movement control between hemispheres.

4. State Current Affairs (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana)

Semiconductor Unit in Vizag: The AP Cabinet cleared a ₹2,388-crore semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility by Advanced System in Package Technologies in Visakhapatnam.

Veligonda Project Milestone: AP CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the ₹456-crore feeder canal lining works of the Veligonda project at Markapuram.

Adani Data Centre in Vizag: AP approved proposals for Adani Infra to set up a 1,000 MW AI data centre cluster across Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts.

Telangana Doctors Show-Cause: The Telangana Director of Medical Education issued show-cause notices to 115 government doctors for prolonged unauthorized absence from their duties.

Hyderabad Metro Takeover: The Telangana government is working to mobilize approximately ₹15,000 crore to complete the takeover of the first phase of the Metro Rail from L&T.

5. District & Local News

Meerut Warehouse Fire: A suspected short circuit in a garment warehouse in Meerut, UP, led to a massive fire that killed six people, including five children.

Delhi Road Corridor: The Delhi government cleared a ₹454-crore project to build a 61-km long road corridor along the Najafgarh drain to ease traffic for rural and urban pockets.

Bengaluru University Protest: ABVP activists protested at Azim Premji University against a discussion they claimed promoted "anti-national" views; police took several into custody.

Milk Adulteration Tragedy: In Rajamahendravaram, AP, the death toll from consuming adulterated milk rose to five, including a six-year-old boy.

6. Sports & Games

Harry Brook's Century: Captain Harry Brook scored his first T20I century, leading England to a two-wicket win over Pakistan and securing a spot in the World Cup semifinals.

Prague International Chess: World Champion D. Gukesh is set to spearhead India’s challenge at the Prague International Chess Festival starting Wednesday.

Hockey Pro League: The Indian men's hockey team drew 1-1 against Spain in the Pro League; Spain later won the match in a penalty shootout.

Karnataka vs. J&K (Cricket): In domestic cricket, J&K's Yawer reckoned the team needs a lead of 300+ runs to bat Karnataka out of the ongoing game.

7. Cinema & Entertainment

Kalki 2898 AD Part 2: Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan have reunited on the sets of Kalki 2 in Hyderabad, marking their first collaboration in nearly 40 years since the film Geraftaar.

"The Kerala Story 2" Controversy: The Kerala High Court observed that the teaser and trailer of The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond portrays the state in a "wrong light" and sought the Centre's stance before its Feb 27 release.

Chris Hemsworth on Fame: Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth shared that his children are largely "unimpressed" by his fame as Thor once they realized he cannot actually fly.

8. General Knowledge (Competitive Exams)

1. Which iconic monument in New Delhi is observing its 7th anniversary today, 25 February 2026? Answer: National War Memorial (Dedicated in 2019, it honors soldiers who sacrificed their lives in post-independence conflicts.)

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in which country today, becoming the first Indian PM to address its Parliament, the Knesset? Answer: Israel (He received a red-carpet welcome from PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv to strengthen strategic and defense ties.)

3. The Union Cabinet recently approved a proposal to officially rename which Indian state as "Keralam"? Answer: Kerala (The move aims to embrace the state's traditional Malayalam name and linguistic identity.)

4. President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the "National Arogya Fair 2026" today in which city? Answer: Shegaon, Maharashtra (The fair promotes AYUSH systems like Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy for holistic health.)

5. India has launched a new national counter-terrorism policy and strategy named what? Answer: PRAHAAR (The policy provides a unified framework to dismantle terror modules and strengthen internal security.)

6. Which country has initiated steps to revoke the citizenship of Tahawwur Rana ahead of its Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India? Answer: Canada

7. The Centre is set to roll out a nationwide vaccination campaign for girls aged 9–14 to prevent which type of cancer? Answer: Cervical Cancer (HPV Vaccination) (The campaign uses the quadrivalent vaccine to target HPV types 16 and 18.)

8. Which Indian chess prodigy was recently named by Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana as a top favorite to win the Candidates 2026 tournament? Answer: R. Praggnanandhaa

9. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently launched the country's second secure data center in which city to enhance digital infrastructure? Answer: Bhubaneswar

10. Who has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands in February 2026? Answer: Rob Jetten

11. NOTA Option: Introduced in India following a 2013 Supreme Court judgment to allow voters to reject all candidates in a constituency.

12. Section 122 of US Trade Act (1974): Allows the US President to impose tariffs on grounds of addressing balance of payment deficits.

13. NITI Aayog: Established in 2015 to replace the Planning Commission; serves as the premier policy think tank of the Government of India.

14. Raman Effect: Discovered by C.V. Raman on February 28, 1928, which is now celebrated annually as National Science Day in India.

9. Do You Know?

• The Eternal Flame: The National War Memorial houses the Amar Chakra (Circle of Immortality), where an eternal flame burns 24/7. Since its inauguration, all state homage ceremonies, including Republic Day, are held here instead of at the India Gate.

• Keralam's Roots: The name "Keralam" is derived from the Malayalam words Kera (coconut tree) and Alam (land), literally meaning "Land of Coconut Trees."

• The "Richter Scale" for Cyberattacks: Unveiled today at the S4x26 conference, the new OTI Impact Score is a 0.0 to 10.0 scale used to measure the real-world damage of industrial cyberattacks, making complex tech failures easier for the public to understand.

• HPV Breakthrough: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India. The national drive starting today is a massive step toward the WHO goal of eliminating cervical cancer globally by 2030.

• National Protein Day: While today is Feb 25, India will celebrate National Protein Day on Feb 27. Did you know that over 80% of Indians are estimated to be protein deficient?

• A National Green Data Centre Policy: Experts are calling for a "Green Data Centre Policy" because AI has increased power density requirements by nearly 10 times, significantly changing the energy needs of data centres.

• Salary Hikes in 2026: Employees in India are projected to receive an average salary hike of 9.1% in 2026, a slight increase from 8.9% in the previous year.

10. Job & Educational Topics

NITI Aayog CEO: Senior IAS officer Nidhi Chhibber has been given additional charge as the CEO of NITI Aayog following the completion of BVR Subrahmanyam’s tenure.

NCERT Textbook Update: New chapters on the "Challenges facing the Judiciary," including pendency and corruption, have been added to the Class 8 Social Science textbooks.

RITES Recruitment: RITES Limited, Gurugram, has invited applications for professional posts in mechanical and electrical engineering; the deadline is March 12, 2026.

11. Day Special: February 25

CleanMax IPO: The initial public offering (IPO) of Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions Limited, a major commercial and industrial renewable energy provider, closes today (Feb 25, 2026).

Strategic Military Exercise: The Indian Army conducted a major fire-power exercise titled "Agni Varsha" in the Pokhran deserts of Rajasthan to demonstrate modern artillery and drone capabilities.