Daily Current Affairs Brief: February 3, 2026

Authored By: K Shiva

1. International Current Affairs

• India-US Trade Deal: US President Donald Trump announced a historic trade deal with India, agreeing to cut reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 50% (which included oil-related penalties) to 18%.

• Russian Oil Halt: As part of the deal, President Trump claimed India agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil and instead increase energy imports from the US and potentially Venezuela.

• Gaza's Rafah Crossing: Reopening the Rafah crossing is reportedly part of a broader plan by the Trump administration to end the regional conflict.

• Iran Nuclear Talks: The President of Iran has ordered the restart of nuclear negotiations with the United States to resolve long-standing disputes.

• US Winter Storm: A massive winter storm across the US caused the cancellation of over 9,000 flights, disrupting major roadways and power for millions.

• Bangladesh Judicial Ruling: A court in Bangladesh sentenced deposed PM Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in prison and British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq to 4 years in a corruption case.

2. National Current Affairs

• Budget Growth Strategy: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the FY27 Budget prioritizes growth through a ₹12.2 lakh crore capital expenditure outlay, aiming for infrastructure-led development.

• Viksit Bharat Rural Act: The government highlighted the Viksit Bharat - VB-GRAM G Act, 2025, which guarantees 125 days of wage employment for rural households.

• Parliament Standoff: Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from the unpublished memoirs of former Army Chief Gen M.M. Naravane regarding the Ladakh standoff.

• Nuclear PLI Scheme: The government is considering a ₹20,000 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to localize component manufacturing in the nuclear sector.

• Security Success: Security forces killed 16 Maoists in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum, including a high-ranking leader with a ₹2.35 crore reward.

• Rozgar Mela: Prime Minister Modi virtually distributed over 61,000 appointment letters to new government recruits across various departments.

3. Science & Technology

SpaceX-xAI Merger: Discussions for a merger between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and his AI venture, xAI, are reportedly in an advanced stage.

UP AI Mission: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the ₹2,000 crore UP AI Mission to set up 65 Data & AI labs for advanced healthcare and governance.

Boeing Fuel Switch Issue: An Air India Dreamliner (VT-ANX) faced an uncommanded fuel switch cut-off at London Heathrow, challenging previous narratives of pilot error in earlier crashes.

Republic Day Tech: DRDO is prepared to showcase its Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) at the upcoming parade.

Alzheimer's Diagnostic: A new AI-integrated blood biomarker test was introduced in India to enable early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sonic Boom Tracking: Researchers successfully utilized seismometers to track the reentry of space debris, specifically identifying the Shenzhou-15 module's trajectory.

4. States Current Affairs

• Andhra Pradesh Investment: CM Chandrababu Naidu announced that AP has secured approximately ₹20 lakh crore in investment commitments over the last 18 months.

• Telangana Steel Project: The state secured a ₹12,500 crore commitment from the Rashmi Group for a new steel plant project.

• Delhi Fiscal Push: CM Rekha Gupta noted that Delhi received a direct central assistance of ₹1,348 crore and a borrowing window of ₹21,000 crore for capital infrastructure.

• Uttar Pradesh Pharma Policy: The state is offering a 15% capital subsidy and 5% interest subsidy for medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs.

• Kerala Parole Controversy: Fresh parole for convicts in a political double-murder case reignited protests by the opposition in the state assembly.

• Maharashtra Green Power: MSRDC invited tenders for cumulative 44 MW solar PV plants along the Samruddhi Mahamarg highway.

5. District & Local News

• Tirumala Ratha Saptami: Around 1.5 lakh devotees attended the Ratha Saptami festival at Tirumala, witnessing the Lord’s procession on seven different vehicles.

• Hyderabad Fire Probe: The State Human Rights Commission registered a case regarding a massive furniture shop fire in Nampally, seeking reports on safety lapses.

• Nandyal Bus Accident: Three people died and 36 escaped after a private bus collided with a lorry and caught fire in Nandyal district.

• Eluru Tiger Alert: Forest officials identified a sub-adult male tiger crossing from Telangana into Eluru, issuing a high alert for local villages.

• Surat Bullet Train Mishap: A man and his daughter died near Surat after a metal plate fell from an under-construction bullet train bridge.

• Hyderabad Infrastructure: HMDA announced a 9-km elevated corridor in Western Hyderabad costing ₹1,656 crore to ease traffic congestion.

6. Sports & Games

• T20 Series Victory: India took an unassailable 3-0 lead against New Zealand; Abhishek Sharma set a record with a 12-ball half-century.

• T20 World Cup Update: The ICC officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the 2026 T20 World Cup after Bangladesh refused to play in India.

• Djokovic Milestone: Novak Djokovic became the first tennis player in history to win 400 Grand Slam matches.

• Women's Premier League (WPL): Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals are set to face off in the Eliminator for a spot in the title clash against RCB.

• Formula 1 in India: The Sports Ministry is in talks to bring F1 back to the Buddh International Circuit by resolving past tax and bureaucratic issues.

• Padma Awards in Sports: Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj was honored with the Padma Bhushan, while cricket captains Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur received the Padma Shri.

7. Cinema & Entertainment

• Padma Honors: Veteran actors Rajendra Prasad and Murali Mohan were awarded the Padma Shri for their extensive contributions to Indian cinema.

• Varun Tej’s New Film: On the actor’s birthday, his upcoming horror-comedy project was officially titled Korean Kanakaraju.

• Oscar Records: The film Sinners led the 98th Academy Award nominations with a record-breaking 16 nods.

• Grammy Success: Bad Bunny won Album of the Year at the latest Grammy Awards.

• OTT Release: The mystic thriller Shambala starring Sai Kumar is releasing on the Aha platform.

• Cultural Milestone: The Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi is celebrating its 75th year with a special retrospective exhibition.

8. General Knowledge points for competitive jobs

• Silver Record: Silver prices hit a historic high of ₹3.3 lakh per kg in Mumbai bullion markets.

• Gold High: Gold reached an all-time peak of ₹1.59 lakh per 10 grams in Hyderabad.

• Wikipedia Stats: The English edition of Wikipedia now houses 7 million articles and 775 terabytes of data.

• NPS Contribution: Under the National Pension System, employees contribute 10% of their basic pay, matched by the government.

• Economic Forecast: The IMF has upgraded India’s growth projection for the current fiscal year to 7.3%.

• Urban Housing: India currently faces a shortage of 14 million affordable urban homes, a figure projected to grow to 30 million by 2030.

9. Do You Know?

• Sunita Williams’ Retirement: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams retired after a 27-year career, having spent 608 days in space.

• ISS Lifeboats: Spacecraft like the SpaceX Dragon and Soyuz remain docked at the ISS permanently to act as emergency evacuation "lifeboats".

• Bark Spider Silk: The silk produced by female bark spiders in Madagascar is significantly tougher than that of their male counterparts.

• Tiger Safari Closure: Tourism safaris at the Amrabad Tiger Reserve were suspended for several days for the All India Tiger Estimation 2026.

• Voter AI Audit: An AI scan in West Bengal found one man registered as the "father" for 389 different voters.

10. Job & Educational Topics

• RBI Vacancies: The Reserve Bank of India is accepting applications for 572 Office Attendant posts until February 4, 2026.

• Intermediate Exams: Board exams for 1.75 lakh students in Hyderabad are scheduled to commence on February 25.

• Internship Stipend: The central government is proposing to raise the monthly stipend for the PM Internship Scheme to ₹11,800.

• SAI Assistant Coaches: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has announced 323 vacancies for Assistant Coaches in various disciplines.

• Medical Admissions: Bihar began Round-3 online counseling for Post Graduate Medical Admission (PGMAC)-2025.