TODAY NEWS ON February 24, 2025

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

CDU’s Friedrich Merz set to be next Chancellor of Germany

Germany’s conservatives won Sunday’s (February 23, 2025) elections, with their leader Friedrich Merz set to become the next chancellor, followed by the far-right AfD in second place after record gains, according to exit polls. If confirmed in the final count, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) roughly doubled its score to at least 19.5%, boosted by fears over immigration and security after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on asylum seekers.

Rescue team yet to contact workers trapped inside SLBC tunnel in Telangana

No breakthrough was reported till 8 p.m. on Sunday (February 23, 2025) in the operation launched to rescue eight persons trapped for over 30 hours in an under-construction tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. The personnel were trapped 14 km inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal of the Alimineti Madhava Reddy Project on Saturday (February 22, 2025) morning, after a portion of its roof collapsed during excavation work with a tunnel boring machine (TBM).

Pope Francis in critical condition with early kidney failure

Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday (February 23, 2025) and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, and responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

12 Indians arrive in Delhi days after deported to Panama by U.S.

Twelve Indians, deported to Panama by the U.S., returned to India from the Latin American nation on Sunday (February 23, 2025), officials said. The deportees arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, marking the first batch of Indians returning from Panama following their deportation by the U.S.

Champions Trophy: King Kohli’s day out as India aces the Pakistan test

Pakistan was the nominal ‘home’ team for its must-win encounter against India. But in front of a near sell-out crowd, more than three-fourths of whom were decked in blue, the Men in Green got blown away by one of Virat Kohli’s classic ODI masterclass knocks as he belted out his best hits and reaffirmed his status as one of the greatest to have played this format.

Trump administration to fire 2,000 USAID workers

The Trump administration said on Sunday (February 23, 2025) that it is eliminating 2,000 posts at the U.S. Agency for International Development and placing all but a fraction of others worldwide on leave.

Israeli tanks move into the occupied West Bank for the first time since 2002 amid growing crackdown

Israeli tanks have moved into the occupied West Bank for the first time since 2002, shortly after the Defence Minister said troops will remain “for the coming year” in parts of the territory and indicated that Palestinians who have fled cannot return.

American Airline flight to New Delhi diverted to Rome

An American Airlines flight from New York to Delhi was forced to divert to Rome on Sunday (February 23, 2025) evening. The Italian Air Force scrambled fighter jets to escort the aircraft to the airport.

Zelenskyy says ready to quit as President in exchange for Ukrainian NATO membership

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday (February 23, 2025) he would “immediately” quit as Ukraine’s president in exchange for the country gaining NATO membership.

Kuki National Organisation spokesperson removed from DU Lit Fest panel

Seilen Haokip, spokesperson of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), was removed from a panel at the Delhi University Literature Festival (DULF) that he had been invited to on Sunday (February 23, 2025), the third day of the festival, which is being held at SRCC in New Delhi. He said he was asked to leave 15 minutes before the panel was scheduled to begin, after being informed that his participation had been “politicised”.

Bangladesh to mark February 25 as national military martyrdom day, amid 2009 Pilkhana killings investigation

Bangladesh will mark February 25 as the “national military martyrdom day”, the interim government of Dhaka announced on Sunday (February 23, 2025). The announcement formalises months long discussion within the Prof. Muhammed Yunus-led government about the February 25-26, 2009 Pilkhana killings of military officers in the failed mutiny by a section of the BDR (Bangladesh Rifles).

Maharashtra budget to be presented on March 10

The Budget Session of the Maharashtra legislature will be held from March 3 to March 26 in Mumbai. The State Budget for the fiscal 2025-26 will be presented in both Houses of the legislature on March 10. The session-related work was discussed at a meeting of the advisory committee of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Sunday, February 23, 2025.

On Women’s Day, women achievers to take over PM Modi’s social media accounts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday (February 23, 2025) that he will hand over his various social media accounts to women achievers in different fields to mark the International Women’s Day on March 8. In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, he said these successful women in different fields will speak about their work and experience on his social media accounts. “Let’s us celebrate and respect the indomitable spirit of women,” he said, lauding the increasing participation of women in different sectors. With followers in tens of millions on X, YouTube and Instagram among other handles, PM Modi is one of the most followed global leaders on social media.

Telangana tunnel collapse: Silted muck making progress of rescue operation difficult

Silting of large quantity of muck, for over 3-meter height, on the tunnel bed beyond 13.5 km of its length from the mouth is making it difficult for the rescue personnel to move towards the spot, where the eight engineers, technical staff and workers of the SLBC tunnel work are trapped, along with the life support and rescue material. According to the engineers of the irrigation department, a team of the Army personnel who went beyond the mud-silted portion of the tunnel through the air pipe, which is used to pump fresh air from outside into the tunnel to maintain the oxygen levels, were understood to have found the tunnel boring machine (TBM) damaged badly with parts of it falling apart as debris. It is being assessed that the persons trapped inside could have fainted, not in sense, due to lack of food, water, heath and pressure, even if the air being pumped is reaching them.

Atishi chosen as Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly

Former Delhi chief minister and MLA from Kalkaji constituency Atishi was chosen as the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly at a meeting of AAP MLAs in New Delhi on Sunday (February 23, 2025). AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was also part of the meeting of the party’s 22 MLAs. In a press conference, AAP’s Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai said by consensus all AAP MLAs have chosen Atishi as the leader of the House. MLA from Burari, Sanjeev Jha, proposed Ms. Atishi’s name as LoP and all MLAs supported the proposal, said Mr. Rai, who is also the MLA from Babarpur.

Pope Francis conscious, receiving supplemental oxygen, had a peaceful night following respiratory crisis

Pope Francis was conscious but still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen on Sunday (February 23, 2025) following a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, as he remains in critical condition with a complex lung infection, the Vatican said. The brief statement early Sunday (February 23, 2025) didn’t mention if Francis was out of bed or eating breakfast, which it had on previous days. “The night passed quietly, the Pope rested,” it said. The Vatican later said Francis was conscious, continuing to receive supplemental oxygen and that further clinical tests were being conducted. A more detailed medical update was expected later Sunday (February 23, 2025). Earlier, doctors said the 88-year-old Pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was in critical condition after suffering a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

Tens of thousands attend Beirut funeral of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah five months after his killing

Tens of thousands of people packed into a stadium in Beirut early Sunday (February 23, 2025) to attend the funeral of Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Nasrallah died after Israel’s air force dropped more than 80 bombs on the militant group’s main operations room in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital. His death was a major blow for the Iran-backed group that the late leader transformed into a potent force in the West Asia. Sahar al-Attar, a mourner who traveled from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley for the funeral said she still “cannot believe what happened.” The late Hezbollah leader will be laid to rest in Beirut while Safieddine will be buried in his hometown in southern Lebanon. Both had temporarily been buried in secret locations. As the coffins were paraded before the huge crowd, men on a platform tossed flowers, while some threw clothing articles in the hope they come in contact with the coffin, believing it would bless them.

Israel ramps up West Bank offensive, says troops to remain in some areas ’for the coming year’

Israel said Sunday (February 23, 2025) it was scaling up a weekslong offensive in the occupied West Bank, sending in tanks to a militant stronghold and pledging to keep troops in place for the next year in areas where Palestinians have fled. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to prepare to remain in some of the West Bank’s refugee camps, from where he said some 40,000 Palestinians had fled, leaving the areas “emptied of residents.” He said in a statement he had ordered the military to “prepare for an extended stay in the camps that were cleared for the coming year and to not allow the return of residents or for terror to grow again.” The military said that it was expanding the raid in the West Bank to other areas and was sending tanks to Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.

Discontented Germany votes in an election with economy, migration and far-right strength in focus

German voters are choosing a new government in an election on Sunday (February 23, 2025) dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy, pressure to curb migration and growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe’s alliance with the United States. The center-right opposition is favored to win, while polls point to the strongest result for a far-right party since World War II. Germany has been Ukraine’s biggest second-weapons supplier, after the U.S. It will be central to shaping the continent’s response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration’s confrontational foreign and trade policy. Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s Union bloc has consistently led polls, with 28-32% support in the most recent surveys, and Merz is favored to replace Scholz. Scholz’s Social Democrats have been polling between 14-16%, which would be their worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election.

Sudan’s RSF, allies sign charter for rival government: sources

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its allies have agreed to set up a parallel government, sources said Sunday (February 23, 2025), despite warnings such a move could further fragment the war-ravaged country. “It’s done,” a source close to the organisers of the signing ceremony in Nairobi told AFP. The signatories said the charter paves the way for a “government of peace and unity” in rebel-controlled areas of the northeast African country. The move comes nearly two years into a devastating war with the regular army that has uprooted more than 12 million people and caused what the United Nations calls the world’s worst hunger and displacement crises. The signing, delayed multiple times, took place behind closed doors in the Kenyan capital. Among those who agreed to it was a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

Jasprit Bumrah receives his ICC awards for 2024 during India-Pakistan match in Champions Trophy

India pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday (February 23, 2025) received his ICC honours, including the Men’s Cricketer of the Year and Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year awards, before the start of the Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan in Dubai. The 31-year-old was present in Dubai to collect the awards, which also includes a place in the Men’s Test and T20I Teams for 2024. The ICC posted photographs of Bumrah with each of his four awards — including two caps — and wrote on X, “Jasprit Bumrah receives his #ICCAwards and Team Of The Year caps for a stellar 2024.”  Bumrah had an outstanding Test season last year, taking 71 wickets in 13 matches with the second-best effort coming from England’s Gus Atkinson who claimed 52 wickets in 11 matches.