TODAY NEWS ON February 26, 2025

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

Ukraine and U.S. agree on framework mineral deal, Ukrainian officials say

Ukraine and the U.S. have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include the exploitation of rare earth minerals, three senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday (February 25, 2025).

SLBC tunnel collapse: Slush and water seepage hinder rescue operation

The joint teams of multiple agencies participating in the rescue operation to find eight persons trapped 14 km inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel since Saturday morning have arrived at the conclusion that any attempt to cross the last 50 metres barrier completely filled with mud and debris from the tunnel boring machine (TBM) would be risky to the lives rescue teams.

Devotees rush to Sangam for Maha Kumbh’s final ‘snan’ on Mahashivratri

Pilgrims began arriving at the Triveni Sangam in the early hours of Wednesday (February 26, 2025) for a holy dip on Mahashivratri, marking the culmination of the six-week-long Maha Kumbh, held once every 12 years and believed to grant ‘moksha’ or salvation.

Two killed in Israeli strike on eastern Lebanon: state media

Lebanese state media said that an Israeli air strike on Tuesday (February 25, 2025) killed at least two people in the country’s east, where the military said it targeted Hezbollah militants. “An enemy drone carried out an air strike on the town of Shaara... near the eastern Lebanon mountain range, killing two people and wounding two” others, said the state-run National News Agency.

Pope signs decree making José Gregorio Hernández, ‘doctor of the poor,’ Venezuela’s first saint

A man revered by millions as the “doctor of the poor” will be the first saint from Venezuela after Pope Francis approved a decree Tuesday (February 25, 2025). A date for the canonisation of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, who died in 1919, has not been set. The Vatican in a statement said Pope Francis also decided to convene a formal meeting of cardinals to set the dates for future canonisations, but it was not immediately scheduled.

Judge gives Trump administration two days to unfreeze funds for US foreign aid

A federal judge on Tuesday (February 25, 2025) gave the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, saying the administration had given no sign of complying with his nearly two-week-old court to ease its funding freeze.

Allahbadia told cops he committed ‘mistake’ by passing controversial remarks: Officials

Podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, whose crass remarks on a YouTube show kicked up a row, has said in his statement before the Maharashtra Cyber that he committed a mistake of passing controversial statements, officials said on Tuesday (February 25, 2025).

J&K was promised a plebiscite at the time of accession to India, says Omar Abdullah

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday (February 25, 2025) said the description of Article 370 as a “temporary or transitional [provision] was because J&K’s status had not been fully formalised” at the time of its accession to India in 1947.

CAG reports: ex-CM Atishi defends AAP govt.’s excise policy

Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Atishi on Tuesday defended the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s decision to scrap the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22 following the furore over the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report over the ₹2,002-crore loss to the exchequer due to the poor implementation of the liquor policy.

ED arrests journalist Mahesh Langa in PMLA case

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested The Hindu’s Ahmedabad correspondent Mahesh Langa under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency said on Tuesday.

Madhya Pradesh attracts investments of over ₹26 lakh crore in two days

Madhya Pradesh received investment commitments worth ₹26.61 lakh crore through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) during its two-day Global Investor Summit that concluded on Tuesday (February 25, 2025) in Bhopal, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said, adding that the proposals were expected to generate 17.3 lakh employment opportunities.

Existing norms duly address caste bias concerns in universities: National Assessment and Accreditation Council

Weeks after the Supreme Court directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to collate complaints of caste discrimination across higher education institutions (HEIs) in India, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has now told the top court that its existing measures for assessment and grading of HEIs “effectively address concerns related to caste-based discrimination, mental health, and equal opportunities”.

Women shifting from unpaid domestic work to paid jobs: government survey

The participation of men and women in the 15-59 age group in employment and related activities in a day increased to 75% and 25%, respectively, in 2024 from 70.9% and 21.8% in 2019, according to a survey on time use conducted by the National Statistics Office.

CBSE proposes draft policy for conducting two Board exams from 2025-26 onwards

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has proposed that from the academic year 2025-26, students of Class 10 can appear for Board examination twice, in a bid to improve their performance.