Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for a strategic “Hexagon of Alliances” just days before PM Narendra Modi’s State visit to Israel on February 25-26, 2026. The proposed bloc aims to counter what Netanyahu described as “radical Shia and emerging radical Sunni axes,” positioning India as a key partner alongside Israel, Greece and Cyprus, with other Arab, African and Asian states expected to join. The alliance seeks enhanced cooperation on security, diplomacy and regional stability amid rising tensions with Iran and shifting Middle East dynamics. Modi will discuss mutual regional and global interests during the visit. (PC: PTI)

Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, is locked in a high-stakes standoff with the US Department of Defense. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a Friday deadline demanding Anthropic remove safety restrictions from its AI models for unrestricted Pentagon use, including autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. CEO Dario Amodei has firmly refused, describing these as "red lines." Hegseth warned Anthropic could be labelled a "supply chain risk", a designation typically reserved for foreign adversaries or face the Defence Production Act, compelling compliance. Anthropic holds a $200 million government contract and remains the only AI provider cleared for classified military networks, making this standoff extraordinarily consequential for both sides. (PC: India Today)

In a landmark State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump made a bold and sweeping economic claim, asserting that tariffs paid by foreign countries could eventually replace America's modern income tax system entirely. Trump declared, stating that tariffs would "substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love." Drawing a parallel to historical precedent when tariffs were America's primary revenue source before income tax was introduced in 1913, Trump framed his aggressive tariff policy not merely as a trade tool but as a long-term fiscal strategy aimed at fundamentally restructuring how the United States government generates its revenue.

On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, India was among 51 nations that abstained from a United Nations General Assembly resolution titled "Support for Lasting Peace in Ukraine," which called for an immediate, complete, and unconditional ceasefire. The resolution received 107 votes in favour and 12 against. Other abstaining nations included China, the United States, Brazil, Bangladesh, and the UAE. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the 107 supporting nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the war as a violation of international law, warning that 2025 recorded the highest civilian casualties in Ukraine since the conflict began, and called for an unconditional ceasefire immediately.

The India-US trade deal sparked major political controversy at Congress' Kisan Maha Chaupal in Bhopal, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launching a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi alleged the agreement was pushed through under American pressure, bypassing key Cabinet ministers including Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Nitin Gadkari. He linked the deal to Donald Trump, the Epstein files, and Gautam Adani's legal troubles abroad. Gandhi warned that cheap US imports of soybean, cotton, maize and pulses would devastate Indian farmers and flood domestic markets. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed concerns, calling the deal fundamentally imbalanced and harmful to farmers, labourers and small businesses across India. (PC: PTI)

India's Union Health Ministry is set to launch a nationwide, free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme targeting adolescent girls aged 14 years. The vaccination will be entirely voluntary and free of cost, ensuring equitable access across all socio-economic groups. India will deploy Gardasil, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine offering protection against HPV types 16 and 18, the primary causes of cervical cancer as well as types 6 and 11. Health Ministry officials confirmed that global and Indian scientific evidence supports a single-dose regimen as providing robust and durable protection when administered to girls within the recommended age group, marking a landmark step in India's public health and women's healthcare landscape. (PC: Getty Images)

After 16 years of serving authentic Indian cuisine in London's Hammersmith, Rangrez restaurant is shutting down. Owner Harman Singh Kapoor announced the closure on X, citing spiralling operational costs, repeated disturbances, alleged attacks by Pakistani groups, and inadequate support from the Metropolitan Police. Kapoor, a vocal critic of the Khalistan movement, previously claimed his restaurant was attacked by pro-Khalistan supporters in 2023 following his social media posts. He and his family reportedly faced death threats, abusive calls, and online intimidation. Defiant in his closure statement, Kapoor declared he would now dedicate himself fully to activism, warning radicals: "You can disrupt my business, but not my will."

Avtar Singh, a 57-year-old Sikh man of Indian origin, was kidnapped and murdered in a chilling case of mistaken identity in Tracy, California. Surveillance footage captured three suspects forcibly shoving Singh into an SUV outside a gurdwara at 2:30pm on Tuesday. His wife reported him missing at 9pm after returning home to find their three children alone. Authorities discovered his body near Lake Berryessa, two hours away, on Friday. Sheriff Patrick Withrow confirmed Singh was not the intended target. A devoted gurdwara head cook for 23 years, Singh had recently become father to premature triplets just six months ago. A GoFundMe has been launched for his grieving family. (PC: NDTV)

Star India middle-order batter Rinku Singh has returned home from Chennai due to a family emergency, casting serious doubts over his availability for India's must-win ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s match against Zimbabwe on Thursday. A BCCI source confirmed to PTI that Rinku missed India's training session at MA Chidambaram Stadium. His father, Khanchand Singh, is reportedly hospitalised in serious condition in Greater Noida. Rinku has featured in all five of India's tournament matches but has struggled for form, scoring just 26 runs across five innings. If unavailable, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is likely to replace him. India's title defence hinges critically on Thursday's result in Chennai. (PC: X)

On the eve of PM Narendra Modi's two-day state visit to Israel (February 25–26), Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a "Hexagon of Alliances", a proposed regional bloc naming India as a core partner alongside Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, with Arab, African, and Asian nations expected to join. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on February 22, Netanyahu framed the alliance as a direct counterweight to the "radical Shia axis" (Iran and its proxies) and an "emerging radical Sunni axis." The announcement follows the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement of September 2025. The Hexagon envisions structured cooperation in security, intelligence-sharing, and defence, moving beyond existing bilateral frameworks like I2U2 and the Abraham Accords. (PC: X)