Top news headlines for school assembly – February 23, 2026: National, world and sports updates

Stay updated with the latest national and global news for your school assembly. Today’s highlights cover the India AI Impact Summit, major infrastructure launches like the Meerut Metro, and shifting diplomatic ties in South Asia.

NATIONAL

• Cong used AI summit for its 'gandi aur nangi' politics: PM Modi
  Meerut (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the Congress over its "shirtless" protest at the global artificial intelligence summit in Delhi, alleging that the party had turned an international event into an arena for its "gandi aur nangi" (dirty and shameless) politics.
• PM flags off Meerut Metro, Namo Bharat train
  Meerut (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat train from the Shatabdi Nagar station here, giving a fillip to high-speed intercity travel and swift intra-city movement.
• 3 JeM terrorists killed in Kishtwar encounter; Army reaffirms resolve for terror-free J&K
  Jammu: Three members of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Sunday, officials said.
• 8 LeT operatives with Bangladesh links held; pan-India module busted: Delhi Police
  New Delhi: In a major counter-terror operation spanning three states, the Delhi Police has dismantled a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module comprising eight operatives, including seven Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India and procured forged identity documents, an official said on Sunday.
• PM Modi inaugurates projects worth Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut
  Meerut (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated development projects worth around Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut and said the BJP's work culture ensures the timely completion of projects once their foundation is laid.
• British architect Lutyens' statue in Rashtrapati Bhavan to be replaced with C Rajagopalachari's
  New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday that a statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens, which has stood in Rashtrapati Bhavan, will be replaced by a statue of C Rajagopalachari, the first Indian governor-general of independent India.
• Adani reviews projects worth over Rs 40,000 crore in Jharkhand, Bihar
  Ranchi: Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Sunday visited project sites in Jharkhand and Bihar, reviewing major power investments to the tune of over Rs 40,000 crore, which underscore the conglomerate's expanding presence in eastern India.
• Odisha: 5 police personnel killed, 4 others injured in SUV-truck collision
  Bhubaneswar: At least five police personnel were killed and four others were injured in a head-on collision between an SUV and a truck on National Highway 49 in Odisha's Jharsuguda district early on Sunday, police said.
• Former Assam Cong chief Bhupen Borah joins BJP
  Guwahati: Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Sunday joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its state unit president Dilip Saikia here. Borah became a BJP member during a function held at the Assam BJP headquarters 'Vajpayee Bhawan'.
• TN polls: IUML requests DMK to allot five assembly seats
  Chennai: IUML president Kader Mohideen on Sunday formally placed a request for five assembly constituencies before the DMK for the upcoming elections
• Top Maoist leader Devji surrenders before Telangana police
  Hyderabad: Top Maoist commander and the organisation's key "strategist" Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji has surrendered, a top police official said on Sunday.
• SC to hear Meta-WhatsApp privacy policy case on Monday
  New Delhi: The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday pleas of Meta and WhatsApp against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore over their privacy policy.
• Sabarimala Tantri 'trapped' in gold loss case: Cong; CPI(M) alleges he is among 'big thieves'
  Thiruvananthapuram: The arrest of Sabarimala Tantri Kadararu Rajeevaru in the gold loss case triggered a fresh war of words in Kerala on Sunday with the opposition Congress alleging that the chief priest was "deliberately trapped" in the case, while the ruling CPI(M) said he figured in a "list of big thieves".
• India, US reschedule chief negotiators meeting on interim trade deal: Sources
  New Delhi: India and the US have decided to reschedule the proposed meeting of their chief negotiators, supposed to be held in Washington from Monday, to finalise the text for the interim trade pact, sources said on Sunday.

INTERNATIONAL

• Pak strikes 7 terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, Kabul warns of necessary and measured response'
  Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday said it targeted at least seven terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan in retaliation for the recent rebel attacks in the country, with Kabul warning of a "necessary and measured response" to the strikes.
• Russian airstrike on Kyiv region kills civilian amid Ukraine war
  Moscow: Russia launched a combined missile and drone attack targeting suburbs of Kyiv, Ukraine, resulting in at least one death, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service.
• 'Global power' India to be part of 'hexagon' of alliances in and around the region: Netanyahu
  Jerusalem: Describing India as a "global power" and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "personal" friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday talked about his vision of a "hexagon" of alliances in and around the region that will include India.
• India slams Pakistan over airstrikes in Afghanistan; calls it a ‘longstanding pattern’
  New Delhi: India on Sunday issued a sharp condemnation of Pakistani airstrikes conducted on Afghan territory, describing the military action as a "longstanding pattern" by Islamabad to externalise its own internal failures.

SPORTS

• IND vs SA Super 8: South Africa stuns India with 76-run victory in Ahmedabad
  Ahmedabad: South Africa’s middle-order engine room powered a stunning 76-run upset over tournament favourites India on Sunday, fundamentally shifting the landscape of the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage at a silenced Narendra Modi Stadium.
• Big announcement! Dhoni to return with CSK in IPL 2026, reports say

  Reports suggesting Dhoni’s participation in the upcoming season have excited cricket fans ahead of the TATA IPL 2026, scheduled to run from 26 March to 31 May 2026. The statement reportedly came from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) management, where officials hinted that Dhoni could feature in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League.