Daily Current Affairs – 26-10-2025
Sports News
Lionel Messi Wins 2025 MLS Golden Boot
Football legend Lionel Messi has won the Major League Soccer (MLS) Golden Boot 2025, capping off another record-breaking season for Inter Miami.
Messi scored 29 goals in the league, including a hat-trick in the final gameweek against Nashville, to finish as the top scorer in his second full season with the club.
He finished ahead of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge, who both netted 24 goals. In addition to his goals, Messi also contributed 19 assists, highlighting his all-round brilliance throughout the campaign.
This marks Inter Miami’s first-ever Golden Boot victory and makes Messi the first Argentine to win the award since Valentín “Taty” Castellanos (New York City FC, 2021).
Following this triumph, Messi is also tipped to become the first-ever back-to-back Landon Donovan MLS MVP winner, after his historic 2024 season where Inter Miami lifted the Supporters’ Shield in record-breaking style.
Bhagat Clinches Two Golds; Kadam Wins Gold and Silver at Australian Para Badminton International 2025
India delivered a dominant performance at the Australian Para Badminton International 2025, finishing on top of the medals tally with multiple gold-winning displays by its para-shuttlers.
Pramod Bhagat emerged as the star of the tournament, claiming two gold medals. He first triumphed in the men’s singles SL3 event, defeating compatriot Manoj Sarkar 21-15, 21-17 in the final. Later, he teamed up with Sukant Kadam to win the men’s doubles SL3-SL4 title, beating the Indian pair of Umesh Vikram Kumar and Surya Kant Yadav 21-11, 19-21, 21-18.
Sukant Kadam also secured a silver medal in addition to the doubles gold, further adding to India’s medal haul.
Manasi Joshi continued her fine form by clinching two golds — in women’s singles SL3 and in mixed doubles SL3-SU5, partnering with Ruthick Ragupathi. Ruthick also teamed up with Chirag Baretha to lift the men’s doubles SU5 title.
In the men’s doubles SH6 category, Sivarajan Solaimalai and Sudarshan Muthuswamy bagged gold and silver, while Yashodhan Ravankole and Dheeraj Saini captured the men’s doubles SU5 gold.
Sarumathi rounded off India’s medal rush by winning the women’s singles SL4 + SU5 crown, defeating Australia’s Zashka Gunson in the final.
Environment News
Snow Leopard Count Doubles in 4 Years in Himachal Pradesh; Two New Species Spotted
In a major conservation success, the snow leopard population in Himachal Pradesh has nearly doubled in just four years — from 44 individuals in 2021 to 83 in 2025, according to the latest state-wide survey.
The study, jointly conducted by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Wildlife Wing of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, also recorded the presence of two new species for the first time — Pallas’s Cat and the Woolly Flying Squirrel.
As per the report titled “The Status of Snow Leopard in Himachal Pradesh 2025,” the species shows a strong presence across high-altitude regions like Spiti, Pin Valley, Upper Kinnaur, and Tabo, which recorded the highest densities.
Researchers identified 44 adult snow leopards through 262 independent detections across six major sites covering nearly 26,000 km² using large-scale camera trapping methods.
Upper Spiti: 12 individuals (90 detections)
Tabo: 6 individuals (46 detections)
Pin Valley: 8 individuals (35 detections)
Kinnaur: 9 individuals (58 detections)
Lahaul-Pangi: 8 individuals (32 detections)
GHNP: 1 individual (1 detection)
The study found that snow leopard density ranges from 0.16 to 0.53 per 100 km², with an overall average of 0.35 per 100 km² (95% CI: 0.23–0.53).
The researchers noted that 83 adult snow leopards (95% CI: 67–103) are now estimated to inhabit Himachal Pradesh, excluding cubs, indicating a healthy population recovery.
International News
CJI Meets Bhutanese King and Prime Minister to Strengthen Judicial Cooperation
Chief Justice of India (CJI) B. R. Gavai met Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay during his official visit to Bhutan, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the judiciaries of India and Bhutan.
According to an official statement, the CJI met Prime Minister Tobgay on Friday and King Wangchuck on Saturday.
During the discussions, both sides explored new avenues of judicial collaboration, including technology integration, capacity building, and knowledge exchange.
Justice Gavai reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening India–Bhutan ties, emphasizing that the Indian judiciary is ready to support the Bhutanese judiciary in implementing digital court systems and modernizing legal processes.
Energy Trade: Indian Ambassador Holds Consultations with US Assistant Secretary
Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu met Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce, to discuss ways to expand bilateral trade between India and the United States.
The meeting also covered energy-sector cooperation and the overall growth of India-US commercial relations. Sandhu stated that he had a productive consultation with James L. Pont on strengthening the partnership in energy trade and collaboration.
Under the US law CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), Washington has imposed economic sanctions on several Russian defense and space officials, including Dmitry Shugaev, following Russia’s military actions in Syria and Ukraine.
The US has repeatedly expressed its displeasure over India’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile-defense systems, but India maintains that the deal is crucial for its national security interests.
Earlier, US Republican Senator Ted Cruz had argued that the United States should not sanction India, calling the S-400 procurement a “significant transaction” deserving special consideration.
India-US bilateral trade recorded unprecedented growth last year. After Russia annexed Crimea, the US had requested its allies to share details of their trade engagements with Russia.
Ambassador Sandhu continues to hold regular consultations with US Commerce officials to further strengthen economic cooperation. Talks are also underway on lifting US economic sanctions on countries engaged in defense trade with Russia.
National News
RIL and Facebook Announce ₹855-Crore Investment in AI Joint Venture
Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has announced the formation of a new step-down subsidiary — Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Ltd. (REIL) — as part of a joint venture with Facebook Worldwide Inc.
The new venture will be structured in a 70:30 partnership, with a planned initial investment of ₹855 crore in India to develop and expand artificial intelligence (AI) enterprise services.
According to RIL’s stock exchange filing, Reliance Intelligence Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of RIL, will invest ₹2 crore for the initial subscription of 20,00,000 equity shares valued at ₹10 each.
REIL will focus on developing, marketing, and distributing AI-driven enterprise solutions, leveraging data intelligence, machine learning, and automation to support Indian businesses in their digital transformation.
This collaboration marks a significant expansion of Reliance’s AI and digital ecosystem, following its earlier partnerships in telecom, retail, and fintech sectors, and further strengthens India’s AI infrastructure in collaboration with a global tech major.
First Unit of Arunachal Hydropower Project Begins Test Run
The first unit of India’s largest hydropower project — the 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project located on the Arunachal Pradesh–Assam border — has started its test run, marking a major step toward full commissioning.
According to officials from NHPC Ltd., the wet commissioning of the first 250 MW unit began on Friday, indicating that the plant is close to becoming operational.
“Wet commissioning refers to a test run of the turbine with water flow to check various operational parameters, but without generating electricity,” explained an NHPC spokesperson. The test run is expected to continue for four to five days before the unit becomes fully functional.
The Subansiri project, once operational, will significantly enhance India’s renewable energy capacity and is seen as a key milestone in hydropower development in the Northeast region.
10 Teams to Receive Seed Funding and Incubation at IIT Madras Demo Day
The top 10 innovations focusing on sustainability, circular economy, and climate resilience were showcased during the ‘Ideas to Impact Grand Demo Day’ at IIT Madras.
Each selected team will receive a seed grant of ₹1 lakh and incubation support within IIT Madras to develop their ideas into scalable solutions.
Anurag Mishra, Special Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, announced that the Tamil Nadu government plans to support 10 entrepreneurs with ₹10 lakh in seed funding to combat climate change through innovation.
He emphasized that the state aims to promote green entrepreneurship and innovative climate solutions as part of its sustainability roadmap.
Personalities, Awards and Events
‘Vigyan Ratna’ Award 2025: Late Astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar Honoured
Late astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Narlikar has been chosen for India’s highest science honour, the ‘Vigyan Ratna Award – 2025’, in recognition of his remarkable contributions to cosmology.
Dr. Narlikar, in collaboration with British astronomer Fred Hoyle, proposed the Hoyle–Narlikar theory, challenging the traditional Big Bang theory. Unlike the Big Bang model that suggests a single moment of cosmic creation, their steady-state theory explained the universe as continuously expanding with ongoing matter creation.
Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra (1938), Narlikar completed his B.Sc. at Banaras Hindu University and later earned his Ph.D. in cosmology from Cambridge University, UK. His groundbreaking research in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology has earned global recognition.
He authored numerous scientific research papers and science-fiction books, promoting science awareness among students and the public.
Dr. Narlikar was honoured with several prestigious awards including the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Maharashtra Bhushan, and the Adams Prize (UK). He passed away in May 2025 at the age of 86.
The Vigyan Ratna Award was instituted in 2023, with the first award presented in 2024 to Dr. Govindarajan Padmanabhan, a Tamil Nadu–based biochemist and biotechnology researcher. The current award marks the second edition of this national honour.
Other Science Awards Announced (2025)
Vigyan Shri Award – 2025
Kulonindu Pratap Singh – Agricultural Science
Yukti Prasad Nayak – Atomic Energy
K. Dasaradharamu – Biological Sciences
Pradeep Talavay – Chemical Science
Aniruddhan Banerjee Pandey – Engineering Science
S. Venkatesh – Environmental Science
Mamroon Majumdar – Mathematics & Computer Science
S. Jayan – Space Science and Technology
Vigyan Yuva Award – 2025
Jagadish Sundar Sudanth – Agricultural Science
Siddharth Kumar – Agricultural Science
Nepra Choudhury – Biological Sciences
Deepa Agne – Biological Sciences
Dilipkumar Das – Chemical Science
Kavya Ramamurthy – Earth Science
Archana Pandey – Engineering Science
Satyanarayana Murthy – Mathematics & Computer Science
Swetha Prem Varsha – Mathematics & Computer Science
Suresh Kumar – Medicine
Amit Kumar Agarwal – Physics
Karnarth Srikanth More – Physics
Anjukumar Shukla – Space Science and Technology
Mohanasundari Sivakumar – Technology and Innovation
Group Awards:
Tata Steel Mining Division, Jamshedpur
Bharat Electronics R&D Centre, Bengaluru