Authored by: K Shiva
U.S.-Venezuela Crisis: In a dramatic escalation, U.S. President Donald Trump designated himself as the "Acting President of Venezuela" via a post on Truth Social. This follows the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces earlier in January 2026.
Trump and Greenland: President Trump reiterated his intent to "do something" regarding Greenland, regardless of Denmark's warning that its troops would defend the territory.
Iran Unrest: Major cities in Iran faced new mass rallies denouncing the Islamic Republic. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the U.S. for the protests, while the death toll has reportedly surpassed 500.
Germany-India Relations: Germany announced a visa-free transit facility for Indian passport holders traveling through its airports. Additionally, India and Germany signed 27 outcomes, including a defense industrial cooperation roadmap for co-producing defense platforms.
Rohingya Genocide Hearing: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearings on the genocide case against Myanmar, with harrowing accounts of violence presented by The Gambia.
New U.S. Ambassador: Sergio Gor assumed office as the U.S. Ambassador to India. He emphasized that India is an "essential partner" and announced upcoming talks on a proposed trade deal.
Preventive Detention Ruling: The Supreme Court ruled that preventive detention cannot be used solely based on the fear that an accused might commit another crime after getting bail; it must be handled under ordinary law, such as bail cancellation.
Viksit Bharat (VB-GRAM G): The government is promoting the VB-GRAM G Act 2025, which replaces MGNREGA with a mission focusing on rural employment, water security, and real-time monitoring.
Somnath Swabhiman Parv: PM Modi warned that "forces of appeasement" and "religious terrorism" that opposed the temple’s reconstruction remain active in India.
Aadhaar Rail Booking: IRCTC extended the booking slot for Aadhaar-authenticated users, allowing them to book general reserved tickets until midnight on the opening day of the reservation period.
ISRO Launch Failure: The PSLV-C62 mission failed on January 12. An anomaly during the third stage caused the rocket to deviate, resulting in the loss of the EOS-N1 (Anvesha) spy satellite and 15 other co-passenger satellites.
X (Twitter) Compliance: Following a warning from the Centre regarding obscene content generated by its Grok AI, X (formerly Twitter) accepted its mistake and assured the government it would comply with Indian laws.
Smartphone Security: The Centre is considering a requirement for smartphone makers to disclose source codes for vulnerability analysis and malware scanning, despite opposition from tech giants like Apple and Samsung.
Telangana District Reorganization: CM Revanth Reddy announced a judicial commission to scientifically reorganize districts, revenue divisions, and mandals in Telangana.
Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure Records: The Bengaluru-Vijayawada high-speed highway construction achieved four Guinness World Records, including the fastest construction of a 52-km six-lane bituminous highway.
Polavaram Legal Dispute: The Supreme Court dismissed Telangana's writ petition against the Polavaram-Nallamalasagar Link Project (PNLP), advising the state to file a civil suit under Article 131 instead.
AP Economic Reset: CM Chandrababu Naidu released ₹2,653 crore in DA arrears and pending bills for government employees and contractors as a Sankranti gesture.
Thalassemia-Free Telangana: The state set a goal to become the first thalassemia-free state in India by 2035.
Cybercrime Rescue: AP CID, in a joint operation with central agencies, rescued 22 youths trapped in a cybercrime "compound" in Myanmar.
Khammam Fraud: Police busted an inter-state cyber fraud network involving ₹540 crore and arrested 18 individuals.
Chinese Manja Crackdown: Hyderabad police seized thousands of bobbins of banned Chinese manja worth over ₹16 lakh.
Leopard Hunt: A leopard that had terrorized a village in Uttarakhand for 48 days was gunned down after killing livestock and attacking villagers.
Cricket Milestone: Virat Kohli became the second-highest run-getter in international cricket history, surpassing Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 28,016 runs during the 1st ODI against New Zealand.
Senior National Boxing: Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain secured titles at the Senior National Boxing Championships.
Women's Premier League (WPL): Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated UP Warriorz by 9 wickets, with Grace Harris scoring 85 runs.
Volleyball: Kerala's women’s team and the Indian Railways men’s team won the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championships.
Vijay’s Final Film: Jana Nayagan, the final film of actor-turned-politician Vijay, faced release delays due to a stay by the Madras High Court over content concerns related to religious sentiments.
Ticket Price Hikes: The Telangana government allowed a ticket price hike for Chiranjeevi's movie 'Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu' for the first 10 days of release.
Sankranti Negativity: Actor Vijay Devarakonda addressed organized online negativity targeting major film releases.
Which harvest festival is being celebrated across North India, especially in Punjab and Haryana, on 13 January 2026? Answer: Lohri (It marks the end of the winter solstice and is celebrated with traditional bonfires and folk songs.)
Who was recently sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court? Answer: Justice Revati Mohite-Dere (She was previously a judge at the Bombay High Court and was administered the oath by Governor C.H. Vijayashankar.)
Union Minister Chirag Paswan recently inaugurated the 9th edition of 'Indusfood 2026' in which city? Answer: Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) (It is Asia's premier global Food and Beverage sourcing and trade show.)
Which famous Indian hockey player and 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medalist passed away on 10 January 2026? Answer: Davinder Singh Garcha (He was a key member of the team that won India’s 8th Olympic gold medal in hockey.)
Sergio Gor has recently assumed charge as the Ambassador of which country to India? Answer: United States of America (USA) (He formally presented his credentials in New Delhi on January 12, 2026.)
What is the name of the nationwide campaign launched by GAIL and PNGRB to promote the adoption of Natural Gas? Answer: #NonStopZindagi (The campaign runs from January to March 2026 to increase the share of natural gas in India's energy basket.)
Which Indian stock exchange was recently honored with the "Asia Best Employer Brand Award 2026" in Hong Kong? Answer: BSE Limited (Bombay Stock Exchange) (The award recognizes excellence in workplace culture and employee engagement.)
Which state cabinet recently approved the "Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport" project in the Nellore district? Answer: Andhra Pradesh (This will be the 8th airport in the state, strategically located near major ports and industrial clusters.)
Who won the "AI Film Award" for the film 'Lily' at the 1 Billion Followers Summit supported by Google Gemini? Answer: Zoubeir Jlassi (The award recognizes creators using AI for social good.)
Which central organization launched the 'BHARATI Startup Challenge' to promote innovation in the agricultural export sector? Answer: APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) (The challenge aims to foster agritech startups for export enablement.)
Article 131 of Constitution: Deals with the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court for disputes between the Union and one or more States.
Pax Silica: A U.S.-led initiative for strategic cooperation on semiconductors, critical minerals, and AI.
Non-Fossil Power: India's non-fossil fuel capacity reached a record 266.78 GW in 2025, a massive 22.6% jump in just one year.
Cybersecurity Move: The Indian government is mulling a new rule requiring smartphone makers to share source code to enhance national security.
Lighthouse Tourism: India recently inaugurated its first Lighthouse Museum in Visakhapatnam to promote maritime heritage tourism.
Fastest Delivery: The new Speed Post 24 service is the first time the Indian postal department has guaranteed delivery of documents within exactly one day.
Road Safety Statistic: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy highlighted that more people are dying in road accidents globally than in wars, urging citizens to treat traffic violations with the same seriousness as major crimes.
Hotel Management Entrance: The NCHM JEE score remains the standard for admission into Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) branches across India, including Hyderabad and Tirupati.
SV University Interviews: Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, is conducting walk-in interviews for various manpower positions under RUSA Phase-II.
NEET UG 2026: The NTA released the detailed syllabus for NEET UG 2026.
T-SAT Coaching: Special digital coaching for EAPCET (EAMCET) candidates began on T-SAT.
Recruitment: RFCL invited applications for 36 managerial posts , and Prasar Bharati announced 14 Marketing Executive positions.
Theme 2026: "Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha (Road Safety, Life Safety)."
Significance: 2026 marks the 37th year of this campaign to promote responsible driving and reduce road accidents.
Arrive Alive Campaign: Launched in Hyderabad to raise awareness about the dangers of traffic violations.
Road Signage: New initiatives include mandating QR codes on road signage in Delhi for better transparency.
Get Knowledge Gainers updates on our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels