Daily Current Affairs Brief: January 22, 2026

Authored By: K Shiva

1. International Current Affairs

Greenland Pressure: U.S. President Donald Trump has increased pressure on European nations and NATO to grant the U.S. full rights to Greenland for national security, arguing it is part of North America.

Trade Deal Freeze: In response to Trump's escalating threats regarding Greenland, the European Parliament has indefinitely postponed a vote on a landmark trade deal between the EU and the U.S..

Abe's Assassin Sentenced: A Japanese court sentenced 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Middle Powers Alliance: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking at Davos, urged mid-sized nations to band together to resist coercion from aggressive superpowers, noting that the "rules-based international order" is effectively dead.

UN Warning: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that global order is being undermined by leaders who "run roughshod over international law," setting a perilous precedent for global security.

Sunita Williams Retires: NASA announced the retirement of Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams after a distinguished 27-year career and three space missions.

2. National Current Affairs

Supreme Court on Voter Lists: The Supreme Court emphasized that the Election Commission's discretion in revising electoral rolls is not "unregulated" and must follow transparent procedures to protect the civil rights of existing voters.

Aravalli Expert Panel: A special team of domain experts will be constituted by the Supreme Court to "define" the Aravalli Range and create a roadmap for permissible activities, including regulated mining.

Freebies vs. Welfare: The Supreme Court drew a clear distinction between "irrational freebies" used to lure voters and legitimate state investments in public welfare schemes for marginalized sections.

Youngest BJP President: Nitin Nabin (45) has officially taken over as the youngest-ever National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Draft Electricity Policy 2026: The Union Power Ministry released a draft policy proposing index-linked automatic annual revisions of electricity tariffs to ensure the financial health of power utilities.

SIDBI Equity Infusion: The Union Cabinet approved a ₹5,000 crore equity infusion into the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to expand credit for MSMEs.

3. Science & Technology

Stem Cell Excellence: A Stem Cell Lab Centre of Excellence was inaugurated at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad to advance regenerative medicine.

AI for Rural Governance: At the Davos WEF, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy highlighted how the state uses Artificial Intelligence to track farmer subsidies and property tax collections.

Persistent Systems AI Monetization: Persistent Systems has begun monetizing proprietary AI tools like SASVA and AURA, offering integrated pricing models for customers.

Critical Mineral Exploration: The Ministry of Mines plans to intensify exploration between 2026 and 2031, tasking the GSI with 500 projects, 300 of which will focus on strategic minerals.

SpaceTech Summit: Andhra Pradesh is set to host a Space Tech Summit from January 22–24 at Vignan’s University, featuring a rocketry challenge for students.

Vaccine Production Scaling: Dr. Reddy’s is preparing to manufacture 12 million pens of a generic weight-loss drug (Semaglutide) in its first year, following patent expirations.

4. States Current Affairs (AP & Telangana)

Telangana Investment Milestone: The Telangana delegation at Davos secured major commitments, including a ₹12,500 crore steel plant proposal from the Rashmi Group expected to generate 12,000 jobs.

Amaravati Legal Sanctity: The Andhra Pradesh government is moving to pass a bill in the upcoming Parliament Budget Session (starting January 28) to provide permanent legal sanctity to Amaravati as the state capital.

Next-Gen Life Sciences Policy: Telangana unveiled a new policy targeting $25 billion in investments and the creation of five lakh high-quality jobs within the global life sciences value chain.

AP-RMZ Partnership: A $10 billion partnership was announced between the AP government and RMZ Corporation to develop a hyperscale data center in Visakhapatnam.

ArcelorMittal Steel Plant: CM Chandrababu Naidu confirmed that the foundation stone for the ₹60,000 crore ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel plant in Anakapalli district will be laid after February 15.

AP Land Value Revision: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to revise land market values in urban areas starting February 1, 2026.

5. District & Local News

Hyderabad Infrastructure: The HMDA announced several projects for Western Hyderabad, including a 9-km elevated corridor costing ₹1,656 crore and a world-class trumpet interchange at Budvel.

NIMS Expansion: The Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) facility in Hyderabad is on track to become a 2,000-bed facility by the end of 2026.

Chevella Banyan Sabotage: Environmentalists reported the suspected sabotage of ancient banyan trees on National Highway 163, with at least 10 trees allegedly set on fire.

Vijayawada Regional Development: Coastal Bank opened its 52nd branch in One-Town, Vijayawada, focused on localized financial growth.

Eluru Tobacco Raids: Local police in Eluru seized illegal tobacco products from shops near schools under the "Operation Safe Campus Zone".

TTD Temples: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam plans to build new Sri Venkateswara temples in Guwahati, Patna, and Belgaum to promote the Bhakti tradition.

6. Sports & Games

India’s T20 Victory: India took a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series against New Zealand; Abhishek Sharma dazzled with 84 runs off 35 balls.

WPL Update: Delhi Capitals defeated Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in the Women’s Premier League, with significant contributions from Telugu player Sri Charani.

Bangladesh WC Status: The ICC rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s demand to shift World Cup matches out of India, giving them 24 hours to rethink their stance.

Djokovic’s Century: Novak Djokovic became the first tennis player to record 100 match wins at every individual Grand Slam tournament.

National Shooting Trials: Tilottama Sen and Niraj Kumar emerged as leaders in the 50m rifle positions during the national trials.

Hockey India League: The Hyderabad Toofans secured a narrow 3-2 victory against HIL GC in a highly competitive match.

7. Cinema & Entertainment

Varun Tej’s New Project: On the actor’s birthday, his upcoming horror-comedy film was officially titled Korean Kanakaraju.

OTT Premieres: The thriller Shambala is scheduled for release on Aha, while the documentary series Space Zen Chandrayaan will premiere on JioHotstar.

Visakha Utsav: The annual Visakha Utsav cultural festival is set to begin on January 24, celebrating local heritage.

Designer Passing: The world of fashion mourned the death of legendary Italian designer Valentino Garavani at age 93.

Photojournalist Honor: The Indian Christian Journalists Collective provided financial aid to the family of the late senior photojournalist M. Vidyasagar.

Saraswati Jayanthi: The Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri is preparing for Sri Saraswati Devi Jayanthi (Sri Panchami) on January 23.

8. General Knowledge (Competitive Exams)

Silver Market Record: For the first time, silver prices in India hit a historic high of ₹3.07 lakh per kg.

Fastest Growing Economy: The RBI’s January bulletin maintains that India will remain the world's fastest-growing major economy in FY 2025-26.

FDI Leader: India was ranked in the "first league" of investment destinations alongside the U.S., Germany, and the UK in a recent CEO survey.

Wikipedia Statistics: Wikipedia’s English edition has crossed 7 million articles, housing a total of 775 terabytes of data.

India-UAE Trade Goal: A new strategic partnership between India and the UAE aims to reach $200 billion in bilateral trade by 2032.

CAQM Pollution Report: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) identified vehicular emissions (23%) as the primary source of winter pollution in Delhi.

9. Do You Know?

mBridge CBDC Project: A new cross-border payment platform using Digital Currencies handled $55 billion in transactions and is designed to be "sanction-proof".

Aravalli Definition: New environmental standards consider elevations of 100 meters or above and hill clusters within 500 meters as part of the Aravalli range.

Apple Pay India: Tech giant Apple is reportedly finalizing plans to launch its digital payment service, Apple Pay, in the Indian market.

Bark Spider Silk: Research on Madagascar's bark spiders revealed that females produce significantly tougher silk than males, designed for extreme durability.

ISS Lifeboats: Spacecraft like SpaceX's Dragon are permanently docked at the International Space Station as "lifeboats" for emergency crew evacuation.

NPS Contributions: Under the National Pension System, employees contribute 10% of their basic pay, which is fully matched by the government.

10. Job & Educational Topics

RBI Recruitment: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opened applications for 572 Office Attendant posts, with a deadline of February 4, 2026.

Kavach B.Tech Course: IRISET Secunderabad has partnered with CVR College of Engineering to launch a specialized B.Tech course on the 'Kavach' railway protection system.

SAI Coaching Jobs: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) announced 323 vacancies for Assistant Coaches across various sports disciplines.

Internship Stipend Hike: The government is considering increasing the PM Internship Scheme stipend from ₹5,000 to ₹11,800 to prevent dropouts.

Faculty Recruitment: NIT Calicut and Sri Vasavi Engineering College (Tadepalligudem) have issued notifications for multiple professor and teaching staff positions.

NMDC Director Post: The PESB has invited applications for the post of Director (Commercial) at NMDC, with a deadline of February 9, 2026.

11. Day Special: 22 January

WEF Davos 2026: Significant sessions at the World Economic Forum featured the "middle powers" address by PM Mark Carney and investment pitches from Indian CMs.

M.L.K. Day Remembrance: Events were held across the U.S. and India to honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr..

Anniversary of Makwar Dam: Today marks the centenary of the opening of the Makwar Dam on the Blue Nile (January 22, 1926), which revolutionized irrigation in Sudan.

Historical CIA Report: Fifty years ago today (January 22, 1976), reports surfaced regarding the CIA's failure to predict India's 1974 nuclear test.

Irish Coinage Centenary: January 22, 1926, saw the launch of distinctive coinage for the Irish Free State, featuring the "Pingin" and "Leat Corbin".

Monsoon Conclusion: The IMD has officially signaled the complete withdrawal of the 2025 Northeast Monsoon from the Indian peninsula.