Daily Current Affairs Brief: January 24, 2026

Authored By: K Shiva

1. International Current Affairs

Trump’s "Board of Peace": U.S. President Donald Trump inaugurated a "Board of Peace" in Davos intended to oversee a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, claiming it could eventually rival the UN.

India’s Diplomatic Stance: While 59 countries signed on to the new peace body, India was notably absent from the initial 19-nation ceremony as it weighs its decision.

Greenland Strategy: Potential compromise contours for Greenland include increased NATO presence in the Arctic and establishing sovereign U.S. bases while blocking Russian and Chinese mining.

U.S. GDP Milestone: The U.S. economy reported a revised 4.4% annualized GDP growth for the third quarter, marking its fastest pace in two years.

TikTok Divestiture: TikTok finalized a deal to establish a majority American-owned joint venture to avoid a U.S. ban, with Adam Presser named as CEO.

US WHO Exit: One year after the initial order, the U.S. formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization on Friday, leaving behind approximately $260 million in debt.

2. National Current Affairs

New BJP National President: Nitin Nabin (45) officially took charge as the youngest-ever National President of the BJP, succeeding J.P. Nadda.

Jharkhand Anti-Maoist Success: Security forces killed 15 Maoists in a major joint operation in West Singhbhum, including a top leader with a ₹2.35 crore reward.

PM SvaNidhi Credit Cards: PM Modi launched the PM SVANidhi Credit Card scheme in Kerala, providing street vendors with credit limits up to ₹30,000.

Supreme Court on Electoral Rolls: The SC questioned the Election Commission on whether "illegal immigration" was the trigger for its special intensive revision of voter lists.

Military Pension Ruling: The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) granted a special family pension to a widow, ruling that military duty extends beyond fixed hours when saving lives.

Corporate Fraud Probe: The Supreme Court sought status reports from the ED and CBI regarding a multi-crore corporate fraud involving high-ranking officials.

3. Science & Technology

UP AI Mission: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a ₹2,000 crore "UP AI Mission" to implement AI-driven healthcare and set up 65 Data & AI labs.

Hypersonic Missile Debut: DRDO will showcase its Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) at the upcoming 77th Republic Day parade.

Stem Cell Excellence: A new Stem Cell Lab Centre of Excellence was inaugurated at NIMS, Hyderabad, to advance accessible regenerative medicine.

Battery PLI Struggles: Reports indicate the central incentive scheme for battery manufacturing is struggling to meet targets, with only 2.8% of capacity commissioned so far.

National Transmission Milestone: India's national power transmission network reached the 500,000 ckm (circuit kilometer) milestone on January 14, 2026.

Sustainable Aero-Engineering: Trusted Aerospace Engineering (TASE Global) opened a new ₹150 crore manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur.

4. States Current Affairs

AP WEF Center: The World Economic Forum announced it will set up a center in Andhra Pradesh, the third such hub in India after Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Uttar Pradesh Diwas: Celebrations are being held from January 24–26 under the theme "Viksit Bharat, Viksit Uttar Pradesh".

Andhra Sports Cities: CM Chandrababu Naidu invited the Tata Group to invest in three proposed "Sports Cities" in AP during the Davos summit.

Kerala Rail Boost: PM Modi flagged off three new Amrit Bharat Express trains and a passenger train for Kerala during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram.

Telangana Investment: The state secured a ₹12,500 crore commitment from the Rashmi Group for a steel plant project.

Bihar IT Policy: Bihar announced a new IT Policy offering 30% fixed capital subsidies up to ₹30 crore to boost regional investment and employment.

5. District & Local News

Vijayawada Regional Growth: Coastal Bank inaugurated its 52nd branch in One-Town, Vijayawada, focusing on local business development.

Tirumala Ratha Saptami: TTD cancelled "VIP Break" darshans for January 25 to prioritize common devotees during the Ratha Saptami festival.

Telangana Stray Dog Culling: Nearly 900 stray dogs have been culled this month across a Telangana district, leading to FIRs against local sarpanches.

Hyderabad Infrastructure: The HMDA planned a 9-km elevated corridor for Western Hyderabad at a cost of ₹1,656 crore to ease traffic.

Eluru Tiger Alert: Forest officials in Eluru issued a high alert and set camera traps after a tiger crossed over from Telangana into local mandals.

Mhow Health Crisis: Over 20 residents in Mhow, MP, fell ill due to suspected contaminated water, leading to nine hospitalizations.

6. Sports & Games

India Dominates T20s: India took a 2-0 lead in the T20 series against New Zealand; Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan led a record-breaking chase in Raipur.

Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the fourth round, winning his match against Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.

WPL Talent Hunt: The "WPL Speed Queen" initiative concluded its 15-city journey, successfully identifying the fastest young women bowlers across India.

RCB Ownership Bid: Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla announced he will submit a competitive bid to acquire the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL team.

Shooting Trials: Tilottama Sen secured the top spot in the women's 10m air rifle during the national selection trials.

Tennis Milestone: Novak Djokovic became the first man to record 100 match wins at every individual Grand Slam tournament.

7. Cinema & Entertainment

Oscar Records: Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners led the 98th Academy Award nominations with a record 16 nods.

Visakha Utsav: The annual cultural festival "Visakha Utsav" is scheduled to begin on January 24 in Visakhapatnam.

Legendary Designer Dies: World-renowned fashion icon Valentino Garavani passed away at the age of 93.

Saraswati Jayanthi: Major preparations are underway at Indrakeeladri for the Sri Saraswati Devi Jayanthi celebrations on January 23.

8. General Knowledge (Competitive Jobs)

1. Which two important observances are celebrated in India and globally on 24 January? Answer: National Girl Child Day and International Day of Education.

2. What is the theme for the 8th International Day of Education observed today, 24 January 2026? Answer: "The power of youth in co-creating education."

3. In which city was the foundation stone recently laid for "Palmnaro," India's first integrated private-sector satellite plant? Answer: Sanand, Gujarat. (Developed by Azista Space Limited, it will focus on indigenous satellite manufacturing.)

4. Which Indian city has become Uttar Pradesh’s first "Zero Fresh Waste Dump" city by achieving 100% scientific processing of municipal waste? Answer: Lucknow.

5. The "Healthy Border Campaign" (Swasth Seema Abhiyan) was recently launched in which state in collaboration with the ITBP? Answer: Uttarakhand. (It aims to provide primary healthcare to 108 border villages in districts like Pithoragarh and Chamoli.)

6. Which state government recently signed an MoU with Starlink India to strengthen digital connectivity and disaster resilience in rural areas? Answer: Goa.

7. What is the current interest rate for the "Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana" (SSY) as of early 2026? Answer: 8.2%.

8. Which space agency’s probe, Voyager 1, is expected to become the first human-made object to reach a distance of "one light-day" from Earth in 2026? Answer: NASA. (A light-day is the distance light travels in 24 hours, approximately 26 billion kilometers.)

9. The "Karuna Abhiyan 2026," a state-wide wildlife rescue campaign to protect birds injured by kite strings, is an initiative of which state? Answer: Gujarat.

10. Which bank recently won the "Best Fintech & DPI Adoption" award at the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) Technology Awards? Answer: Karnataka Bank.

9. Do You Know?

• TThe "LRS" Dip: Outward remittances by Indians (money sent abroad) fell to a two-year low recently. This is largely because fewer Indians are spending on foreign studies compared to previous years.

• Lucknow’s Waste Magic: Lucknow now processes 100% of its daily waste, turning it into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for industries and bio-soil for farmers, leaving no "fresh" trash in landfills.

• The Power of 24: While 24 January is famous for girls' rights, it was specifically chosen as National Girl Child Day in 2008 to coincide with the anniversary of Indira Gandhi taking oath as India’s first woman Prime Minister in 1966.

• Pushpak’s Progress: ISRO is currently conducting advanced landing experiments with "Pushpak," a reusable launch vehicle that lands like an airplane. This is the "Indian version" of reusability, similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9 but using a winged design.

10. Job & Educational Topics

RBI Office Attendants: The Reserve Bank of India has 572 vacancies for Office Attendant posts; applications close February 4, 2026.

Kavach B.Tech Course: IRISET Secunderabad and CVR College signed a pact to launch a B.Tech course on the 'Kavach' railway safety system.

PM Internship Hike: The government is considering increasing the PM Internship Scheme stipend to ₹11,800 per month.

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

Telangana Inter Exams: Annual Intermediate board exams for 1.75 lakh students in Hyderabad are scheduled to begin on February 25.

Reward for Informers: The Delhi government announced a ₹50,000 reward for informers who report illegal fetal sex determination tests.

11. Day Special: National Girl Child Day (24 January)

Inception: The day was first initiated in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Theme for 2026: The official theme is "A Girl's Vision for the Future".

Core Purpose: Spreading awareness about gender-based discrimination and promoting equal rights and opportunities for girls.

Slogan: "Protect, educate, and empower girls, promoting gender equality and social awareness across India".