Authored by: K Shiva
U.S. Forces Capture Maduro: In a major nighttime operation, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores; they are being taken to New York for prosecution on "narco-terrorism" charges.
Prosecution: The couple was taken aboard the U.S. warship Iwo Jima and is headed to New York to face prosecution for alleged "narco-terrorism" conspiracy.
U.S. Governance: President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would temporarily run Caracas and tap into Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to sell large amounts to other countries. International Reaction: Left parties in India, including the CPI and CPI(M), condemned the strikes as a "naked act of aggression" and a violation of international law
Early Results: The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is leading in early results from the first phase of Myanmar’s general election. Junta Legitimacy: Critics and the international community have denounced the polls as a "sham" designed to transition junta leader Min Aung Hlaing into a civilian presidency. Limited Reach: The elections only cover about half of Myanmar’s territory due to the ongoing civil war between the military and various ethnic armed organizations.
Iran Protests: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted that "rioters must be put in their place" as the death toll from a week of economic protests touched 10. President Trump warned that if Tehran kills peaceful protesters, the U.S. "will come to their rescue".
Bangladesh Minority Deaths: A Hindu businessman, Khokon Chandra Das, died three days after being hacked and set on fire in Shariatpur district. This marks the fifth death from the Hindu community in Bangladesh since December 2025.
NCP Resignations: Thirteen central leaders of the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) in Bangladesh resigned over the party's alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami.
Economic Milestone: India has officially surpassed Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy with a GDP of $4.18 trillion.
Chhattisgarh Encounter: Security forces neutralised 14 Maoists, including six women, in two separate encounters in the Sukma and Bijapur districts of the Bastar region. Maoist Surrender: A senior commander of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), Badse Sukka, and 19 others surrendered before the Telangana Police, marking the collapse of the last remaining PLGA battalion. National Anti-Terror Policy: The Union government is reportedly finalizing India's first comprehensive anti-terror policy to provide a unified template for States to combat digital radicalization.
HAL Civil Aviation: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) conducted the maiden flight of the Dhruv New Generation (NG) helicopter, marking its formal entry into the civil aviation market.
Emergency Defense Deal: The Indian Army signed a ₹1,292-crore contract with NIBE Ltd. to procure Suryastra long-range rocket launchers integrated with Israeli technology.
Global Chip Crunch: Signs of a global semiconductor crisis have started appearing in India, with prices for RAM sticks and SSDs surging due to high demand from AI hyper-scalers.
EV Battery Tracking: The Transport Ministry proposed assigning a 21-character Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) to EV batteries for end-to-end traceability.
Digital Security: Android smartphones were found to have the highest level of AI-powered protections against mobile threats according to Counterpoint Research.
Tiger Mortality: India recorded a record 166 tiger deaths in 2025, with Madhya Pradesh reporting the highest number.
Space Roadmap: ISRO is targeting March 2026 for the uncrewed Gaganyaan (G1) mission, while NASA's Artemis-II is scheduled for early February.
Air Quality Hazardous: Air quality in Visakhapatnam plunged to "hazardous" levels as PM2.5 readings crossed 300 due to industrial emissions and weather conditions.
Investment Leader: A Bank of Baroda report placed Andhra Pradesh at the top of the country, capturing 25.30% of all proposed capital investments in the first nine months of FY26.
Bhogapuram Airport: The first validation test flight, an Air India aircraft from New Delhi, is scheduled to land at the new Bhogapuram International Airport today.
Farmer Compensation: The State government deposited ₹128.33 crore directly into the bank accounts of 37,752 onion farmers from Kurnool and Kadapa who suffered crop losses.
Assembly Sessions: CM Revanth Reddy alleged in the Assembly that the previous government "mortgaged" Krishna water rights, pledging to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy (PRLIS) project in three years.
Eye Care Expansion: The government will establish Eye Care Clinics across the state, with Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital in Hyderabad acting as the central hub.
Abolishing 2-Child Norm: The Legislative Assembly passed a bill to remove the law that disqualified individuals with more than two children from contesting local body elections.
IPL Development: Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad following instructions from the BCCI amid strained ties.
Cricket Captaincy: Shubman Gill has been named to lead the Indian Men's team in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.
Chess Milestone: Koneru Humpy secured a bronze medal at the World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha.
National Shooting: Army shooter Ajay Kumar won the men's 10m air pistol gold at the National shooting championships.
MANI App: Launched by RBI to help visually challenged persons identify the denomination of currency notes.
Myopia vs. Hypermetropia: Myopia is nearsightedness (near objects clear), while Hypermetropia is farsightedness (distant objects clear).
Vyommitra: The half-humanoid robot designed by ISRO for the Gaganyaan mission to simulate human functions in space.
Do you know that the Braille script was originally based on a 12-dot code before being simplified to the current 6-dot system?.
Do you know that World Sight Day is observed annually on October 13?.
Do you know why humans get goosebumps? Scientifically called piloerection, it is an evolutionary vestige to trap air for insulation or to appear larger to threats.
Significance: Observed annually on January 4 to mark the birth anniversary of Louis Braille (born 1809), the inventor of the Braille script for the visually impaired.
Braille System: A tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired; Louis discovered the script at the age of 15.
Health Tech: Elon Musk's Neuralink has developed ‘Blindsight,’ a brain-chip device aimed at assisting blind individuals.
Insurance Milestone: Star Health has introduced specialized Braille Insurance Policies specifically for visually impaired citizens.
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