Authored by: K Shiva
Israel-India Relations: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with PM Narendra Modi, expressing hope for a meeting in the "near future" and briefing him on the Gaza peace plan.
Venezuela-U.S. Oil Deal: U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim government will turn over 30 to 50 million barrels of "high quality, sanctioned oil" to the United States.
U.S. Seizure of Russian Tanker: The United States seized a Russia-linked oil tanker, formerly the Bella-1, in the North Atlantic despite a Russian navy escort.
Arctic Ambitions: The White House confirmed that President Trump has actively discussed the potential purchase of Greenland, preferring diplomacy but keeping all options on the table.
Census 2027 Notification: The first phase of Census 2027, the house listing operations, is scheduled to take place from April 1 to September 30, 2026.
GDP Growth Projections: The Union government estimates India's real GDP growth for FY26 at 7.4%, an increase from the 6.5% recorded the previous year.
SC on Judicial Inquiry: The Supreme Court expressed disagreement with claims that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla overstepped his authority by constituting a committee to probe allegations against a sitting High Court judge.
Pesticides Management Bill: The Agriculture Ministry released the draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, proposing stricter controls and higher penalties for spurious pesticides.
ISRO EOS-N1 Launch: ISRO is set to launch the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission on January 12, 2026, from Sriharikota. The satellite is designed for strategic imaging purposes.
Wind Energy Milestone: India added a record 6.34 GW of wind energy capacity in 2025, bringing the total national capacity to 54.51 GW.
Gen AI Partnership: Infosys has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate the enterprise adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Statutory Protection for Amaravati: A.P. CM N. Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek a Parliamentary Bill providing statutory protection for Amaravati as the state capital.
Medaram Shrine Renovation: Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy will inaugurate ₹300 crore worth of renovation works at the Sammakka Saralamma shrine on January 19.
Polavaram Completion Goal: CM Naidu announced a target to make the Polavaram project fully operational by December 2027.
Telangana Police Reshuffle: The creation of new police zones in Hyderabad, including the "Future City" commissionerate, led to a major reshuffle of senior IPS officers.
Cold Wave in Agency Areas: Temperatures plummeted to 2.7°C in G. Madugula (ASR district, A.P.) and 6.3°C in Tiryani (Asifabad, Telangana).
Sankranti Rush Management: TGSRTC will operate 6,431 special buses to handle the heavy Sankranti festival traffic from January 9 to 13.
Mori-5 Blowout Update: ONGC officials described the gas blowout at the Mori-5 well as a "geological surprise" and have successfully reduced the fire's intensity.
The Ashes (Sydney Test): Jacob Bethell scored a fighting half-century to rescue England's innings after Australia's Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (138) put the hosts in a dominant position.
WTT Feeder Series: Indian defensive specialist Senthil Kumar Mehan saved three match points to win a 37-minute thriller in the men's singles qualification.
National Basketball: Defending champion Tamil Nadu defeated Karnataka 71-63 in the 75th senior National basketball championships.
Amaravati Avakaya Festival: The three-day cultural festival begins today in Vijayawada, featuring film screenings, music by Javed Ali, and traditional arts.
Movie Ticket Price Dispute: The Telangana High Court declined to grant specific relief regarding ticket price hikes for the films Raja Saab and Mana Shankar Prasad Gaaru.
Who have been invited as the Chief Guests for India's 77th Republic Day (26 January 2026)? Answer: Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa
Which world leader is set to arrive in India on 12 January 2026 for his first Asian bilateral visit? Answer: Friedrich Merz (Chancellor of Germany)
Who recently became the youngest Indian to reach the South Pole at the age of 18? Answer: Kamya Karthikeyan
The 'Galaxy Frog' species, recently reported to be on the verge of extinction, is found in which region? Answer: Western Ghats, Kerala
Manoj Kothari, who recently passed away, was a former World Champion in which sport? Answer: Billiards
Which neighboring country of India has recently banned the telecast of the Indian Premier League (IPL)? Answer: Bangladesh
What is the name of the national initiative launched by industry leaders to promote large-scale employment? Answer: “100 Million Jobs”
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released 55 rare literary works published by which institute? Answer: Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)
What is the 'Mpemba Effect,' which has been recently discussed in scientific news? Answer: The phenomenon where hot water freezes faster than cold water.
In which state will the 4th edition of 'India Energy Week' be organized? Answer: Goa
Buddha's Life Sites: Born in Lumbini, Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, First sermon in Sarnath, and Mahaparinirvana in Kushinagar.
L1 Point: A gravitational balance point in space used by missions like Aditya-L1 for continuous solar observation
Engel's Law: An economic theory stating that as income rises, the proportion of income spent on food declines.
Sink vs. Drown: Only living things can "drown" (die due to water in lungs), whereas both living and non-living things can "sink" (go to the bottom).
World Buddhist Flag: Designed in 1885 in Sri Lanka to symbolize international Buddhist unity.
Reliance Scholarships: Over 1,800 students from A.P. and Telangana were selected for Reliance Foundation scholarships for 2025-26.
NTPC Recruitment: Openings for Executive Trainees in Finance (CA/CMA) with a significant pay scale.
IIT Hyderabad Lung Health CoE: A new Bioengineering Centre of Excellence for lung health has been established at IITH in collaboration with Germany.
Significance: Celebrated to honor the Buddhist flag as an international symbol of the faith.
History: The flag was designed in 1885 by the Colombo Committee in Sri Lanka to foster solidarity among Buddhists globally.
Recent Fact: India recently sent sacred relics of Lord Buddha to Thailand for a major exposition.
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