NATIONAL NEWS

Guinness World Records by NHAI

• National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), in collaboration with concessionaire Rajpath Infracon Private Limited, established four Guinness World Records on the under-construction Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada Economic Corridor (NH-544G).
• In Phase one Longest continuous laying of Bituminous Concrete in 24 hours was done near Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh and second record was created for continuous laying of the highest quantity of 10 thousand 655 metric tonnes of Bituminous Concrete in 24 hours.
• Two additional Guinness World Records were continuous laying of 57 thousand 500 metric tonnes of Bituminous Concrete and a record for continuous paving of a 3-lane, wide 52-kilometre section on 343 km long, access-controlled six-lane Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada Economic Corridor.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)

9th Convocation of Jawaharlal Nehru University

• Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan Addressed 9th Convocation of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

STATE SPECIAL NEWS

Access to Bhagat Singh’s trial records

• The Punjab government has sought access from the British government to the documents pertaining to the trial proceedings of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar and Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru, as these records hold profound historical and emotional significance for the people as well as for global scholars of history and human rights.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi hold delegation-level talks with Germany

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held delegation-level talks at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar.
• This meeting marked Chancellor Merz's first official visit to India and his inaugural trip to Asia since taking office on May 6, 2025.
• The leaders reviewed the progress of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently marked its 25th anniversary.

External Affairs Minister’s official Visit to France and Luxembourg

• External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar concluded his official visit to France and Luxembourg, a tour aimed at deepening India's strategic engagement with Europe.
• Jaishankar was the first non-European Foreign Minister to be the Guest of Honour at the 31st Conference of Ambassadors of France, where he spoke on strategic autonomy.
• In France, Dr. Jaishankar met with President Emmanuel Macron and his counterpart, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot.
• In Luxembourg, EAM Jaishankar met with Grand Duke Guillaume, Prime Minister Luc Frieden, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel.

SUMMITS AND CONFERNCES

16th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

• The 16th Session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• The theme was "Powering Humanity: Renewable Energy for Shared Prosperity".
• The Dominican Republic held the presidency of the 16th Assembly, with Vice-Presidents from Kenya, Solomon Islands, Spain, and Antigua and Barbuda.
• Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi participated in the event and reiterated India’s commitment to achieving 500 Giga Watt of non-fossil fuel installed power capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070.

G7 Critical Minerals Ministerial Meeting

• Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw participated in the G7 Critical Minerals Ministerial Meeting in Washington DC, United States.
• Finance ministers from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the European Union were major Participants and Non-G7 countries including India and Australia were invited to join the discussions.

G7

Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference

• The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) 2026 for the Kutch and Saurashtra regions was held in Rajkot and it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Japan, South Korea, Rwanda, and Ukraine participated as official partner countries.
• The event emphasized Gujarat's roadmap to achieve over 100 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, including specific sessions on "Blue Energy" and offshore wind prospects.

Gujrat

25th All India Major Port Cultural Meet 2025–26

• The 25th All India Major Port Cultural Meet 2025–26 held at Paradip Port, Odisha which featured competitions in classical vocal, light vocal, instrumental music, dance, and drama.
• Overall Champion in the meet was declared to Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (Kolkata).

Exam Facts

AWARDS AND HONOURS

World’s largest AI Film Award

• Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi won the first-ever $1 million AI Film Award for his short film ‘Lily’.
• The award was presented by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai.
• The 1 Billion Followers Summit is a platform for the global content creator economy organized by the UAE Government Media Office.

83rd Golden Globe Awards 2026

• The 83rd Golden Globe Awards took place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California which was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser for the second consecutive year.

Major Film Awards

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Prem Nu Vishwa, Vishwa Nu Prem

• Recently Jain saint Shrimad Vijayaratna Sundar Surishwarji Maharaj released his 500th book titled 'Prem Nu Vishwa, Vishwa Nu Prem'
• The book offers simple and spiritual solutions to humanity's problems, especially in today's world where the world is facing division and conflicts.

PERSON IN NEWS

Swami Vivekananda

• On the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's 164th birth anniversary on January 12, national leaders and citizens across India paid widespread tributes to the visionary philosopher.
• The day is annually celebrated as National Youth Day.

About Swami Vivekananda

Shri Aritra Roy

• Shri Aritra Roy, a noted Indian mountaineer, successfully summited Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina reaching 6,967.15 meters, marking a major step in his Seven Summits Challenge.
• Mt. Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside Asia and the highest peak in South America, stands at 6,967.15 meters (22,858 ft) above mean sea level.

ART & CULTURE

Somnath Swabhiman Parv

• The Somnath Swabhiman Parv was a national commemoration observed in Prabhas Patan, Gujarat which marked the 1,000th anniversary of the first recorded attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026 CE, as well as 75 years since the temple's post-Independence reconstruction.
• The observance included key events like the "Shaurya Yatra," a ceremonial procession of 108 horses to honor the temple's defenders, and 72 hours of continuous chanting of 'Om'.

2nd Udyan Utsav

• 2nd Udyan Utsav was hosted at Rashtrapati Nilayam, Bolarum.
• The festival was organized by Rashtrapati Nilayam and anchored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, with support from MANAGE (National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management).

ENVIRONMENT + SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Sangai Conservation Workshop

• A two-day state-level Sangai Conservation Workshop concluded, in Keibul Lamjao, Bishnupur district, Manipur.
• Society for Sangai and Nature Conservation (SSNC) Keibul Lamjao, in association with BRIC-Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Manipur Forest Department, and the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change were organisers of this Event.
• The primary threat to the Sangai is the thinning and fragmentation of the floating biomass (phumdis) due to the changing water levels caused by the Ithai Barrage and climate change.

Manipur

DEFENCE NEWS

Tri-Services Veterans Day parade

• Mumbai hosted the fifth edition of the Tri-Services Veterans Day parade at Marine Drive.
• Mumbai is the only city in the country to host a city-level parade to mark Veterans Day. The event was organised by the Navy Foundation Mumbai Chapter with the support of Headquarters Western Naval Command.
• Tri-Services Veterans Day commemorates the retirement of Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army after Independence, on 14th of January, 1953, and honours the service and contributions of India’s military veterans.

Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile

• Third Generation Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top attack capability was flight-tested successfully against a moving target in KK Ranges, Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra by DRDO’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory, Hyderabad.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

SPORTS

Virat Kohli

• Virat Kohli (624th innings) became the fastest to reach 28,000 runs, reaching the milestone quicker than Sachin Tendulkar (644 innings) and Kumar Sangakkara (666).
• He reached the landmark during an ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara.
• Only three players in the history of international cricket have crossed the 28,000-run mark: Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and now Virat Kohli.