National News

Amrit Bharat Express trains

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off five new Amrit Bharat Express trains from West Bengal and Assam.
• These trains are Howrah – Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express, Sealdah – Banaras Express and Santragachi – Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express, Kamakhya-Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express and Dibrugarh-Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) Amrit Bharat Express.

STATE SPECIAL NEWS

Shifting the border security fence in Punjab

• Government of India agreed in principle to shift the border security fence in Punjab closer to the International Border (IB).
• This decision followed a meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in New Delhi.
• The relocation aims to help farmers with land located between the current fence and the IB, allowing them to cultivate their land without restrictions.
• A similar fence realignment has been successfully trialed in the Pathankot and Gurdaspur areas.

Punjab

PM-E Drive scheme in Pune

• Maharashtra cabinet has approved the operation of one thousand electric buses in the Pune metropolitan region under the Central Government’s PM-E Drive scheme.

PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE)

Bembla River project in Yavatmal district

• Maharashtra cabinet approved ₹4,775 crore for the project to finalize Bembla River project in Yavatmal district.
• The Bembla River Project is a major irrigation initiative in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, situated on the Bembla River within the Godavari basin.

Maharashtra

AM Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia plant

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan participated in the First Major Equipment Erection Ceremony of the AM Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia plant in Kakinada.
• This Plant will be a brownfield conversion of an existing ammonia-urea complex formerly owned by Nagarjuna Fertilizers.
• The facility is designed to enable India's first large-scale green energy exports to global markets, including Germany (via Uniper), Japan, and Singapore.

Andhra Pradesh

Integrated court complexes in Uttar Pradesh

• Chief Justice of India Surya Kant laid the foundation stone and performed the groundbreaking ceremony (Bhoomi Pujan) for six integrated court complexes in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh.
• The six complexes will be built in the districts of Chandauli, Mahoba, Amethi, Shamli, Hathras, and Auraiya. These are part of a pilot project involving 10 planned integrated complexes across the state.
• The ceremony was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Arun Bhansali.
• Justice Surya Kant assumed office as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on November 24, 2025, and is scheduled to serve until February 9, 2027.

Uttar Pradesh

Maruti Suzuki Plant Gujarat

• The Gujarat Government and Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) formalised a landmark agreement on January 17, 2026, for a new mega vehicle manufacturing plant in Khoraj, near Sanand in the Ahmedabad district.
• This new plant will be Maruti Suzuki's second major facility in Gujarat, complementing its existing site in Hansalpur. Together, these two sites are expected to bring Gujarat's total annual production for the company to 2 million vehicles.

Gujrat

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BRICS Naval Drill South Africa-Led

• India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the "Will for Peace 2026" naval drills were entirely a South African initiative and not an official or institutional activity of the BRICS grouping.
• India and Brazil both opted out of the exercises.
• India emphasized that its regular maritime cooperation with these partners is through the IBSAMAR exercise, which includes the navies of India, Brazil, and South Africa.
• "Will for Peace 2026" naval drills was week-long exercise in South African waters involved navies from China, Russia, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

About BRICS

India and Canada

• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met with David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, Canada, in New Delhi to discuss strengthening the bilateral economic partnership.
• Minister Goyal announced plans to lead a high-level trade and investment delegation to Canada to initiate negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
• British Columbia remains India's largest trading partner within Canada, with bilateral trade reaching $2.1 billion in 2024, accounting for approximately 25% of Canada's exports to India.

Tariffs on European Nations by USA

• President Donald Trump announced that the United States will impose a 10% tariff on all goods from eight European countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland effective February 1, 2026.
• The administration stated these tariffs will increase to 25% on June 1, 2026, and will remain in effect until a deal is reached for the "complete and total purchase" of Greenland by the United States.
• European Union leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the move as a threat to transatlantic relations. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron both rejected the "intimidation," stating that Greenland's sovereignty is not for sale.

EU & South American bloc Mercosur sign major deal

• The European Union and South American bloc Mercosur have signed a long-delayed free trade agreement in Asuncion, Paraguay, creating one of the world’s largest trade zones.
• The deal will cut more than 90 percent of tariffs between the EU and Mercosur countries including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

APPOINTMENTS

Yoweri Museveni

• Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has won a record seventh term in office following the general elections.

Uganda

ECONOMY & BANKING

DGCA imposes fine on IndiGo Airlines

• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DGCA, has imposed a fine of 22.20 crore rupees on IndiGo following large-scale delays and cancellations by the airline in early December last year.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

PM Vishwakarma Haat 2026

• Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) organised PM Vishwakarma Haat 2026 at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi.
• The event reflects the spirit of "Vishwakarma Ka Abhiyaan, Viksit Bharat Ka Nirman".
• It is a 14-day national exhibition to showcase India’s traditional craftsmanship and heritage and serves as a marketplace for artisans registered under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme.

PM Vishwakarma Scheme

MSME Technology Centres at Pandoga & Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh

• The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has approved two new MSME Technology Centres in Himachal Pradesh, to be located in the Pandoga industrial area (Una district) and the Parwanoo industrial area (Solan district).
• These facilities are part of a nationwide rollout of 13 new Technology Centres and Extension Centres aimed at strengthening local industrial ecosystems
• The centres are designed to provide access to advanced technology, skilled manpower, and specialized technical services in sectors such as engineering, plastics, and automation.

ART & CULTURE

Mauni Amavasya in Prayagraj

• On the occasion of Mauni Amavasya millions of devotees are congregated at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj for the third major holy dip (snan) of the annual Magh Mela.

Mauni Amavasya

ENVIRONMENT + SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Second rangewide Dolphin Survey

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change officially launched the second range-wide estimation of riverine and estuarine dolphins in India. This nationwide survey, conducted under Project Dolphin, commenced at the Ganga barrage in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.

Mazor Highlights

Virtual reality theatre on space exploration

• Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla inaugurated a new state-of-the-art Virtual Reality (VR) Theatre and a panel exhibition titled "From Earth to Orbit: Exploring Space Together" at the National Science Centre (NSC) in New Delhi.
• While Group Captain Shukla served as the Guest of Honour, the formal inauguration was performed by Shri D. K. Singh, Director of ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC).

RANKS and REPORTS

Global Risks Report 2026

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Global Risks Report 2026 titled "The Age of Competition," highlights a shift toward a fragmented, multipolar world where geoeconomic tools are increasingly weaponized.
• It also highlights a shift where geopolitical and economic confrontations are overtaking global cooperation, with 57% of experts anticipating a "turbulent or stormy" outlook for the next decade.

Specific Findings for India

DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Navy’s Training Squadron Visited Changi Naval Base

• Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron comprising INS Tir, INS Shardul, INS Sujata, and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi, reached Changi Naval Base, Singapore to strengthen maritime cooperation and capabilities through various activities and exchanges between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
• The deployment highlights the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026 and aligns with India's current leadership of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).
• This visit is a key component of its Long Range Training Deployment (LRTD) to the South East Indian Ocean Region.

Indian Navy