India-EU summit set to conclude a free trade agreement and establish defence and professional mobility frameworks.
Negotiations are nearing conclusion on a free trade agreement to create an integrated India-EU market, alongside parallel negotiations on a strategic defence partnership and a framework for mobility of Indian professionals, with additional initiatives intended to broaden bilateral ties and mechanisms to address external economic and security policy disruptions.

Legislative assembly all-party meeting ahead of Budget Session promotes cross-party participation and fosters meaningful discussion on public issues.
Rajasthan Assembly will convene an all-party meeting before the Budget Session commencing January 28 to bring together the Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, party whips, and selected MLAs to ensure inclusive participation in House proceedings and facilitate advance consultation on matters of public interest.

Living root bridges and traditional conservation practices receive national recognition and UNESCO nomination momentum for preservation.
National recognition via a civilian award has highlighted the indigenous practice of training Ficus elastica aerial roots to create durable living root bridges, emphasizing community custodianship, sustainable bio engineering, and cultural identity. The bridges, concentrated in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, are on the UNESCO Tentative List, and recent official endorsements and visits reinforce momentum toward heritage protection, conservation measures, and policies supporting community led maintenance and sustainable tourism.

India promotes peace globally while reinforcing defence readiness, advancing women's empowerment and inclusive economic reforms.
The address asserts India as a messenger of peace backed by strengthened defence capability-citing precision strikes that targeted terror infrastructure-as well as a national strategy prioritising women's empowerment, poverty alleviation through targeted schemes, constitutional accessibility in all Eighth Schedule languages, deregulatory governance reforms, and economic transformation driven by GST, structural reforms, and a commitment to self-reliance.

Bamboo projects launch to strengthen artisan clusters, modernise products, link markets and promote engineered bamboo exports.
Two projects aim to expand bamboo-based economic activity in the northeast: one to strengthen traditional artisan clusters by enhancing market access, modernising products, and linking them with digital and retail ecosystems through MoUs with private partners; the other to promote engineered bamboo products via cluster strengthening and export facilitation.

Assault and public order incident: two arrested, eight booked; restaurants ordered to remove cabins and install transparent glass.
Alleged public-order harassment at a Shahjahanpur restaurant led to a couple jumping from the second floor and suffering serious injuries; an FIR named three individuals and five unidentified persons, and two further suspects were arrested. The accused are charged under Sections 191(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Authorities ordered removal of cabins, avoidance of curtains, installation of transparent glass in pizza parlours, and directed surprise inspections of restaurants with strict action against illegal activities.

Maharashtra MoUs at Davos prompt demand for a white paper to verify investment commitments and job claims.
Prithviraj Chavan urged a white paper disclosing the status and materialisation of Davos MoUs, questioned the Rs 30 lakh crore and 40 lakh jobs claims, and challenged signing MoUs with domestic companies as undermining the goal of attracting foreign capital while seeking clear data on FDI composition, technical partnerships and realisation rates.

IndiGo cancels certain flights and plans possible Doha refuelling halts amid safety concerns over Iran-US tensions.
IndiGo cancelled January 25 services between Delhi-Tbilisi and Mumbai-Almaty (and returns) as proactive safety-driven schedule changes due to developments around Iran. It also stated January 26 services to and from Tbilisi, Almaty, Baku and Tashkent may include a brief refuelling halt at Doha as a contingency measure tied to apprehended military conflict risks arising from escalated Iran-United States tensions.

India EU free trade agreement set to conclude, promising extensive tariff liberalisation, services liberalisation and regulatory cooperation.
India and the European Union are poised to announce the conclusion of a free trade agreement establishing comprehensive tariff and regulatory arrangements across goods, services and investment. The pact contemplates significant tariff liberalisation-including duty free access for many labour intensive Indian sectors-alongside quota or tariff rate quota mechanisms for sensitive items, exclusion of certain agricultural and dairy products, and complementary instruments on investment protection and Geographical Indications. Outstanding regulatory issues include the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and India's request for data transfer recognition under EU data protection rules.

Immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis leads to a fatal shooting and renewed calls for federal agents to leave the city.
A federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis led to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti amid clashes with protesters; videos and family accounts show him holding a phone and not visibly armed, while federal officials claim officers fired defensively after alleged resistance. The incident heightened legal conflict: a judicial order bars detaining or tear gassing peaceful observers not obstructing operations, and Minnesota and its cities have sued the federal government alleging constitutional violations related to the enforcement surge.

European leaders unitedly refused U.S. demands over Greenland, defending sovereignty and rejecting economic coercion by an ally.
European leaders issued coordinated refusals to U.S. demands over Greenland, treating the issue as non-negotiable sovereignty and rejecting coercive bargaining between allies. Multiple governments publicly reaffirmed territorial integrity, condemned threats and linked a proposed U.S. tariff escalation to economic coercion tied to territorial demands. The collective response shifted European diplomacy from evasive engagement to unified refusal while balancing firm defence of legal norms with caution to avoid wider escalation.

WinZO real-money gaming app allegedly used bots and algorithmic manipulation to cause large user losses and launder proceeds.
The prosecution complaint alleges that a real money gaming operator embedded BOTs and AI-based algorithm profiles to simulate dormant players and manipulate games, luring users with small wins before deploying harder BOTs and restrictive withdrawal mechanisms, causing about Rs 734 crore in user losses, withholding Rs 47.66 crore in user funds after a regulatory ban, generating reported proceeds of crime of Rs 3,522.05 crore, and laundering funds through offshore shell companies.

Tejashwi Yadav named RJD national working president, consolidating party succession and operational leadership ahead of rebuilding efforts.
Appointment of Tejashwi Yadav as national working president consolidates his succession role and assigns operational responsibility for expanding the party's base, managing candidate selection and seat-sharing, and rebuilding the organisation after recent electoral setbacks while the founder remains national president.

Interstate cyber fraud mule accounts used to launder proceeds from fake investment and gaming schemes, investigations continue.
Arrest reported for alleged facilitation of an interstate cyber fraud syndicate by procuring and supplying mule bank accounts used to channel proceeds from fake gaming, fraudulent stock trading and IPO schemes; financial and technical surveillance, transaction analysis and related complaints across states indicated a pan India racket, with ongoing efforts to trace associates, additional mule accounts and the complete money trail.

Bengal coal gasification project invites BOO bids for an ASU to supply continuous oxygen and nitrogen to the SNG plant.
Bids are invited for an Air Separation Unit on a Build, Own and Operate basis to provide continuous oxygen and nitrogen supply to the proposed coal to SNG complex implemented by a 51:49 joint venture; the plant is designed for 80,000 Nm3/hour SNG, with construction slated January 2027-August 2028 and commissioning in 2029-30, and an immediate bid deadline.

Eviction policy: Chief Minister says only "Miyas" will face eviction, promises land rights and cites an SIT probe into alleged foreign links.
Chief Minister states eviction enforcement is being applied exclusively to "Miyas" and not Assamese residents, blames media for rumours about removals in Guwahati hills, pledges no pre-election evictions, and says the government aims to provide land rights to hill residents without premium while reserving eviction notices for members of the Miya community; he also alleges opposition appeasement of Bengali-speaking Muslims and cites an SIT probe and imminent disclosure regarding alleged foreign links of a Congress leader.

Coal production needs a final-quarter ramp-up after a measurable shortfall; focus on systems and operational reliability.
ECL urged employees to accelerate coal production to close a shortfall: cumulative production to December 2025 was 33.482 million tonnes versus a proportionate target of 38.752 million tonnes, while overburden removal of 133.013 million cubic metres and cumulative offtake of 33.666 million tonnes supported supply continuity. Management emphasised systems strengthening and operational reliability across production, evacuation, safety, governance and infrastructure as the path to meet annual targets and support energy security.

Counterfeit cigarettes in Munger surge as higher excise duty and GST rates spur organised illegal manufacture and seizures.
Enforcement agencies including the Bihar Police and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence have conducted search-and-seizure operations against organised syndicates that collect empty branded packets, manufacture counterfeit cigarette sticks, and distribute them across neighbouring states; recent seizures included nearly four lakh counterfeit sticks and significant cash. The Centre's announced increase in excise duty (Rs 2,050-8,500 per 1,000 sticks) in addition to a maximum GST rate of 40% is identified as a driver of the illicit trade, prompting heightened vigilance and coordinated action to protect revenue and public health.

H D Revanna's arrest was lawful; the government asserts no interference and rejects claims of gifts to officials publicly.
The Chief Minister stated that H D Revanna's arrest was carried out as per law and that the government neither interfered nor had scope to interfere; allegations of gifts to officials to fix the case were rejected as false. The CID investigation and a reported reward to the investigating police team were noted. The Governor's transmission of events and invocation of Article 163 were addressed, with the government offering to provide the speech text and acknowledging possible revisions to the Governor's address.

NEET aspirant death: party offers legal support while SIT secures DNA evidence suggesting sexual assault.
Jan Suraaj will provide legal representation to the family of the NEET aspirant alleging sexual assault. A Special Investigation Team is investigating after forensic analysis of the victim's clothing detected semen; the SIT will obtain a DNA profile from the semen and match it against the arrested accused and other suspects. Two police officers have been suspended for dereliction of duty, the hostel owner was arrested, and the post-mortem noted that sexual violence cannot be ruled out.