Sri Lanka recovery fund tops LKR 8.5 billion; customs duty waived on relief goods and insurance claims partially settled.
Sri Lanka has received LKR 8.5 billion in foreign contributions for post-cyclone reconstruction, with funds channelled to affected people and businesses. Relief goods worth LKR 21.3 billion are being cleared without customs duties to expedite distribution. Insurance claims totalling LKR 45 billion were filed, of which about LKR 4.5 billion across 24,000 claims have been cleared. External financing includes concessional lines of credit and grants, and emergency support restored critical hospital functions damaged by flooding.

Shoonya launches SensAI: an AI tool combining news, technical, and fundamental data for integrated stock sentiment analysis for investors.
Shoonya's SensAI is an AI-powered feature that integrates news-based interpretation, technical indicators, and fundamental data into a single interface, using NLP and machine learning to assign standardised sentiment labels to stocks and enable side-by-side comparison and event-driven sentiment tracking.

ISBF expands global academic pathways under University of London framework, offering transfer routes, summer scholarships, and postgraduate test waivers.
ISBF allows India-based students to pursue externally awarded undergraduate degrees under an international university framework with academic direction from a leading school, combining a globally benchmarked curriculum and external assessment. Eligible students may apply for second-year transfer pathways to global universities, attend a summer campus programme with standard tuition scholarships and select full scholarships, and may qualify for postgraduate entrance test waivers for specified master's programmes, all subject to programme-specific and institutional requirements.

Children on online platforms: Andhra committee to consider restricting under-16s while multiple probes target alleged fraud and money-laundering.
A government committee will review imposing age-based access restrictions on online platforms, including possible bans for users under 16, assessing existing laws and platform rules; simultaneously, authorities have initiated multi-state raids and money-laundering proceedings in a nightclub fire case, and courts have issued fresh notices in a PIL alleging extensive banking and corporate fraud.

Maharashtra Sadan construction: minister discharged in PMLA money laundering case after court accepted discharge application linked to ED probe.
Allegations under the PMLA arise from the Maharashtra Sadan 2005-2006 contract: ED alleges inflated costs and kickbacks, with transfers to companies linked to the minister's son and nephew, asserting an original estimate of Rs 13.5 crore was raised to Rs 50 crore, the firm earned about Rs 190 crore profit, and Rs 13.5 crore were illicit payments. The ED prosecution stemmed from an ACB FIR, and a special PMLA judge accepted discharge applications for the minister, relatives, and others.

Big Bang Boom expands R&D and service centers nationwide, funded by timely government receivables and grant support.
Big Bang Boom commissioned a 20,000 sq ft R&D centre with six labs including a 4,000 sq ft Electronics Warfare Centre, plans to add 40 specialised researchers, and cites iDEX contracts and an Indo Israel grant; timely realisation of government receivables and an enabling regulatory environment are identified as supporting reinvestment into R&D and capacity to fulfil national and international defence orders.

Paradeep Parivahan to run a trans state electric heavy truck fleet under an 8 year commercial agreement, cutting CO2 emissions.
Paradeep Parivahan Limited entered an 8-year agreement with UltraTech Cement to deploy a large trans state electric heavy truck fleet between Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, with Energy In Motion Limited providing charging, battery swapping, and operational support; the project targets an annual CO2 reduction of about 15,000-20,000 tonnes and is expected to contribute to Paradeep's order book and EV fleet expansion.

AddTON DAO launches TON-based ecosystem: arbitrage bot, staking, token launchpad, NFT support, GramChain, and a rupee-pegged stablecoin.
AddTON DAO is building a multi-product ecosystem on TON, including an arbitrage trading bot, TON staking program, meme coin and token launchpad, NFT integration, and a collaborator-developed standalone blockchain (GramChain) with native GramCoin and support for dApps, DEXs, staking, NFT marketplaces, and Real World Asset integration; it also proposes GINR, a rupee-pegged stablecoin backed by gold and subject to planned regulatory approvals.

GUESS? names Chiara Ferragni as face of its Spring/Summer 2026 global campaign, launching February 2026.
GUESS? appointed Chiara Ferragni as the face of its Spring/Summer 2026 global advertising campaign, photographed by the Morelli Brothers to blend GUESS's heritage imagery with a modern, social-first aesthetic. The collection highlights the return of signature pieces such as the Bellflower Pants and the bandage dress, and introduces the Camden Bag as the season's key accessory. The campaign launches globally in February 2026 across print, digital, and social channels, with the collection available in GUESS stores worldwide and at guess.com.

Urban Innovation Challenge invites climate responsive design submissions; national jury evaluates entries and winners showcased at Municipalika.
The Urban Innovation Challenge is a national design competition within Municipalika 2026 inviting climate conscious, people centric urban solutions; over 300 registrations and 150+ entries will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary National Jury on 24 January 2026. Shortlisted and winning entries will be showcased at Municipalika 2026 with presentations on 26 February to engage city leaders, government stakeholders, global solution providers and industry partners, enabling translation of design innovation into practical urban solutions.

Markets tumble nearly 1% amid broad sell-off; rupee hits record low, foreign investors offload equities.
Equity benchmarks fell nearly 1 per cent amid a broad sell-off driven by currency depreciation, foreign institutional outflows and rotation into safe-haven assets; smallcaps and midcaps underperformed, select large-cap cyclical and financial stocks lagged while tech and consumer names gained, gold and silver hit record highs on a weaker dollar and interest-rate cut expectations, and Brent crude rose modestly.

Nasdaq proposes removing position limits on ETF options; DeepSnitch AI presale raises $1.3M with large allocation bonuses.
Nasdaq filed to remove the 25,000-contract position limit on options tied to spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs to align their treatment with commodity-based funds; the SEC has a 60-day window to suspend the rule after public comment. Market commentary observes that traders are rotating into presales, notably DeepSnitch AI which raised $1.3M and markets five AI agents for on chain analytics and scam detection, and is offering tiered promo codes that unlock allocation bonuses driving concentrated investment flows.

Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir arrested en route to court over social media posts, prompting bar strikes.
Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband were arrested en route to court after arrest warrants issued when interim bail was cancelled for repeated non-appearances; the case stems from an NCCIA complaint alleging propagation of narratives aligned with proscribed organisations and resulted in indictment, while other related cases feature pre-arrest bail developments and an ATC dismissal of pre-arrest bail applications.

French galette at Roast CCx sells out daily; technique-driven pastry and disciplined execution driving steady demand and expansion.
Roast CCx's traditional French galette has become a daily sell-out due to precise lamination, high-quality butter, controlled sweetness, and disciplined execution reflecting Michelin-calibre technique; this approach has been embedded into the pastry programme's production processes and training standards and is leading to an expanded pastry and bakery range.

India's agri-food presence at Gulfood 2026: expanded pavilion, 161 exhibitors, startups and CEPA-aligned market access.
APEDA is presenting an expanded Indian Pavilion at Gulfood 2026 occupying 1,434 sqm with 161 exhibitors from exporters, FPOs, cooperatives, state agencies and national institutions, highlighting processed and staple commodities, GI-tagged and organic products, and compliance with international quality and traceability standards to strengthen buyer-seller linkages.

Customs Brokers Licensing Examination scheduled for 17.03.2026; CBT 150 MCQs, +3/-1 marking, pass 60%.
Customs Brokers Licensing Examination on 17.03.2026 will be a bilingual Computer Based Test of 150 multiple-choice questions in 2.5 hours, marked +3/-1 for a maximum of 450 marks and a qualifying threshold of 270 (60%); successful candidates must undergo an oral examination under the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, 2018, with a 60% pass requirement and official contact details provided for queries.

Wage and pension revisions approved for PSGICs, NABARD and RBI, increasing pay, pensions and NPS employer contribution.
Central Government approval implements wage revision and pension revision measures for PSGICs, NABARD and RBI: PSGICs wage revision effective 01.08.2022 increases basic pay and dearness allowance by 14% and raises NPS employer contribution from 10% to 14%, with family pension set at 30% and total financial outgo of Rs. 8,170.30 crore; NABARD pay and pension parity effective 01.11.2022 provides about 20% pay hikes and specified arrears and recurring pension costs; RBI pension/family pension increased by 10% on basic plus dearness relief effective 01.11.2022 with quantified arrears and annual costs.

India joins global reskilling initiative to reach 850 million people with AI and digital skills training.
The WEF's Reskilling Revolution has reached over 850 million people and launched a new India Accelerator to address barriers to equitable skilling by mobilising government, business and civil society; commitments emphasize AI and digital skills, support for entry-level roles, a Learning-to-Earning Sandbox integrating paid experience with training, and shared principles for platform-enabled work.

STL reports Q3 FY'26 results: revenue INR 1,257 Cr, EBITDA INR 129 Cr, driven by data centre innovation and US market growth.
STL reported Q3 FY'26 consolidated revenue of INR 1,257 Cr and EBITDA of INR 129 Cr, with sequential Operational EBITDA margin improvement driven by higher margin product mix and increased US market contribution; ONB delivered INR 1,174 Cr revenue and INR 131 Cr EBITDA, supported by capacity expansions, data centre centric product innovation and Data Centre portfolio orders exceeding INR 500 Cr.

Viraj Profiles recognition ceremony awarded sewing machines and certificates to women who passed tailoring exams.
Viraj Profiles, through the Viraj Charitable Trust, held a recognition ceremony awarding sewing machines and certificates to women who passed a tailoring examination to reinforce skill-based self-reliance and facilitate independent livelihoods as part of the company's corporate social responsibility and vocational upskilling efforts.