India-EU free trade agreement to be sealed at the summit, paired with a strategic agenda and defence cooperation.
Expected India-EU free trade agreement to be finalised at the India-EU Summit on January 27 to deepen bilateral trade ties, accompanied by a new strategic agenda and a defence framework pact identifying five priority domains and expanded cooperation on maritime security, cyber defence, counterterrorism, regional connectivity initiatives including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, Global Gateway alignment, and trilateral engagement with third partners.

Iranian airspace closure forces airlines to cancel and reroute international flights, causing delays and higher operational costs.
Closure of Iranian airspace forced Indian carriers to cancel or reroute international flights, affecting Air India services to the US and Europe and IndiGo services to CIS countries, Europe, and Turkey; alternative routing over Iraq increases sector length, fuel consumption, and operating costs, and in some cases prevents continuation of planned nonstop services, prompting airline advisories, cancellations, and operational incidents on affected flights.

I-PAC raid raises scrutiny over alleged interference with central probe; FIR stayed and CCTV secured.
The ED alleges obstruction of its raids at a political consultancy, removal of evidence, and seeks a CBI probe into interference by state agencies. The court described the allegation as very serious, stayed the FIR against ED officers, ordered preservation of CCTV footage, and issued notices to the chief minister, state government, DGP and senior police to respond to the petition.

World markets mixed; oil fell after a political remark; antitrust probe opened and margin requirements raised.
World markets were mixed and oil fell nearly $3 a barrel after a US political leader said executions in Iran had stopped; US futures rose modestly. Asian moves included technology stock weakness, a Beijing-initiated antitrust investigation into a Chinese online travel platform, and Chinese regulators raising minimum margin requirements. Corporate factors included an increased buyout offer for Toyota Industries and a planned significant capital spending increase by a major chipmaker.

Book From Startups to Success offers founders a practical roadmap for building sustainable, values-driven businesses.
Manu Patolia's From Startups to Success provides a practitioner's roadmap covering planning, execution, leadership, funding, systems, team building, sustainable growth, and exit planning. The book pairs actionable frameworks with decades of operational experience and stresses disciplined processes, long term thinking, and integrity as foundational principles for building durable, scalable enterprises.

IIM Ahmedabad BPGP admissions open for 2026-28: blended 80% online/20% campus, professional experience and aptitude test required.
IIM Ahmedabad's two-year BPGP for working professionals combines 80% live online instruction with 20% week-long campus immersions, employs case-method pedagogy and experiential components, and assesses candidates on academic background, professional experience, purpose, an aptitude test and readiness to contribute; applications for the 2026-28 cohort are open with a stated deadline and published contact and application portal details.

Exports rise 1.87% in December 2025; imports climb, widening the trade deficit and lifting the nine month merchandise gap.
Merchandise exports rose 1.87% to USD 38.5 billion in December 2025 while imports increased 8.7% to USD 63.55 billion, widening the monthly trade deficit to USD 25.04 billion; cumulatively (April-December) exports grew modestly and imports grew faster, producing a nine month trade deficit of USD 248.32 billion, with engineering, electronics, marine and pharmaceuticals cited as main export drivers and a government projection that goods and services exports may exceed USD 850 billion this fiscal year.

Coke Studio Bharat LIVE staged multi-city concerts highlighting regional artists, fan participation, curated food and on-site recycling.
Coke Studio Bharat LIVE staged inaugural live activations in New Delhi and Guwahati combining music, food and sports to extend a screen-based platform into on-ground cultural events. Programming emphasized regional representation and artist collaborations, included exclusive previews and selected fan participation, and used social and on-ground selection mechanisms to invite fans on stage and into backstage sessions. Event operations incorporated a waste-management protocol under the #MaidaanSaaf initiative with staffed recycling stations, trained volunteers and guided waste segregation to support responsible large-scale public celebrations.

Hong Kong Lunar New Year Night Parade Feb 17 features international floats, Tsim Sha Tsui route and citywide festivities.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board, a government subvented body, is promoting a Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade beginning the first day of Lunar New Year at 8 PM along a defined Tsim Sha Tsui route, with sponsored themed floats, international performers, pre parade street parties, extended float displays at a sports park, citywide fairs in the lead up to the holiday, a separate raceday, and a well wishing festival, indicating the Board's role in coordinating large public cultural events and visitor services.

Digital arrest fraud: impersonation and coercion led to Rs 2.19 crore extorted using mule accounts and layered transfers.
An interstate syndicate impersonated police and government officials and used staged institutional trappings and continuous WhatsApp video surveillance to coerce a 78 year old into transferring Rs 2.19 crore into multiple bank accounts; the group employed layered transfers, mule accounts, and international virtual numbers to evade detection, and forensic tracing of digital footprints led to arrests and recovery of phones, cards, cheque books, rubber stamps, and Aadhaar copies.

Stage production Lovable Rascal reunites AGP World and Mahesh Manjrekar; performances 26 Jan and 28 Feb, tickets on BookMyShow.
AGP World and Mahesh Manjrekar present Lovable Rascal, a Hinglish adaptation of the Marathi play Filter Coffee that reimagines the original's emotional core for an English speaking audience. The production, conceived over five years, features a compact ensemble led by Anusha Dandekar and Sumedh Mudgalkar, emphasizes premium production values, and stages exclusive performances on 26 January 2026 (Nehru Centre Auditorium, Mumbai) and 28 February 2026 (Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai); tickets available on BookMyShow.

HarperCollins India launches Read for Pleasure urging a 30 minute daily reading habit with schools, charities, and workplaces.
HarperCollins India launched Read for Pleasure, a year-long campaign urging a 30 minute daily reading habit across ages and languages, combining on ground and digital initiatives, school pledges, charitable partnerships to improve Access to Books, corporate reading clubs, and an internal monthly Read for Pleasure Hour to promote inclusive, lifelong reading.

Nishad Party's Sankalp Diwas rally stressed unity, community empowerment, and coordinated NDA mobilisation in Uttar Pradesh.
Dr Abhishek Verma addressed the Nishad Party's 13th Sankalp Diwas rally, attended by senior NDA leaders and over 6,000 supporters, highlighting the Nishad community's political mobilisation and the alliance's coordinated strategy in Uttar Pradesh focused on constitutional dignity, social justice, cultural identity, and inclusive development through grassroots empowerment of traditional communities.

BGMI 4.2 introduces Primewood Genesis, branded collaborations, India-focused seasonal exchanges, and a new half-year ranked cycle system.
Primewood Genesis establishes a persistent fantasy-driven theme mode using a Global World Tree progress bar and a central Primewood Heart to unlock abilities and drive environmental and gameplay changes through collective player participation; the update also integrates branded collaborations and India-focused seasonal exchanges that grant permanent rewards and event-specific assets, while a new Ranked Cycle System creates a half-year framework with three-season resets, stricter promotion criteria, cycle-based currency and tailored reward structures to align competitive progression with sustained performance.

Air India A350 engine damaged after ingesting cargo container during taxi; aircraft grounded and investigation underway.
An Air India A350 ingested a cargo container while taxiing in dense fog after returning due to an airspace closure, causing significant right engine damage; the aircraft has been grounded for a formal investigation and the airline is offering alternative travel arrangements and refunds to affected passengers.

Goa taxi aggregator guidelines require Goa-registered taxis and PSV badges and full government fares paid to drivers.
The draft requires that only taxis registered in Goa with valid permits and drivers holding Goa-issued PSV badges may operate on aggregator platforms, and that aggregators must pay the full government-notified fare to drivers without deducting commission; it also provides incentives including insurance premium reimbursement and a one-time Rs 1 lakh grant for female owner-cum-drivers to purchase electric taxis.

Police collect CCTV footage of ED office after assault complaint; CCTV under scrutiny and security boosted.
Police collected and are scrutinising CCTV footage from the Enforcement Directorate's Ranchi regional office after a former employee alleged he was assaulted during ED interrogation; a DSP-led team obtained the recordings, CISF personnel were deployed to boost security, and local police have not issued an official statement while the investigation continues.

Chhattisgarh updates DMF rules, launches DMF Portal 2.0 and auctions lithium blocks to boost critical minerals exploration and revenue.
Amendments to the District Mineral Foundation Trust Rules, aligned with the PMKKKY Guidelines, and launch of a state DMF Portal 2.0 aim to strengthen monitoring, financial approval, management and accountability of DMF funded works; concurrently, the state has auctioned a lithium block, approved a National Mineral Exploration Trust project for critical minerals, and advanced mineral block preparation and auctions to increase mineral revenue and local employment.

Vedanta teacher Swami Prabuddhananda passed; ashram schedules global commemorative Vishnu Sahasranamam event on 25 January.
Swami Prabuddhananda Saraswati, a senior Arsha Vidya teacher and long time Vedanta instructor, died on 10 January 2026; an AGANI mahasamadhi was held on 11 January. The ashram highlights his mastery of Sanskrit and Upanishadic commentary, his teaching maxim "Vedanta is choiceless," and his synthesis of shastra, yukti, and anubhava. A commemorative Vishnu Sahasranamam meeting with discourse and communal bhandaras is scheduled for 25 January 2026 at Swami Dayananda Ashram and will be broadcast for global participation.

Solar highway lighting rollout targets 104 accident-prone blackspots using data-driven visibility engineering and predictive risk mapping.
Lord's Mark Industries, partnered with Signify Innovations India, secured a competitive-bid mandate from the National Highways Authority to deploy data-driven solar highway lighting at 104 accident-prone blackspots in the Vijayawada region. The project uses accident analytics, visibility diagnostics, proprietary survey frameworks and predictive risk mapping to address glare, contrast loss, approach angles and driver reaction zones. This Phase 1 covers specified stretches of NH-16 and NH-216 and is the first stage of a four-year pan-India expansion.