1) 🇮🇳National

• UPSC Personality Test Rescheduled: The UPSC has cancelled the Civil Services Examination 2025 personality tests originally scheduled for the afternoon shift of January 22, 2026, due to the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. Affected candidates will now appear on February 27, 2026.
• Conservation of Indian Skimmer: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) launched a project to protect the breeding habitats of the endangered Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) in the Ganga Basin.
• Kumbhalgarh ESZ Notification: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has declared an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) ranging from 0 to 1 km around the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan.
• Youngest BJP President: Nitin Nabin (45) is set to take charge as the youngest National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party today.

2) 🌍International

• India-US Trade Update: US President Donald Trump, speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, expressed confidence in reaching a "great" trade deal with India, praising the bilateral friendship with PM Modi.
• G7 Summit 2026: France is confirmed to host the 52nd G7 Summit in 2026. Member nations include the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada (India is a guest invitee, not a member).
• SAFF Futsal Championship: The inaugural 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship is currently underway in Thailand with participation from South Asian nations.

3) 💰Economy

• IMF/UN Growth Forecast: The United Nations has upgraded India’s GDP growth projection for 2026 to 6.6%. The IMF also noted India remains a key driver of global growth, with a revised forecast expected shortly.
• Davos 2026: India has marked its largest-ever presence at the World Economic Forum with 10 Indian states participating. Industrialist Sunil Bharti Mittal highlighted India’s potential to become a $25–30 trillion economy.
• Core Sector Growth: India’s eight core sectors recorded a growth of 3.7% in December 2025, showing a slight moderation compared to previous periods.

4) 🗓️Date’s importance

• Basant Panchami (Saraswati Puja): Celebrated on January 22, 2026, marking the arrival of spring and dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, the deity of knowledge and arts.
• National Sanctity of Human Life Day: Observed annually on January 22 (primarily in the US) on the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
• Celebration of Life Day: A day dedicated to honoring the gift of life and children.

5) 👱‍♂️👩‍🦳Person of the day

• Saina Nehwal: The former World No. 1 and Olympic bronze medalist is in the news following her retirement from competitive badminton. Her career highlights include the Padma Bhushan (2016) and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2009–10).
• Gyanendra Pratap Singh: Recently appointed as the new Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

6) 🏅Sports

• England vs Sri Lanka: The three-match ODI series between England and Sri Lanka begins today (January 22) at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
• Kho-Kho World Cup: Delhi is preparing to host the first-ever Kho-Kho World Cup in 2026.
• Rohit Sharma Milestone: Indian captain Rohit Sharma recently crossed the 20,000-run mark in international cricket.

7) 🏆Awards

• Bharat Forge Contracts: Bharat Forge’s aerospace division secured contracts worth ₹300 crore under the Emergency Procurement-VI framework for supplying indigenous unmanned systems (drones like Omega One and loitering munitions like Bayonet) to the Indian Armed Forces.

8) ⭐️Other important significance

• New Species Discovery: Two new species of ant flies, Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri, were recently discovered in India and published in the journal Zootaxa.
• Flamingo Festival: The annual Flamingo Festival was recently conducted at the Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh.

📚Word of the day

• Quiddity (Noun)
• Meaning: The inherent nature or essence of someone or something; a distinctive feature or a peculiar trait.
• Usage: The journalist’s report managed to capture the true quiddity of the rural reform movement.