1) 🇮🇳National

• Vande Bharat Sleeper Train: The Ministry of Railways announced that the first commercial run of the much-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper train is set to begin on January 22, 2026.
• Infrastructure Projects in West Bengal: PM Narendra Modi launched several development projects worth ₹830 crore in Singur, West Bengal, focusing on power and connectivity.
• New Environmental Penalty Rules: The Central Government issued new guidelines for the utilization of funds collected via environmental penalties, mandating their use strictly for pollution control and restoration projects.
• Cybersecurity Overhaul: The Centre is proposing a new regulation mandating smartphone manufacturers to share source code for security audits to strengthen national data protection.

2) 🌍International

• UAE President’s Visit: The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is scheduled to visit India to discuss bilateral trade and evolving regional peace plans in the Middle East.
• World Economic Forum (WEF): The WEF has officially excluded the Iranian Foreign Minister from the upcoming Davos Summit amid ongoing international diplomatic tensions.
• US Immigration Policy: New reports indicate the US has tightened H-1B visa screenings and revoked over 100,000 visas in the previous year as part of a broader immigration overhaul.

3) 💰Economy

• IMF Growth Forecast: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has hiked India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal, citing strong domestic demand and resilient investment.
• India-EU Trade Pact: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal described the upcoming India-EU trade agreement as the "mother of all trade deals," noting that no major hurdles remain from member states.
• Labour Code Implementation: The Government has indicated that the four new Labour Codes are likely to be fully operational from April 1, 2026, aimed at simplifying hiring while ensuring social security.

4) 🗓️Date’s importance

• U.S. Inauguration Day: Historically, January 20 is the day U.S. Presidents are sworn into office (as per the 20th Amendment).
• Discovery of First Pulsar (1969): On this day in 1969, the first pulsar was discovered in the Crab Nebula, a milestone in astrophysics.

5) 👱‍♂️👩‍🦳Person of the day

• Novak Djokovic: The tennis legend becomes the focus of the day after achieving a historic milestone of 100 wins at the Australian Open, further cementing his legacy in Grand Slam history.

6) 🏅Sports

• Pakistan Super League (PSL): The PSL has announced a major shift from a "player draft" system to a "player auction" system, similar to the IPL, to be implemented in the upcoming season.
• First-Class Cricket Milestone: Sri Lankan veteran spinner Malinda Pushpakumara joined an elite club, becoming only the fourth bowler from his country to take 1,000 first-class wickets.

7) 🏆Awards

• Patriot League Player of the Week: Lehigh University’s Whitlock earned his second consecutive Player of the Week honor following a series of high-scoring performances in basketball.

8) ⭐️Other important significance

• Eastern Imperial Eagle: In a boost to biodiversity, the rare Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) was recently spotted and confirmed visiting the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve during the winter migratory season.

📚Word of the day

• Optimism
  • Definition: Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.
  • Usage: For successful preparation in competitive exams, maintaining a sense of optimism is as important as hard work.