Daily GK Update- 18th Jan, 2026

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India Launches Theme, Logo and Website for BRICS 2026 Presidency: India assumed the BRICS Presidency (18th) for 2026 on 1 January 2026, taking over from Brazil, marking its fourth term as the BRICS chair.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched the official BRICS 2026 website, theme, and logo in New Delhi to kick-start India’s chairship.India’s BRICS presidency will follow a “humanity-first” and people-centric approach, focusing on inclusive growth and global welfare.The theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” and the lotus–‘Namaste’ based logo symbolise unity, prosperity, respect, and mark 20 years of BRICS as a key platform for emerging economies.

 

2. Bamanwas Kankar Becomes Rajasthan’s First Fully Organic Certified Gram Panchayat: Bamanwas Kankar gram panchayat in Rajasthan has become the State’s first fully organic certified village body, located in the newly formed Kotputli–Behror district.The shift towards organic farming began after villagers collectively addressed declining soil fertility, falling groundwater levels, rising input costs, and health issues linked to chemical-based agriculture, focusing on long-term sustainability.The panchayat has adopted chemical-free farming and ecological livestock practices, including crop rotation, mulching, biological pest control, vermicompost use, and environmentally responsible animal husbandry.

 

3. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Approves Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport in Nellore District: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved the Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport project in Nellore district, marking a major boost to regional aviation infrastructure.With this approval, Dagadarthi will become the 8th airport in Andhra Pradesh, strengthening air connectivity in the state.The airport is strategically located near major National Highway corridors and close to Krishnapatnam Port and Ramayapatnam Port, enabling strong multimodal transport integration.The project will be developed in phases over 1,332.80 acres of land and has already received in-principle approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

 

4. GAIL Joins PNGRB’s National PNG Drive 2.0 to Promote PNG and CNG Across India: GAIL (India) Limited has partnered with PNGRB for the National PNG Drive 2.0 initiative, joining the nationwide #NonStopZindagi campaign to promote Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) adoption across India.National PNG Drive 2.0 runs from 1 January to 31 March 2026, supporting India’s goal to increase the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15% by 2030.The campaign aims to raise awareness, generate demand, and strengthen the City Gas Distribution (CGD) ecosystem, supported by the Unified Tariff framework under the principle of “One Nation, One Grid, One Tariff”.

 

5. Union Environment Minister Chairs NIRANTAR Meeting to Strengthen MoEFCC Coordination: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav chaired a meeting on the NIRANTAR platform, aimed at strengthening coordination and collaboration among institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).NIRANTAR’s four verticals focus on research, assessment of outcomes, and their ultimate utilisation, enhancing effective use of India’s natural resources.

 

6. 11 – 17 January 2026 – National Road Safety Week: National Road Safety Week 2026 is being observed from January 11 to 17 across India to raise awareness about road safety and reduce accidents.The campaign focuses on promoting safe driving practices, adherence to traffic rules, and use of helmets and seatbelts among motorists and pedestrians.The year 2026 marks the 37th observance of National Road Safety Week in India.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Navi Mumbai International Airport to Be Named After D B Patil: Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after late D B Patil, a prominent leader linked with farmers’ and local rights movements, as announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a public meeting in Airoli.Navi Mumbai is set to become the next economic growth engine of Maharashtra, with the airport acting as a catalyst for sectors like pharmaceuticals, food processing, services, innovation-driven enterprises, and import–export activities.

 

2. Indian Mountaineer Aritra Roy Conquers Mount Aconcagua in Argentina: Indian mountaineer Aritra Roy successfully summited Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak outside Asia at 6,967.15 meters above sea level.The solo expedition, sponsored by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is part of Roy’s Seven Summits challenge, following his earlier climb of Mount Everest.Roy reached the summit on January 7 at 2:00 PM local time after a 44-km trek in extreme conditions with temperatures as low as –40°C, facing snowstorms and blizzards.

 

3. India Climbs to 80th Position in Global Passport Index 2026: India ranked 80th in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with visa-free, visa-on-arrival or eTA access to 55 destinations, sharing the rank with Algeria and Niger.India’s position has improved by five places from 85th in 2025, reflecting a gradual increase in global mobility for Indian passport holders.Despite the improvement, India remains below the global average of over 100 destinations, with limited access to Europe, the UK, the US, and Canada, restricting spontaneous travel.Singapore continues to hold the most powerful passport (192 destinations), followed by Japan and South Korea jointly at second place, while Afghanistan remains the weakest (24 destinations).Compared to peers, India lags behind China (59th, 81 destinations), Saudi Arabia (54th, 88 destinations) and South Africa (48th, 101 destinations), highlighting the mobility gap for Indian travellers.

 

4. Finke River Recognised as World’s Oldest Flowing River: For millennia, rivers have shaped human civilisation and sustained life, from the Ganga and Indus to the Nile and Amazon. Yet scientists believe the world’s oldest river still flowing today is not found in Asia or Africa, but in the arid heart of Australia. Geological evidence points to the Finke River as the oldest surviving river system on Earth. Unlike most major rivers, the Finke does not flow continuously throughout the year. For long periods, it appears as a series of isolated waterholes scattered across a desert environment. Only after heavy rainfall does it briefly become a connected river. Despite this intermittent nature, scientists confirm that these channels and pools form part of the same ancient river system that originated hundreds of millions of years ago.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Army Inducts Solar-Powered MAPSS Drone for Long-Endurance Border Surveillance: Indian Army signs ₹168 crore contract for MAPSS, a solar-powered surveillance drone system, marking the first induction of a solar-powered unmanned aerial platform for long-endurance border monitoring.MAPSS (Medium Altitude Persistent Surveillance System), developed by Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research & Technologies, uses solar energy instead of conventional fuel or batteries, allowing continuous airborne operations for extended periods.The system is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions across diverse terrains, providing quieter electric propulsion, reduced thermal signature, and support for tracking, observation, communications, and target identification.

 

2. India Plans Defence FDI Norms Overhaul to Attract Global Manufacturers: India is preparing a major liberalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in the defence sector to draw global manufacturers and boost domestic production, according to a Reuters report citing government sources. The proposed changes are part of a broader push to strengthen indigenous defence manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports. The planned changes aim to allow defence firms from partner countries to hold majority stakes in Indian ventures. Officials indicated that the reforms could be implemented within the next few months. The move is expected to make India a more attractive destination for global defence manufacturers seeking long-term investments.

 

SPORTS

 

1. Australia Women’s Captain Alyssa Healy Announces Retirement from International Cricket: Australia women’s team captain Alyssa Healy announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter ends an illustrious T20I career of nearly 15 years, scoring 3,054 runs at a strike rate of 129.79.Debuting in 2010, Healy is a six-time T20 World Cup winner and also lifted the ODI World Cup in 2013 and 2022, marking the end of a golden era in Australian cricket.

 

2. Aaryan Varshney Becomes India’s 92nd Chess Grandmaster: India added another name to its growing chess legacy as 21-year-old Aaryan Varshney secured the Grandmaster title, becoming the country’s 92nd GM. The achievement came after he clinched his final GM norm at the Andranik Margaryan Memorial Tournament in Armenia, sealing the title with a round to spare. His journey stands out for its simplicity, discipline, and an extraordinary father-son partnership. Aaryan’s chess education was unlike the conventional path followed by most elite players. Trained entirely at home by his father, Gaurav Varshney, a physics teacher in Delhi, Aaryan never worked with a professional coach. His mother left the family when he was five, leaving his father to raise him single-handedly while supporting aged parents.Chess training began seriously when Aaryan was seven. For nearly two years, his father acted as coach, analyst, and motivator, relying largely on game analysis and practical play rather than formal theory.Aaryan played his first rated tournament in December 2014 with a rating of 1261. Within four years, his rating surged past 2300. In July 2018, he won the National Under-13 Championship in Ahmedabad, marking his arrival on the national stage.Notably, Aaryan never read a chess book and relied mainly on ChessBase software and post-game analysis. His International Master title came in 2024, achieved entirely through open tournaments, without European exposure.

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

1. ISRO’s PSLV-C62 Mission Fails to Place 16 Satellites into Orbit: ISRO’s PSLV-C62 mission, the first launch of the year, failed to place its 16 satellites into the intended orbit due to a technical problem in the rocket’s third stage.The rocket was launched successfully from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, with the first two stages performing normally.The mission carried EOS-N1 (Earth observation satellite) along with 15 other payloads, including satellites from Brazil, Nepal, and the UK, as well as Anvesha, a surveillance satellite developed by DRDO.This is the second consecutive PSLV mission affected by third-stage issues, despite PSLV’s previous successes in missions like Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1, and Astrosat.

 

2. Google Launches TranslateGemma Open Translation Models: Google has introduced TranslateGemma, a new family of open-source translation models designed to deliver high-quality multilingual translation across a wide range of devices. Supporting 55 languages, the models mark a significant step towards accessible, local, and efficient AI-powered translation without heavy reliance on cloud infrastructure. A key highlight is the 12B model, which outperforms Google’s earlier 27B baseline on the WMT24++ benchmark while using less than half the computing power. This makes high-quality translation feasible on local machines such as laptops. The 4B model matches the performance of the older 12B baseline, enabling offline translation on smartphones and other low-power devices, while the 27B model targets high-end cloud deployments.

 

3. Centre Blocks 242 Illegal Betting Websites Under Online Gaming Act: The Centre has intensified its crackdown on illegal online betting and gambling, reportedly blocking 242 website links on January 16, 2026. Government sources said the action forms part of wider enforcement under the Online Gaming Act that took effect in October 2025, with thousands of unlawful platforms already taken down to curb financial fraud and social harm, especially among young users. According to government sources quoted in reports, 242 illegal betting and gambling website links were blocked in the latest action. The same sources indicated that, cumulatively, more than 7,800 such platforms have been blocked so far, reflecting an expanded drive against offshore and unregulated operators that target Indian users through mirror links, proxy domains, and cloned apps.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Essar Signs ₹5,100 Crore MoU with Gujarat for Large-Scale Bio-Fuel Project: Essar Future Energy Limited signed an MoU with the Gujarat government to invest ₹5,100 crore in setting up a large-scale bio-fuel complex in Devbhumi Dwarka district.The MoU was signed at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) held in Rajkot, marking a major push for renewable energy in the state.The proposed bio-fuel project will have an initial feedstock processing capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and was signed in the presence of senior state ministers and officials.

 

2. Kotak Mahindra Bank Names Former Bajaj Finance MD Anup Kumar Saha as Whole-Time Director: Kotak Mahindra Bank appointed former Bajaj Finance MD Anup Kumar Saha as its whole-time director.Saha will oversee consumer banking, marketing, and data analytics, focusing on customer-centric transformation, digital innovation, and data-led strategies. With this appointment, Saha becomes the fourth whole-time director on Kotak Mahindra Bank’s board, joining MD & CEO Ashok Vaswani and executive directors Jaideep Hansraj and Paritosh Kashyap.