Find the Weekly Current Affairs for the 3rd week of January 2026. Stay informed with the most important news and events from around the world. Our curated updates provide a comprehensive summary of the week’s key happenings, covering politics, economics, science, technology, sports, and international affairs.
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Highlights of January 3rd Week Current Affairs
- The Supreme Court of India delivered a split verdict in Centre for Public Interest Litigation v. Union of India (2026) on the constitutional validity of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which mandates prior government approval before investigating public servants.
- Justice P.S. Narasimha upheld Section 17A with safeguards, ruling that prior sanction should be granted by independent bodies such as the Lokpal or Lokayukta, while Justice B.V. Nagarathna struck it down as unconstitutional for violating Article 14 by creating unreasonable classification.
- The issue of Section 17A’s validity has been referred to the Chief Justice of India for constitution of a larger bench, keeping the legal position unsettled.
- The Supreme Court issued binding directions to strengthen implementation of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act, 2009, mandating 25 percent reservation for EWS and disadvantaged children in unaided private schools.
- The Court directed Central and State Governments to frame rules under Section 38 of the RTE Act through a consultative process involving child rights commissions, and assigned monitoring and grievance redressal roles to NCPCR and SCPCRs.
- The 16th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency concluded in Abu Dhabi with a strong call to accelerate the global renewable energy transition and bridge policy, finance, and technology gaps.
- The Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2025 highlighted India’s growing role, with 1.3 million renewable energy jobs and top global rankings in solar PV and hydropower employment.
- The January 2026 Global Economic Prospects report by the World Bank revised India’s growth forecast upward to 7.2 percent for FY 2025–26, even as global trade growth is expected to slow sharply.
- The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority introduced operational guidelines for the NPS Vatsalya Scheme, 2025, expanding pension coverage to children and promoting early financial literacy and long-term savings.
- India’s passport ranking improved to 80th position in the Henley Passport Index 2026, while food prices entered deflation for the first time since 2014, reflecting easing supply-side pressures and changing inflation dynamics.
- The Startup India Initiative completed 10 years in January 2026, marking a decade of policy-driven support to entrepreneurship with DPIIT as the nodal agency and National Startup Day observed on 16 January.
- India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, with over 2.09 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups and more than 120 unicorns valued collectively above $350 billion.
- Nearly 45 percent of recognised startups have at least one woman founder or director, and around half are based in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, highlighting inclusivity and regional spread.
- India became the global leader in the number of IPOs, while ranking third worldwide in IPO value, reflecting the growing depth and credibility of its capital markets.
- During the first nine months of the current financial year, 311 IPOs raised nearly ₹1.7 trillion, and the market capitalisation-to-GDP ratio crossed 130 percent, indicating strong investor confidence.
- The symbolic gifting of the Nobel Peace Prize medal by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to U.S. President Donald Trump reignited global debate on the symbolic versus legal meaning of international honours.
- Norwegian authorities clarified that Nobel Peace Prize honours are non-transferable, even though the physical medal or prize money may be gifted or donated by the laureate.
- The Presidents of the EU Council and the EU Commission being invited as Chief Guests for India’s 77th Republic Day underlined the strengthening strategic partnership between India and the European Union.
- IMD deployed 200 Automatic Weather Stations across major metros under Mission Mausam, reinforcing India’s urban weather monitoring and climate resilience capabilities.
- The December 2025 PLFS bulletin showed a rise in the Labour Force Participation Rate, signalling improved engagement in the labour market and supporting evidence of gradual employment recovery.
- The Supreme Court upheld the Lok Sabha Speaker’s authority to constitute an Inquiry Committee against a judge, even if a similar motion is rejected by the other House, reaffirming the independent functioning of both Houses of Parliament.
- The Constitution provides for removal of Supreme Court and High Court judges under Articles 124(4) and 218 on grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity, with the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 laying down the procedure.
- Despite several attempts, no judge of the Supreme Court or High Court has been successfully removed in India to date, highlighting the high constitutional threshold for removal.
- The UN High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) has entered into force, establishing the first legally binding global framework for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction.
- The BBNJ Agreement rests on four pillars: regulation of marine genetic resources, creation of marine protected areas, mandatory environmental impact assessments, and capacity building with technology transfer for developing countries.
- India has signed the UN High Seas Treaty, but ratification is still pending, even as the agreement becomes operational with over 80 countries on board.
- The 18th India–Japan Strategic Dialogue emphasized economic security, supply chain resilience, and emerging technologies, including plans for a Japan–India private-sector dialogue and an AI strategic partnership.
- The dialogue reinforced India–Japan cooperation in critical minerals, semiconductors, defence, infrastructure development, and multilateral platforms such as the Quad and G20.
- The idea of a “Third Global Strategic Pole,” led by India with partners like the EU and Germany, aims to promote strategic autonomy, multipolarity, and rule-based global governance beyond a US–China binary.
- Recent domestic developments include the rollout of the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 for stronger consumer protection, renewed focus on parliamentary privileges through committee action, and India’s first state-funded BSL-4 laboratory to strengthen biosecurity preparedness.
- The Supreme Court issued interim directions to address the rising number of student suicides in higher educational institutions, based on recommendations of a National Task Force constituted in 2025.
- The Court highlighted that suicides are among the leading causes of death in the 15–29 age group, with around 13,000 student suicides reported in 2022, pointing to the scale of the crisis.
- Institutional deficits such as faculty shortages, weak grievance redressal systems, caste-based discrimination, and ragging were identified as major systemic contributors to student distress.
- Higher educational institutions were directed to mandatorily report every student suicide and submit annual data to regulatory authorities, with centralised maintenance of suicide data.
- The Supreme Court ordered that vacant posts of faculty and key administrators like Vice-Chancellors and Registrars be filled within four months to improve institutional accountability.
- India recorded a sharp rise in defence indigenisation, with indigenous defence production reaching ₹1.51 lakh crore and defence exports expanding to over 100 countries.
- The United States initiated the formation of a proposed ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza as part of a broader international plan for post-conflict governance and reconstruction, backed by a UN Security Council resolution.
- India launched the second nationwide estimation of riverine and estuarine dolphins under Project Dolphin, expanding coverage to include the Irrawaddy dolphin.
- The European Union considered invoking its Anti-Coercion Instrument, a trade defence mechanism designed to counter economic pressure from non-EU countries.
- The Andhra Pradesh government proposed developing a satellite launching facility on Hope Island, raising concerns due to its location within the ecologically sensitive Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
- India and the UAE agreed to scale up their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a target to more than double bilateral trade to over USD 200 billion by 2032, alongside new trade corridors such as Bharat Mart and virtual platforms.
- Both countries decided to explore cooperation in advanced civil nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors and nuclear safety frameworks, enabled by India’s SHANTI Act, 2025.
- India and the UAE proposed the concept of digital and data embassies to ensure data sovereignty and protection against cyber threats, disasters, and geopolitical disruptions.
- Collaboration in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies was strengthened through plans for a supercomputing cluster under India’s AI India Mission to boost joint research and high-performance computing.
- A long-term energy partnership was reinforced with a 10-year LNG supply agreement under which ADNOC Gas will supply 0.5 MTPA of LNG to HPCL, enhancing India’s energy security.
- India expanded its Carbon Credit Trading Scheme by notifying the Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity Target Amendment Rules, 2025, bringing new sectors like petroleum refining, textiles, and petrochemicals under mandatory compliance.
- Under the revised carbon framework, 208 industrial units will be required to reduce emission intensity by 3–7 percent by 2026–27, with tradable carbon credit certificates and penalties for non-compliance.
- China’s population declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, highlighting a deepening demographic winter marked by low fertility, an ageing population, and rising economic and fiscal pressures.
- The Environmental Protection Fund Rules, 2026 were notified to ensure transparent, audited, and outcome-based utilisation of pollution penalties for environmental monitoring, remediation, and institutional strengthening.
- India launched the Responsible Nations Index to assess countries beyond GDP on ethical governance, social well-being, environmental stewardship, and global responsibility, ranking India 16th globally ahead of the US and China.
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8 January to 14 January (Weekly Current Affairs Quiz)