Find the Weekly Current Affairs for the 4th 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 4th Week Current Affairs
- Diego Garcia, a coral atoll in the central Indian Ocean and part of the Chagos Archipelago, has regained strategic attention after US President Donald Trump criticised the UK’s proposed return of the island to Mauritius due to concerns over a key US military base.
- Historically, the Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965 by the UK, leading to the forced displacement of indigenous Chagossians to facilitate military use of Diego Garcia.
- International legal pressure has mounted on the UK following the 2019 ICJ advisory opinion declaring British administration unlawful and a UN General Assembly call for decolonisation through the return of Chagos to Mauritius.
- Under the UK–Mauritius agreement of May 2025, Mauritius is recognised as sovereign over the entire Chagos Archipelago, while the UK retains a 99-year lease over Diego Garcia to ensure continuity of UK–US military operations.
- Diego Garcia hosts a joint UK–US military base that functions as a forward operating hub for the US Navy and Air Force, supporting logistics, surveillance, and power projection across the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.
- Global politics is increasingly marked by neo-royalism, characterised by personalised leadership and concentration of power in single leaders, weakening institutionalised and rule-based international decision-making.
- Alongside neo-royalism, neo-feudalism is emerging through the rise of private and transnational actors such as technology corporations that exercise quasi-sovereign influence over data, communication, and geopolitical narratives.
- The erosion of the rule-based international order is evident in the weakening of multilateral institutions, increased weaponisation of economic tools like sanctions and tariffs, and declining bureaucratic and legislative autonomy.
- Contemporary US foreign policy under Donald Trump has been likened to a “Donroe Doctrine,” echoing the Monroe Doctrine’s emphasis on regional dominance, unilateralism, and reduced tolerance for external powers in the Western Hemisphere.
- In India, initiatives such as One Station One Product, which has expanded to over 2,000 railway stations and empowered more than 1.32 lakh artisans by January 2026, and conservation measures like declaring Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary an Eco-Sensitive Zone, highlight efforts toward inclusive development and sustainable environmental governance.
- At the World Economic Forum 2026, India presented a five-layer, end-to-end AI strategy focused on application-led deployment, cost efficiency, indigenous capability, and sustainability.
- India’s AI approach prioritises real-world use cases such as governance, agriculture, and public services, with initiatives like Kisan e-Mitra and Bhashini demonstrating AI for public good.
- The strategy emphasises smaller, domain-specific AI models, with around 95 percent of current workloads handled by compact models that reduce compute costs and dependency on large GPU clusters.
- Indigenous semiconductor development is being strengthened through custom silicon and manufacturing in the 28nm–90nm range to support sectors such as EVs, railways, and industrial systems.
- Nearly USD 70 billion of confirmed investment is being rolled out to expand AI infrastructure, including data centres, cloud services, and compute capacity.
- Energy readiness for AI growth is being addressed through integration of clean energy and private participation in nuclear power under the Shakti Act to support data centres sustainably.
- At WEF 2026, the Canadian Prime Minister proposed the “Third Path” or Carney Doctrine, advocating middle-power–led, flexible multilateralism as an alternative to rigid bloc politics.
- The Third Path framework stresses value-based realism, cooperation among middle powers, and variable-geometry coalitions, aligning closely with India’s strategic autonomy and issue-based partnerships.
- A Pixxel-led consortium signed an agreement with IN-SPACe to build and operate India’s first privately run national Earth Observation satellite constellation under a public–private partnership model.
- Spain joined the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, expanding European engagement in a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific and reinforcing issue-based multilateral cooperation.
- The United Nations Environment Programme State of Finance for Nature 2026 report highlights a severe global imbalance, with nature-negative finance at $7.3 trillion in 2023 compared to only $220 billion for nature-positive investments, making harmful flows nearly 30 times larger.
- The report estimates that annual investment in Nature-based Solutions must rise to $571 billion by 2030 to meet Rio Convention goals of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and halting biodiversity loss, requiring major redirection of public and private capital.
- India-linked initiatives such as the MISHTI Scheme for mangrove restoration and Amrit Dharohar for Ramsar wetland conservation are cited as examples of ecosystem-based climate action aligned with global biodiversity frameworks.
- The Military Quantum Mission Policy Framework, aligned with the National Quantum Mission, aims to integrate quantum communication, computing, sensing, and materials into India’s defence architecture through civil-military fusion.
- Defence applications of quantum technology include quantum key distribution for secure communications, quantum sensing for detecting stealth targets, GPS-independent quantum navigation, and post-quantum cryptography for cyber resilience.
- An expert report by the Commission for Air Quality Management identifies secondary particulate matter as the largest contributor to Delhi-NCR winter pollution, underscoring that chemical formation processes, not just direct emissions, drive air quality deterioration.
- The report notes that nearly two-thirds of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution originates outside the city, with winter meteorology such as low wind speeds and atmospheric stagnation intensifying pollution episodes rather than sudden emission spikes.
- The G4 countries have proposed an expanded United Nations Security Council with 25–26 members, including six new permanent seats, to address under-representation of the Global South and persistent veto-related deadlocks in global security governance.
- NITI Aayog sectoral decarbonisation roadmaps for cement, aluminium, and MSMEs link industrial competitiveness with India’s climate targets, highlighting the need to cut emissions to meet NDCs and reduce exposure to carbon border measures like the EU’s CBAM.
- Digital and geopolitical developments include the launch of ECINET as a unified electoral management platform, the proposed Board of Peace for post-conflict governance, continued suspension of EU GSP trade benefits for India, deployment plans for Blue Origin’s TeraWave satellite network, and renewed focus on India’s strategic legacy during the commemoration of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
- The Reserve Bank of India State Finances 2025–26 report flags that India is at a demographic inflection point, with a median age of around 28 years and a historically high working-age population creating a narrow but critical growth window.
- The report highlights sharp inter-state demographic divergence, with states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh still enjoying a large demographic dividend, while Kerala and Tamil Nadu have already crossed the ageing threshold with a declining working-age population.
- Ageing states are facing rising fiscal stress due to a shrinking tax base and higher committed expenditure, with pensions alone accounting for nearly 30% of social sector spending in 2024–25 and debt-to-GSDP ratios remaining elevated.
- Youthful states risk a demographic disaster if education, skilling, and job creation fail to keep pace with population growth, underlining the urgency of front-loaded human capital investment.
- The report shows that states’ consolidated fiscal deficit rose to 3.3% of GDP in 2024–25, even as revenue expenditure declined and outstanding liabilities fell to 28% of GDP, indicating mixed fiscal signals.
- A joint report by NITI Aayog and TERI reveals that nearly 78% of India’s e-waste is handled by the informal sector, with very low recovery of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
- The circular economy report warns that India generates about 6.19 million metric tonnes of e-waste annually, projected to rise to 14 MMT by 2030, while its recycling rate remains around 10%, far below global and EU averages.
- The World Economic Forum’s announcement of five new Fourth Industrial Revolution centres includes one in Andhra Pradesh, reinforcing India’s emergence as a global hub for AI, digital governance, and advanced manufacturing.
- The launch of the ACASA-India digital climate platform marks 15 years of the NICRA programme and aims to provide location-specific climate adaptation advisories to farmers, strengthening climate-resilient agriculture.
- The Global Investment Trends Monitor by UNCTAD reports a 73% surge in FDI inflows into India in 2025 to $47 billion, driven by strong services and manufacturing investments amid global “China+1” supply chain shifts.
- The United Nations Environment Programme State of Finance for Nature 2026 report highlights a severe global imbalance, with nature-negative finance at $7.3 trillion in 2023 compared to only $220 billion for nature-positive investments, making harmful flows nearly 30 times larger.
- The report estimates that annual investment in Nature-based Solutions must rise to $571 billion by 2030 to meet Rio Convention goals of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and halting biodiversity loss, requiring major redirection of public and private capital.
- India-linked initiatives such as the MISHTI Scheme for mangrove restoration and Amrit Dharohar for Ramsar wetland conservation are cited as examples of ecosystem-based climate action aligned with global biodiversity frameworks.
- The Military Quantum Mission Policy Framework, aligned with the National Quantum Mission, aims to integrate quantum communication, computing, sensing, and materials into India’s defence architecture through civil-military fusion.
- Defence applications of quantum technology include quantum key distribution for secure communications, quantum sensing for detecting stealth targets, GPS-independent quantum navigation, and post-quantum cryptography for cyber resilience.
- An expert report by the Commission for Air Quality Management identifies secondary particulate matter as the largest contributor to Delhi-NCR winter pollution, underscoring that chemical formation processes, not just direct emissions, drive air quality deterioration.
- The report notes that nearly two-thirds of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution originates outside the city, with winter meteorology such as low wind speeds and atmospheric stagnation intensifying pollution episodes rather than sudden emission spikes.
- The G4 countries have proposed an expanded United Nations Security Council with 25–26 members, including six new permanent seats, to address under-representation of the Global South and persistent veto-related deadlocks in global security governance.
- NITI Aayog sectoral decarbonisation roadmaps for cement, aluminium, and MSMEs link industrial competitiveness with India’s climate targets, highlighting the need to cut emissions to meet NDCs and reduce exposure to carbon border measures like the EU’s CBAM.
- Digital and geopolitical developments include the launch of ECINET as a unified electoral management platform, the proposed Board of Peace for post-conflict governance, continued suspension of EU GSP trade benefits for India, deployment plans for Blue Origin’s TeraWave satellite network, and renewed focus on India’s strategic legacy during the commemoration of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
- A southward shift of the polar vortex, caused by weakening of the polar-front jet stream, has triggered extreme cold events in parts of the United States, illustrating how instability in the stratospheric and tropospheric polar vortex can allow Arctic air to spill into mid-latitudes.
- Arctic amplification, marked by faster warming of the Arctic compared to lower latitudes, is reducing the pole–mid-latitude temperature gradient and increasing the frequency of severe winter outbreaks and polar vortex disruptions in North America and Europe.
- Extremely cold polar conditions associated with a strong polar vortex enhance polar stratospheric cloud formation, accelerating ozone depletion processes, especially over Antarctica, while India remains largely unaffected directly, with only indirect links via western disturbances.
- India’s national cyber-response agency, CERT-In, handled around 30 lakh cyber incidents in 2025, reflecting the surge in ransomware, AI-enabled scams, phishing, and organised financial fraud amid rapid digitalisation.
- CERT-In’s role has expanded through initiatives such as Cyber Swachhta Kendra, National Cyber Coordination Centre, sectoral and state-level CSIRTs, and the Cyber Crisis Management Plan, strengthening India’s capacity for real-time cyber threat detection, coordination, and recovery.
- Constitutional debates around the Governor’s address have highlighted the distinction between Article 175, which gives discretionary power to address or message the legislature, and Article 176, which mandates an address outlining the elected government’s policies at the start of specified sessions.
- The Supreme Court judgment in Nabam Rebia (2016) reaffirmed that Governors must act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers under Articles 175 and 176, reinforcing principles of federalism, executive accountability, and constitutional morality.
- The President approved 131 Padma Awards for 2026, underscoring the breadth of India’s civilian honours system, which recognises distinguished service across diverse fields while remaining non-titular under Article 18 of the Constitution.
- Seventy Armed Forces personnel received gallantry awards on Republic Day 2026, reflecting India’s structured system of wartime and peacetime honours, ranging from the Param Vir Chakra to the Ashoka Chakra, conferred by the President as Supreme Commander.
- The Border Roads Organisation’s successful high-altitude rescue and road restoration at Chatergala Pass in Jammu and Kashmir highlighted the strategic and civilian importance of BRO infrastructure, even as global health governance faced a setback with the United States completing its withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
- The India–EU partnership expanded beyond trade to include a Strategic Roadmap 2030, covering security, defence, critical technologies, clean energy, and research collaboration such as Horizon Europe.
- International Data Privacy Day highlighted the importance of Convention 108, the world’s first binding data protection treaty, as digitalisation intensifies risks to personal data globally.
- India’s digital footprint has expanded rapidly, with large-scale platforms like Aadhaar, DigiLocker, and UPI underscoring the urgency of robust data protection and cybersecurity investment.
- India and the European Union concluded their most comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, granting India preferential access to nearly 97% of EU tariff lines while protecting sensitive agricultural sectors through phased liberalisation.
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and DPDP Rules, 2025 together provide India with an operational data protection framework balancing individual rights and ease of compliance.
- At WEF 2026, India showcased leadership in renewable energy by achieving 50% non-fossil electricity capacity ahead of schedule, supported by falling solar tariffs and domestic manufacturing growth.
- Flagship initiatives such as PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM, the National Green Hydrogen Mission, and international alliances strengthened India’s clean energy transition and global climate role.
- The UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 aim to eliminate discrimination across universities while aligning with NEP 2020’s equity and inclusion goals.
- France approved legislation banning social media use for children under 15, reflecting rising global concern over mental health, addiction, cyberbullying, and online radicalisation among minors.
- Karnataka constituted a Gig Workers’ Welfare Board under a new law to ensure registration, social security, and welfare delivery for platform-based workers, while India also deepened cooperation with Euratom for peaceful nuclear energy.
- Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 replace the 2016 rules, introduce circular economy principles and Extended Producer Responsibility, and will be fully operational from 1 April 2026 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- The new SWM framework mandates four-stream segregation at source, fixes clear criteria for bulk waste generators, enforces their direct responsibility, promotes RDF use, restricts landfilling, and introduces digital monitoring and environmental compensation for non-compliance.
- A global study warns that health impacts from plastic pollution may double between 2016 and 2040, with plastic production unlikely to peak before 2100 and global demand expected to double by 2050.
- Plastics across their lifecycle release pollutants linked to respiratory diseases, cancers, and endocrine disorders, while microplastics and nanoplastics have been detected in human tissues with emerging evidence of cellular and immune impacts.
- India is addressing plastic pollution through domestic measures such as bans on single-use plastics, Extended Producer Responsibility, plastic parks, and Swachh Bharat initiatives, alongside participation in global agreements and negotiations for a global plastics treaty.
- Scientific studies show that more than half of India’s major river deltas are sinking, with the Ganga–Brahmaputra among global hotspots and the Brahmani and Mahanadi deltas recording particularly high subsidence rates.
- Excessive groundwater extraction, land subsidence, and disruption of natural sediment supply due to dams and embankments are the main drivers of delta sinking, threatening densely populated and economically vital coastal regions.
- The government is strengthening monitoring and protection of vulnerable regions through integrated groundwater regulation, sustainable sediment management, and advanced technologies like InSAR for precise subsidence tracking.
- NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme and Aspirational Blocks Programme are being accelerated through Sampoornata Abhiyan 2.0 to achieve saturation of key development indicators using real-time data and competitive federalism.
- Recent governance and strategic developments include the President’s address outlining policy priorities, extension of the Gita Mittal Committee’s tenure for humanitarian relief in Manipur, tribute to Lala Lajpat Rai’s nationalist legacy, and an India–Russia agreement to manufacture SJ-100 regional aircraft in India.
- Economic Survey 2025–26 projects India’s real GDP growth at 7.4% in FY26, reaffirming its position as the fastest-growing major economy with growth largely driven by domestic factors.
- The services sector remained the main growth anchor, expanding by about 9.1%, supported by strong performance in trade, transport, finance, and digital services.
- Private consumption emerged as the key demand-side driver, with PFCE rising to 61.5% of GDP, the highest share since 2012, reflecting resilient household demand.
- Investment momentum stayed stable as Gross Fixed Capital Formation grew by 7.8%, with investment levels sustained at around 30% of GDP.
- State governments faced rising fiscal stress, with their combined fiscal deficit increasing to 3.2% of GDP in FY25 due to welfare spending, infrastructure push, and revenue constraints.
- India improved debt sustainability by reducing its general government debt-to-GDP ratio by about 7.1 percentage points since 2020, indicating fiscal consolidation.
- The external sector strengthened as India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient at USD 135.4 billion and foreign exchange reserves rose to about USD 701.4 billion.
- Coking coal was declared a Critical and Strategic Mineral under the MMDR Act, 1957, to secure India’s steel sector and reduce heavy import dependence of nearly 95%.
- The Expert Group report on CPI base revision recommended CPI 2024 to better reflect changing consumption patterns and improve inflation measurement for policy use.
- Global and strategic developments highlighted nuclear energy’s role in decarbonization with capacity projected to reach 1,446 GWe by 2050, alongside scientific advances like rare red aurora sightings at Hanle Dark Sky Reserve and geopolitical actions such as the EU designating Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organization.
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