Current Affairs

6th Badminton Asia Team Championships begins in Qingdao, China

The 6th edition of the Badminton Asia Team Championships is set to begin in Qingdao, China, today. The men’s and women’s national teams from Asia will compete in the tournament. India’s women will begin their title defence without two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who has withdrawn from the tournament. They have been placed in Group Y alongside fourth seeds Thailand and Myanmar.

Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda, Malvika Bansod and a pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are part of the Indian Women’s team. The men’s team has been drawn in Group C with fourth seeds Japan and Singapore. Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth and doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lead the men’s side. Both the Indian men’s and women’s sides will begin their campaign tomorrow.



Elon Musk hits record $800 billion net worth after SpaceX-xAI merger

Elon Musk has reached a new wealth milestone after SpaceX acquired his artificial intelligence and social media firm, xAI. The deal has pushed Musk’s net worth past the $800 billion mark, making him the richest person in history by a wide margin.

According to Forbes, the transaction values the combined company at $1.25 trillion and added about $84 billion to Musk’s fortune, taking his total net worth to an estimated $852 billion.

Before the merger, Musk held around 42 per cent of SpaceX, which was valued at $800 billion following a tender offer in December. His stake was worth about $336 billion. He also owned roughly 49 per cent of xAI, valued at $250 billion after a private fundraising round earlier this month, making his holding worth about $122 billion.



JP Nadda releases India’s first evidence-based guidelines on lung cancer treatment and palliation

Ahead of World Cancer Day, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday released the “Lung Cancer Treatment and Palliation: Evidence-Based Guidelines”, marking a significant step towards standardised and patient-centric cancer care in India.

The guidelines were formally unveiled at Kartavya Bhavan and aim to provide a uniform, evidence-based framework for the diagnosis, treatment and palliative care of lung cancer patients across the country. Developed by leading oncology experts and key stakeholders, the document seeks to strengthen clinical decision-making, promote best practices and reduce variations in treatment outcomes across public and private healthcare systems.



GAIL, MOL sign long-term charter agreement for LNG Carrier at IEW 2026

GAIL (India) Limited has entered into a long-term charter agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL), Tokyo, for an LNG carrier named “GAIL Bhuwan”, strengthening India’s LNG shipping and energy logistics capabilities.

The agreement has been signed on January 27, on the sidelines of India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 in Goa. The charter contract has been executed between S. Bairagi, Executive Director (International Shipping & LNG) of GAIL, and Hisashi Umemura, Director General, Headquarters of Energy Business of MOL, in the presence of GAIL’s Chairman & Managing Director, functional directors and senior officials from both organisations.

The collaboration builds on the long-standing partnership between GAIL and MOL in the LNG shipping segment. The charter agreement has been signed between GAIL and LNG Japonica Shipping Corporation Limited, a joint venture company in which GAIL holds a 26 percent stake and MOL holds 74 percent.



Capt. Ganti Venkateswarlu assumes additional charge as C&MD

Hindustan Shipard Limited (HSL), a PSU under the Ministry of Defence on Saturday informed that Cmde Girideep Singh, IN (Retd) has been superannuated on Saturday, after serving for six months as Chairman and Managing Director (Additional Charge).

Singh was serving as Director (Strategic Projects) of HSL from March 5, 2022. As Director (Strategic Projects) of HSL, he was overseeing the submarine and ship repair business units. During his tenure, major refit projects, including the Normal Refit of INS Sidhukirti, and SSP were completed and key programmes such as DSV and FSS were progressed. During this period, HSL has become L1 for the 18 NGFPVs for Coast Guard valued at Rs 3000 crore (approx).

Consequent superannuation of Cmde Girideep Singh, Capt Ganti Venkateswarlu, IN (Retd.), Director (Shipbuilding) of HSL, has assumed additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director of the company with effect from January 31.



SECL CMD Harish Duhan Gets Additional Charge as WCL CMD

In an order issued by the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, Shri Harish Duhan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), has been entrusted with the additional charge of Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL).

The additional responsibility will be effective from February 1, 2026, for an initial period of three months or until further orders, whichever is earlier.



Union Bank of India Announces Senior Management Change on February 1, 2026

Union Bank of India has informed the stock exchanges about key changes in its senior management in compliance with Regulation 30 and Regulation 51 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

The Bank announced that Shri Bhaskara Rao Kare, Chief General Manager, superannuated from the services of the Bank on January 31, 2026, marking the completion of his tenure.

Following this development, Shri Sarvesh Ranjan, currently serving as General Manager, has been elevated to the post of Chief General Manager with effect from February 1, 2026.



In a first, Kochi airport to run hydrogen-powered buses

Kochi International Airport is set to become the first airport in the country to operate hydrogen-powered buses for passenger transportation. The move is based on an MoA signed between the Kerala Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster (K-HVIC) Foundation and Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) on Sunday.

The agreement pertains to the procurement and operation of three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses at Kochi airport as part of the Kerala Hydrogen Valley initiative. Under the MoA, the K-HVIC Foundation will provide financial support for the procurement of the buses, with funding capped at `2.90 crore per bus and the overall project of `8.7 crore that will be released in stages.

Procurement of the buses is scheduled to be completed within 12 months. Ownership of the buses will vest with CIAL. The project is expected to enhance passenger convenience while reducing emissions from airport transport operations.



SBI launches ‘CHAKRA’ centre of excellence to finance sunrise sectors

State Bank of India on Monday launched CHAKRA, a Centre of Excellence (CoE) aimed at strengthening financing for sunrise sectors critical to India’s long-term economic transformation and its goal of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

According to an SBI release, the identified sunrise sectors are expected to attract capital expenditure of around ₹100 lakh crore by 2030.

The CHAKRA Centre will function as a knowledge-led platform to support financing for technology-driven and sustainability-focused industries. The bank said it will enhance its risk assessment capabilities and develop innovative financing structures aligned with evolving business models to channel capital into these capital-intensive sectors.



Indian Air Force Showcases Aerial Prowess at Singapore Airshow

The Indian Air Force, IAF is showcasing its aerial capability at the Singapore Airshow this year. The Ministry of Defence has informed that the IAF is participating with the Sarang Helicopter Display Team and is flying the indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv at the event.

The airshow, being held at the Changi Exhibition Centre from the 3rd to the 8th of this month, is Asia’s leading biennial aerospace and defence exhibition. Sarang’s precision flying and close-formation manoeuvres highlight the versatility and reliability of the ALH Dhruv. The event features flying displays by four teams and a static display of 37 aircraft.