World
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
Poland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Hungarian presidency
Bulgaria and Romania complete the process of joining the Schengen Area, lifting land border controls. The first country to legalize same-sex marriage was the Netherlands, which did so on April 1, 2001
The reports have raised alarm over Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), also known as “zombie deer disease,” and its potential to jump to humans.
Greater Los Angeles experiences the most destructive wildfires in its history, fuelled by strong winds and prolonged drought conditions. A firenado is a fire whirl, defined as a spinning column of hot air and gases rising from a fire. It can vary in size, with diameters ranging from less than one foot to over 500 feet. This was seen during the wildfire in LA.
Indonesia becomes the tenth member to join BRICS. The BRICS economic partnership currently includes 10 member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS was initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining later.
Mount Ibu, located in North Maluku, Indonesia, erupted, sending ash clouds up to 3 kilometres high.
The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, is successfully arrested after a second attempt by police following a martial law declaration and successful impeachment motion last December.
Thailand Banned Plastic Waste Imports in 2025
The World Economic Forum (WEF) hosted Annual Meeting from January 20 to 24, 2025, in Davos, Switzerland. The WEF was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a German professor.
The Extraordinary African Union Summit on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) concluded in Kampala, Uganda, on January 11, 2025.
Germany reported its first outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in nearly 40 years.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency due to increase in violence.
In early January 2025, US President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”
The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, is successfully arrested after a second attempt by police following a martial law declaration and successful impeachment motion last December.
Storm Éowyn hits Ireland and the United Kingdom. Record high wind speeds of 183 km/h (114 mph) are recorded in Ireland, while over a million homes are left without power.
Liechtenstein becomes the 37th country to legalize same-sex marriage.
Thailand becomes the 38th country and the first in Southeastern Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
Global technology shares outside China fall sharply in response to the release of DeepSeek’s chatbot, a Chinese competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Chip giant Nvidia loses almost $600 billion of its value, the biggest drop for a single company in U.S. stock market history.
Africa Energy Summit took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
President Donald Trump unveiled Project Stargate, an initiative aimed at establishing a robust artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the United States.
Ahmed al-Sharaa is appointed as the president of Syria, after a one-month vacancy following the fall of the Assad regime.
Nigeria was officially admitted as a partner country of the BRICS group
India
The first HMPV Virus case in India is detected in Bengaluru.
Nine miners are killed in the flooding of a coal mine in Dima Hasao district, Assam.
The Andhra Pradesh government launched the “Mana Mitra” initiative. This programme aims to enhance governance through WhatsApp.
The Sonamarg Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir is inaugurated in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The Nagoba Jatara is an important tribal festival celebrated by the Mesram clan of Adivasi Gonds in Keslapur village, Telangana. This eight-day event started on January 28
Elephant Spotted in Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh after 12 Years.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) is gaining momentum with recent initiatives by RITES. This project aims to enhance trade and connectivity between India and the Middle East.
Gujarat Biodiversity Board announced the designation of the ‘Inland Mangrove Guneri’ in Kutch as the state’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS).
Actor Saif Ali Khan is stabbed by an unknown man during an alleged robbery at his Mumbai residence.
Indore and Udaipur became the first cities from the country to be accredited as Wetland Cities under the Ramsar Convention.
Kanuma Panduga is a vibrant festival celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, India, coinciding with the Makar Sankranti harvest celebrations.
Tamil Nadu unveiled India’s First Glass Sea Bridge.
The chief guest for the 2025 parade was Prabowo Subianto, the President of Indonesia, marking his first visit to India as President after assuming office in October 2024
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award has been awarded to Christine Carla Kangaloo, the President of Trinidad and Tobago.
CRED became the first fintech company to launch a beta version of its e-rupee wallet, enabling transactions using India’s central bank digital currency (CBDC).
Punjab National Bank (PNB) made headlines by becoming the first Indian bank to implement Clari5’s National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) Integration Solution.
13 January–26 February: 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela
Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated ‘Maa Ki Rasoi’ on January 10, 2025. This community kitchen initiative aims to provide affordable meals for the economically weaker sections. This initiative is alleged to be a copy of West Bengal’s Maa canteen scheme.
The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) was officially notified on January 24, 2025. This scheme offers government employees a new choice for retirement benefits
Tamil Nadu has witnessed a concerning rise in the number of dead olive ridley turtles washing ashore, particularly in Chennai.
The Bima Sakhi Yojana was recently launched in Goa, aiming to provide insurance access to all citizens.
Madhya Pradesh has recently taken step towards prohibition by banning liquor sales in 17 religious towns.
The National Tribal Health Conclave 2025 took place on 20th January 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
On January 7, 2025, the Government of India announced the appointment of V Narayanan as the new Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Mission Mausam was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 14, 2025. This initiative marks the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD)
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) successfully launched the second multi-purpose vessel (MPV) for the Indian Navy, named INS Utkarsh.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Dibrugarh would be upgraded to a full-fledged city and serve as the second capital of Assam.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that 2024 was the hottest year in India since records began in 1901.
The Government of India launched a revamped e-auction portal named ‘Baanknet’.
IIT Madras partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare to launch Project VISTAAR. This initiative aims to enhance the agricultural extension system through digitalisation.
10 Years of UJALA Scheme the UJALA scheme, launched on 5th January 2015, has transformed India’s approach to energy efficiency. This initiative was initially known as the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme
India’s first tactical quasi-ballistic missile, Pralay was showcased at the Republic Day parade
India’s First Green Hydrogen Hub Launched in Pudimadaka, Anakapalli district, Andhra Pradesh.
The Lokpal of India has designated January 16 as “Lokpal Day”.
Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse from Kerala, is on death row in Yemen for the 2017 killing of a Yemeni national.
India’s Ministry of Defence declared 2025 as the “Year of Reforms.”
Thirteen people are killed and 15 others are injured after a passenger train collides with a group of people that disembarked from another train following a false fire alarm near Pachora, Maharashtra.
