1.            Military Training in Rajasthan: Indian and UAE armies started joint training in Rajasthan to improve their skills in desert areas.

2.            Appointments: Vivek Srivastava became the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defense, and Home Guards.

3.            Automotive Boost:  The Union Cabinet approved a scheme to boost the manufacturing of     advanced automotive technology products.

4.            New Discoveries: A new lizard species called calotes wangi was found in China. China also launched the world’s deepest lab and a rocket using methane.

5.            Political Updates:  Felix Tshisekedi became the President of the Democratic Republic of        Congo. BRICS is set to expand with new member countries.

6.            Cultural and Record Events: Surat hosted an event to showcase products by persons with    disabilities. Gujarat set a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous Surya Namaskar performance.

7.            Defense and Economy News:  India-UAE joint military exercises started. DRDO celebrated its 66th Foundation Day. There was significant growth in GST collections and UPI transactions.

8.            Banking and Financial Updates:  Electoral bonds are set for release, Mudra loans show        record growth, and the RBI increased the bulk deposit limit for certain banks.

9.            Important Days: Global Family Day was celebrated on January 1.

10.    Agreements and Appointments:  ITC partnered with Microsoft and Skymet, while Vivek     Srivastava and Rashmi Govil received key appointments. Arvind Panagariya became the            head of the Sixteenth Finance Commission.

11.    Defense and Sports Highlights:  China appointed a new defense minister. Australian cricketer David Warner retired from ODI cricket, and Indian players excelled in chess             and squash events.

12.    Science and Technology:  ISRO launched XPoSat, India’s first X-ray polarimeter      satellite, to study X-ray sources in space.