NATIONAL NEWS
EU Leaders to Grace India’s 77th Republic Day Celebrations
• India has invited top European Union leaders as Chief Guests for the 77th Republic Day.
• António Costa (President, European Council) and Ursula von der Leyen (President, European Commission) will attend.
• The Republic Day समारोह will take place at Kartavya Path on 26 January.
• Both leaders will be on a three-day official visit from 25 January, following PM Modi’s invitation.
• The 16th India–EU Summit will be jointly chaired on 27 January during the visit.
• Official engagements include meetings with President Droupadi Murmu.
• Restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled.
• The visit is expected to strengthen the India–EU Strategic Partnership, which began in 2004.
AWARDS
ICC Player of the Month Awards: December 2025
• Mitchell Starc of Australia won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December 2025.
• The award recognised his match-winning role in Australia’s Ashes series triumph at home.
• This marks Starc’s first-ever ICC Player of the Month honour.
• He ended a two-year gap for Australian winners, last claimed by Pat Cummins in December 2023.
• Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa received the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award.
• She was honoured for her consistent performances against Ireland in both ODIs and T20Is.
• This was Wolvaardt’s second win, after earlier receiving the award in October 2025.
• The ICC Player of the Month awards, launched in January 2021, recognise top global cricket performances.
Golden Globe Awards 2026
• The 83rd Golden Globe Awards were held in Los Angeles, celebrating film and TV excellence of 2025.
• Hamnet secured the top honour for Best Film (Drama).
• One Battle After Another won Best Film (Musical/Comedy) and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
• The Secret Agent emerged as Best Non-English Film, with Wagner Moura winning Best Actor (Drama).
• Jessie Buckley received Best Actress (Drama) for her role in Hamnet.
• Timothée Chalamet and Rose Byrne won top acting awards in Musical/Comedy categories.
• In television, Adolescence dominated as Best Limited Series.
• Ricky Gervais won Best Stand-Up Comedy, while Sinners earned the box office achievement award.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Political Developments and Power Shifts in Yemen
• Yemen’s Prime Minister Salem bin Breik resigned, and his resignation was formally accepted.
• Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen Zindani has been appointed as the new Prime Minister.
• Yemen has recently witnessed rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
• In December, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) gained control over parts of southern and eastern Yemen.
• The STC is a UAE-backed separatist group, whose advance raised regional security concerns.
• Saudi Arabia viewed the developments as a threat to its national security.
• Saudi-backed forces have largely reclaimed the contested areas near the border.
• Despite current differences, Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier jointly opposed Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen’s civil war.
