Daily Current Affairs – 23-01-2026
Sports News
Former India Footballer Ilyas Pasha Passes Away
Former India international footballer and East Bengal defender Ilyas Pasha passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness at the age of 61. He made his senior India debut on January 27, 1987, against Bulgaria in the Nehru Cup held at Kozhikode, and went on to earn eight international caps, representing India in the Nehru Cup (1987, 1991), 1991 SAF Games, and 1992 Asian Cup qualifiers. At the domestic level, he represented Karnataka in the Santosh Trophy from 1987, and later played for Mohammedan Sporting and East Bengal, becoming part of the club’s most successful phase. With East Bengal, he won the Calcutta Football League five times, the IFA Shield five times, and the Durand Cup four times, besides several other major domestic trophies. He was also a member of East Bengal’s triple crown-winning team in 1990 and captained the side to its first international title at the Wai Wai Cup, Kathmandu, in 1993, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from East Bengal in 2012.
National News
“ICEDGE” System for Election Commission Services
The Chief Election Commissioner announced the introduction of the “ICEDGE” system to streamline all services of the Election Commission, at the inaugural function of the International Conference on Democracy and Elections Management. The ICEDGE platform integrates election-related services including voter registration, voter awareness, and other electoral services, with the objective of improving transparency in the electoral system. The system is expected to be useful for over 40 countries, reflecting its broader applicability to election management processes.
DRDO Missile at 77th Republic Day Parade
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will showcase India’s indigenous defence capabilities at the 77th Republic Day parade and “Bharat Parv 2026” held at the Red Fort.
A key highlight will be the display of the Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) along with its launcher during the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path, accompanied by a dedicated DRDO tableau.
The LR-AShM is a hypersonic glide missile capable of engaging both static and moving targets with high precision, demonstrating advanced missile technology developed indigenously.
Tamil Nadu News
₹2,292 Crore Seawater Desalination Project in Thoothukudi
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin laid the foundation stone for a seawater desalination project in Thoothukudi district on January 22, with a total project cost of ₹2,292.38 crore. The project has a designed capacity of 60 million litres per day (MLD) and will supply purified water sourced from the Thoothukudi Port. The funding structure of the project includes 40% government funding and 60% private sector participation. The foundation stone was laid during an official function attended by Ministers Duraimurugan, I. Periyasamy, Anitha Radhakrishnan, and T.R.B. Raja.
International Education Summit in Chennai on January 28–29
A two-day International Education Summit (IES) will be held in Chennai on January 28 and 29, organised by the Tamil Nadu Government, according to Industries Minister T.R.B. Raja. The summit will be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and will bring together education experts, heads of educational institutions, university representatives, and industry participants. The event will also see the participation of students from various States, with the objective of connecting Tamil Nadu students with educational institutions and facilitating access to global higher education opportunities.
February 12 Conclave on Conversion of MoUs into Investments in Tamil Nadu
Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa informed the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly that the State Government will organise a conclave on February 12 to present the status and conversion of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) into investments in the State. He stated that at the Global Investors Meet, a total of 631 MoUs were signed, of which 526 MoUs have already been converted into investments, with the concerned companies currently at various stages of construction and production. The conclave is intended to review and present the progress of these investment commitments attracted to Tamil Nadu.
Stalin Launches “Sprint 1” Under STAR 3.0 for Online Property Registration
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has launched “Sprint 1” under the STAR (Simplified and Transparent Administration of Registration) 3.0 initiative of the Registration Department, introducing 18 citizen-centric services focused on paperless and presenceless registration.
Under this initiative, paperless registration has been enabled for all 30 types of deeds, eliminating the need to carry physical documents to Sub-Registrar Offices (SROs), while presenceless registration has been introduced for 10 types of documents, including sale deeds, sale agreements, and lease deeds, allowing end-to-end online registration.
Citizens can create deeds through a four-step guided digital process without intermediaries, make QR-based payments, and download certified copies of legal orders.
For apartment resale registrations, documents can be returned on the same day without building inspection if details such as parking and lift availability are included.
The TNREGINET mobile application provides services including guideline value search, encumbrance certificates, and token availability, and allows applications for encumbrance certificates at the current SRO even if the village was earlier under a different SRO jurisdiction.
The STAR project, first introduced on a pilot basis in 2000, has since been expanded, and the launch event was attended by Minister P. Moorthy and Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam.
New State Resource Centre Inaugurated in Chennai
A State Resource Centre has been newly established at the DPI campus, Chennai, with modern facilities at a cost of ₹5 crore, to support research-based teaching and learning practices in Tamil Nadu. The centre was inaugurated by Anbil Mahesh, the School Education Minister, in the presence of B. Chandramohan, Secretary, School Education Department. The objective of the centre is to study new technology-based teaching and learning strategies, provide classroom recommendations, develop hands-on laboratory models for learning, and support in-service teacher training. The centre includes facilities such as a language laboratory, separate halls for science and mathematics, a room for differently-abled children, and a dedicated experimental learning hall named ‘Karka Kasadara’, enabling students to learn by conducting experiments themselves.
International News
“Sinners” Sets Record with 16 Oscar Nominations
The Academy Awards announced that the vampire period horror film “Sinners”, directed by Ryan Coogler, has created Oscar history by receiving 16 nominations, the highest ever for a single film, including a Best Actor nomination for Michael B. Jordan. The film “One Battle After Another” followed with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson. Films such as “Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro, “Martyr Supreme” starring Timothée Chalamet, and the Norwegian film “Sentiment Value” received nine nominations each. The Best Actor category includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent, while the Best International Film category features Persian-language Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just An Accident”, Spain’s “Sirat”, and the Palestinian docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab”.
Net FDI Negative for Fourth Consecutive Month in November 2025
India’s net foreign direct investment (FDI) remained negative for the fourth consecutive month in November 2025, with outflows exceeding inflows by $446 million, according to data released in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) monthly bulletin. The RBI data showed that higher repatriation and disinvestment by foreign companies operating in India were the main reasons for the negative net FDI during the month. Gross FDI inflows stood at $6.4 billion in November 2025, which was 22.5% higher than November 2024, though slightly lower than $6.5 billion in October and $7 billion in September. The RBI reported that Japan, Singapore and the United States together accounted for over 75% of total FDI inflows, with the financial services sector receiving the largest share, followed by manufacturing and retail and wholesale trade. Repatriation and disinvestment touched a five-month high of $5.3 billion, while outward FDI by Indian companies stood at $1.5 billion in November 2025, compared to $3.2 billion in October, with major destinations including Singapore, Mauritius, the U.S. and the UK. The RBI also noted that net foreign portfolio investment (FPI) remained negative in the 2025–26 financial year up to January 16, 2026.