Daily Current Affairs – 26-01-2026

Sports News

Pamela Conti Appointed India U-17 Women’s Football Head Coach

Former Italy international Pamela Conti has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian women’s U-17 football team for the AFC Asian Cup to be held later this year.

The appointment was announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), stating that the 43-year-old coach has joined the national training camp at Anantapur, where the Indian U-17 women’s team, known as the Young Tigresses, is preparing for the continental tournament.

Nivetha Ramadoss will continue in her role as assistant coach for the team.

ITBP Women’s Team Wins Gold at Khelo India Winter Games

At the 6th Khelo India Winter Games held in Leh, Ladakh, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) women’s team won the gold medal in Ice Hockey on January 25, defeating Ladakh by 2–1 in the final. In the men’s Ice Hockey events, Ladakh secured the silver medal, while Ladakh also won the bronze medal by defeating Jammu and Kashmir 3–2. In Short Track Speed Skating, Srivasan S. Rao (Karnataka) won gold in the 1,000 metres, Akrishiv Viswanath (Tamil Nadu) won silver, and Sivakumari (Jammu and Kashmir) won bronze, with Akrishiv Viswanath also winning gold in the 500 metres. The first phase of the 6th Khelo India Winter Games concludes on January 26.

Djokovic Breaks Federer’s Australian Open Record

Novak Djokovic of Serbia, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, advanced directly to the quarterfinals after reaching the fourth round when his opponent Jakob Mensik of the Czech Republic withdrew due to injury. With this progression, Djokovic created a new record by reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 16th time, surpassing the previous record of 15 quarterfinal appearances held by Roger Federer of Switzerland. Djokovic also continues to hold the record for the most quarterfinal appearances (64) across the four Grand Slam tournaments.

International News

Indian Navy Training Squadron Strengthens Maritime Ties with Indonesia

The Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron (ITS) strengthened maritime engagement with Indonesia, a key member of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), and advanced the MAHASAGAR vision during a three-day port call at Belawan, after which it departed on Friday, according to the Defence Ministry. During the visit, the crew and trainees of INS Tir, INS Shardul, INS Sujata, and ICGS Sarathi engaged with the Indonesian Navy through professional interactions, training visits, cultural exchanges, and friendly sports meets, enhancing professional cooperation and people-to-people ties. As part of the professional engagements, Indian naval trainees visited facilities of Indonesia’s Naval Regional Command I, gaining insights into its operational roles and responsibilities.

Personalities, Awards and Events

Veteran Journalist Mark Tully Passes Away

Veteran journalist and acclaimed author Mark Tully passed away at the age of 90 at a hospital in New Delhi on Sunday.

He served as the Chief of Bureau of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in India for 22 years and played a significant role in international broadcasting on Indian affairs.

Born in 1935 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Mark Tully returned to India in the early 1960s as an assistant representative at the BBC New Delhi bureau.

During his tenure, the BBC under his leadership reported on major events such as the 1965 India–Pakistan War, the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the 1975 Emergency, the Punjab insurgency in the early 1980s, and the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

After his radio career, he engaged in documentary filmmaking and authored several books on India, including India’s Unending Journey.

He was awarded Knighthood in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005.

‘Senthamizh’ Award for Varanasi Commissioner Rajalingam

Rajalingam, a native of Tamil Nadu, who is serving as the Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi, was honoured with the ‘Senthamizh’ Award by the Kasi Tamil Sangam at Banaras Hindu University. Despite his promotion, he continues as the Commissioner of the Varanasi Division, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his role in implementing various Central Government development schemes. He is also associated with the administration of the Kasi Tamil Sangam, an initiative in Varanasi that has been conducted for the past four years, which supports Tamil education for Tamils living in Varanasi for generations. Rajalingam hails from Kadayanallur in Tenkasi district, holds a Chemical Engineering degree from NIT Tiruchirappalli, cleared the IPS examination in 2007, and the IAS examination in 2008, and has earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Tirunelveli.

Thanjavur District Wins National Best Election Award

The National-level Best District Election Award 2025 has been conferred on Thanjavur District in the category of effective use of technology in elections. The award was presented by President Droupadi Murmu to Thanjavur District Collector P. Priyanga Pankajam at the National Voters’ Day समारोह held in New Delhi on January 25, which is observed annually by the Election Commission of India. The district was recognised for its full utilisation of technology in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, including door-to-door distribution of forms for voter inclusion and deletion, online uploading of applications, and swift processing of electoral services. The ceremony was attended by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

Vijay Amritraj Awarded Padma Bhushan; Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur Get Padma Shri

Central Government of India announced the Padma Awards, selecting nine persons from the sports sector. Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj has been conferred the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of India, for his contributions to tennis. The Padma Shri has been awarded to Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur for cricket, Savita Punia for hockey, Praveen Kumar for para-athletics, Palanivel from Puducherry for Silambam, Bhagwandas Raikwar for traditional martial arts, Baldev Singh for hockey, and V.K.J. Krishna for wrestling. Rohit Sharma led India to the T20 World Cup, while Harmanpreet Kaur led the team to the ODI World Cup. Praveen Kumar received the award for winning gold at the Paralympics, and Vladimir Mestvirishvili was awarded the Padma Shri posthumously for preparing athletes for Olympic medal honours.

Top Civilian Awards of India

1. Bharat Ratna – Highest civilian award for exceptional national service.

2. Padma Vibhushan – For exceptional and distinguished service in any field.

3. Padma Bhushan – For high-order distinguished service.

4. Padma Shri – For distinguished individual achievements and contributions.

President’s Medal for IPS Officer Sabra Sharma

The President’s Medal has been announced on January 25 for Sabra Sharma, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer holding the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), New Delhi, in recognition of her highly distinguished and flawless service. She is currently serving as the Director of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). Selected to the IPS in 1999, she has served in organisations including the Delhi Police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Lokayukta. During her tenure in the Delhi Police, she developed structured approaches for handling women and child-related cases and worked with the National Human Rights Commission in tracing missing children and investigating crimes. She has also conducted training programmes on child protection and preventive detention and has previously received distinguished service medals, including the President’s Police Medal and awards for investigation and intelligence work.

President’s Medals for Tamil Nadu Police Officers

Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced police medals for distinguished service, under which three officers from the Tamil Nadu Police were awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, while 29 personnel from Tamil Nadu received the Medal for Meritorious Service. At the national level, 125 Gallantry Medals, 121 President’s Medals for Distinguished Service, and 756 Medals for Meritorious Service were announced for personnel from the State Police Forces, Fire and Rescue Services, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Prison Department, Central Armed Police Forces, and Intelligence Agencies. From Tamil Nadu, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (Police) was awarded to Samarjit Banerjee (IG–Administration, Chennai), A. Anandavelu (Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Chennai), and S. Anwar Basha (Deputy Commissioner, Armed Reserve, Greater Chennai Police). The awards recognise exceptional acts such as saving lives and property, preventing crimes, and arresting criminals.

Ashoka Chakra for Subhanshu Shukla

The Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, has been announced on January 25 for Subhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS). An Indian Air Force pilot, Shukla travelled to space in June 2025 aboard a spacecraft operated by an American company and stayed at the International Space Station for 18 days. With this achievement, he became the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma and the first Indian to visit the ISS. Ahead of Republic Day, Droupadi Murmu approved gallantry awards for 70 personnel, including the Ashoka Chakra, along with Kirti Chakra awards to Major Ajitsingh Singh, Subedar Doleshwar Subba, and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, and Shaurya Chakra awards to 13 personnel, including Lieutenant Commander K. Dilna and Lieutenant Commander A. Roopa of the Indian Navy. Additionally, 44 Sena Medals, 6 Nao Sena Medals, and 2 Vayu Sena Medals were announced.

13 from Tamil Nadu among 131 Padma Award Recipients

Padma Awards were announced for 131 individuals across fields such as Arts, Science, Social Work, Medicine, Literature, Education, Trade–Industry, and Sports. The honours include 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. From Tamil Nadu, 13 recipients were selected, comprising 2 Padma Bhushan and 11 Padma Shri awardees. The Padma Bhushan from Tamil Nadu were awarded to Dr. K. R. Palanisamy (Medicine) and S. K. M. Maeilanandhan (Social Work). The Padma Shri awardees from Tamil Nadu include Dr. J. C. Hande (Medicine), Sivasankari (Literature–Education), V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras (Science–Engineering), Ranjani–Gayatri (Carnatic Music), K. Ramasamy (Agricultural Science), K. Vijay Kumar, former IPS (Civil Service), Dr. Punyamurthy Nadesan, Director, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (Medicine), R. Krishnan (Arts, Posthumous), Rajasthapathy Kaliappa Gounder (Arts), Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam (Mridangam, Arts), and K. C. Palanivel (Silambam, Sports).

Tamil Nadu News

₹6.40 Crore Plan to Protect Sea Turtles in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Government has announced a ₹6.40 crore project to protect sea turtles that come to the coast for breeding by providing free Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to fishermen, according to a government press release issued in Chennai. The nesting period of sea turtles from January 1 to April 30 has been identified as a critical phase, and areas within 5 nautical miles from the coast have been declared as turtle egg-laying zones. To ensure conservation, joint patrols, monitoring by the ‘Reptile’ group led by Inigo Robinson, and support from non-governmental organisations are being carried out. Awareness campaigns involving the Forest Department, Coastal Security Group, Coastal Police, fishermen associations, and local representatives were conducted, with 270 awareness programmes held during the breeding season. The Turtle Excluder Device (TED), provided with technical support from the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), is designed to allow turtles trapped in trawl nets to escape safely without affecting fishermen’s income. Under the scheme, TEDs have been supplied to 50 fishing boats at a cost of ₹11.75 lakh in the first phase and to 2,613 boats at a cost of ₹6.29 crore in the subsequent phase, and installation work is currently underway.