Which country has declared the Muslim Brotherhood organizations in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as “terrorist” groups in January 2026?
The United States has designated Muslim Brotherhood organizations in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as terrorist groups.
The US action followed Executive Order 14362 issued by Donald Trump in January 2026.
The Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
Muhammad Fawzi Takkoosh, leader of the Lebanese branch, is designated as an SDGT.
The Egyptian and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhoods are designated as SDGTs for supporting Hamas.
The US cited the groups’ alleged support for Hamas and activities against Israeli interests as reasons for the designation.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Egyptian scholar Hassan al-Banna.
The Brotherhood has branches and sub-branches across the Middle East, including political and social organizations.
The Lebanese branch (al-Jamaa al-Islamia) is represented in the Lebanese parliament.
The Jordanian branch, Islamic Action Front, won 31 seats in the 2024 House of Representatives elections but was banned in 2025.
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood won the 2012 presidential election with Mohamed Morsi but was removed in a military coup in 2013.
Mohamed Morsi died in prison in 2019, marking a major decline in the Brotherhood’s political power in Egypt.
Who has been appointed as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) until August 31, 2028?
Rakesh Aggarwal, 1994-batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed DG of NIA.
His tenure as NIA DG is until 31 August 2028 or until further orders.
The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by the Prime Minister.
Aggarwal was earlier serving as Interim DG of NIA following the repatriation of Sadanand Vasant Date.
He also served as Special DG of NIA from September 2025, on an in-situ basis.
The DG, NIA post corresponds to Level-16 in the Pay Matrix.
Sadanand Vasant Date, the former DG, NIA, was repatriated to his parent cadre, Maharashtra.
Rakesh Aggarwal’s appointment followed ACC approval of Date’s premature repatriation.
The Additional Director General post held by Aggarwal was temporarily upgraded for two years to appoint him Special DG.
The NIA DG post is a top-level leadership role in India’s premier anti-terror investigative agency.
Who has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in January 2026?
Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor appointed as Director General of ITBP in January 2026.
ITBP’s primary role is guarding India’s border with China.
Kapoor succeeds Praveen Kumar as DG of ITBP.
Praveen Kumar appointed as DG of BSF, India’s border force for Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Kapoor is a 1990-batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre.
Praveen Kumar is a 1993-batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre.
Kapoor’s appointment as DG ITBP is until 31 October 2026, his superannuation date.
Praveen Kumar’s tenure as DG BSF is until 30 September 2030, his retirement date.
Kapoor was previously Haryana DGP and was sent on leave following Y Puran Kumar’s alleged suicide.
Y Puran Kumar, a 2001-batch IPS officer, cited caste-based discrimination and harassment in his final note.
BSF protects India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
“Gruha Lakshmi Digital Marketing” portal launched in 2026 is associated with which state?
Karnataka launched Gruha Lakshmi Digital Marketing to promote women-led products online.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Department of Women and Child Development, Karnataka.
The portal is supported by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar.
Lakshmi Hebbalkar leads the initiative, with G. Padmavathi as Chairperson of the Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation.
Gruha Lakshmi is a state-backed e-commerce marketplace for women entrepreneurs.
The platform enables women to access national and global markets.
The initiative focuses on rural women, artisans, and small-scale producers.
The portal emphasizes verified sellers to ensure product authenticity and buyer trust.
Designed for smooth navigation and secure transactions, it helps women scale businesses.
The platform aims to enhance income sustainability for women entrepreneurs.
Women entrepreneurs can register online, via District In-charge Officers, or at the Department’s head office.
India’s first full-stack Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Park is being established in which state?
Tamil Nadu signed an MoU with Sarvam AI to establish India’s first full-stack Sovereign AI Park.
The Sovereign AI Park involves an initial investment of ₹10,000 crore.
The project represents a state-led initiative for domestically governed artificial intelligence.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin.
The project aims to create secure, ethical, and accountable AI systems within India.
The Sovereign AI Park is expected to generate over 1,000 high-skilled jobs.
The park is inspired by the concept of a “Digital Sangam”, drawing from Tamil heritage.
It will promote Tamil-first foundational AI models with linguistic and cultural context.
IIT Madras will contribute to talent development and research capacity building.
The initiative aligns with India’s broader IndiaAI Mission.
What is the primary function of the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC) under the revised RBI grievance framework?
RBI will establish a Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC) under the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme.
The CRPC will become operational from 1 July 2026.
CRPC will function as a single national hub for initial scrutiny of complaints.
It will process complaints received through email and physical (postal) modes.
Online complaints will continue to be registered directly on the RBI Complaint Management System (CMS) portal.
The primary role of CRPC is to examine admissibility of complaints under the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme.
Centralised scrutiny aims to reduce delays, duplication, and regional inconsistencies.
After scrutiny, admissible complaints will be handled by the RBI Ombudsman or Deputy Ombudsman.
Decisions will be based on banking laws, RBI regulations, and applicable guidelines.
The Integrated Ombudsman Scheme provides a quick, cost-effective, and non-adversarial grievance mechanism.
The scheme applies to banks, NBFCs, and other RBI-regulated entities.
There is no monetary limit on the value of disputes that can be taken up by the Ombudsman.
Compensation for consequential losses can be awarded up to ₹30 lakh.
Compensation up to ₹3 lakh can be granted for harassment, mental anguish, loss of time, or expenses.
Which state is set to host the world’s largest green ammonia project?
Andhra Pradesh will host the world’s largest green ammonia project at Kakinada.
The project is being developed by AM Green.
The total planned investment for the project is USD 10 billion.
The project involves conversion of an existing ammonia-urea complex at Kakinada.
The final production capacity of the plant will be 1.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
Phased commissioning targets 0.5 MTPA by 2027, 1.0 MTPA by 2028, and full capacity by 2030.
The project will be powered entirely by an integrated renewable energy system.
Around 7.5 GW of solar and wind capacity will support the facility.
The project will use nearly 1,950 MW of electrolyser capacity for green hydrogen production.
Close to 2 GW of round-the-clock renewable power will ensure uninterrupted operations.
The project will enable India’s first exports of green ammonia.
Planned export destinations include Germany, Japan, and Singapore.
Who was awarded the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December 2025?
Mitchell Starc was named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December 2025.
The award was given for Starc’s performances in the Ashes Test series.
Mitchell Starc is a fast bowler representing Australia in international cricket.
Australia won the Ashes series by a margin of 4–1.
Starc took a 10-wicket haul in the opening Test at Perth.
Starc took four wickets each in the Adelaide and Melbourne Tests.
Mitchell Starc finished the Ashes as the leading wicket-taker.
He took a total of 31 wickets in the Ashes series.
Starc was named Player of the Series in the Ashes.
The Ashes is a bilateral Test cricket series between Australia and England.
The ICC Player of the Month award is conferred by the International Cricket Council.
In January 2026, which country has appointed Shaya Mohsen Zindani as their Prime Minister?
Yemen witnessed a leadership change in January 2026 with the resignation of its Prime Minister.
The resignation was accepted by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.
Salem bin Breik resigned as Prime Minister of Yemen.
Shaya Mohsen Zindani was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Yemen.
Prior to his appointment, Shaya Mohsen Zindani served as Yemen’s Foreign Minister.
The new Prime Minister has been tasked with forming a fresh cabinet.
Yemen is currently governed by a Presidential Leadership Council.
The Presidential Leadership Council exercises executive authority in Yemen.
The Presidential Leadership Council was formed with Saudi Arabian backing.
According to the WEF Global Risks Report 2026, the world is entering an “Age of Competition”. This term primarily refers to intensifying rivalry in which domain?
The WEF Global Risks Report 2026 is the 21st edition of the annual global risk assessment.
The report identifies the emergence of an “Age of Competition” marked by intensified global rivalry.
Global competition now extends beyond military power to trade, technology, sanctions, and information warfare.
Risks are assessed across two horizons: short term (2 years) and long term (10 years).
The global risk environment is becoming more fragmented, unpredictable, and interconnected.
In the WEF Global Risks Report 2026, the term “Age of Competition” refers to a structural shift in global relations where countries increasingly pursue national interests through rivalry rather than cooperation.
For exam purposes, understand it in the following multi-dimensional way:
The “Age of Competition” means that states now compete across multiple non-military domains, using economic, technological, informational, and regulatory tools as instruments of power.