January 15, 2026

52 Maoists with ₹1.41 crore bounty surrender in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district

Fifty-two Maoists, including 21 women and many with bounties totaling over ₹1.41 crore, surrendered in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. They joined under the state's rehabilitation plan, continuing a strong trend of surrenders in January 2026.

January 15, 2026

Australia Blocks 4.7 Million Under-16 Social Media Accounts After December Ban

Australia banned social media for users under 16 in December. Over 4.7 million accounts were removed or restricted in days. Meta deactivated nearly 550,000 accounts. The government says platforms are trying to comply, but opposition raises concerns over age checks and account reactivations.

January 15, 2026

Iran Faces Water Day Zero as Drought Pushes Tehran Toward Crisis

Iran's cities face 'water day zero' amid a six-year drought. Tehran, with 10 million people, risks water supply collapse, causing blackouts and protests. Government mismanagement and climate change worsen the crisis.

January 15, 2026

Abu Dhabi’s Falcon-H1 Arabic AI Tops Global Arabic Language Benchmarks

Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute has launched Falcon-H1 Arabic, a new AI model built specifically for Arabic. The 34-billion-parameter model leads the Open Arabic LLM Leaderboard, beating even larger global AI models like Meta’s Llama-3.3 and Alibaba’s Qwen2.5 on Arabic comprehension and dialect tasks.

January 15, 2026

Kuwait Launches Digital Multiple-Trip Exit Permit to Simplify Worker Travel

Kuwait introduced a new digital Multiple-Trip Exit Permit allowing one permit for several trips abroad. The system cuts paperwork, speeds approvals, and gives employers control.

January 15, 2026

CBI Raids Multiple Kolkata Locations in Bank Fraud Probe

On January 15, 2026, CBI officers raided several Kolkata sites, including a businessman’s home in New Alipore and New Town, to investigate a bank fraud case. Five teams worked together to collect evidence and trace money flow. Central forces secured the operation to ensure smooth searches.

January 15, 2026

Supreme Court to Decide on Withdrawal of Life Support for Harish Rana

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on whether life support can be withdrawn for Harish Rana, a man in a permanent vegetative state for over 13 years. The family appeals to end his suffering while doctors advise stopping treatment. The court is considering the emotional and medical aspects carefully.

January 15, 2026

Saudi Arabia to Boost Mining Sector with Big Exploration Bids in 2026 and 2027

Saudi Arabia plans to open large mining exploration bidding rounds in 2026 and 2027. The Kingdom aims to unlock $2.5 trillion in mineral wealth and become a major supplier of critical minerals. This move supports economic diversification under Vision 2030 and drew global attention at the International Mining Conference in Riyadh.

January 15, 2026

Russia Expels British Diplomat Over Spy Accusation, Tensions Rise

Russia has expelled a British diplomat accused of spying, giving two weeks to leave. Moscow warned the UK against escalating tensions, promising a strong response.

January 15, 2026

ICE Officer Shoots Venezuelan Man in Minneapolis During Enforcement Operation

A US ICE officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during a traffic stop in north Minneapolis. The man resisted arrest and two others attacked the officer. All were taken into custody amid rising tensions after a recent ICE shooting.