Recently, Flamingo Festival 2025 concluded  in Sullurupeta, Andhra Pradesh.

• The event celebrated biodiversity, focusing on migratory flamingos visiting Pulicat Lake and Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary.
• It was held from January 18 to 20 across multiple locations, including Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Sullurupeta, and Sri City in Tirupati district.

• Devajit Saikia, an advocate and former wicket-keeper batsman from Assam, has been appointed as the new secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• He succeeds Jay Shah in this role.

• Sanjiv Ranjan, a 1993-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, has been appointed as the next Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
• He is currently serving as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of External Affairs.
• Ranjan is expected to assume his new role shortly, where he will focus on enhancing regional cooperation among IORA member states.

• Observed annually on 29 January to honor the beginning and significance of newspapers in India.
• The day raises awareness about the role of print media in shaping public opinion, educating the masses, and providing information.

• Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2025 was awarded to Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad.
• The award honors exceptional contributions to disaster management and is announced annually on January 23, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.
• INCOIS, founded in 1999, plays a key role in India’s disaster management strategy, providing early warnings for ocean-related hazards.
• The award includes a ₹51 lakh cash prize and a certificate.
• INCOIS operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre, provides cyclone and storm surge forecasts, and offers search and rescue tools.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is holding its Annual Meeting from January 20 to 24 in Davos, Switzerland.

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) was established in 1971 by Klaus Schwab as a not-for-profit foundation, originally called the European Management Forum.
• It introduced the concept of stakeholder capitalism and engages global leaders in discussions to build more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economies.
• In 1973, it expanded its focus to include economic and social issues, following significant global events like the collapse of the Bretton Woods system and the Arab-Israeli War.
• In 1987, it became the World Economic Forum and began offering a platform for dialogue.
• In 2015, WEF was formally recognized as an international organization.
• Key reports include the Global Competitiveness Report, Global Information Technology Report, and Global Gender Gap Report.
• The WEF has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with offices in New York, San Francisco, Beijing, and Tokyo.

Former US President Joe Biden highlighted the potential realization of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

• The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a connectivity project aimed at enhancing trade by creating infrastructure like ports, railways, roads, sea lines, and pipelines.
• Announced in 2023 during the G20 meeting, it involves a MoU between the European Union, India, the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, and Italy.
• It consists of two corridors: an eastern corridor from India to the Arabian Gulf, and a northern corridor from the Gulf to Europe.
• The corridor will include a shipping route from Mumbai and Mundra (Gujarat) to the UAE, a rail network linking the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel, and a sea route from Haifa to Piraeus (Greece).

Recently, the US President signed an executive order renaming Denali to Mount McKinley.

• Mount McKinley, also called Denali, is the highest peak in North America.
• Location: Situated in the Alaska Range, south-central Alaska, USA, near the Denali Fault.
• Geological Origin: A massive granite block uplifted about 60 million years ago during tectonic activity.
• Height: It rises approximately 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) from the Denali Fault to its higher southern summit.
• Snow and Glaciers: The upper half is permanently snow-covered, feeding glaciers like Kahiltna, Muldrow, Peters, Ruth, and Traleika.

Denali National Park: It serves as the central feature of this park and preserve.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered significant Buddhist remains during renewed excavations at the historic Ratnagiri site in Jajpur district adding another chapter to its 1,200-year-old legacy.

• Ratnagiri is a significant Buddhist site located in Jajpur district, Odisha, about 100 km northeast of Bhubaneswar.
• The site is situated on a hill between the Birupa and Brahmani rivers and is part of Odisha’s Diamond Triangle, along with Udaygiri and Lalitgiri.
• The site dates back to the 5th–13th century, with peak construction during the 7th–10th centuries.
• Ratnagiri was a major center for Mahayana and Tantrayana (Vajrayana) Buddhism.
• Chinese Buddhist monk Hiuen Tsang reportedly visited Odisha in 638–639 AD, possibly documenting the site.
• The site was first documented in 1905.

Observed annually on 28 January.

• M. Cariappa, born on 28 January 1899 in Kodagu, Karnataka, was the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.
• Known for his leadership during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948, where he served as the commander of the Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Cariappa was the first Indian officer to be appointed as the head of the Indian Army, following the transfer of power from British to Indian leadership.
• He retired in 1953 and was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his services.