14 January 2026

• International: Iran facing nationwide unrest since 28 December 2025; rial at 1.45 million per USD; history from Constitutional Awakening (1905) through Islamic Revolution (1979) to current crisis.
• Environment: AI and data centres: global ICT accounts for 3.9% of greenhouse gas emissions; India's data centre capacity projected at 2,073 MW by 2027.
• Schemes: IRENA 16th Assembly in Abu Dhabi called for accelerated renewable transition. India is a founding member.
• Defence: Havana Syndrome: unexplained neurological illness first reported in 2016; foreign attack now considered unlikely by US intelligence in most cases.
• International: BRICS India 2026 logo launched; India assumes chairship for the year marking BRICS's 20th anniversary (2006 to 2026).

GS area: International Relations, Polity

Nationwide protests swept Iran from late December 2025. Understanding Iran's governance structure helps decode the crisis.

• Supreme Leader: Ali Khamenei holds ultimate authority. The President and Parliament (Majlis) are subordinate to the clerical institutions.
• Guardian Council: A 12-member body that screens all candidates for elections and vets all legislation. It effectively controls who can run for office.
• Assembly of Experts: 88 clerics who elect and theoretically monitor the Supreme Leader.
• Expediency Council: Resolves disputes between Parliament and Guardian Council.
• IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps): Military-political institution with massive economic interests. Separate from the regular army.
• Bonyads: Charitable foundations controlled by the clerical establishment with enormous economic holdings.
• Current crisis drivers: Currency collapse (rial at approximately 1.45 million per USD), severe inflation, unemployment and corruption perceptions.
• Historical context:
  • 1905 to 1911: Constitutional Revolution created Iran's first parliament.
  • 1953: Mossadegh oil nationalisation coup (US-UK backed).
  • 1979: Islamic Revolution ended Pahlavi monarchy.

Static linkage: West Asia, geopolitics, governance systems.

GS area: Science and Technology, Environment

AI's rapid expansion is creating a significant and under-discussed environmental burden.

• ICT emissions: Global ICT (Information and Communications Technology) is responsible for approximately 3.9% of greenhouse gas emissions.
• AI query energy: A single ChatGPT query consumes approximately 10 times more electricity than a Google search.
• Single model training: Training one large AI model emits over 626,000 pounds of CO2, equivalent to the lifetime emissions of five average American cars.
• India's data centre capacity: Projected to reach 2,073 MW by 2027, an 85% increase from 2025 levels.
• Water stress: 50% of India's data centres are in water-stressed regions (Bengaluru, Mumbai). Data centres use water for cooling towers.
• India's AI adoption rate: 59% among surveyed businesses.
• Solutions advocated: Mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments for large data centres, ESG disclosures on AI energy use and Green AI design principles.

Static linkage: Climate change, technology governance, AI.

GS area: International Relations, Environment

The 16th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) concluded in Abu Dhabi.

• Established: 26 January 2009, at a founding conference in Bonn, Germany.
• Headquarters: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• India: Founding member. India has been active in IRENA's work on solar energy standards and investment frameworks.
• Mission: Acts as a global hub for renewable energy data, policy guidance, technology cooperation and investment support.
• 16th Assembly call: Accelerated renewable energy transition, especially in the Global South, and expanded technology transfer to developing countries.
• Masdar City significance: A planned zero-carbon city that hosts IRENA and is itself a demonstration of renewable urban planning.

Static linkage: International energy organisations, renewable energy.

GS area: International Relations

India assumed the BRICS chairship for 2026, marking the grouping's 20th anniversary (founded 2006).

• BRICS members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. (Brazil, Russia, India and China first met in 2006 as BRIC; South Africa joined in 2010.)
• 2024 expansion: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE joined. Argentina declined.
• Logo design: A lotus with five coloured petals representing the five founding members.
• Central design element: Namaste hands symbolising dialogue and cooperation.
• Symbolism: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).
• Four priorities under India's chairship: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, Sustainability.
• 2026 significance: The 20th anniversary year coincides with a wider BRICS membership and India's growing multilateral role.

Static linkage: BRICS, multilateral groupings.

GS area: Science and Technology, International Relations

The Pentagon tested a radio-frequency wave device as a possible cause of Havana Syndrome, a condition reported by US diplomats worldwide.

• First reported: 2016 in Havana, Cuba, among US diplomats.
• Symptoms: Severe headaches, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in ears), memory loss and balance problems.
• Spread: Cases reported in China, Europe, Russia and on US soil.
• Current assessment: US intelligence agencies concluded in 2024 that a deliberate foreign attack is unlikely in most cases. Benign causes or psychosomatic responses may explain many cases.
• Radio-frequency hypothesis: Some researchers believe directed microwave energy could cause localised brain damage. The Pentagon is testing whether a directed RF device can reproduce the symptoms.
• Significance: The episode illustrates the challenge of attribution in cases of possible directed-energy weapons.

Static linkage: Science and Technology, intelligence, defence.

GS area: Economy, Governance

PFRDA constituted the M.S. Sahoo Committee to design an assured pension payout framework for the National Pension System (NPS).

• Chair: M.S. Sahoo, former Chairperson of IBBI (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India).
• Members: 15-member expert group.
• Aim: Shift NPS from a purely market-linked product (where pension depends on market returns) to a more reliable lifelong income system.
• Focus areas: Lock-in periods, withdrawal limits, pricing structure, fee rationalisation and safeguards against mis-selling.
• NPS background: Launched 1 January 2004 for new central government employees. Extended to all citizens later. It is a defined contribution scheme unlike the old pension scheme which was defined benefit.
• Political context: Several states reverted to OPS (Old Pension Scheme) structures. The M.S. Sahoo Committee represents the Centre's attempt to address NPS concerns without full OPS reversion.

Static linkage: Pension reform, PFRDA.

GS area: Art and Culture, Ancient History

Jharkhand is seeking UNESCO World Heritage status for its megalithic traditions.

• Types of structures: Menhirs (standing stones), dolmens (stone-table formations), burial slabs, cairns (stone mounds) and stone circles.
• Regions: Ranchi-Khunti, Hazaribagh, Chatra-Ramgarh-Lohardaga-Gumla-Simdega and Singhbhum districts.
• Associated communities: Munda, Ho, Oraon and Asur tribal traditions.
• Unique feature: "Living megalithism" where communities continue adding memorial stones as part of active cultural practice, unlike most global megalithic traditions which are archaeological relics.
• Prelims distinction: Most megaliths (Stonehenge, Carnac) are prehistoric monuments no longer used. Jharkhand's "living" tradition is unique globally.

Static linkage: Tribal culture, UNESCO World Heritage, art and culture.

GS area: International Relations, Geography

The Shaksgam Valley returned to analysis focus.

• Location: North of the Siachen Glacier, between the Karakoram and Kunlun mountain ranges.
• Status: Claimed by India as part of the former Jammu and Kashmir princely state. Currently administered by China (Xinjiang region).
• How China got it: Pakistan ceded 5,180 sq km to China via the 1963 Sino-Pakistan Frontier Agreement without Indian consent.
• Article 6 of the agreement: States explicitly that the boundary is temporary, pending resolution of the Kashmir dispute. This is India's legal argument for non-recognition.
• CPEC relevance: CPEC routes pass close to the Shaksgam Valley, giving China infrastructure linkage to Pakistani territory.
• Strategic context: Proximity to Siachen means control of the Shaksgam Valley affects the military balance at the glacier.

Static linkage: India-China border, Siachen, Karakoram geography.

GS area: Environment, Governance

Gujarat's Karuna Abhiyan rescues birds and animals injured by kite-flying strings during the Uttarayan festival.

• Launched: 2017.
• Network: 700-plus veterinarians, 8,600-plus volunteers, 1,000-plus centres.
• Focus: Bird and animal injuries from synthetic manja (kite string), which cuts through wings and necks of birds.
• Digital integration: WhatsApp helpline (8320002000), Forest emergency (1926), Animal Husbandry helpline (1962).
• Achievement: Rescued 1.12 lakh animals and birds since 2017.
• Uttarayan: The Gujarati kite festival celebrated on 14 January (Makar Sankranti). Synthetic nylon and glass-coated strings are banned under the Environment (Protection) Act.

Static linkage: Wildlife protection, state governance.

• Responsible Nations Index (RNI): Launching 19 January 2026. Covers 154 countries across three dimensions: internal responsibility, environmental responsibility and external responsibility. Developed by World Intellectual Foundation with JNU and IIM Mumbai.
• AI data centres in water-stressed areas: 50% of India's data centres are in Bengaluru and Mumbai, both facing groundwater stress. Water cooling use is the hidden climate cost of AI infrastructure.