1. Framework Agreement establishing the International Big Cat Alliance officially comes into force
The Environment Ministry has announced that the Framework Agreement establishing the International Big Cat Alliance-IBCA has officially come into force. From January 23, IBCA and its Secretariat have become a full-fledged, treaty-based, intergovernmental international organisation and legal entity. Five countries- Nicaragua, Eswatini, India, Somalia and Liberia have deposited instruments of ratification of the agreement. So far, 27 countries, including India, have agreed to join IBCA . Several international and national organisations working in the field of wildlife conservation have also partnered with IBCA. IBCA was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9, 2023 during the ‘ Commemoration of 50 Years of Project Tiger ‘ event. Last year, the Union Cabinet had approved the establishment of IBCA with headquarters in India. It was launched with the aim of conserving seven big cats – tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, leopard, jaguar and puma .
2 The 38th Surajkund International Crafts Fair will be held in Faridabad, Haryana from February 7
The 38th Surajkund International Crafts Fair will be held in Faridabad , Haryana from February 7. This time Orissa and Madhya Pradesh will be the theme states in the fair and companies from countries like BIMSTEC-Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand will display their products. This time, along with art, handicrafts and Indian culture, Swadeshi products will be promoted in the fair.
3 Grammy 2025: Indian-origin singer Chandrika Tandon won the award for the album ‘Triveni’
Indian-American singer Chandrika Tandon has won the Grammy Award in the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category for the album ‘ Triveni ‘. She won this honor by defeating Ricky Kej and Anoushka Shankar . The 67th Grammy Awards ceremony was organized by the Recording Academy on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles . Chandrika won this award along with her colleagues, South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto . Along with Chandrika, the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category included Ricky Kej’s Break of Dawn, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Opus, Anoushka Shankar’s Chapter Second: How Dark It Is Before Dawn and Radhika Vekariya’s Warriors of Light.
4 Beyonce becomes the first black woman to win country Grammys
Beyoncé Lawrence has become the first black woman to win a Grammy in the country music category . She has received the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo / Group Performance with Miley Cyrus on the song ‘ II Most Wanted ‘. Beyoncé entered the 2025 Grammy Awards with 11 nominations. This also includes Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter. Before Beyoncé, the previous record in the Duo or Group Performance category is held by The Pointer Sisters in 1975.
5 13th joint military exercise ‘Ekuverin’ between Indian Army and Maldives National Defence Force begins
The 13th joint military exercise ‘Ekuverin’ between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defense Force has started. This military exercise started in Maldives is a bilateral annual exercise which is held alternately in India and Maldives. In the year 2023, this exercise was organized in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand .
6 Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein App launches in India after 5 years
The Chinese fashion app has been launched in the Indian market. According to reports, Shein has been given this permission after an agreement with the Indian company Reliance Retail . Some time ago, Shein started testing and cataloguing its collection on Reliance Retail’s online platform Ajio. According to the report, the company has entered into a long-term licensing deal to sell products manufactured and sourced in India on Reliance’s platform. In December last year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha that Shein’s operations would be on an indigenous retail platform of the country. E-commerce company Shein has a presence in more than 170 countries. It has 5.3 crore users.
7 World Para-Arm Wrestling Cup 2025: India’s number one para-athlete Srimanth Jha won silver
India’s number one para-athlete Srimant Jha has once again raised the Indian flag. He won the silver medal in the +85 kg category at the World Para-Arm Wrestling Cup 2025 held in Uzbekistan . Srimant Jha dedicated his silver medal to the martyred Indian soldiers. This tournament is to be held from 30 January to 6 February 2025. Srimant Jha won the silver medal by defeating Elnur of Kazakhstan . After winning the silver medal, Srimant Jha qualified for the European Para Arm Wrestling Championship in Norway .
8 Four players from the Under-19 Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup-winning Indian team made it to the Team of the Tournament
Four players of the Under-19 Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup winning Indian team have made it to the team of the tournament. This includes Player of the Tournament G Trisha, G Kamalini, Ayushi Shukla and Vaishnavi Sharma. India won the World Cup for the second consecutive time by defeating South Africa by nine wickets on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India – BCCI has announced a cash prize of Rs 5 crore to the team .
9 Former Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla passes away
Former Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla died on Saturday, February 1 at the age of 79. He was the Election Commissioner from 2005 to 2009. Chawla was admitted to the hospital for surgery. Where he died of a heart attack. He retired from the 1969 batch of Arunachal Pradesh – Goa – Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre . He took charge as Election Commissioner on 16 May 2005 and held this post till 20 April 2009. He also worked as Chief Election Commissioner till 29 July 2010 .