18th January 2026 Current Affairs MCQ Quiz

Think of this as the government's push to make every household energy-independent. By expanding the scheme, they're helping more families install rooftop solar panels to cut down electricity bills and go green.

The United States assumed the G20 Presidency on 1 December 2025, taking over from South Africa (which held the 2025 cycle). The US will host the G20 Leaders' Summit in Miami in December 2026.

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a joint mission of ISRO and NASA. Launched on 30 July 2025, it began its science operations in early January 2026, mapping subtle land shifts, landslides and coastal erosion.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain won the 2026 Australian Open men's singles, beating Novak Djokovic in the final. It was his first Australian Open title and completed his career Grand Slam.

Data security is the priority now. The RBI wants to make sure that if these apps are dealing with Indian customers, the data must stay right here on our own servers to prevent misuse.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia is the official book of standards for drugs and medicines manufactured and sold in India. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda released its 10th edition (IP 2026) on 2 January 2026.

The 56th WEF Annual Meeting (19-23 January 2026) was held under the theme 'A Spirit of Dialogue'. 'Rebuilding Trust' (2024), 'Cooperation in a Fragmented World' (2023) and 'The Great Reset' (2021) were earlier WEF themes.

In 2024 the Government of India merged the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize into the new Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) scheme, where it became the 'Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar' category. The others are sports and literature awards.

Norway is leading the way in marine decarbonization. It's tough to power huge cargo ships with clean fuel, but they've managed to prove that hydrogen is a viable future.

NCP MP Supriya Sule introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill in the Lok Sabha on 6 December 2025. It seeks to protect employees' work-life balance by letting them disconnect from work calls and emails after working hours.

India's first Vande Metro runs between Ahmedabad and Bhuj in Gujarat, covering about 360 km. On its inauguration in September 2024 it was renamed the 'Namo Bharat Rapid Rail'.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the go-to source for job market data. Their latest report gives us a sobering look at how global job trends are shifting right now.

Indra is a long-standing tradition between India and Russia. They train together to make sure both navies are on the same page when it comes to maritime security.

Palli, in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, became India's first carbon-neutral panchayat in 2022 after a solar power plant was dedicated to it, meeting its energy needs through renewables.

Former Supreme Court judge Justice V. Ramasubramanian was appointed the 9th Chairperson of the NHRC, taking charge on 23 December 2024. The NHRC is the primary watchdog for protecting citizens' human rights.

India hosted the first Voice of Global South Summit on 12-13 January 2023 under the theme 'Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose', aiming to amplify the priorities of developing countries on the world stage.

Tata Electronics, in partnership with Taiwan's PSMC, is setting up India's first semiconductor fab at Dholera, Gujarat, with an investment of around Rs 91,000 crore. It is a flagship of the India Semiconductor Mission.

Safety first! The railways are focusing on the busiest routes where thousands of people travel daily to make sure the anti-collision tech is active everywhere it's needed most.

Think of it as a report card for our villages. The survey helps the government see which areas need better roads, water, or health centers so they can send help where it's needed.

At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards (11 January 2026), 'Hamnet' won Best Motion Picture - Drama, while 'One Battle After Another' took the Musical or Comedy category and won Best Director.