TODAY NEWS ON January 28, 2026

India and EU finalise ‘mother of all deals’ FTA

India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) announced the conclusion of negotiations over a free trade agreement (FTA) that would see the EU drop tariffs on 99.5% of items India exports to the region, with most tariffs going down to 0% immediately once the agreement comes into effect.

PM Modi calls mega FTA New Delhi’s biggest trade deal ever

India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) announced the conclusion and finalisation of negotiations for a free trade agreement. The agreement is expected to be signed later this year and may come into force from early next year. The talks were concluded after 18 years. The negotiations started in 2007. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) announced that India and the EU have reached a free trade agreement (FTA), saying it accounts for 25% of global GDP and one-third of global trade.

Embraer-Adani sign MoU on aviation manufacturing

Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer has signed an MoU with Adani Aerospace and Defence to develop an integrated regional transport aircraft ecosystem in India, spanning aircraft manufacturing—including a possible final assembly line—along with aftermarket services and pilot training. The partnership aims to establish the country’s first final assembly line for a commercial aircraft, followed by a phased increase in indigenisation, according to a joint statement

Invest in India’s energy sector; offers $500 bn investment opportunity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) invited global investors to participate in India’s growing energy sector, which offers a $500 billion investment opportunity, and stressed that the country will soon become the world’s largest refining hub.

Government aims to make 3-nanometre chips by 2032; achieve self-reliance in 75% tech categories in 4 years

The government is aiming to make high-tech small chips of 3-nanometre node — used in products like modern smartphones and computers — by 2032, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday (January 27, 2026). The Minister said the government will focus on six categories of chips — compute, radio frequency (RF), networking, power, sensor, and memory — under the second phase of Design-Linked Incentive Scheme that will allow companies in the country to have major control on developing 70-75% technology products.

Place in electoral roll is a ‘qualified right’, ECI says in Supreme Court

Even registered voters are required to “continuously fulfill” the essential condition of Indian citizenship, as laid out in Article 326 of the Constitution, to retain their place in the electoral roll, the Election Commission of India (ECI) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 27, 2026), during its hearing on the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.

In a first, private technical staff to assist officials in Census

In a first, private technical staff will be engaged to assist government officials during the Census, enabling the “release of Census data in the shortest possible time”, sources said. The Population Census 2027, the first phase of which will begin on April 1 and conclude on September 30, will be the first-ever digital census in the country, where the enumerators, mostly government schoolteachers, will capture details through mobile applications on their personal phones.

TikTok settles as social media giants face landmark trial over youth addiction claims

TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed. The social video platform was one of three companies — along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube — facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc, settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

Nirmala Sitharaman to make history with ninth consecutive budget

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present a record ninth consecutive Budget on February 1, which is expected to contain reform measures aimed at shoring up economic growth amid a volatile geopolitical situation. This will take Ms. Sitharaman closer to the record of 10 Budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai presented a total of 6 budgets during his tenure as Finance Minister in 1959-1964, and 4 Budgets between 1967-1969.

At summit, EU asked India to put ‘pressure’ on Russia to end war, says Kaja Kallas

Europe and India can build a partnership that is “predictable”, Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, said on Tuesday (January 27, 2026), taking aim at the U.S., Russia, and China for increasing uncertainty in the world.

Doomsday Clock is 85 seconds to midnight

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest the world has ever been to global catastrophe in its estimation. The announcement, on January 27 in Washington DC, reflects a darkening security landscape marked by eroding nuclear norms, escalating conflicts in Europe and Asia, climate and biological risks, and a fracturing international order.

Plea in Supreme Court contests UGC regulations limiting reservation to SC/ST/OBC

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court assailing the constitutional validity of Regulation 3(c) of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 as discriminatory on the ground that it extends the benefit of reservation only to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and members of the Other Backward Communities (OBC) while denying the same protection to general or upper castes.

Trump says Iran wants talks as U.S. aircraft carrier deploys

A U.S. naval strike force led by an aircraft carrier was in Middle Eastern waters on Tuesday (January 26, 2026) as Iran vowed to hit back against any strike and President Donald Trump said he believed the Islamic Republic still wanted talks. Washington has not ruled out new military intervention against Tehran over its crackdown on protests, which, according to rights groups, saw thousands of people killed within days.

North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan: Tokyo

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan on Tuesday (January 27, 2026), Tokyo’s Defence Ministry said. South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff also said it had detected a “projectile” being fired towards what Seoul calls the East Sea. The test is Pyongyang’s second of the month, following a salvo of missiles fired hours before South Korea’s leader headed to China for a summit.