1.Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday inaugurated an exposition of sacred ancient gems and bone fragments linked to the Buddha, asserting that they were not mere artefacts but part of India’s revered heritage.

2.US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were aboard US warship Iwo Jima and headed to New York, where they will face prosecution.

3.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday recommended to the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to conduct examinations for fi lling up an additional 151 vacant posts, including 14 in the state civil service.

4. A powerful explosion rocked a stone quarry near Gopalpur village under Motanga police limits in Dhenkanal district Saturday evening, reportedly killing four worker.

5.India saw new investment announcements worth Rs 26.62 lakh crore in the first nine months of FY26, with Odisha bringing 13.1 per cent of such intents taking the second spot after Andhra Pradesh (25.3 per cent), according to a new report Saturday.

6.All educational institutions across Odisha will observe a statewide programme of collective singing of Vande Mataram January 12, coinciding with Swami Vivekananda Jayanti and the National Youth Day.

7.In a first, the state government has implemented Aadhaar-based payments to ensure that only genuine farmers registered on Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS) portal receive payment directly into their bank accounts.

8.The Odisha government will soon undertake restoration work at Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon and a designated Ramsar site, as its brackish character has been adversely affected by silting at the lake’s mouth.

9.The Jagatsinghpur district mining officer has been suspended on charge of collusion with leaseholders and sand mafi a in illegal sand mining.

10.A people-led conservation collective, ‘We Are Aravalli’, Saturday released a satellite audit claiming that nearly one-third of the Aravalli mountain range is under ecological risk, and demanded a complete ban on mining across the region.

11.The Rajasthan government has made daily newspaper reading compulsory in all government schools in an effort to promote reading habits, improve vocabulary and enhance general awareness among students.

12. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi Saturday reviewed the situation at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital after 104 patients, including children, were admitted for suspected typhoid.

13.In the first Naxalite encounter of 2026, at least 14 Maoists, including wanted ultras Vetti Mangdu and Madvi Hunga, were killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region Saturday, officials said.

14.India Saturday night advised its nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela in view of the situation arising out of the capture of the oil-rich country’s president by the US.

15.The transport ministry has proposed assigning Aadhaar-like unique identification number to EV batteries to ensure their end to-end traceability and efficient recycling.