Two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets--a Mirage-2000 and a Sukhoi Su-30--which were on a routine operational flying training mission, crashed in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on Jan 28 .

While one of the pilots identified as Wg Cdr Hanumanth Rao Sarathi (flying the Mirage-2000) succumbed to the fatal injuries sustained in the accident, two other pilots (flying the Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft) safely ejected and were later flown by an IAF helicopter for medical treatment in Gwalior.

In a bid to boost air connectivity and get Himachal Pradesh the status of a green state, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu aims to set up heliports in each district. All the deputy commissioners have been directed to identify land for paving the way to implement helicopter connectivity. They have also been asked to install electric vehicle charging stations in their areas of jurisdiction till February 10.

A Palestinian gunman opened fire outside an east Jerusalem synagogue  on Jan 27 night, killing seven people, including a 70-year-old woman, and wounding three others before he was shot and killed by police. It was the deadliest attack on Israelis in years and raised the likelihood of more bloodshed.

The attack, which occurred as residents were observing the Jewish sabbath, came a day after an Israeli military raid killed nine Palestinians in the West Bank.

President Joe Biden on  Jan 27 named his former top Covid-19 aide Jeff Zients to White House chief of staff -- one of the most crucial positions in an administration gearing up for a likely re-election campaign.

Zients replaces Ron Klain, who saw Biden through the first two years of his term in the post, arguably the most powerful behind-the-scenes job in any US administration.

The departure of Klain, who has worked with Biden throughout his decades-long Washington career -- from senator to vice president, then victor over Donald Trump in 2020 -- will deprive the 80-year-old president of an especially close, trusted aide.

Chiefs of staff do everything from managing access to the president, setting his agenda, communicating with political power brokers and acting as a constant crisis manager and sounding board for ideas.

State-owned power giant NTPC on  Jan 29  reported a nearly 5 per cent rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 4,854.36 crore for the Dec quarter, mainly due to higher revenue.

The company's consolidated net profit was Rs 4,626.11 crore in the quarter that ended December 31, 2021, as per a BSE filing.

The total income rose to Rs 44,989.21 crore in the quarter from Rs 33,783.62 crore in the year-ago period.

India is planning to increase its exploration acreage to 0.5 million sq. km by 2025 and 1.0 million sq. km by 2030, said petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Jan 29 .Puri, speaking at an ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) ceremony held on Sagar Samrat, said India’s energy demand is likely to grow at about 3% per annum by 2040, as against the global rate of 1%. Further, 25% of the global energy growth between 2020 and 2040 is going to come from India due to its fast-growing economy, he said.

He asked to cut down on oil import, in which government spent nearly $120 billion in FY 2021-22. wit“India’s Amrit Kaal can’t be realised hout achieving energy independence by 2047. Under this mandate, the government has taken multiple steps to ensure that our future generations enjoy energy security,” the minister added

He said the government has been successful in reducing the ‘No Go’ area by 99%, thereby making available additional about 1 million Sq.km of India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for exploration. During the event, Puri rededicated ONGC’s iconic drilling rig Sagar Samrat, as a mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) at the ceremony. Commissioned in 1973, Sagar Samrat was built at Mitsubishi yard in Japan and set sail from Hiroshima on April 3, 1973. It drilled ONGC’s first offshore well in 1974 in Mumbai Offshore region of Arabian Sea, then called the Bombay High.

Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Australian Open women's final on Jan 29.

The 24-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, was appearing in her first major final.

Dutch legend Diede de Groot extended her winning streak to nine consecutive Grand Slam titles when she overcame a slow start to beat Yui Kamiji of Japan 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the women's wheelchair singles final at the Australian Open on Jan 29.

It was de Groot's fifth Australian Open title and 17th Grand Slam singles trophy overall. Kamiji was the last player to beat de Groot — more than two years ago.

In the quad-singles final, No. 2-seeded Sam Schroder beat fellow Dutchman and top-seeded Niels Vink 6-2, 7-5. It was Schroder's fourth Grand Slam title.