India on Jan 6 sent a platoon of an all-woman joint contingent of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles on the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Abyei region as part of the UN’s Interim Security Force (UNISFA).

The Indian contingent comprises two officers and 25 other ranks.

UNSIFA was established in Sudan’s Abyei region by the UN Security Council, by its resolution 1990 of 27 June 2011 in response to the emergency situation there. The corps are tasked with monitoring flashpoints at border between north and south, and facilitating humanitarian aid, and is authorised to use force in protecting civilians and humanitarian workers.

The UN’s peace mission is to strengthen the Abyei Police Service (APS) by providing support, including the training of personnel, and coordinate with the APS on matters of law and order. The peace corps are also tasked with protecting UN personnel, facilities and installations.

Over 200,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions since 1948. India is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping and was the pioneer in deploying the first all-woman peacekeepers contingent as the Formed Police Unit to Liberia in 2007 under commandant, now Inspector General, Seema Dhundia of the CRPF.

In May 2020, Indian Army’s Major Suman Gawani was awarded the UN Military Gender Advocate award as UN peacekeepers along with Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo, a Brazilian Naval officer. This award was instituted in 2016.

Shankar Mishra, the man who allegedly urinated on a co-passenger on board an Air India flight, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Bengaluru.

US banking giant Wells Fargo on  Jan 6 sacked a top Indian executive now being pursued by police for allegedly urinating on a fellow passenger aboard an Air India flight.

With the G20 meetings set to begin this month under India's president, the government on  Jan 6 announced a two-day virtual summit on January 12-13 that will bring the countries of the global South together to discuss their shared interests.

The event, called the 'Voice of Global South' summit, will see large participation, also from non-G20 countries, with discussions being held on various global challenges including food and energy security triggered by the Ukraine conflict.

Iran executed two men on  Jan 7 after they were convicted of killing a paramilitary force member during protests sparked by the death in custody of a young woman.

They are Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini .

Authorities have arrested thousands people in the wave of demonstrations that began with the September death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who had been arrested by morality police for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women.

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma will cede control of fintech giant Ant Group as part of a restructure, the company announced.

Beijing has targeted major technology firms in recent years, and in 2020 pulled Ant's planned initial public offering in Hong Kong at the last minute. The listing would have been a world record at the time.

Authorities also hit Alibaba, which Ma co-founded and formerly headed, with a record $2.75 billion fine for alleged unfair practices.

The United States on Jan 6 announced a major military assistance package for Ukraine that is valued at more than $3 billion and includes 50 Bradleys and dozens of other armored vehicles.

The assistance -- $2.85 billion drawn from US inventories and $225 million in foreign military financing -- does not include advanced Western tanks sought by Kyiv, but will still provide significant additional firepower for its forces.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted from power last year over his government's mishandling of the cash-strapped country's economy, has returned from Dubai, his first foreign trip since returning to Sri Lanka four months ago.

Rajapaksa and his wife Ayoma arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport from Dubai on Jan 5.

Rajapaksa,73, fled Sri Lanka to the Maldives on a Sri Lankan Airforce plane in July, as the country plunged into its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1948. He then proceeded to Singapore, from where he submitted his resignation on July 14.

Weeks later, he flew to Thailand, seeking temporary shelter.

Thailand said Rajapaksa can stay in the country for 90 days because he is still a diplomatic passport holder. However, he was not allowed to engage in political activities in Thailand.

Earlier this month, Rajapaksa applied for restoration of his US citizenship after he failed to get asylum in any country.