Smartphone brand Vivo has announced that it will donate 100 smartphones worth Rs 10 lakhs and a cash scholarship worth Rs 1.5 lakhs to support education of 100 underprivileged kids. Vivo has collaborated with Protean (formerly known as NSDL) to announced a fresh phase of the 'Vivo For Education' initiative

• Much like the landmark Kartarpur Corridor that connects India and Pakistan, Punjabi Lehr, the Pakistan-based YouTube channel that brought together two brothers separated by Partition after 74 years and got many a little teary-eyed, has reunited over 200 friends and families across the border.

• A video of the tearful reunion, showing the elderly brothers, one from India and another from Pakistan, hugging each other at the visa-free Kartarpur Corridor this week, has gone viral.

• The emotional meeting of 84-year-old Saddique Khan from Pakistan's Punjab and his brother from Indian Punjab, Habib alias Sikka Khan, lasted more than an hour before the brothers returned to their respective homes.

• The reunion of the two octogenarian brothers separated during Partition in 1947, in addition to being a showstopper for pilgrims in Kartarpur, also put a spotlight on the Pakistan-based YouTube channel that helped them meet and hug each other after 74 years.

• Nasir Dhillon, who runs his YouTube channel with over 531,000 subscribers, says the channel's aim is "to bridge a gap between the peoples of East and West Punjab, created by Partition."

• Legendary Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj, who took the traditional Indian dance form to the world, died at his home in New Delhi  in the early hours of Jan 17 .

• Maharaj-ji, as he was popularly known, died surrounded by his family and disciples.

• Birju Maharaj, one of India's best known and most loved artistes, was from Lucknow's Kalka-Bindadin Gharana.

• Brajmohan Maharaj or Birju Maharaj was a descendant of the Maharaj family of Kathak dancers.

• He trained under his father and guru Acchan Maharaj and uncles Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj.

• Harak Singh Rawat was dismissed from the state cabinet by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

• Rawat was also suspended from the Bhartiya Janta Party for six years.

• Interestingly, Harak Singh Rawat led rebellion against the then Harish Rawat government in year 2016 when nine rebel MLAs including Harak Singh Rawat left the Congress and joined the BJP.

• Later, all nine contested on BJP ticket winning the 2017 assembly elections. Many of them including Rawat were given cabinet berth in the BJP government.

• Nishad party president Sanjay Nishad on Jan 16  said they will contest in 15 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh as part of an alliance with the BJP, but the seats are yet to be finalised.

• Nishad said he will meet senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, in Delhi to finalise the constituencies where the party will field its candidates.

• The Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aaam Dal, or Nishad party, was formed in 2016 and its leaders claim to enjoy support of the Nishad community, which is one of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

• Businessmen in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have shown keen interest in investing in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir and the government has received investment proposals worth Rs 17,000 crore from global investors.

•  Eight agreements were signed with foreign investors during the Dubai Expo 2020.J&K showcased its business and tourism potential and rich cultural heritage to investors during its two-week participation at the Expo in Dubai.

• The India Pavilion in Dubai hosted a J&K week from January 3-13, to attract global investors to the picturesque region. A two-day buyer-seller meet between sellers from J&K and buyers from the UAE was also held

•  Investors have shown interest in J&K’s real estate, infrastructure, tourism, healthcare, manpower and employment sectors. The UAE government had backed the Indian government after scrapping of Articles 370 and 35A by Centre on August 5, 2019.

• According to J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, investment proposals worth Rs 17,000 crore were signed between the J&K government and well-known business groups. The initiatives, he said, are essential to accelerate the pace of economic and social change, thereby improving the lives of the common man in J&K. Eight agreements were signed with global investors by the J&K government at the expo.

• Sri Lanka has urged more Indian investments in ports, infrastructure, energy, power and manufacturing sectors, days after New Delhi announced a USD 900 million loan to Colombo to build up its depleted foreign reserves and for food imports amid a shortage of almost all essential commodities in the island nation.

• Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Jan 15 during which the two ministers discussed projects and investment plans by India that would strengthen the economy of the island nation.

• While thanking India for the economic package, Rajapaksa welcomed more Indian investments in Sri Lanka and assured that a conducive environment would be provided that would benefit both sides.

• Rajapaksa recalled India's long-standing cooperation with Sri Lanka and deeply appreciated the gestures of support.

• He welcomed Indian investments in Sri Lanka in a number of important spheres including ports, infrastructure, energy, renewable energy, power and manufacturing and assured that a conducive environment will be provided to encourage such investments.

• During the meeting, both ministers noted that the recent steps taken by Sri Lanka for jointly modernising Trincomalee Oil Tank Farms will boost the confidence of investors, apart from enhancing Sri Lanka's energy security.

• Earlier this month, Sri Lanka signed an agreement with India to jointly redevelop the strategic World War II-era oil tank farm in the island nation's eastern port district of Trincomalee, in a new milestone in bilateral economic and energy partnership.

• India's extension of USD 400 million to Sri Lanka under the SAARC currency swap arrangement and deferral of A.C.U.settlement of USD 515.2 million by two months are key assistance in the current Sri Lankan foreign currency shortage situation.

• Jaishankar conveyed that India has always stood with Sri Lanka, and will continue to support Sri Lanka in all possible ways for overcoming the economic and other challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• As close friends and maritime neighbours, both India and Sri Lanka stand to gain from closer economic interlinkages, the external affairs minister conveyed.

• The two ministers also reviewed the progress made in the extension of the Indian credit facility of USD 1 billion for importing food and other essential items.

Top economist and former Sri Lankan Central Bank Deputy Governor WA Wijewardena last week said that while India's economic package has given Sri Lanka some breathing space, tough measures, including a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was needed to prevent the economy from heading into a perpetual tailspin.

Sri Lanka is facing its all-time worst foreign exchange crisis after the pandemic hit the nation's earnings from tourism and remittances.

By December, the reserves position had plummeted to just one month's imports or a little over USD 1 billion.

In recent months, the public has experienced a shortage of many essentials due to the foreign exchange crisis.

Import restrictions to save dollars have threatened cooking gas and fuel supplies in addition to the looming power cuts.

• Somalia’s government spokesperson was wounded in a suicide bombing that the al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility .

• Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu appeared to be the sole target in the attack near his residence by a busy intersection in the capital, Mogadishu. A statement from the prime minister’s office called Moaliimuu's wounds non-life-threatening.

• It has been widely expected that such attacks would increase as tensions rise in Somalia over a national election that has been delayed for almost a year.

• Moalimuu, a former BBC journalist, also survived an attack in August 2020 after being wounded in a siege that killed 15 people at a beachside hotel in the capital. He was secretary-general of the Federation of Somali Journalists at the time. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which controls parts of Somalia, also claimed responsibility for that attack.