• An additional burden on train passengers is likely to come down soon. The Railway ministry has made a plan to levy Station Development Fee (SDF) from passengers who either board or alight at redeveloped stations in the country.

• The SDF has been decided for various classes of mail and express trains in uniform mode.

• The amount of SDF would be made applicable at all redeveloped and developed stations as a separate component plus applicable GST.

• The entire amount of SDF-decided by the railways would be realized with the train fare at the time of booking for all redeveloped and commissioned railway stations.

• At present, the railways had re-developed the Rani Kamalapati station under West Central Railway and the Gandhinagar capital station of Western Railway and commissioned for the people.

• As per an official circular sent to the general managers of 16 railway zones, Rs 50 per passenger for all AC classes, Rs 25 for sleeper class and `10 for unreserved class will be charged in addition to the fare. The railways will not charge this for suburban journeys.

• Former BJP leader Michael Lobo  has joined Congress, a day after resigning from the Goa cabinet and quitting the saffron party.

• Lobo, former MLA from Calangute, was Minister for Port in the Pramod Sawant-led Goa government.

• Singapore has banned a book on political cartoons due to its "offensive content", with the government defending its move saying the publication contained material that denigrated several religions and religious figures.

• Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, told Parliament that pictures in the book titled 'Red Lines: Political Cartoons And The Struggle Against Censorship' are offensive to Muslims even if they are published in the name of free speech, academia or otherwise.

• He added that the book contained material that denigrated several religions and religious figures. "The book also included images insulting to other religions.

• The book, by Hong Kong Baptist University's professor of media studies Cherian George and graphic novelist Sonny Liew, has already been distributed in other countries like the US.

• Sri Lanka is negotiating a USD one billion loan from India to import goods from the country, the governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal said , amidst a shortage of almost all essential commodities.

• Cabraal also said that Sri Lanka is negotiating another loan from China as part of an attempt to restructure its debt repayment. The loan amount has not been decided. He said that Sri Lanka is negotiating a USD 1 billion facility with India to import goods from the country.

• Cabraal said that this will also help Sri Lanka in its debt repayment and promote more trade with the respective countries.

• Sri Lanka will hand over two Indian prisoners, who have been serving life imprisonment in the island nation, to India under the SAARC prisoners exchange agreement.

• One of the convicts serving life imprisonment has been in jail for over 12 years for possession and Import of narcotics and charged under the Poisons, Opium And Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act.

• The second, charged under the Dangerous Drugs Act, is serving in a jail over the last 6 years. The India-Sri Lanka bilateral agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons was signed in June 2010, paving the way for the transfer of prisoners to jails in their home country.

Pakistan is willing to make peace with immediate neighbours, including India, under its first-ever National Security Policy which leaves doors open for trade with New Delhi even without the settlement of the Kashmir issue provided there is headway in bilateral talks.

• A large explosion outside the international airport in Somalia's capital killed at least eight people and wounded nine others on Jan 12.

• The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group that controls parts of Somalia often carries out bombings at high-profile locations in the capital.

Arguing that the Biden Administration should desist from any action that might drive New Delhi away from Quad,  the top Republican senator Todd Young supported waiving of CAATSA sanctions against India for purchase of S-400 missile systems from Russia