Sheel Vardhan Singh Assumes Role as UPSC Member

• Sheel Vardhan Singh, the ex-Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), has been designated as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
• He is a 1986-batch IPS officer.
• The President appointed Sheel Vardhan Singh as Member UPSC under Article 316 (11) of the Constitution of India.

Indore, Surat Named Cleanest Cities, Maharashtra Cleanest State

• Indore and Surat were jointly declared winners of the cleanest city award, while Maharashtra secured the top position among states in the Union government’s annual cleanliness rankings for urban areas.
• Indore retained its title as the cleanest city for the seventh consecutive year in the Swachh Survekshan Awards.
• Surat, which had consistently secured the second position behind Indore for the past three years, clinched the top award for the first time.
• According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ Swachh Survekshan 2023 dashboard, both cities achieved a 100% door-to-door collection of waste, 98% segregation at source, and 100% remediation of dumpsites.

National Youth Day 2024

• India observes National Youth Day annually on January 12 to pay homage to the teachings and principles of Swami Vivekananda.
• He was an eminent philosopher and spiritual leader born on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata.
• The resolution to designate Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day was made in 1984, with the first celebration taking place on January 12, 1985.

Rhythm Sangwan Clinches 16^th Olympic Quota for 2024 Paris Games

• At the Asian Shooting Championships 2024 held in Jakarta, Indonesia, Rhythm Sangwan achieved a significant milestone by clinching a bronze medal in the women’s 25m pistol event, securing a coveted Paris 2024 Olympic quota for India.
• This achievement not only added to India’s medal tally but also marked the attainment of the 16th shooting quota for the upcoming Olympics.
• This surpasses the previous record of 15 quotas set for the Tokyo 2020 Games, showcasing the nation's growing prowess in the field of competitive shooting.

US and UK Launch Airstrikes on Yemen’s Huthi Rebels Over Red Sea Attacks

• The United States-backed coalition including the United Kingdom launched airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen amid growing crisis in oil-rich West Asia.
• The US and UK launched airstrike across Yemen escalates a conflict in response to a string of Red Sea attacks by Houthis that have disrupted commercial shipping.
• Notably, the spill over from the war between Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel and Hamas fighters in Gaza had been flagged repeatedly by US when Tel Aviv began a relentless airstrike campaign in the densely populated Gaza Strip.