SNIPPETS 23 JANUARY 2026

Polar Silk Road Initiative: Extension of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) into the Arctic+  aiming to develop shipping routes, access resources, and enhance its geopolitical influence by capitalizing on climate change-driven melting arctic ice+ It was jointly announced by China and Russia in 2017+Focuses on the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coast, offering significantly shorter Asia–Europe distance (upto 40%), with the Northwest Passage (along Canada’s coast) as a secondary option+ China aims to enhance energy security, reduce dependency on traditional chokepoints like the Suez Canal+ expand geopolitical influence through partnerships, notably with Russia.

Artemis II Mission: Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis programme, involving a lunar flyby (no landing) to test deep-space systems with astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft+ Organisations involved: NASA – Lead agency, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – International partner+ Aim: Validate human-rated deep-space systems in real mission conditions, Prepare for Artemis III lunar landing and future Mars missions+ Significance: First crewed Artemis mission, bridging the gap between test flight (Artemis I) and lunar landing (Artemis III), Revives human lunar exploration after more than 50 years, Strengthens international collaboration in space exploration.

India–Germany Joint Declaration of Intent(JDI): On Telecommunications Cooperation+ It establishes a structured framework for bilateral cooperation in telecommunications and Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs)+The Declaration provides for regular consultations, annual high-level meetings, and the creation of dedicated working groups+The Indo-German Digital Dialogue Work Plan (2026–27) has been finalised, covering cooperation in AI, data governance, telecommunications and Industry 4.0.