Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 and 2 January 2026

Topic: Personality in News

1. Hugh Morris passed away at the age of 62.

• He was a former England cricketer. He was battling bowel cancer.
• Morris was an opening batter for England. He won three Test caps in 1991.
• He served as the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
• The former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri played alongside Morris at Glamorgan.
• Former New Zealand cricketer Doug Bracewell has retired from international cricket.
• Bracewell played a key role in New Zealand’s last Test victory over Australia, in Hobart in 2011.
• He played 28 Tests, 21 One Day Internationals, and 20 T20 Internationals.
• During his career, he took 120 international wickets.

Topic: International News

2. Nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has been deployed by Russia in Belarus.

• Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that Oreshnik missile system has entered active service.
• Defence Ministry said a brief ceremony marked the deployment.
• The Ministry said this without providing detailed information.
• The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
• It can fly between 500 to 5,500 km. It can reach speeds of up to Mach 10.
• In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Oreshnik would soon enter combat duty.
• In November 2024, Oreshnik has seen one combat use striking the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
• It carries a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle.
• Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. Its capital is Minsk. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast.