International Relations & Indices

• Henley Passport Index 2025:
  • India's passport rank: 85th (dropped 5 positions from 80th last year).
  • Allows visa-free entry to 57 countries.
  • Most powerful passport: Singapore (193 visa-free destinations).
  • Least powerful passport: Afghanistan (24 visa-free destinations).
  • Pakistan's rank: 103rd.
• Other Indices (General Knowledge Recap):
  • Global Hunger Index: 102nd
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index: 99th
  • Corruption Perception Index: 96th
  • Innovation Index: 38th
  • Competitiveness Index: 41st
  • Gender Gap Index: 131st
  • Peace Index: 115th
  • Happiness Index: 118th
  • Human Development Index: 130th
• India-Indonesia Naval Exercise 'Samudra Shakti 2025':
  • Fifth bilateral naval exercise between India and Indonesia.
  • Held from October 14-17 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Indian Navy participation: INS Kavaratti.
  • Another exercise, Garuda Shakti, is also conducted between India and Indonesia.
  • Indonesia is known as the "Land of Islands" and has the largest Muslim population globally.
  • Key Indonesian islands: Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi.
  • Current capital: Jakarta (on Java, also ASEAN Headquarters).
  • Future capital: Nusantara (on Borneo).
  • Prominent volcano: Krakatoa.
• India-Ethiopia Joint Defense Cooperation Meeting:
  • The first-ever joint defense cooperation meeting between India and Ethiopia took place in New Delhi.
  • Objective: Enhance defense cooperation.
  • Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa, alongside Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia.
  • Capital of Ethiopia: Addis Ababa (also headquarters of the African Union).
  • Lake Tana in Ethiopia is the source of the Blue Nile River.
• India-EFTA Free Trade Agreement (FTA):
  • The Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) became effective from October 1.

National Affairs & Governance

• Global Manuscript Heritage Conference:
  • The Ministry of Culture organized the first Global Manuscript Heritage Conference in New Delhi.
• Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Pipeline:
  • Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Durgapur-Kolkata section of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Pipeline, with a length of 132 km.
• Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) Status:
  • HSL, India's first shipbuilding company (established in 1941), was granted Mini Ratna status.
  • Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) became India's 14th Maharatna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
• Ministry of Mines Mineral Classification:
  • The Ministry of Mines classified Limestone as a major mineral to facilitate ease of doing business.
  • Previously, minerals like Mica (Abrak), Feldspar, Quartz, and Barytes were also classified as major minerals.
• National Nutrition Month:
  • The concluding ceremony of the 8th National Nutrition Month will be held in Dehradun.
• Hornbill Conservation Centre:
  • Tamil Nadu announced the establishment of the country's first Hornbill Conservation Centre.
• Green Hydrogen Plant:
  • LAT Energy Green Tech announced plans to establish India's largest green hydrogen plant in Haryana.
• Meri Panchayat App:
  • Meri Panchayat App received the WSIS Champion Award for Cultural Diversity.
• UN Human Rights Council Election:
  • India was elected unopposed to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the seventh time.
• Integrated Multi-State Mock Drill 'Suraksha Chakra':
  • The first 'Suraksha Chakra' campaign was organized in Delhi-NCR.
• International Rail Equipment Exhibition:
  • The 16th International Rail Equipment Exhibition was inaugurated at Bharat Mandapam, Delhi, by the Union Railway Minister.

Appointments & Demises

• IUCN Species Survival Commission President:
  • Indian conservationist Vivek Menon was appointed as the first Asian President of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC).
  • SSC was established in 1949. Menon's tenure will be from 2025-2029.
  • The appointment was made during the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi.
  • IUCN was established in 1948 with its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.
• FICCI President:
  • Anant Goenka was appointed as the new President of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry), established in 1927.
• Railway Protection Force Director General:
  • Sonali Mishra became the first woman Director General of the Railway Protection Force.
• Telugu Cinema's First Playback Singer Demise:
  • Rabbu Balasaraswati Devi, the first playback singer of Telugu cinema and first light music singer of All India Radio (AIR), passed away at 97 in Hyderabad. She debuted in the 1943 film 'Lakshmi'.
• Actor Demise:
  • Pankaj Dheer, known for playing Karna in 'Mahabharata', also passed away.
• Kalinga Ratna Award:
  • President Droupadi Murmu presented the Kalinga Ratna Award 2024 to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• Former Vice President Resignation:
  • Jagdeep Dhankar resigned from the Vice President post, citing health reasons (using Article 67 of the Constitution).
• Ukraine Prime Minister:
  • Yulia was appointed as the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
• Nelson Mandela Award 2025:
  • Bendra Reynolds and Kennedy received the Nelson Mandela Award 2025.

Sports & Environment

• Wimbledon 2025 Men's Singles:
  • Jannik Sinner (Italy) won the Wimbledon 2025 Men's Singles title.
• Senior Women's National Football Championship:
  • Manipur won the 30th Senior Women's National Football Championship, the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy, defeating Bengal 1-0 in the final held in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh.
  • Manipur holds a record of 23 titles in 30 editions.
  • The trophy is named after Rajmata Jijabai, mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
  • Other notable football trophies include the Santosh Trophy and Durand Cup.
• World University Games:
  • The Indian team won its first medal at the World University Games held in Germany.
• Asian Aquatics Championship:
  • China topped the point table in the 11th Asian Aquatics Championship in Ahmedabad, with India finishing 11th.
• Cesium-137 Contamination:
  • India gifted Prussian Blue capsules to Indonesia to help combat Cesium-137 contamination found in a clove farm on Sumatra Island.
  • Cesium-137 is a radioactive element.
  • Radioactivity was discovered by Henri Becquerel and Marie Curie, with units like Becquerel and Curie.
  • Diseases related to water contamination: Minamata (Mercury), Itai-itai (Cadmium), Blue Baby Syndrome (Nitrate).

Important Days

• First International ASHA Day: Celebrated on July 12.
• World Food Day 2025:
  • Celebrated on October 16, marking the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on October 16, 1945.
  • FAO Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
  • Theme: "Hand in Hand for a Better Meal and a Better Future."
  • Slogan: "Food is not just nutrition, it's life."
• World Anesthesia Day: Celebrated on October 16.
• International Rural Women's Day: October 15.
• World Students' Day: October 15.
• International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: October 13.

Miscellaneous

• Most Polluted City (CREA Study 2025):
  • Barni Ghat was identified as India's most polluted city in the first six months of 2025, according to a CREA study.
• Voting Age Reduction:
  • England reduced its voting age from 18 to 16 years.
• Tribal Genome Sequencing Project:
  • Gujarat became the first Indian state to launch a Tribal Genome Sequencing Project.
• Presidential Impeachment Motion:
  • A notice for an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma was brought in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• Largest Number of Elephants:
  • According to the first DNA-based elephant census, Karnataka recorded the highest number of elephants in the country.
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
  • The latest IUCN Red List indicates 48,646 species are on the brink of extinction.