International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Global Ranking

• The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), established in 1895 with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, held its ICA CM50 conference in Doha, Qatar.
• In the ICA global ranking based on per capita GDP:
  • Amul (dairy company, Anand, Gujarat) ranked 1st worldwide.
  • IFFCO (fertilizer company, Delhi) ranked 2nd worldwide.
• The year 2025 is designated as the International Year of Cooperatives.
• India established a Ministry of Cooperation in 2021, with Amit Shah as its first minister.
• The 97th Constitutional Amendment in 2011 added Article 43B and Part 9B to the Indian Constitution, promoting cooperative societies.

QS Asia University Ranking 2026

• The QS Asia University Ranking 2026 included 294 Indian universities, making India the second-highest represented country after China.
• In 2016, only 24 Indian universities were included in this ranking.
• Hong Kong University secured the top position in Asia.
• IIT Delhi was the top-ranked Indian institution (59th in Asia).
• IISc Bangalore was the second-ranked Indian institution.
• No Indian university featured in the top 50 in Asia.

Project Cheetah

• Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Project Cheetah was launched on September 17, 2022, to reintroduce cheetahs to India.
• Previously, 8 cheetahs were brought from Namibia to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, in September 2022. Cheetahs were also brought from South Africa.
• India will now bring eight more cheetahs from Botswana to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
• Botswana is known for the Kalahari Desert (home to the Bushmen tribe) and its capital is Gaborone.
• Current cheetah habitats in India include Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, both in Madhya Pradesh. A third site, Naurodoi (Madhya Pradesh), has been proposed.
• The first cheetah born in India was named Mukhi, whose mother was Jwala.

Indian-Origin Politicians in USA

• Ghazala Hashmi, an Indian-origin individual born in Hyderabad, was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. She is the first Muslim woman and first South Asian woman to hold this position in Virginia, representing the Democratic Party.
• Zohran Mamdani, also from the Democratic Party, was appointed as the new Mayor of New York.
• New York City is located on the Hudson River, hosts the UN Headquarters on Manhattan Island, is known as the "City of Skyscrapers," and is called the "Big Apple."

CBSE International Sahodaya Conference

• The first International Sahodaya Conference (and 31st annual conference) was hosted by the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) in Dubai. This marks the first time the conference was held outside India.
• The theme of the conference was "Moving Forward with Vision Embedded in Knowledge."
• The conference focused on the implementation of the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which was recommended by the Kasturirangan Committee.
• Separately, the Indian government unveiled the pilot version of the India-United Kingdom Science and Technology Partnership Dashboard in New Delhi.

Pro Kabaddi League

• The 12th Pro Kabaddi League final match was held at the Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi.
• Dabang Delhi emerged as the winner.
• Puneri Paltans were the runner-up.
• The first-ever Pro Kabaddi League was won by Jaipur Pink Panthers.

Indian Navy's Indigenous Ship

• The Indian Navy will commission INS Ikshak in Kochi.
• "Ikshak" means "Guide" or "Surveyor." It is a survey vessel designed for hydrographic surveys.
• It was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata.
• The commissioning will be overseen by Dinesh Tripathi, the current Chief of the Indian Navy, for the Indian Navy's Southern Command.
• Previous indigenous survey vessels include INS Sandhayak (first) and INS Nirdeshak (second).

World Tsunami Awareness Day

• World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed annually on November 5.
• The word "Tsunami" is Japanese, meaning "harbor wave," and is primarily caused by underwater earthquakes.
• The theme for the day is "Ready for Tsunami."
• International Bio Reserves Day is celebrated on November 3.
• Currently, 13 of India's 18 biosphere reserves are included in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The latest addition is the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in Himachal Pradesh.

NPCI and Razorpay Collaboration

• NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) and Razorpay have collaborated to expand UPI payment services in Malaysia.
• This initiative is in response to over 1 million Indian tourists visiting Malaysia in 2024.
• NPCI is responsible for implementing UPI (Unified Payments Interface) in India.
• Malaysia's capital is Kuala Lumpur, its currency is the Ringgit, and it is known for palm oil production.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award Ceremony 2025

• The 10th Dadasaheb Phalke Award Ceremony 2025 announced the following winners:
  • Best Film: Stree 2
  • Best Actor: Kartik Aaryan
  • Best Actress: Kriti Sanon
• Dadasaheb Phalke is known as the "Father of Indian Cinema" and directed India's first feature film, "Raja Harishchandra" (1913).
• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honor in Indian cinema; this year, it was conferred upon Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.
• Allu Arjun was recognized as the "Most Versatile Actor of the Year."
• The First R.K. Laxman Award will be presented to Aamir Khan.

Other Current Affairs Updates

• The SCO Summit in 2027 will be hosted by Pakistan.
• Vaishali Ramesh Babu won the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 in the women's category (chess).
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy unveiled the first national policy on Geothermal Energy.
• The Supreme Court ruled that political party offices are excluded from the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act.
• India sent humanitarian aid to Jamaica and Cuba following Hurricane Melissa.