Nobel Prizes 2025

• General Information:

  • Nobel Prize established in 1901 based on the will of Alfred Nobel (inventor of dynamite).
  • Awarded in six fields. The Economics Prize was established later in 1968 by Sweden's Sveriges Riksbank (also known as the Riksbank Award) and first given in 1969.
  • All Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, except the Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
  • Announcements are made earlier, but the prizes are formally awarded on December 10th, marking Alfred Nobel's death anniversary.

• Winners by Category (2025):

  • Physiology/Medicine:
    • Recipients: Mary Brunkov, Friend Remmesdahl, Simon Sakaguchi.
    • Awarded for: Discovery of immune system tolerance.
    • First Recipient (1901): Adolf von Behring.
  • Physics:
    • Recipients: Michelle S. Devereau, John Clauser, John M. Martinez.
    • Awarded for: Microscopic Quantum Mechanical Tunnelling in electric circuits.
    • First Recipient (1901): Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (for X-ray discovery).
  • Chemistry:
    • Recipients: Richard Robson, Omar Yaghi, Susumu Kitagawa.
    • Awarded for: Work on Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs).
    • First Recipient (1901): Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff.
  • Literature:
    • Recipient: Laszlo Krasznahorkai (Hungarian author).
    • Awarded for: His captivating and visionary works.
    • First Recipient (1901): Sully Prudhomme.
  • Peace:
    • Recipient: Maria Corina Machado (Venezuelan opposition leader).
    • First Recipients (1901): Henry Dunant (founder of Red Cross) and Frédéric Passy.
  • Economics:
    • Recipients: Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, Peter Howitt.
    • Awarded for: Identifying necessary conditions for sustainable development through technological progress and the theory of sustainable development through creative destruction.
    • First Recipients (1969): Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen (from the Netherlands).

• Indian Nobel Laureates:

  • Rabindranath Tagore (1913, Literature): For "Gitanjali"; first Indian and first Asian to win in Literature.
  • C.V. Raman (1930, Physics): For the Raman Effect (scattering of light).
  • Har Gobind Khorana (1968, Medicine): For interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis.
  • Mother Teresa (1979, Peace): First Indian woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
  • Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1983, Physics): For theoretical studies of the physical processes important to the structure and evolution of stars (Chandrasekhar Limit).
  • Amartya Sen (1998, Economics): For his contribution to the concept of public welfare state; first Indian to win in Economics.
  • V.S. Naipaul (2001, Literature): For his book "In a Free State".
  • Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009, Chemistry): For studies on the structure of the ribosome.
  • Kailash Satyarthi (2014, Peace): For his organization "Bachpan Bachao Andolan" (Save Childhood Movement); shared with Malala Yousafzai.
  • Abhijit Banerjee (2019, Economics): For efforts to alleviate global poverty.

20th G20 Summit

• Establishment: 1999.
• First Meeting: 2008 in Washington D.C., USA.
• 19th Summit (2024): Brazil.
• 20th Summit (2025): Johannesburg, South Africa (November 21-23). PM Modi to attend.
• Theme: Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.
• 18th Summit (2023): Bharat Mandapam, Delhi, India. Theme: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (One Earth, One Family). African Union was made a member.
• Current Members: 19 countries + European Union + African Union.
• 21st Summit (2026): USA.
• Other Recent Summits (2025): G7 in Canada, SCO in Tianjin (China), ASEAN in Malaysia, BRICS in Brazil.

Global Climate Change Performance Index 2026 (CCP Index)

• Report issued at: COP30 in Belem, Brazil.
• Top 3 Ranks: No country achieved a top 3 ranking.
• 4th Rank: Denmark.
• India's Rank: 23rd (fell 13 places from 10th rank). The decline is attributed to India's continued use of coal.
• Last Rank (67th): Saudi Arabia.

India's Most Valuable Brand 2025 (Kantar BrandZ)

• 1st Position: HDFC Bank, with a value of $44.9 billion, surpassing TCS.
• Fastest Growing Brand: Zomato, significantly boosted by its acquisition of Blinkit.

US Declares Saudi Arabia a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA)

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): Established in 1949, with 32 members (latest being Sweden), and headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
• MNNA (Major Non-NATO Associate Member): A designation given by the US to non-NATO countries with strategic working relationships.
• Declaration: The US formally designated Saudi Arabia as an MNNA, which is expected to facilitate arms deals and enhance cooperation.
• Saudi Arabia: Capital is Riyadh, currency is Riyal, and it is home to deserts like Rub' al Khali and Nafud.

Tesla's First Dedicated Center in India

• Location: Gurugram, Haryana.
• Focus: Electric mobility.
• India will be the 50th global country where Tesla establishes a dedicated center.
• Indian Post Office's first Gen Z Post Office: Opened at IIT Delhi.

VIRSA 1001 Gene Therapy

• Type: CRISPR gene therapy, designed to replace faulty genes with healthy ones to treat genetic diseases.
• Application: Specifically for the treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia, a genetic disorder prevalent in tribal areas where red blood cells become sickle-shaped.
• Naming: Named after Bhagwan Birsa Munda, a revered tribal leader, whose 150th birth anniversary was on November 15.
• India's Elimination Target: India aims to eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia by 2047.

World Fisheries Day 2025

• Date: November 21.
• Venue: Celebrated at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Delhi.
• Objective: Promotes the Blue Economy.
• Initiation: First observed in 1997.
• Indian Initiative: The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Sampada Yojana was launched on September 10, 2020.
• Technology: The Real Craft App was launched for online registration of fishermen.

Telangana's Meeseva App on WhatsApp

• Objective: To provide various government services (such as birth, death, and caste certificates, and police challans) to citizens directly via WhatsApp.
• WhatsApp Number: 80969 58969.
• Similar Initiative: Andhra Pradesh previously launched a similar "Manmitra" initiative on WhatsApp.

ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2026

• Hosts: Zimbabwe and Namibia.
• Dates: To commence on January 15.
• Edition: 16th.
• Final Match Venue: Harare, Zimbabwe.
• Previous Edition (15th): Australia won, defeating India.
• Most Successful Team: India, with five titles.
• Capitals: Namibia's capital is Windhoek; Zimbabwe's capital is Harare.

NABARD & IAAMAI's First Earth Summit 2025-26

• Organizers: NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) and IAAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India).
• NABARD: Established on July 12, 1982, based on the Shivraman Committee's recommendations, headquartered in Mumbai, with K.V. Shaji as its head.
• Location: Hyderabad.
• Objective: To strengthen innovation for global change.
• Global Context: The first Earth Summit globally was held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana

• Event: PM Modi released the 21st installment in Coimbatore.
• Benefits: Provides ₹6,000 annually to farmers in three installments of ₹2,000 each.
• Launch: Initiated on February 24, 2019, from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Quick Current Affairs Updates

• Moon Exploration: China's Chang'e 6 mission first discovered small iron oxide crystals on the moon.
• Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025: "Parasocial".
• ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy: The inaugural edition will be held in Thailand.
• World's First Airport with Wi-Fi 7: In partnership with Huawei, an airport in Oman became the first globally.
• India's EMR 2.0 (Antimicrobial Resistance) Initiative: The first phase was launched in 2019.
• QS World University Sustainability Ranking: IIT Delhi secured the top position among Indian institutions.
• Indian International Film Festival: The 56th edition was held in Goa.
• Bihar Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar took oath for the 10th time.
• Colombo Security Conclave: The 7th meeting of National Security Advisors was held in Delhi, India.
• Rani Lakshmibai: PM Modi paid tribute on her birth anniversary; she is associated with Uttar Pradesh.
• World Para Athletics Championship 2025: The Indian contingent won a total of 22 medals.
• Indian Boxing Federation Cup: To be started in Chennai.
• UNICEF's Promise to Children Campaign: Collaborated with ICC.
• India's First Slum-Free City: Chandigarh achieved this status.
• Ukraine's Highest European Human Rights Award (Václav Havel): Awarded to Maksym Butkevych.
• Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's Autobiography: PM Modi wrote the preface for "I Am Giorgia".
• Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department: Received the Global News Network's Global Tourism Award.
• India's First Child Marriage Free District: Balod in Chhattisgarh.
• Time 100 Next List 2025: Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only cricketer included.
• Preventive Detention Provision: Article 22 of the Constitution provides for this.
• UPSC's Centenary Year (2025): Completed 100 years on October 1, 2025, established on the recommendation of the Lee Commission.
• Payment Regulator Board: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will establish a six-member board.
• Pandit Chhannulal Mishra: Associated with the Swarmandal musical instrument.
• Namo Semiconductor Lab: Established at IIT Bhubaneswar.
• Indian Coast Guard's 10th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-X): Held in Chennai.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's "Aapki Poonji Aapka Adhikar" Campaign: Launched in Gujarat.
• Jubin Garg Island: Singapore renamed an island to honor the veteran Assamese singer.
• Global Fintech Summit: Held in Mumbai.
• National Mission for Camels: Central government prepared a draft to prevent declining camel populations.
• H125 Helicopter Final Assembly Line: Tata Airbuses will establish India's first private sector line in Bemagal, Karnataka.
• ICC Men's T20 Batter Ranking (931 rating points): Abhishek Sharma set a new record.
• Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT): India signed with Singapore.
• MSME Seva Parv 2025: "Virasat Se Vikas" was held in Uttar Pradesh.
• Maxime Butkevich: Received the Vaclav Havel European Rights Prize, associated with Ukraine.
• Maxime Butkevich: Received the Vaclav Havel European Rights Prize, associated with Ukraine.
• PM Modi's "I Am Giorgia" (Italian PM's autobiography) preface: Written by PM Modi.
• India's First Slum-Free City: Chandigarh.
• Sustaionable Development Goals Rank: 99.
• Henley Passport Index: 85.
• Hunger Index: 102.
• Global Gender Gap Index: 131.
• Peace Index: 115.
• Happiness Index: 118.
• Human Development Index: 130.
• Corruption Index: 96.
• Press Freedom Index: 151.
• Central Government's Self-Reliance Mission for Pulses by 2030-31: For Arhar, Masoor, and Urad.
• ISSF Junior World Cup 2025: India secured the first position in the point table.
• First Female Prime Minister: Sanita Kaichii (Japan).
• Cyclone Shakti (Maharashtra-Gujarat): Named by Sri Lanka.
• Indian Navy's Konkan Exercise: Conducted with England.
• India's Only Mud Volcano Eruption (after 20 years): Located on Baratang Island in Andaman and Nicobar.
• BRO's World's Highest Motorable Road (19,400 feet): Constructed in Ladakh.
• 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference: Held in Barbados.
• Harvinder Baweja: Writer of "They Will Shoot You Madam".