International Relations & Global Events

• France Mandatory Military Service: France announced compulsory military service for 18-19 year old adults.
  • President Emmanuel Macron's initiative aims to train 50,000 new soldiers by 2035 through 10 months of training, including weapon handling.
  • Paris, the capital of France, hosts the UNESCO headquarters.
• India-Maldives Joint Military Exercise 'Ekuverin': The 14th edition of the 'Ekuverin' joint military exercise between India and Maldives commenced in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
  • 'Ekuverin' means 'friend'. The exercise began in 2009.
  • 'Ekta' is another joint exercise between India and Maldives.
  • The 'Dosti' exercise involves India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
  • India launched Operation Cactus in 1988 to prevent a coup in the Maldives.
  • The 8-degree channel separates Maldives from India's Minicoy island (part of Lakshadweep).
• G20 Summit: The 20th G20 Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Conference 2025: The World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2025 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
  • This conference takes place every four years.
  • ITU's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, with 194 member countries.
  • Baku, Azerbaijan, will also host COP29 (Climate Change Conference), while COP30 will be in Belém, Brazil.
• 2030 Commonwealth Games: Ahmedabad, India, secured the right to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
• MH-60R Navy Helicopter Deal: India signed a ₹7900 crore deal with the USA for MH-60R Navy helicopters.
• UNSECO Executive Board: India was elected to UNESCO's Executive Board for the 2025-29 term.
• ICN Conference: The ICN Conference was held in Abu Dhabi.

National Initiatives & Governance

• Goa Police Cyber Fraud Response: Goa Police became the first police force in India with a 100% cyber fraud response rate.
• Kerala's First Indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Vessel: INS Mahe was commissioned in Mumbai.
• India's First Coral Reef Research Center: To be established in Andaman and Nicobar, with an investment of ₹120 crore.
  • Its purpose is to study the impact of rising temperatures and water levels on coral reefs.
  • Coral reefs, also known as 'marine rainforests', face 'coral bleaching' (turning colorless) due to these environmental changes.
  • The Great Barrier Reef (Australia), the world's largest coral reef, is currently endangered.
  • Lakshadweep is known for its coral islands in India.
  • Andaman & Nicobar Information:
    • New capital name: Shri Vijaypuram (as stated in lecture).
    • 10-degree channel: Separates Andaman and Nicobar.
    • Smallest National Park: South Button National Park.
    • Only Active Volcano: Barren Island.
    • Highest Peak: Saddle Peak.
• Integrated Financial City: Amravati will be India's first integrated financial city.
• Textile Sector Scheme 'TexRampS': The central government launched the 'TexRampS' (Textile Research Innovation and Competitiveness Promotion Scheme) to boost research, innovation, and competitiveness in the textile sector.
  • The scheme will run from 2025-26 to 2030-31, with an allocation of ₹35 crore.
• PSLV Rocket by Private Company: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) jointly developed a PSLV rocket, marking a first for a private company.
  • It is slated to launch the OceanSat satellite in 2026.
• M-Matrix Initiative: Maharashtra launched the 'M-Matrix' initiative to promote technology and startup ecosystems.
• Bihar Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar took oath as CM for the 10th time.
• NALSA Executive Chairman: Justice Vikram Nath was appointed as the Executive Chairman of NALSA.
• International IDA President 26: Gyanesh Kumar, India's current Chief Election Commissioner, was elected president of the International Development Association (IDA) for 2026.

Awards, Rankings & Sports

• World Athletics Athlete of the Year 2025:
  • Male: Armand Duplantis (Sweden), a pole vaulter, who broke his own record.
  • Female: McLaughlin-Levrone (USA), a sprinter.
  • The award is titled 'Field Athlete of the Year'.
• Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (Hockey):
  • The 31st edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was held in Ipoh, Malaysia.
  • Belgium won the gold medal, while India secured the silver medal.
  • India has won the cup 5 times. It started in 1983.
  • Japan was the winner of the 2024 edition.
  • The World Badminton Federation headquarters are in Malaysia.
• ODI Century Record (Cricket):
  • In a match against South Africa in Ranchi, Jharkhand:
    • Rohit Sharma set a new record for most sixes in ODI matches (352), surpassing Shahid Afridi.
    • Virat Kohli scored his 52nd ODI century, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record for most centuries in any single format of cricket (Sachin had 51 centuries in Test matches).
  • Sachin Tendulkar has a total of 100 centuries across all formats, while Virat Kohli has 83.
• WorldSkills Asia Competition 2025: India ranked 8th, securing 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. The competition was hosted by Taiwan and was its 3rd edition.
• India's Global Rankings:
  • Global Climate Change Performance Index 26: 23rd
  • Global Methane Status Report 25 (as methane emitter): 3rd
  • Henley Passport Index: 85th
  • Asia Power Index: 3rd
  • Innovation Index: 38th
  • Press Freedom Index: 151st
  • Sustainable Development Goal Index: 99th
  • Corruption Perception Index: 96th
  • Human Development Index: 130th
  • Global Gender Gap Index: 131st
  • Peace Index: 115th
  • Happiness Index: 118th
  • Hunger Index: 102nd
  • Milk Production: 1st
  • Deaflympics 25 (Indian team): 1st place with 1500 points.
• ICC U-19 Men's Cricket World Cup 26: To be hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.
• International Tennis Hall of Fame: Roger Federer (Switzerland) was inducted.
• Miss Universe 25: Fatima Bose (Mexico) won the title. The event was hosted by Thailand.
• FIDE Chess World Cup 25: Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) won the title. The event was hosted in Goa.
• ISSF World Championship Rifle and Pistol 25: Held in Egypt, India won 13 medals.
• ICC Men's T20 World Cup 26 Tournament Ambassador: Rohit Sharma was appointed.
• Women's Kabaddi World Cup 25: India won the title, defeating Chinese Taipei.

Environment & Science

• Global Climate Change Performance Index 26: India secured the 23rd rank.
• AI-Powered Air Defense System 'Michelangelo Dome': Leonardo, an Italian company, launched 'Michelangelo Dome', an AI-powered air defense system to strengthen Europe's air defense.
  • Other Air Defense Systems: SAMAR (India), VASARODH (India), S-400 (Triumph) from Russia, Iron Beam/Iron Dome (Israel).
  • India's 'Sudarshan Chakra' mission aims to strengthen its air defense.
• Crispr Gene Technique 'Birsa 1001': This gene therapy technique, named 'Birsa 1001', is being used for sickle cell anemia treatment in tribal areas.
• Eruption of Heligube Volcano: The Heligube Volcano in Ethiopia erupted after more than 12,000 years.
• Global Methane Status Report 25: India is ranked as the 3rd largest methane emitter globally.
• Ground Water Quality Report 25: Nitrate was identified as the most widespread pollutant across the country.
• Cyclone Ditwah: Caused devastation in Sri Lanka. It was named by Yemen and means 'Lagoon'.
  • India launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' in response to the cyclone in Sri Lanka.
• International Astronomical Union (IAU) Map: Indian names like Periyar, Bekal, and Varkala were included in the map of Mars.
• Seismic Zonation Map: Zone 6 (highest risk zone) covers the Himalayan region.

Culture & Other News

• International Gita Mahotsav 2025: Held in Haryana, with Madhya Pradesh as the partner state.
• UNICEF India Celebrity Advocate for Child Rights: Keerthy Suresh was appointed.
• 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI): Held in Goa. The film "Skin for Youth" was from Vietnam.
• UP GI Tags: Meerut received a GI tag for its Bugul (musical instrument), and Mathura for Lord Krishna's attire (poshak).
• IAF Tejas Jet Crash: An Indian Air Force Tejas jet crashed during an air show in Dubai.
  • Tejas is a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) manufactured by HAL, a Maharatna company.
• Oman's New Currency Symbol: Oman released a new symbol for its currency.
• Traditional Blade 'Dao' (Arunachal Pradesh): Received a GI tag.
• Shanghai Festival: Held in Manipur, along with Shirui Lily Festival and Lai Haraoba.
• Divangat Dharmendra: Mentioned as a notable actor (70 years in Bollywood). (Note: Speaker likely misspoke, as Dharmendra Deol is alive. Transcribed as heard.)
• Buffalo Fight 'Moh Jujhu': Traditional event in Assam.

Important Dates

• BSF Day: December 1 (Border Security Force established in 1965).
• National Constitution Day: November 26.
• National Milk Day: November 26 (celebrated on Verghese Kurien's birthday).
• World AIDS Day: December 1.

Economic & Agricultural

• Crop Production 2024-25: Estimated at approximately 358 million tons.
• Milk Production in India: India ranks 1st globally.
  • Uttar Pradesh is the top milk-producing state in India.
  • Rajasthan is the top wool-producing state.
  • Gujarat is the top egg-producing state (as corrected in the lecture).

Miscellaneous

• Riyadh Metro (Saudi Arabia): Set a Guinness World Record for the longest driverless metro network (176 km).
  • Saudi Arabia has the Al-Nafud and Rub' al Khali deserts (the world's largest sandy desert).
  • Makkah and Madinah, pilgrimage sites, are in Saudi Arabia.
• India's Fastest Train: Namo Bharat (Delhi-Meerut Rapid Transit System), operating at 160 km/hr.
• India's Longest Freight Train: Rudraksh, 4.5 km long.
• 53rd Chief Justice of India: Justice Suryakant (as stated in lecture). (Note: This appears to be an error in the lecture; the current CJI is D.Y. Chandrachud.)