🇮🇳 National News
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, stressing that India’s maritime strategy is built on safety, stability, and self-reliance.
He noted that recent structural reforms have strengthened India’s position as a global maritime power.
- 7,500 km coastline
- 13 coastal states and UTs
- 23.7 lakh sq. km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, mentioned that the event has evolved into one of the world’s premier maritime summits, featuring participation from 85 nations, 500+ exhibitors, and 40 thematic forums under the slogan “Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision.”
Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, announced the creation of Vadhavan Port, set to become India’s largest and rank among the top 10 ports globally.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has provided ₹55 lakh to 18 farmers cultivating Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) in Tamil Nadu under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) scheme.
This financial support was distributed via the Tamil Nadu State Biodiversity Board to farmers from eight villages in Tiruvallur district — Kannabhiran Nagar, Kothur, Vembedu, Siruniyum, Goonipalayam, Ammambakkam, Alikuzhi, and Thimmaboopola Puram.
This marks the first-ever direct benefit-sharing initiative recognizing and rewarding farmers/cultivators, promoting inclusive biodiversity conservation.
Earlier, the NBA had released ₹48 crore to the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Forest Departments and the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for Red Sanders protection efforts.
The initiative aligns with recommendations from the 2015 Expert Committee on Red Sanders, which established a policy framework for conservation, sustainable utilization, and fair benefit-sharing.
The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sanctioned the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC).
- Composition: One Chairperson, One Part-Time Member, One Member-Secretary
- Nature: Temporary body
- Deadline: Final recommendations within 18 months of formation
- Implementation Expected: January 1, 2026
The Central Pay Commissions are set up periodically to review and recommend revisions in salaries, pensions, and service conditions for Central Government employees.
Historically, the Pay Commission recommendations are executed roughly every ten years.
The government had previously announced the formation of the 8th CPC in January 2025, to overhaul salary structures and benefits for Central Government personnel.
The 22nd ASEAN-India Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined virtually alongside other ASEAN leaders.
The summit assessed the progress of ASEAN-India relations and deliberated on new measures to enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
This marked Modi’s 12th participation in the ASEAN-India Summit.
- Extended congratulations to Timor Leste as the 11th full member of ASEAN
- Reiterated India’s backing for ASEAN Unity, Centrality, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific
- Commended ASEAN for adopting its Community Vision 2045
💼 Business & Economy
Paytm has unveiled a new feature allowing Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from 12 countries to make UPI payments in India using their international mobile numbers.
This eliminates the necessity of possessing an Indian SIM card, as the service is linked directly to NRE (Non-Resident External) or NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) bank accounts.
Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, France, and Malaysia — with expansion plans underway.
NRIs can now transfer funds, pay merchants via QR codes, and shop on Indian e-commerce platforms without dealing with foreign exchange conversion or international payment gateways.
Powered by NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), this service ensures instant fund transfers to UPI IDs or mobile numbers, bypassing delays in remittance and foreign exchange charges.
- UPI statements
- AI-driven expense tracking (Paytm Playback)
- Customizable privacy settings for payments
- Unified view of multiple accounts
🌐 International News
U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have signed two pivotal agreements in Tokyo, focusing on trade and critical minerals cooperation.
| Agreement | Details |
|---|---|
| Trade Deal | 15% tariff on Japanese exports + USD 550 billion Japanese investment into USA |
| Critical Minerals | Framework for collaboration in mining and processing rare-earth and critical minerals |
The partnership is aimed at boosting supply chain resilience for strategic resources vital to advanced technologies and electronics.
Japan is the second destination on President Trump’s five-day Asia tour, following Malaysia, where he participated in the 47th ASEAN Summit.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorized India’s Western Ghats, Manas National Park (Assam), and Sundarbans National Park (West Bengal) among Asia’s ailing natural World Heritage sites.
| Indian Site | Conservation Status |
|---|---|
| Khangchendzonga National Park (Sikkim) | Good |
| Great Himalayan National Park, Kaziranga, Keoladeo, Nanda Devi–Valley of Flowers | Good with some concerns |
| Western Ghats, Manas, Sundarbans | Significant concern |
Across Asia, merely 17% of heritage sites were rated “good,” while 30% faced significant concern.
The report identified climate change as the greatest threat, surpassing poaching, tourism, and invasive species.
The IUCN World Heritage Outlook is the only global assessment that evaluates all natural and mixed World Heritage sites every 3–5 years.
👔 Appointments
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the reappointment of C.S. Rajan as Part-Time Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank for the term January 1, 2026 – October 21, 2027.
Rajan has held the position since January 2024, after initially joining the board as an Independent Director in October 2022.
- 1978-batch IAS officer
- Served as Chief Secretary of Rajasthan before retiring in 2016
- Career spans leadership roles in Energy, Highways, Water Resources, MSMEs, and Agriculture
- 14 years dedicated to rural development
- Former Deputy Chairman of the Rajasthan CM’s Advisory Council
- Former MD / Non-Executive Chairman of IL&FS until 2024
🔬 Science & Technology
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan confirmed that about 90% of the work on India’s maiden human spaceflight mission — Gaganyaan — has been completed.
The mission includes vital components like human-rated rockets, orbital modules, life-support systems, crew escape mechanisms, and parachute modules.
- Vyommitra humanoid will participate in an uncrewed orbital mission before the crewed flight
- Crewed Gaganyaan flight: 2027 (carrying 3 Indian astronauts)
- First base module of Bharatiya Antriksh Station: Launch by 2028
- Complete Indian Space Station: Expected by 2035
Additionally, the NISAR Earth Observation Satellite payloads are expected to go operational within 10–15 days.
🎖️ Defence News
The Indian Navy will formally commission ‘Ikshak’, the third indigenously built Survey Vessel (Large), on November 6, 2025, at Naval Base Kochi.
The commissioning ceremony will be led by Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff.
- Built by: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, Kolkata
- Developed under: Directorate of Ship Production and Warship Overseeing Team (Kolkata)
- Significance: Milestone in indigenous shipbuilding and Navy’s push for self-reliance
🏆 Awards & Honours
Sri Lankan author Vajra Chandrasekera has received the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction for his speculative novel “Rakesfall.”
The USD 25,000 award honors writers whose imaginative works explore power, equity, freedom, and humanity’s role in the world.
The judging panel hailed Rakesfall as “an extraordinary feat in science fiction,” establishing Chandrasekera among the most promising global voices in speculative literature.
🏅 Sports News
Indian chess prodigies D Gukesh and Divya Deshmukh captured individual gold medals at the European Chess Club Cup 2025.
Representing SuperChess, Gukesh won gold on Board 1, guiding his team to overall tournament victory.
The win is a major morale boost for Gukesh, the reigning World Chess Champion, following a period of fluctuating form in recent global competitions.
India demonstrated its dominance in Kabaddi by clinching gold medals in both boys’ and girls’ events at the Asian Youth Games 2025 in Bahrain.
Both U-18 Indian teams remained unbeaten, reinforcing India’s strong youth kabaddi ecosystem and contributing significantly to the country’s overall medal tally.
📅 Important Days
International Animation Day (IAD) is observed every year on October 28 across 50+ countries to celebrate the art of animation.
The event is coordinated by ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation).
- Commemorates Émile Reynaud’s 1892 screening at Théâtre Optique, Paris — the first-ever public showing of animated images
- Established by ASIFA in 2002
- Reynaud’s contribution predated traditional film screenings and laid the foundation for modern animation cinema
World Stroke Day is globally observed on October 29, 2025, under the initiative of the World Stroke Organization (WSO).
“Every Minute Counts” — emphasizing the critical importance of timely action in stroke awareness, prevention, and treatment.
📤 Found this useful? Help your friends stay updated too!
