🇮🇳 National News
The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services for pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS’95).
- Uses extensive postal network and advanced technologies like Face Authentication and Fingerprint biometrics.
- Pensioners can submit life certificates from their homes, completely free of cost.
- Falls under the Digital India and Ease of Living programs.
- Particularly aimed at benefiting elderly citizens in rural and semi-urban regions.
Gogabeel Lake, located in Katihar district, Bihar, has been officially recognized as a Ramsar site, designating it as a wetland of international importance.
This ox-bow shaped wetland, situated between the Mahananda and Ganga Rivers, is the first Community Reserve of Bihar.
- Hosts traditional festivals such as Sirva, Adra, and Chhath.
- Serves as habitat for migratory bird species, the Smooth-Coated Otter, and several vulnerable fish species including Walago attu.
- Surrounded by tropical dry deciduous forests.
- Reflects India’s commitment to wetland conservation under the Ramsar Convention of 1971.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia conferred the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika National Awards during a ceremony in Guwahati, marking the centenary celebration of the legendary artist Bhupen Hazarika.
- The awards honored six cultural luminaries from the Northeast region.
- Recognized exceptional contributions to music, literature, cinema, and cultural preservation.
- Scindia praised Bhupen Hazarika’s enduring legacy as a symbol of unity, compassion, and cultural pride.
💼 Business & Economy
The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched the ‘SBI-STAR’ (Staff Talent Acknowledgement & Recognition) awards, an annual program designed to honor employees for their exceptional talents beyond banking.
Announced by Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, the awards celebrate accomplishments in arts, sports, culture, literature, social work, and environmental activities.
- Encourages employee engagement, creativity, and a sense of pride across SBI’s workforce of over 2.45 lakh employees.
- A structured nomination process allows self-nominations.
- The Corporate Centre in Mumbai selects the final awardees.
- Reflects SBI’s vision to recognize employees as multifaceted individuals.
OpenAI and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have entered into a $38 billion strategic partnership to expand OpenAI’s AI operations using AWS’s cloud infrastructure.
- Includes access to millions of CPUs and hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs.
- Enables the scaling of ChatGPT and other AI models.
- Expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026.
- Ends Microsoft’s exclusivity as OpenAI’s cloud partner and introduces a multi-cloud strategy.
- Reinforces AWS’s role as a key player in global AI infrastructure.
🌐 International News
China has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully converting thorium-232 into uranium-233 within a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR).
This marks the first-ever successful in-reactor conversion, proving the feasibility of thorium as a next-generation nuclear fuel.
- Operates using molten salt as a coolant.
- Functions at atmospheric pressure with passive safety systems.
- Makes it safer, cleaner, and more efficient compared to conventional reactors.
India, which possesses the world’s largest thorium reserves, is conducting similar research through its Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) and Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (IMSBR) initiatives.
The Government of India has announced plans to lift its five-year ban on import approvals from China and other countries, a restriction that was put in place following the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.
- Aims to stabilize supply chains, support domestic industries, and address consumer demand.
- Approvals for imports in electronics, telecom equipment, and industrial inputs will be expedited.
- Imports in security-sensitive sectors, including telecom, dual-use technologies, and strategic electronics, will continue to face strict scrutiny.
- Signifies a balanced policy approach, ensuring both economic growth and national security.
The Maldives has set a global precedent by implementing the world’s first generational smoking ban.
The law prohibits individuals born on or after January 1, 2007, from purchasing or consuming any form of tobacco or e-cigarettes.
- Announced by President Mohamed Muizzu.
- Aims to create a tobacco-free generation.
- Applies equally to citizens and tourists.
- Violators may face fines up to 50,000 Maldivian Rufiyaa (approximately $3,200).
- Positions Maldives as a global leader in public health and tobacco control policies.
Afghanistan is preparing to send its first official diplomat to India since the Taliban took over in 2021, signaling a renewed phase of diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
- Follows the visit of Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi in October 2025.
- Although India does not officially recognize the Taliban regime, it maintains a technical and humanitarian presence in Kabul.
- India’s engagement remains centered on counterterrorism, minority protection, and regional stability.
📅 Important Days
World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed every year on November 5 to promote preparedness and resilience against tsunami disasters.
The observance was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
“Be Tsunami Ready: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness”
- Highlights the need for investments in early-warning systems, coastal infrastructure, and community-based training programs.
- Draws inspiration from Japan’s historical story of Inamura-no-hi (The Burning of the Rice Sheaves), symbolizing the importance of early action and public awareness.
🕊️ Obituaries
Charles Coste, a French cyclist and the oldest living Olympic gold medallist, has passed away at the age of 101.
- Won team pursuit gold at the Olympics alongside Pierre Adam, Serge Blusson, and Fernand Decanali.
- Served as a torchbearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Won the 1949 Grand Prix des Nations, where he defeated cycling legend Fausto Coppi.
- Participated in both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Kim Yong Nam, the former ceremonial head of state of North Korea, passed away at the age of 97, as reported by state media.
- Served as President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly from 1998 to 2019.
- Played a key diplomatic and symbolic role under the Kim family regime.
- Known for his foreign policy outreach and propaganda speeches.
- Represented North Korea on the global stage, including during his 2018 visit to South Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
- Regarded as a longtime loyalist in Pyongyang’s political establishment.
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