The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, has issued the Draft Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Second) Amendment Rules, 2025, proposing to make it mandatory for e-commerce platforms to provide searchable and sortable filters based on the 'Country of Origin' for packaged commodities sold online.
This will enhance consumer empowerment and transparency in online shopping.
This amendment seeks to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions by allowing them to easily identify the origin of products while shopping online.
The proposed feature will enable consumers to search and sort products by their country of origin, thereby enhancing transparency and reducing the time required to locate such information across vast product listings.
In the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 in rule 6, in sub-rule (10) the following shall be inserted, namely, - “Provided that every e-commerce entity selling imported products shall provide a searchable and sortable filter for the country of origin, with their product listings.”
The amendment directly supports the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Vocal for Local’ initiatives by making ‘Made in India’ products easily discoverable. It ensures a level playing field for Indian manufacturers, helping domestic products gain equal visibility alongside imported goods and encouraging consumers to choose locally made alternatives.
The Eleventh edition of Joint Military exercise “Exercise MITRA SHAKTI-2025” commenced at Foreign Training Node, Belagavi, Karnataka. The exercise is being conducted from 10 to 23 November 2025.
The Indian contingent, of 170 personnel, is being represented mainly by troops from the RAJPUT Regiment.
The Sri Lankan side is being represented by 135 personnel represented mainly by troops from the GAJABA Regiment. 20 personnel from Indian Air Force and 10 personnel from Sri Lankan Air Force are also participating in the exercise.
The aim of the exercise is to jointly rehearse conduct of Sub Conventional Operations under Chapter VII of United Nations Mandate.
Exercise MITRA SHAKTI – 2025 will also involve employment of Drones and Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems besides helicopters. Drills to secure helipads and undertake casualty evacuation during counter-terrorist operations will also be rehearsed jointly by both sides.
The National Health Authority (NHA), the implementing agency of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Health Research (DHR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The renewed collaboration aims to further strengthen technical cooperation for evidence-based decision-making to optimize healthcare resource allocation and enhance quality across India’s flagship health schemes.
The partnership between NHA and DHR/ICMR, initially established in November 2019, successfully leveraged Health Technology Assessment (HTA) principles to support NHA in optimizing Health Benefit Packages (HBPs) under AB-PMJAY.
The typhoon, locally named “Uwan”, damaged houses in the northern city of Santiago in Isabela province. Tree branches and electric posts were also felled by the typhoon.
More than one million people were evacuated before Fung-wong made landfall as a super typhoon in the eastern town of Dinalungan in Aurora province on November 9 night.
It pounded parts of the country’s main island of Luzon with fierce winds, heavy rain and storm swells through the night.
The state weather agency said the typhoon was now moving over the South China Sea, and is forecast to shift northeast towards Taiwan.
In a historic moment for Indian craftsmanship, Bhadohi, the carpet city of Uttar Pradesh, has secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the world’s largest handmade rug. This monumental hand-tufted carpet, measuring an astonishing 12,464.29 square metres, now graces the Grand Mosque in Astana, Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest mosque.
Crafted by over 1,000 skilled artisans from Bhadohi, the project took six months to complete, with an additional 50 days dedicated to laying the carpet in its designated place in the mosque. The rug, which features the Persian design known as ‘Jannatul Firdaus,’ was validated by Guinness World Records officials with official certification received on October 7, 2025.
The entire project, valued at approximately Rs 12 to 13 crore, represents a blend of traditional Indian skill and international collaboration, underscoring India’s prominence in the global weaving industry.
The rug was created using 100% New Zealand wool, carefully hand-tufted to meet the highest standards of artistry and durability.
The 2025 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize will be awarded to Dr. Alexander Smith of Northwestern University, United States of America.
The annual $10,000 prize is awarded for outstanding contributions by individuals, not exceeding the age of 32, in areas of mathematics influenced by Ramanujan.
Dr. Alexander Smith, mathematician, has made breakthrough contributions to several long-standing problems in number theory, employing ideas from combinatorics, analytic number theory, and probability. He is considered as one of the brightest young mathematicians in the world, whose work is strongly influencing research in several areas.
Smith received his Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 2015, and his PhD from Harvard University in 2020. He then had a NSF Post-Doctoral Fellowship at MIT during 2020-21, and a Clay Fellowship from 2021 to 2025. In 2025, he joined Northwestern University as an Assistant Professor.
In the waters off India’s eastern coast, an invisible line separates marine conservation from economic hardship. Cross that line, even unintentionally, and a fishing family faces legal penalties, or worse, could lose a boat.
That line is now becoming harder to cross, thanks to a mobile phone app designed by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).
Recently, the app — Fisher Friend Mobile Application — won the Tech4Nature Award at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, for its role in protecting endangered Olive Ridley turtles while supporting the communities that live off the sea.
South Korean President presented US President Donald Trump with a replica of a gold crown and award him with the country's highest decoration, “Grand Order of Mugunghwa.”
The replica of the gold crown is on display at the Gyeongju National Museum. Trump and Lee are meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
The crown will symbolise the history of Silla, which maintained a long period of peace on the Korean Peninsula, news agency Bloomberg reported, citing President Lee’s office. The Korean government will also award Trump the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, the highest decoration of the Korean government, in recognition of his peacemaking efforts.
Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died on November 9, 2025. He was 88.
Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game's great coaches.
He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team — on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold at the Atlanta Games as well in 1996.
Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach.
He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a comprehensive review meeting of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) at the newly inaugurated DPSU Bhawan at World Trade Centre in New Delhi on November 10, 2025.
In the meeting, four DPSUs—Munitions India Limited (MIL), Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), India Optel Limited (IOL) and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL)—were felicitated on being granted the Miniratna (Category-I) status.
Mr. Singh said the Miniratna status reflects the improving efficiency, autonomy and strategic significance of the four entities.
Three major MoUs were exchanged during the event, including collaborations between HAL, BDL and Yantra India Limited for establishing a 10,000-tonne Forging Press facility, and an MoU to create a Metal Bank at MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited) for ensuring sustained raw material availability.
The Centre has notified new rules for deep-sea fishing in the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with a focus on empowering fishermen, cooperatives and small-scale fishers, while banning foreign vessels from operating in Indian waters.
The rules, notified on November 4, fulfil the Budget 2025-26 announcement and are expected to open new avenues for India's marine fisheries sector, particularly in tapping high-value tuna resources that have remained largely underutilised despite neighbouring countries harvesting them in the Indian Ocean region, the fishery ministry said in a statement.
Her selection marks another historic first for Sheetal, the inclusion of a para-athlete in an Indian team for an able-bodied international competition.
Competing among more than 60 able-bodied archers from across the country under identical conditions,the 18-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir finished third overall in rigorous four-day national selection trials held in Sonipat
Sheetal scored 703 points in the qualification rounds — 352 in the first and 351 in the second — matching top qualifier Tejal Salve's total.
In the final rankings, Tejal (15.75 points) and Vaidehi Jadhav (15 points) took the top two spots, while Sheetal secured third place with 11.75 points, narrowly edging out Maharashtra’s Dnyaneshwari Gadadhe by 0.25 points.
Armenia has officially joined the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a State Member, with the Ministry of Environment serving as the national liaison to the IUCN Secretariat. The announcement made at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, highlights Armenia’s commitment to advancing biodiversity conservation and raising ambition for nature.
Situated between Europe and Asia, Armenia harbours a remarkable variety of habitats, from mountain forests and alpine meadows to semi-deserts and freshwater ecosystems. These landscapes shelter unique and threatened species, such as the Critically Endangered Caucasian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana), the endemic Bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus aegagrus), and
the Sevan trout (Salmo ischchan), found only in Lake Sevan. Beyond their biodiversity value, these ecosystems provide essential services for people and communities across the region.
Armenia has made important progress in biodiversity policy and legislation, including the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the Red Book of Armenia.
By joining IUCN, Armenia gains access to a global platform for collaboration, expertise and innovation. This membership also creates opportunities to engage with international financing mechanisms, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), to advance its national priorities and contribute to global climate Goals.
Cyclone Shakti was a Severe Cyclonic Storm that formed in the Arabian Sea in early October 2025. It did not make landfall in India and ultimately dissipated off the coast of Oman around October 7, 2025.
Chhattisgarh has been adjudged the best performing state under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a government official said.
Chhattisgarh was feted for its outstanding performance, transparency, and achieving 'zero pendency' in claim processing, the official added.
The award was presented by National Health Authority (NHA) Chief Executive Officer Sunil Kumar Barnwal to Dr Priyanka Shukla, state Health Services Commissioner and CEO of the State Nodal Agency (SNA), and Dharmendra Gahwai, Project Director (Operations) on in the NHA Conclave in Bhopal, an official statement said.
"According to NHA data, 97 per cent of hospitals empanelled under PM-JAY in Chhattisgarh are currently active, the highest rate in the country. In comparison, Madhya Pradesh has 62 per cent and the national average stands at 52 per cent. This reflects the strong trust of hospitals in the scheme," it said
