1) UN Tourism elects first woman Secretary-General
Sheikha Nasser Al Nouwais (UAE) has been elected as the first female Secretary-General of United Nations Tourism, at the 123rd Executive Council session in Segovia, Spain, with unanimous support from 160+ member countries.
UN Tourism (Founded 1 Nov 1975; HQ: Madrid; Members: 160) aims to make tourism a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability.
Heads of major international bodies to revise:
UN Women – Sima Sami Bahouss
UNESCO – Khaled El-Anani
FAO – Qu Dongyu
ILO – Gilbert Houngbo
UNICEF – Catherine Russell
World Bank (14th President) – Ajay Banga
IMF (MD) – Kristalina Georgieva
OPEC (SG) – Haitham Al Ghais
NATO (SG) – Mark Rutte.
2) Maldives inaugurates Hanimadhoo International Airport (India-supported)
Opened on 9 Nov 2025 in the northern atoll; completed with India’s support under EXIM Bank USD 800 million Line of Credit.
Maldives quick facts: Capital Malé
President Mohamed Muizzu
Currency Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)
Region South Asia.
3) Hurun Global Billionaire Cities Report 2025
Top cities: New York (119), London (97), Mumbai (92, ranked #3), and New Delhi (57, ranked #9) among the world’s leading billionaire hubs.
4) Exercise MALABAR 2025 (10–18 Nov, Guam)
The Quad navies—India, USA, Japan, Australia—are participating; INS Sahyadri is part of India’s contingent. The exercise began in 1992 as an Indo-US bilateral drill and now strengthens maritime cooperation in the North Pacific.
Other 2025 exercises (recap): Air Coordination-II (Indian Army); JAIMEX-25 (India-Japan); Maitree-XIV (India-Thailand); KONKAN-2025 (India-UK); Samudra Shakti (India-Indonesia); Dustlik-6 (India-Uzbekistan); Tiger Triumph-4 (India-US); INDRA-14 (India-Russia); Prachanda Prahar (Tri-services); Khanjar-12 (India-Kyrgyzstan).
5) 18th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference 2025 – Gurugram (7–9 Nov)
Organizer: MoHUA. Theme: “Urban Development and Mobility Nexus.”
Awards:
Best Public Transport City: Chennai
Best Non-Motorized Transport: Udaipur
Most Innovative Financing Mechanism: Pimpri Chinchwad
Best Green Transport Initiative: Hyderabad
Metro with Best Multimodal Integration: Chennai
6) President Droupadi Murmu’s State Visit to Angola & Botswana (8–13 Nov)
India’s first official Presidential visit to these countries focused on India–Africa ties and Global South cooperation. The President held bilateral talks with Angola’s President João Lourenço, addressed Angola’s Parliament, and joined 50th Independence celebrations.
Country facts:
Angola: Capital Luanda; President João Lourenço.
Botswana: Capital Gaborone; President Duma Boko; Currency Pula.
7) India launches first indigenous CAR-T therapy ‘NexCAR19’
Launched by the Prime Minister, NexCAR19 was developed by ImmunoACT (an IIT-Bombay spin-off). It treats blood cancers such as Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) by genetically modifying a patient’s T-cells; clinical trials at Tata Memorial Centre have been successful.
8) Assam Cabinet clears Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025 (9 Nov)
The Bill criminalises polygamy (marrying again while a spouse is alive). Punishments: up to 7 years imprisonment; concealment of prior marriage up to 10 years; facilitators (Qazi/priest/guardian) up to 2 years. Exemptions: Scheduled Tribes and Sixth Schedule areas.
9) Mumbai is Asia’s Happiest City (Time Out, 2025)
Based on a survey of 18,000+ Asian residents, 94% of Mumbaikars describe their city as “happy.” Asia ranking: 1) Mumbai, 2) Beijing, 3) Shanghai. Global ranking: Abu Dhabi #1, Mumbai #5. (Time Out is an international urban lifestyle magazine.)
10) INS Savitri reaches Port Louis, Mauritius (Operation Deployment)
The OPV INS Savitri is engaging in joint maritime surveillance and training to strengthen India–Mauritius naval cooperation. It operates under the Eastern Naval Command (Visakhapatnam).
11) FATF terms India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) a “Model Agency”
In “Asset Recovery Guidance & Best Practices,” FATF praised India’s asset recovery system and the ED’s efficiency in tracing, attaching and seizing crime-linked assets.
ED: Established 1956; HQ New Delhi; Director Rahul Naveen; under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance; investigates money laundering and foreign exchange violations.
12) New natural gas discovery in Egypt’s Western Desert (Badr-15)
Well BED 15-31 in Badr-15 is producing about 16 million scf/day of natural gas and 750 barrels/day of condensate—adding to Egypt’s hydrocarbon output.
