Daily Current Affairs 2025  

26/11/2025

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CA-26/11/2025

 

 
Why in news?
Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan identified a compound called 2Z-decaprenol in Manchurian walnut tree leaves that naturally suppresses weed growth without harming crops. This breakthrough, offers an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides by inhibiting weed germination and improving soil conditions.
 
Key facts and characteristics

• Large tree with round crown, 20-30 m tall with edible nuts with thick shells, difficult to crack
• Imparipinnate leaves 45-90 cm long with 11-19 segments
• Tolerant to cold (down to -45°C)
• Durable and aesthetically prized wood
• Contains allelopathic compounds with herbicidal properties
• Used in traditional medicine for various health benefits
• Lifespan up to 200-300 years
• Fruiting starts at 7-10 years of age

Uses

• Medicinal applications: Used in pharmaceuticals and folk medicine for analgesic, antifungal, and antiparasitic effects; treats cancer, gastric ulcers, diarrhea, dysentery, dermatosis, uterine prolapse, leukopenia, urinary stones, chronic bronchitis, and skin conditions.
• Timber and woodworking: Hard, durable wood used for furniture, flooring, carving, indoor decoration, vehicles, sports equipment, and military applications.
• Other traditional uses: Bark and hulls in medicine; serves as grafting rootstock for other walnut species; provides antiseptic effects for wounds and inflammation.

  Why in news?
Hoya dawodiensis is a newly discovered plant species from the Hoya genus, found in the remote Vijoynagar region of Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh.? Identified by Society for Education & Environmental Development, Botanical Survey of India, and Botanic Research Singapore.
 
Significance

• Marks a major botanical breakthrough; also first Indian record of Hoya yingjiangensis and first Arunachal record of Hoya nummularia.
• The discovery underscores the region's high biodiversity potential amid ongoing explorations.

Hoya Genus Characteristics

• Common Names: Known as wax plants or porcelain flowers due to waxy, ornate blooms.
• Native Range: Tropical and subtropical Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands; grown as houseplants elsewhere.
• Growth Needs: Prefers bright indirect light, well-draining airy soil, high humidity; thick waxy leaves tolerate dry air.
• Morphology: Tropical flowering species with leathery succulent leaves, often epiphytic vines or shrubs.

 
   
Why in news?
A severe marine heatwave has caused nearly 70% coral mortality at Australia's UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, one of the world's largest fringing reefs off Western Australia.
 
Location and Overview

• Ningaloo Reef is Australia's largest fringing coral reef, stretching 260-300 km along the northwest coast of Western Australia near Exmouth, about 1,200 km north of Perth.
• The 705,015-hectare Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Site includes marine and terrestrial areas like Ningaloo Marine Park, Cape Range National Park, and Muiron Islands.
• Named from Aboriginal Wajarri word "ningaloo" meaning promontory or deepwater; traditional owners are Yamatji peoples (Baiyungu and Yinigudura).

Biodiversity

• Hosts over 300 coral species, 500+ fish, 600 mollusks, 650+ crustaceans, 1,000+ marine algae, 155 sponges, and 25 new echinoderm species.
• Features world's largest whale shark aggregation (300-500 annually, March-August), plus humpback whales, manta rays, dolphins, dugongs, and turtles (loggerhead, green, hawksbill; 10,000 nests yearly).
• Terrestrial karst system in Cape Range with rare subterranean species, high endemism in reptiles, birds, and plants; ecotone of tropical-temperate species.

Conservation and Protection

• UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011 (criteria vii, x) for exceptional seascapes, biodiversity, and whale shark gatherings; Ningaloo Marine Park since 1987.
• Threats include coral bleaching (2011, 2025 heatwaves), tourism impacts, invasives (foxes, cats, weeds), fire, water abstraction, and potential oil extraction.
• Managed via EPBC Act 1999, sanctuary zones (e.g., Jurabi, Tantabiddi), and Ningaloo Collaborative Research Cluster for sustainable tourism and fisheries.

 
   
Why in news?
Recent studies highlight a strong link between untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and increased risk of Parkinson's disease, with early continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment potentially reducing this risk.
 
Parkinson's Disease Connection

• A large veteran study found that individuals with untreated OSA face a higher likelihood of developing Parkinson's,
• But consistent use of CPAP therapy mitigates this association.
• Multiple reports from late November 2025 confirm this trend, emphasizing early intervention's protective effects.

About Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder involving repeated episodes of complete or partial upper airway collapse during sleep.
• This causes airflow reduction or cessation despite ongoing breathing effort, leading to oxygen desaturation and sleep disruption.

Causes and Mechanism

• OSA occurs due to relaxation and collapse of throat muscles during sleep, blocking the airway.
• Anatomical factors (e.g., narrow airway, obesity), reduced muscle tone, and changes in airway pressure dynamics contribute to airway obstruction.

Symptoms and Health Risks

• Loud, habitual snoring with periods of silence followed by gasps or choking sounds.
• Excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, restless sleep, frequent awakenings.
• Cognitive difficulties, mood changes, irritability, and concentration problems can occur.

• Increases risk for hypertension, heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias, and metabolic disorders.

Treatment

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is the most common and effective treatment.
• Lifestyle changes including weight loss, avoiding alcohol, and positional therapy help.
• Oral appliances and surgery may be options for some patients depending on severity and anatomy.

Around 104 million Indians, or 11% of the population, may suffer from OSA, often undiagnosed due to cultural views on snoring. Rural prevalence stands at about 3.7%, underscoring the need for accessible screening like Level III studies by health workers. Climate change could worsen OSA severity amid rising temperatures.
 
 
 
   
Why in news?
The 19th edition, SURYAKIRAN-XIX 2025, commenced on November 25 in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, and runs until December 8. It involves 334 personnel each from India's Assam Regiment and Nepal's Devi Datta Regiment.
 
About
Exercise SURYAKIRAN is an annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and Nepal Army, conducted alternately in each country since 2011 to enhance interoperability in sub-conventional operations under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.
 
Objectives and Focus

• The exercise rehearses jungle warfare, counter-terrorism in mountainous terrain, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief (HADR), medical response, environmental conservation, and integrated ground-aviation operations.
• It emphasizes emerging technologies like drones for surveillance, AI decision tools, and unmanned logistics.

Strategic Significance

• Builds mutual trust, shares best practices, and strengthens bilateral ties rooted in Gorkha history.
• Improves UN peacekeeping readiness and reduces risks in complex emergencies.
• Aligns with global dynamics for high-altitude, technology-integrated operations.

 
   
Why in news?
Recent forecasts from November 2025 highlight a potential Fujiwhara interaction between two cyclonic storms in the Bay of Bengal, one forming from the Andaman Sea and another from the Comorin area. 
 
About

• Fujiwhara Effect is a meteorological phenomenon where two nearby tropical cyclones interact by rotating around a common center due to their low-pressure circulations.
• Named after Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara, who described it in a 1921 paper.
• Occurs when cyclones are within 1,400 km (tropical) or 2,000 km (extratropical) of each other.

Interaction Types

• Elastic Interaction: Storms deflect each other without merging; most common.
• Capture: Weaker storm orbits and is absorbed by stronger one.
• Partial Merger: Smaller storm merges into larger one.
• Complete Merger: Similar-strength storms fully combine into one intensified cyclone.
• Straining Out: Weaker storm dissipates completely.

Impacts

• Alters tracks, intensity, and rainfall; increases unpredictability.
• Can cause rapid intensification, stalling, and higher disaster risks like surges.
• Complicates forecasts due to unique interactions.

Examples

• 1964: Typhoons Marie and Kathy (first observed merger).
• 2017: Hurricanes Hilary and Irwin (East Pacific).
• 2009: Typhoon Parma and Melor.
• 2025: Hurricanes Imelda and Humberto (Atlantic).

 
   
Why in news?
DSI emerged as a major issue at the 11th session of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), held in Lima, Peru, from November 24-29, 2025.
 
Concerns for India

• India has shared over 400,000 plant samples through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).
• Despite millions of global transfers (over 66 lakh from 22 lakh varieties), benefits to providers like India remain unclear and untraceable.

DSI and Biopiracy Risks

• Digital Sequence Information (DSI) from genetic resources bypasses Nagoya Protocol rules under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), enabling bio-piracy.
• DSI allows firms in a few nations to build genomic databases and claim intellectual property rights (IPR) without sharing benefits.

Threats to Global South

• Expansions of MLS to all plant resources concentrate power with global North companies, threatening farmer rights and seed sovereignty.
• Over 54% of seed trade is controlled by four multinational firms, prioritizing profits over sustainability.

Recommended Actions

• Global South nations, including India, should oppose MLS expansions at events like ITPGRFA GB-11 in Lima (Nov 2025).
• Demand traceability of transfers, bans on IPR from MLS-DSI, and equitable governance reforms.

Key points on DSI

• About DSI: Digital Sequence Information (DSI) means digital data from genetic material of plants, like DNA or RNA sequences stored online. It's like a codebook of a plant's genes, shared freely for research without needing the actual plant.
• How is it made? Scientists take DNA from plants, sequence it (read the code), and upload it to public databases. No agreed definition exists yet, but it mainly covers gene sequences from nature.
• Uses in plants: Helps breed better crops resistant to diseases or drought. Identifies plant species, tracks illegal trade, and predicts climate survival for food security.
• Benefits: Speeds up research, saves costs (no physical samples needed), aids conservation, and creates new products like medicines or improved seeds.
• Key treaties: Covered under CBD and Plant Treaty (ITPGRFA) for fair benefit-sharing. Debates focus on sharing profits from commercial use.

 
   
Why in news?
On November 24-25, 2025, the Supreme Court labeled custodial deaths a "blot on the system" that India will not tolerate. The bench ordered affidavits from 19 states and seven UTs within three weeks, threatening personal appearances by officials.
 
About

• Custodial deaths occur in police custody (pre-trial detention) or judicial custody (post-remand in prisons/jails).
• They encompass fatalities from torture, assault, suicide, illness, negligence, or poor infrastructure.?
• Globally, India ranks high-risk for systemic torture as per the 2025 Global Torture Index.

• NHRC reported 2,739 total custodial deaths in 2024, with 155 in police custody; over 11,650 from 2016-2022.

Legal Framework

• Article 21 (right to life), Article 22 (arrest safeguards) violated; CrPC Section 176 mandates judicial inquiries.
• Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 empowers NHRC/SHRCs; BNS covers wrongful restraint.
• No standalone anti-torture law despite UNCAT signature; low convictions (0.23% relief in 2021-22 cases).

Supreme Court Guidelines (DK Basu Case, 1997)

• Prepare arrest memo signed by witness/family; inform relative/friend of arrest.
• Detainee entitled to medical exam within 48 hours; maintain inspection memo.
• Videographed post-mortems, no secret disposals; police liable for violations.

Challenges

• Low inquiry coverage (41% judicial, 34% magisterial for 2018-22 deaths); delayed/superficial medical care.
• Impunity: NHRC disposed 281 cases in 2023, relief in only 1; rare convictions.
• Under-reporting, cover-ups as suicides/accidents.

Way forward

• Enact anti-torture law, independent oversight, police sensitization on rights.
• Mandatory CCTV, swift FIRs, compensation for families.
• Comprehensive reforms for arrests, inquiries, marginalized protections.

 
   
About
AI poses significant risks to personal rights, particularly privacy, dignity, and equality, through deepfakes, biased algorithms, and unauthorized data use, while debates on AI legal personhood remain unresolved.
 
What are personality rights?

• Personality rights give an individual exclusive control over the commercial use of their identity: name, image, likeness, voice, signature, behaviour, and other unique attributes.

Legal & policy responses in India

In India, these rights are not codified in a single law; they are protected through:

• Article 21 (Right to Privacy) of the Constitution, as affirmed in the Puttaswamy judgment (2017).
• Common law (passing off, defamation).
• IP laws: Copyright Act, 1957 (performers’ rights over their image/voice) and Trade Marks Act, 1999 (celebrities can register names, catchphrases as trademarks).

• Information Technology Act, 2000, and the 2024 IT Intermediary Guidelines address impersonation and deepfakes.
• Delhi HC’s proactive role: The court has been assertive in ordering swift takedowns of deepfake content and disclosure of infringing parties’ details.

• IT Act & Intermediary Guidelines (2024): These address impersonation and deepfakes, but enforcement remains weak due to anonymity and cross?border issues.
• DPDP Act, 2023: While it regulates personal data, it exempts “publicly available” data, raising concerns that AI scraping of public images/voices may still be allowed without consent.
• Proposed AI content rules (Oct 2025): The Indian government is considering rules that would require AI?generated content to be clearly labelled with visible watermarks, treating identity misuse as a public safety issue.

Global trends & debates

• USA (ELVIS Act, Tennessee 2024): A new law protects musicians’ voices from unauthorised AI “soundalikes,” treating voice as a property right.
• EU AI Act (2024): Classifies deepfakes as highrisk AI, mandating disclosure, transparency, and labelling of synthetic content.
• China: Beijing Internet Court (2024) ruled that synthetic voices must not deceive consumers, reflecting a strict state control model.
• UNESCO Ethics of AI (2021): Advocates a humanrightsbased approach, warning against granting AI legal personhood, which could dilute human rights protections.

Key challenges & way forward

• Fragmented Indian law: No dedicated AI or personality rights statute; courts rely on Article 21, IP laws, and IT rules, leaving gaps.
• Non?heritable rights: Indian law treats personality rights as non?heritable, raising questions about posthumous AI recreations of artists.
• Platform liability: Intermediaries like YouTube, Amazon, Flipkart are being sued for hosting AI?generated infringing content, but clear liability rules are still evolving.

Experts argue that India urgently needs:

• A codified personality rights law defining scope and remedies.
• Mandatory watermarking and labelling of AIgenerated content.
• Stronger platform liability for deepfakes and synthetic media.
• Cross?border cooperation to enforce orders against foreign AI firms and platforms.

 
   
Why in news?
Kerala's 24x7 ON Courts, launched by the High Court of Kerala, continue to expand as a digital judicial reform, with the first court in Kollam handling cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act for round-the-clock access to filing, monitoring, and scheduling.
 
Key aspects of the "ON Court" legal portal

• Access to pending court tasks and cause lists
• User guides and training resources for advocates and clerks
• Helpline support for assistance in court services
• Filing cases and managing court-related workflows digitally

 
   
Why in news?
Nayi Chetna 4.0 is the fourth edition of a national campaign launched under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) by Ministry of Rural Development to promote women's safety, dignity, economic empowerment, and elimination of gender-based violence in rural areas. The campaign inaugurated on November 25, 2025, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
 
Key Objectives

• Strengthen community action against gender-based violence, including substance abuse as a root cause of domestic violence.
• Promote safe mobility, shared domestic responsibilities, and recognition of women's economic contributions.
• Enhance access to credit, skills, markets, and livelihoods, aiming to create more 'Lakhpati Didis' (women earning over 1 lakh annually).

Implementation

• The campaign involves 11 central ministries (e.g., Women & Child Development, Home Affairs, Panchayati Raj) through a tripartite MoU for Violence-Free Village Initiatives, with grassroots activities by SHGs, Anganwadi workers, and community leaders.
• It fosters a 'Jan Andolan' (people's movement) for gender-responsive policies and model violence-free villages.

   
Why in news?
Recently, cases have surfaced where mule accounts were used extensively in narcotics money laundering, including a network spread across several states and involving foreign nationals.
 
Definition

• Mule accounts are bank accounts exploited by criminals to receive, transfer, or launder illicit funds, often without the account holder's full awareness.
• These accounts obscure the origin of money from crimes like fraud, phishing, and cyber scams, making tracing difficult for authorities.

How They Operate

• Criminals recruit "money mules" through job scams, fake offers, or social media, promising easy income for allowing fund transfers.
• Mules may be unwitting victims tricked into sharing details, willing accomplices for profit, or use stolen identities to open new accounts that stay dormant initially to evade detection.
• Funds from scams flow in quickly, followed by rapid outflows to other accounts or purchases.

Risks and Red Flags

• Account holders face legal consequences, including arrest for money laundering, even if unaware.
• Banks spot mule activity via unusual large deposits from unknown sources, mismatched transaction volumes for the holder's profile, frequent withdrawals, or foreign IP logins.
• In India, agencies like CBI conducted raids on 42 locations linked to 8.5 lakh mule accounts in cyber frauds, with banks freezing suspect accounts amid rising hotspots.

Way forward

• Strengthening Regulatory Framework
• Enhancing Technology and Monitoring
• Public Awareness and Education
• Collaborative Action Among Stakeholders
• Empowering Users

   
Why in news?
The government released the Draft Seeds Bill, 2025 in November to replace the Seeds Act, 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, aiming to modernize seed regulation amid advances in biotechnology and a surplus seed supply of 46.29 lakh quintals in 2023-24.
 
Key Provisions in draft

• Mandatory registration of seed varieties (except farmers' traditional/export seeds) via VCU trials.
• Minimum standards for germination, purity, health; QR codes, labeling mandatory.
• Farmers' rights: Save, use, exchange, sell farm-saved seeds (not branded).
• Registration required for producers, dealers, distributors, nurseries.
• Central/State Seed Committees; enhanced testing labs, certification agencies.
• SATHI Portal for digital traceability.
• Graded penalties: Trivial (warnings), minor (2L), major (?30L + jail).
• Eased imports with quarantine; central accreditation for multi-state firms.

Controversies

• Critics argue the bill undermines state authority,
• Allows foreign-certified seeds without Indian trials,
• Reduces ICAR's role,
• Lacks robust compensation mechanisms,
• Favors corporations over farmers and genetic diversity.

About Seeds Act, 1966

• It was enacted to regulate the quality of certain seeds sold in the market to ensure that farmers receive high-quality seeds.
• Its primary objective is to prevent the sale and distribution of substandard seeds and to maintain purity and germination standards of seeds used for cultivation.
• Aims to regulate the quality of notified kinds or varieties of seeds by setting minimum standards for germination, purity, and labeling.
• It covers the whole of India and applies to the production, certification, sale, and distribution of seeds.
• The Act helps create a climate where seed producers operate effectively while protecting farmers from poor-quality seeds.

 
 

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