UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

In a Landmark resolution, ADB Governors agreed to amend bank charter to remove lending limitation set out in Article 12.1 The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU) launched " Safe Horizons Initiative " IMF assigns India's national accounts statistics a 'C' grade - the second lowest grade World Bank approves two projects in India to improve the quality of education in Punjab & boost incomes for small and marginal farmers in Maharashtra Somalia Declares Drought Emergency

In a landmark mark decision,  The Asian Development Bank ( ADB )  Governors passed a resolution to amend Bank charter to remove lending limitation set out in Article 12.1 . This amendment will open the road to increase lending limit of bank by 50%. This is the first amendment to the  ADB Charter since the institution was created in 1966 and will enter into force three months after ADB officially notifies its members that the amendment has been adopted. Procedure to amend Bank Charter: Relevant article related to amendment of charter are as follows. Chapter IX AMENDMENTS, INTERPRETATION, ARBITRATION Article 59 AMENDMENTS 1. This Agreement may be amended only by a resolution of the Board of Governors approved by a vote of two-thirds of the total number of Governors, representing not less than three-fourths of the total voting power of the members. 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, the unanimous agreement of the Board ...

The IMO & EU have signed an agreement to launch Safe Horizons initiative. Project aims to  promote zero tolerance for violence and harassment within the maritime sector. Violence and harassment includes,  but is not limited to, bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.   Key objectives inlcude  Promoting a Zero-Tolerance Culture,  Establishing Stronger Regulatory Frameworks and  Improving Training and Awareness. IMO News

It is to be noted that it is the second lowest grade. IMF cited following reasons: National Accounts ( Grade - C ):  (i) an outdated base year (2011/12),  (ii) use of wholesale price indices as data sources for deflators due to the lack of producer prices indices, and excessive use of single deflation, which may introduce cyclical biases,  (iii) at times sizable discrepancies between production and expenditure approaches, that may indicate the need to enhance the coverage of the expenditure approach data and the informal sector, and  (iv) lack of seasonally adjusted data and room for improvement of other statistical techniques used in the quarterly national accounts compilation. Price Statistics ( Grade - B ): Outdated CPI base year, items basket, and weights Government Finance Statistics ( Grade - B ): Consolidated central and state government fiscal data have not been published since mid-2019 (covering outturns for FY2015-16), and consolidated general government da...

  The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved following two projects in India: The Punjab Outcomes-Acceleration in School Education Operation (POISE) program  The Maharashtra Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (POCRA) Phase II The Punjab Outcomes-Acceleration in School Education Operation (POISE) program:  Program aims to improve quality education in Punjab with the aid of technology to track learning outcomes. Primary and Secondary Schools:  It will ensure 1.3 million students are enrolled in primary schools, and more than 2.2 million students are enrolled in secondary schools. Early Childwood Education:  In addition, 592,000 students will be supported in early childhood education.  Digital Infrastructure:  POISE will support digital infrastructure in schools by setting up computer labs, tablets and projectors to foster innovation, especially for students enrolled in science and math curriculum.  Term of Project:  The POI...

Federal Government of Somalia formally declared a drought emergency  on 10th November. Government reported that conditions are very severe  across northern, central and southern regions. Puntland is among the worst affected areas, where authorities estimate that nearly one million people need support, including 130,000 in immediate life-threatening need. UN News

Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2025 released by Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying on the occasion of National Milk Day on November 26, 2025 Department of Telecommunications’ Amendment to Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) Rules, 2025 Two New C-Band Doppler Weather Radars, Solar Panel System & Meteorological Museum commissioned by India Meteorological Department ( IMD ) 2nd “ Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable ( NUDGE ) ” initiative Government Approves ‘Tex-RAMPS’ Scheme to Strengthen Research, Innovation and Competitiveness in Textiles Sector

  Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS) 2025 , that was released today is an important publication document that provides comprehensive data on the livestock and dairy sector trends. The BAHS 2025 is based on the outcomes of the   Integrated Sample Survey conducted for the period from 1 st  March 2024 to 29 th  February 2025.   This survey, unique in the country, generates crucial data on the production estimates of Major Livestock Products (MLPs) such as Milk, Eggs, Meat, and Wool, which plays a pivotal role in research and policy formulation in the livestock sector. This publication includes state-wise estimation of production and per-capita availability of MLPs including insights into the estimated number of animals involved in milk production, poultry egg-laying birds, animals slaughtered, and sheep shorn. Further, it presents valuable data on veterinary hospitals, polyclinics, gaushalas, state farms, and other infrastructure details, along with the numbe...

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended the Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) Rules, 2024 on 22.10.2025 addressing critical vulnerabilities that have emerged with the rapid integration of telecom identifiers into digital services across sectors such as banking, e-commerce, and governance. The amendment reinforces India’s commitment to secure, transparent, and responsible telecom operations. The updated Rules aim to bridge existing regulatory gaps and strengthen cyber resilience through collaborative mechanisms with entities using telecom identifiers. They introduce key new frameworks addressing longstanding issues: Mobile Number Validation (MNV) platform:  To curb the surge in mule accounts and identity frauds arising from unverified linkages of mobile numbers with financial and digital services, the Rules institutionalize MNV platform. This mechanism enables service providers to validate, through a decentralized and privacy-compliant platform, whether a mobile numb...

T wo state-of-the-art Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) in Raipur and Mangaluru, a new Solar Power System at Mausam Bhawan, and a Meteorological Museum dedicated to students and young learners commissioned by IMD. A Dual Polarized, Solid-State Power Amplifier-based C-Band Doppler Weather Radar has been installed at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur—the first such radar in Chhattisgarh. With a 250-km radial coverage, it can detect monsoon depressions, low-pressure systems, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms, squalls, and turbulence.Its observational reach extends over Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha, eastern Madhya Pradesh, southwest Jharkhand, and southern parts of East Uttar Pradesh, filling a long-standing data gap and significantly improving IMD’s prediction capabilities in these regions.  The second Dual Polarized C-Band Doppler Weather Radar, installed at IMD’s RS/RW Office in Shakthi Nagar, Mangaluru, will provide advanced monitoring of severe weather s...

Analysis of the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) for FY 2024-25 (CY 2024) by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has identified high-risk cases where foreign assets appear to exist but have not been reported in the ITRs filed for AY 2025-26. Accordingly, the CBDT is launching the second NUDGE campaign, under which SMSs and emails will be issued from 28 th   November 2025 to such taxpayers, advising them to review and revise their returns on or before 31 st   December 2025 to avoid penal consequences. The campaign aims to facilitate correct reporting in Schedule Foreign Assets (FA) and Foreign Source Income (FSI) in ITRs. Accurate and complete disclosure of foreign assets and income is a statutory requirement under the Income-tax Act, 1961, and the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. Adopting a  PRUDENT   [P – Professionalism, R – Responsible & Responsive, U – Understanding (laws, transactions & bus...

  The Government of India has approved the Textiles Focused Research, Assessment, Monitoring, Planning and Start-up (Tex-RAMPS) Scheme, to Strengthen Research, Innovation and Competitiveness in Textiles Sector. The scheme, with a total outlay of ₹305 crore for the period FY 2025-26 to FY 2030-31, is co-terminus with the upcoming Finance Commission cycle and will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles. Announcing the scheme, the  Union Minister of Textiles  Shri Giriraj Singh said that the Tex-RAMPS scheme brings together research, data, and innovation to empower India’s textile sector and position the nation as a global leader in sustainability, technology, and competitiveness Aimed at future-proofing India’s textiles and apparel (T&A) ecosystem, Tex-RAMPS is designed to address critical gaps in research, data systems, innovation support and capacity development. Key Components of Tex-RAMPS 1. Research & Innovation Prom...

UK to abolish system of jury trials IMF reclassifies India's Exchange Rate Arrangement regime as 'crawl-like' from 'stabilised' Evaluation of gene-edited rice lines Pusa DST-1 and DRR Dhan 100 Kamala under AICRPR multi-location trials International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance ( International IDEA ) Cabinet Approves Rs.7,280 Crore Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM)

"  Why UK is considering abolishing jury trials – a system India has long since abandoned " - The Indian Express ABOUT THE JURY SYSTEM  A jury is a group of individuals (jurors) summoned by the court to render an unbiased verdict (a factual result about a subject) or to impose a punishment or judgement. Each juror has sworn to follow the law. The jury system that was established in England during the Middle Ages provides the basis for the Anglo common law legal system. They are still widely employed in nations like Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and other nations with legal systems based on English legal traditions. In India, jury trials arose as a result of British control. The Panchayat raj system was widely used by Indians in their communities, although it was not the same as a jury trial. Initially, the East India Company abstained from imposing English law's jury system. The jury system was established in a dual system of courts ...

The IMF on Wednesday reclassified India's exchange rate regime as a "crawl-like arrangement" from "stabilised". For this classification IMF cited following reasons: " The exchange rate of the rupee is determined in the interbank market, where the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervenes frequently. The RBI’s stated intervention objective is to curb excessive volatility. India’s de jure exchange rate arrangement is floating, and its de facto exchange rate arrangement is classified as a crawl-like arrangement ". For classification as a crawl-like arrangement, the exchange rate must remain within a narrow margin of 2% relative to a statistically identified trend for six months or more (with the exception of a specified number of outliers), and the exchange rate arrangement cannot be considered as floating. Normally, a minimum rate of change greater than allowed under a stabilized (peg-like) arrangement is required. However, an arrangement will be considere...

Under All India Coordinated Research Project on Rice (AICRPR), rice breeders nominate the lines developed by them for multi-location trials. The lines after receipt at AICRPR are blindcoded and sent to the AICRPR trial sites/centres (~ 100 trial sites across the country) for independent field evaluation and validation for period of 2-3 years. Every year, over 1200 breeding lines are tested under this system, which has been in operation since 1965 and has contributed to the development and release of more than 1,750 rice varieties and hybrids. Performance of Pusa DST-1 in AICRPR trials:  In AICRPR multi-location trials, the identification of any culture as „variety‟ is considered after evaluation of its performance in multiple locations, primarily, under field conditions, in addition to consideration of supporting data obtained from artificial (in-vitro) screening facilities. The entry, IET32043 (which was later identified for release as Pusa DST-1) was screened during Kharif 2023 a...

The Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Gyanesh Kumar is all set to assume the Chairship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026 - PIB The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that works to support and strengthen democratic institutions and processes around the world, to develop sustainable, effective and legitimate democracies. It has regional offices in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Africa and West Asia, and North America. The organization is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Kevin Casas Zamora is the secretary-general as of August 2019. Previously, Casas Zamora was Costa Rica's second Vice President and Minister of National Planning. Yves Leterme, former deputy secretary-general at the OECD and former Prime Minister of Belgium, was the previous secretary-general from 2014 to 2019. Leterme replace...

  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the 'Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets' with a financial outlay of Rs.7280 crore. This first-of-its-kind initiative aims to establish 6,000 Metric Tons per Annum (MTPA) of integrated Rare Earth   Permanent Magnet (REPM) manufacturing in India, thereby enhancing self-reliance and positioning India as a key player in the global REPM market. REPMs are one of the strongest types of permanent magnets and are vital for electric vehicles, renewable energy, electronics, aerospace, and defence applications. The Scheme will support the creation of integrated REPM manufacturing facilities,  involving conversion of rare earth oxides to metals, metals to alloys, and alloys to finished REPMs. Driven by the rapidly growing demand from electric vehicles, renewable energy, industrial applications, and consumer electronics, India's consumption of REPMs is expected to doubl...

  INDIA - NEPAL JOINT EXERCISE SURYAKIRAN XIX – 2025 COMMENCES TODAY

The 19 th   edition of Joint Military exercise “Exercise SURYAKIRAN XIX - 2025” commenced today at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. The exercise is being conducted from   25 November to 08 December 2025. The Indian contingent, of 334 personnels, is being represented mainly by troops from the ASSAM Regiment. The Nepal side is being represented by 334 personnels represented mainly by troops from DEVI DATTA Regiment. The aim of the exercise is to jointly rehearse conduct of Sub Conventional operations under Chapter VII of United Nations Mandate. The Scope of the exercise is to strengthen battalion-level synergy in Jungle Warfare, Counter-Terrorism Operations in Mountainous Terrain, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR), Medical Response, Environmental Conservation, and Integrated Ground–Aviation Operations. This edition of Exercise SURYAKIRAN–XIX will focus on incorporating niche and emerging technologies, including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), drone-based ISR,...

Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Networks Initiative (3DEN) Colombian authorities rescue 17 children from " Lev Tahor " sect Hayli Gubbi Volcanic Eruption - Ethiopia UK test fires " DragonFire " anti drone laser defence system MoSJE–DWBDNC and MoRD–DAY NRLM Sign Landmark MoU to Empower De‑Notified, Nomadic and Semi‑Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)

It was launched in  2021 ,  with the support of Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and UNEP. Initiative helps c ountries use digital tools to make their energy systems  more   efficient, accessible, and clean .  UNEP

Lev Tahor (Hebrew: לֵב טָהוֹר, lit. 'pure heart') is a Jewish cult founded in Israel by Shlomo Helbrans in 1988. It consists of about 200–300 members and according to Guatemalan authorities, engages in child sexual abuse, pedophilia and rape. The group follows a fundamentalist form of Jewish practice and adheres to atypical interpretations of Jewish law, including practices such as lengthy prayer sessions, arranged marriages between teenagers, and head-to-toe black coverings for girls and women beginning at the age of three. The group has faced accusations of kidnapping, sexual abuse, and child abuse, and some of its members have been charged and convicted of related offenses. Lev Tahor is considered extreme and radical by many other Jewish groups. The group has moved frequently, being located in Israel from 1988 to 1990, the United States from 1990 to 2000, Israel again from 2000 to 2003, Canada from 2003 to 2013, Guatemala in 2013 (after fleeing Canada), Mexico since around 2...

Hayli Gubbi is a shield volcano located in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. It is the southernmost volcano of the Erta Ale Range. Until November 2025, there was no known record of any eruptions of this volcano within the past 12,000 years since the beginning of the Holocene era , although records of eruptions in the area are limited by the remoteness of the region. 2025 explosive eruption On 23 November 2025, the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) released an advisory bulletin stating that an explosive volcanic eruption was underway, and an ash plume had been detected in satellite imagery. The initial eruption is reported to have occurred at 08:30 UTC, with an ash plume reaching 45,000 feet (14,000 m) (flight level 450). The ash plume later drifted across the Arabian peninsula, including Yemen and Oman. The eruption is likely a sub-plinian eruption, with a buoyant eruption plume visible in photographs of the event. By 20:00 UTC, the explosive phase of the eruption was considered ...

  DragonFire achieves UK first in latest testing, taking down high-speed drones with new laser system.    £316 million contract awarded to MBDA UK, backing nearly 600 skilled jobs and delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.    The pioneering programme is part of the Strategic Defence Review’s commitment to bring into service innovative Directed Energy Weapons.    Britain’s ground-breaking DragonFire laser has shot down high-speed drones in new trials, as a £316 million contract is awarded to MBDA deliver new systems to the Royal Navy from 2027.  Its most recent trials at the MOD’s Hebrides range involved drones which can fly up to 650km/h - twice the top speed of a Formula 1 car - including a UK first of above-the-horizon tracking, targeting and shooting down such drones. The laser system costs just £10 per shot and is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from...