16-17 November 2025 Current Affairs

National & Cultural Updates

• The Government of India granted GI tags to two traditional Lepcha musical instruments — Tungbuk and Pumtong Pulit .

• Sunapur Beach (Ganjam) and Puri Golden Beach (Odisha) received Blue Flag Certification 2025–26 , highlighting superior coastal management.

• India announced the creation of the world’s deepest underwater research lab (6,000 m) under Vision 2047 .

• India will host the 20th UNESCO ICH Committee (Dec 8–13, 2025) at Red Fort , with over 1,000 delegates expected.

• International Day for Tolerance observed on 16 November ; International Students’ Day and National Epilepsy Day on 17 November .

​​​​​​​ Global Rankings & Sports

• The Henley Passport Index 2025 ranked 199 passports based on visa-free/VOA access.

• The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will be jointly hosted by Belgium & Netherlands (first dual-host, both genders).

• Cricketer Shafali Verma appointed Brand Ambassador , Haryana State Women’s Commission.

Banking & Economy

• RBI announced trade relief measures for exporters.

• Banking credit grew 11.3% YoY (as of 31 Oct).

• Samco MF launched India’s first momentum-based Small Cap Fund .

• Axis Bank became first lender to put ₹511 cr Lavasa exposure for sale (reserve: ₹80 cr).

• UBI celebrated its 107th Foundation Day in Mumbai.

• RBI approved S. Krishnan as Part-Time Chairman, J&K Bank (term: Nov 2025–Mar 2028).

Business & Technology

• Walmart CEO Doug McMillon to retire on 31 Jan 2026 .

• Elon Musk’s xAI launched Grokipedia , a rival to Wikipedia.

• Reliance Jio–Google partnership to offer Google AI Pro free for 18 months.

• Narayana Health acquired UK-based Practice Plus Group for ₹2,200 crore .

Defence, Space & Global Affairs

• IAF participating in Garuda 25 exercise in France (16–27 Nov).

• 17-year-old Kunchala Kaivalya Reddy selected as Astronaut Candidate by Titans Space Industries (TSI) .