UPSC Current Affairs – News Summary of 12 November 2025

News Summary · 5 minutes read

Stay ahead in your UPSC CSE preparation with our daily News Summary. Designed to save time, it highlights key national and international events from leading newspapers and government websites.

India’s position at COP30: Emphasize adaptation over redefining the Paris Agreement

• At the COP30 climate conference in Belem, Brazil, India cautioned that the world should focus more on adapting to climate change rather than trying to change the basic structure of the Paris Agreement (2015).
• On behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) group, India urged to continue following the principles agreed upon at the Rio Earth Summit (1992), such as Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR).
  • CBDR: every country must take action to reduce GHGs emissions, but developing nations should not be forced to compromise their economic growth in the process.
  • CBDR was first adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit in the UNFCCC, and later endorsed and incorporated with some modifications in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• India urged all nations to prepare their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) based on their own priorities and progress.
  • India has not yet submitted its finalized NAP to the UNFCCC.
  • India submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2030 in 2022.
  • Updated NDC targets for 2035 have not yet been submitted but are expected soon.
• India, representing the BASIC group (Brazil, India, China, and South Africa), said that developed nations should reach net zero emissions faster than they currently plan to → should invest more in negative emission technologies that can remove carbon from the atmosphere.
• India, along with other developing countries, is worried about the shrinking financial support from rich nations.

Why do astronauts wear pressurised suits?

• As we go higher, the atmosphere gets thinner and its pressure drops. When a human body is suddenly exposed to a vacuum, certain lethal effects occur, such as:
  • Ebullism – boiling of bodily fluids at low pressure
  • Hypoxia – body is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level
• Absence of atmospheric pressure causes gases to expand rapidly in the lungs and tissues, leading to loss of consciousness in seconds and death in a few minutes.
• Astronauts wear special suits during space travel for their safety:
  • Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suit or spacesuit – for walks and work outside the spacecraft, like fixing external components and conducting maintenance → protects the wearer against the vacuum of space, extreme temperatures, radiation, and space debris.
  • Intra-vehicular activity (IVA) suit: worn inside the spacecraft and includes a flight suit and a pressure suit.
  • A flight suit is worn by pilots and astronauts, primarily for its fire resistance and protection against temperature extremes or low pressure at high altitudes.
  • A pressure suit provides full-body pressurisation, oxygen supply, and thermal regulation, making it more robust than a standard flight suit.
• In Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight mission, the ‘gaganyatris’ will be using the Russian Sokol KV2 suit manufactured by Zvezda.

Rare Earth Hypothesis

• The rare earth hypothesis (Ward & Brownlee, 2000) argues that simple microbial life may be common, but complex life like plants, animals, and humans may be rare because it requires a long chain of favourable conditions, such as right planet size, stable climate, protective atmosphere, suitable star, etc.
• Space exploration data indicate that planets in the habitable zone are NOT extremely rare, but having the right location is not the biggest barrier → a planet needs to have stable atmosphere and climate regulation mechanism for billions of years for complex life to evolve.
• Microbial life may be widespread, but complex and long-lived ecosystems like Earth’s may be rare.

RBI recognizes SRPA as a Self-Regulatory Organisation

• RBI has recognized Self-Regulated PSO Association (SRPA) as a Self-Regulatory Organisation for payment system operators (PSOs) in line with the RBI’s 2024 Omnibus Framework for Recognition of SROs for Regulated Entities.
• SRPA will serve as an intermediary between the RBI and payment ecosystem participants → will facilitate fair competition, representation of collective industry interests before regulators, and grievance redressal.
• SRPA will also regulate and oversee ethical standards, compliance, data security, customer protection, and conduct among payment operators, such as Paytm and PhonePe.
• Earlier, SRPA operated as a voluntary industry association, but lacked legal regulatory authority.
• This development signals India’s digital payments industry moving towards a co-regulatory framework, where industry takes ownership of governance under RBI supervision → reduces regulatory friction, accelerate issue resolution, and foster responsible innovation.

Quick Picks

1. Supreme Court has directed the Centre to give statutory status to the Delhi Ridge Management Board (DRMB).
   • DRMB was established in 1995 to conserve, protect, and restore the Delhi Ridge and its surrounding forested areas.
2. India aims to eliminate Naxalism by March 31, 2026.
3. Tribal Business Conclave 2025: to be held on 12 November 2025 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
   • Aims to empower tribal entrepreneurs across India.
   • Will pay tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda → 2025 marks his 150th birth anniversary.
4. President Draupadi Murmu is the first head of state of India to visit Angola.
   • Angola has agreed to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) → both these initiatives are spearheaded by India.
   • IBCA focuses on conserving 7 big cat species and their habitats. GBA was established during India’s G20 presidency and aims to accelerate the adoption of sustainable biofuels.

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