UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.

Table of Contents

GS Paper 2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November (2025)

• Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

GS Paper 3:

• The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

• Operation White Cauldron

Operation White Cauldron

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

• FATF Expands Asset Recovery Scope Beyond Graft

FATF Expands Asset Recovery Scope Beyond Graft

• Maharashtra Becomes First State to Partner with Starlink

Maharashtra Becomes First State to Partner with Starlink

• India’s first 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network

India’s first 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network

• Survey Vessel – Ikshak

Survey Vessel – Ikshak

• GW250114 Discovery

GW250114 Discovery

• Poorvi Prachand Prahar

Poorvi Prachand Prahar

• The United States Government Shutdown

The United States Government Shutdown

Mapping:

• Kunar River

Kunar River

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025

#### GS Paper 2:

Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

Syllabus: Polity

Source: TH

Context: The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has resurfaced in debate after alleged violations during the Bihar elections, where welfare cash disbursals under a newly launched scheme coincided with polling dates — raising questions about fairness and electoral ethics.

About Model Code of Conduct (MCC):

• What it is? A set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure free, fair, and ethical elections by regulating political conduct during polls.

• A set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure free, fair, and ethical elections by regulating political conduct during polls.

• Objective: To maintain a level playing field among political parties and prevent misuse of official machinery for electoral advantage.

• History of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

• 1960 – Origin: First introduced during the Kerala Assembly elections as a voluntary code to regulate political conduct.

• 1962 – National Adoption: Circulated by the Election Commission of India to all recognized political parties and States during the Lok Sabha elections, gaining all-party consensus.

• 1979–1991 – Institutionalization: Gradually evolved through multiple elections and began strict enforcement post-1991 to curb corruption and misuse of power.

• 2013 – Legal Refinement: Revised comprehensively after the * Subramaniam Balaji vs. State of Tamil Nadu* case, with new guidelines on election manifestos to prevent misuse of freebies.

Key Features:

• General Conduct: Parties must avoid communal appeals or personal attacks; propaganda through religious places is banned.

• Party in Power Restrictions: Ministers cannot announce new projects, financial grants, or make ad-hoc appointments after election announcement.

• Campaign Discipline: Ban on bribing, intimidation, or distributing liquor within 48 hours before polling.

• Use of Government Machinery: Public media, transport, and rest houses cannot be used for partisan purposes.

• Election Manifestos: Parties must justify financial feasibility of promises and avoid freebies that distort voter choice.

• Meetings and Processions: Prior police permissions are mandatory to prevent clashes and maintain order.

Need for a Strong Model Code of Conduct (MCC):

• Ensure electoral integrity: A robust MCC safeguards the free and fair nature of elections by curbing misuse of administrative power, state funds, and media influence during campaigns.

• Prevent misuse of state machinery: Strengthening MCC deters ruling parties from announcing projects or cash transfers that unfairly sway voter sentiment near elections.

Eg: The Bihar Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (2025) was criticised for influencing voters through pre-poll disbursals.

• Curb populist and freebie politics: A stringent MCC prevents unsustainable welfare promises that burden public exchequers for electoral gain.

• Promote ethical competition: It ensures a level playing field where candidates compete on ideas and performance, not state-funded advantages.

• Preserve voter confidence: By guaranteeing impartiality, a strong MCC reinforces citizens’ trust in democratic institutions and the credibility of electoral outcomes.

Challenges Associated with MCC:

• Non-binding framework: MCC is a voluntary code without legal enforceability, reducing the Election Commission’s ability to impose punitive measures.

• Circumvention through ongoing schemes: Governments often relabel or accelerate schemes under the guise of continuity, violating MCC in spirit but not in law.

Eg: Telangana’s rebranded subsidy program (2023) continued disbursals despite the model code’s restrictions.

• Slow judicial redressal: Legal cases on MCC violations move sluggishly, outliving the election cycle, rendering enforcement toothless.

Eg: Complaints from the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were still under inquiry two years later.

• Digital and AI manipulation: The rise of AI-generated propaganda and deepfakes undermines traditional MCC oversight mechanisms.

• Political non-cooperation: Ruling parties resist stricter MCC norms citing executive independence and governance continuity, weakening EC’s institutional authority.

Way Ahead:

• Give MCC statutory backing: Enact a Model Code of Conduct Act linking MCC with the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to make violations legally punishable. Eg: A similar legal codification exists in the UK’s Electoral Administration Act (2006) ensuring accountability.

• Create fast-track MCC tribunals: Establish dedicated election benches to dispose of complaints within the poll period, ensuring real-time justice.

• Leverage digital surveillance: Deploy AI-based tools and social media analytics to track online propaganda, hate speech, and deepfake dissemination.

Eg: The ECI’s “cVIGIL” app and proposed “AI-Monitor” platform can detect MCC violations instantly.

• Enhance transparency and accountability: Mandate public disclosure of all MCC violation reports and EC actions within a fixed 48-hour window.

• Institutionalize ethical leadership: Introduce mandatory ethics and electoral integrity training for political functionaries to foster democratic responsibility.

Conclusion:

A strengthened MCC is essential to protect the sanctity of India’s democratic process from populist distortions and power misuse. Legal authority, technological innovation, and ethical political culture together can transform the MCC from a moral guideline into a true guarantor of electoral fairness and integrity.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025 GS Paper 3:

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025

Syllabus: Climate and Energy

Source: UNEP

Context: The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 titled “Off Target” warns that despite new climate pledges, the world remains on course for 2.3–2.5°C warming, far exceeding the Paris Agreement goals.

About The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025:

• What it is? The 16th edition of UNEP’s annual assessment that measures the “gap” between projected emissions and the levels needed to limit global warming.

• The 16th edition of UNEP’s annual assessment that measures the “gap” between projected emissions and the levels needed to limit global warming.

• Published by: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• Aim: To evaluate countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), analyse the global temperature trajectory, and recommend actions for aligning with the 1.5°C and 2°C Paris targets.

Key Global Trends in the 2025 Report:

• Temperature projections: The world remains on track for 2.3–2.5°C warming with NDCs, and 2.8°C under current policies, far exceeding the Paris limits despite incremental progress in pledges.

• Limited progress: Adjustments in calculation methods and the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement offset minor gains, proving that global ambition has stagnated rather than strengthened.

• Emissions gap: To align with the Paris goals, global emissions must fall by 35% (2°C) or 55% (1.5°C) from 2019 levels by 2035, a scale of reduction never achieved in human history.

• Overshoot risk: The 1.5°C ceiling will likely be breached by 2035, necessitating rapid negative emissions and technological interventions to stabilize the planet’s temperature later this century.

• Sectoral emissions: The energy, industry, transport, and agriculture sectors continue to dominate emissions, as fossil fuel dependency outpaces renewable transition gains.

• Technology readiness: Solar, wind, and battery technologies are cheaper and scalable, but the financial divide limits their deployment in low-income and developing nations.

• Geopolitical challenge: Rising debt, weak climate finance, and fragmented cooperation among major economies are slowing the collective pace of global decarbonization.

Successes Highlighted:

• Falling temperature projections: Global temperature projections have dropped from 3–3.5°C (2015) to ~2.4°C (2025), proving gradual but meaningful progress in climate pledges.

• Technology availability: The world now witnesses unprecedented expansion in renewables, electric vehicles, and battery storage, signaling industrial readiness for decarbonization.

• Increased NDC coverage: Nearly 90% of global emissions are now included in national climate pledges, reflecting broader international participation and accountability.

Limitations:

• Insufficient ambition: The latest NDC updates reduce projected warming by just 0.1°C, keeping global temperatures at 2.3–2.5°C, far from the Paris target of 1.5°C — confirming that political ambition remains weak.

• Finance gap: Global climate finance flows need to triple by 2030 to meet mitigation goals, yet only one-third of the required funding is currently mobilized, especially constraining developing nations.

• Implementation deficit: Only nine G20 members are on track to meet their existing NDCs, indicating a persistent execution lag between announced targets and domestic implementation.

• Dependence on unproven carbon removals: The report warns against overreliance on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies, which remain expensive and untested at scale.

• Geopolitical instability: Conflicts and energy crises post-2022 have caused reinvestment in fossil fuels, with global subsidies surpassing $1.3 trillion in 2023, reversing decarbonization progress.

UNEP Recommendations:

• Accelerate near-term emission cuts: To stay on track, annual global emissions must fall by 35% for 2°C and 55% for 1.5°C by 2035, requiring immediate phasing out of coal and oil.

• Mobilize climate finance: UNEP calls for restructuring international financial systems, including debt swaps and concessional financing, to unlock private investment in green sectors.

• Enhance international cooperation: The report emphasizes operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund and enhancing technology sharing frameworks under the Paris Agreement.

• Mainstream adaptation and resilience: UNEP urges integrating climate adaptation into national budgets and sectoral planning to protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

• Phase out fossil fuel subsidies: The global economy must redirect fossil subsidies toward renewables, as current subsidies are five times higher than clean energy support.

• Empower developing economies: Strengthen access to clean energy innovation funds and capacity-building initiatives to ensure equitable transition pathways.

• Strengthen monitoring frameworks: Develop a unified global tracking mechanism for emissions and finance to ensure transparency and accountability in climate action progress.

Conclusion:

The Emissions Gap Report 2025 exposes the widening mismatch between climate ambition and action. To keep the 1.5°C target within reach, nations must pair technology with political will, deepen cooperation, and reform global finance. Each fraction of a degree avoided will mean fewer losses, lower risks, and a safer climate future.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

Operation White Cauldron

Context: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a clandestine factory in Valsad, Gujarat, manufacturing the psychotropic drug Alprazolam, seizing drugs worth ₹22 crore and arresting four people under “Operation White Cauldron.”

About Operation White Cauldron:

• What it is? A nationwide anti-narcotics operation led by the DRI targeting clandestine drug manufacturing units involved in producing psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act, 1985.

• A nationwide anti-narcotics operation led by the DRI targeting clandestine drug manufacturing units involved in producing psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act, 1985.

• Aim: To dismantle inter-state synthetic drug networks, curb illegal trade of chemical precursors, and support India’s Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.

• Significance of Operation White Cauldron:

• Curbing Synthetic Drug Trade: Dismantled a major illegal Alprazolam unit, stopping large-scale synthetic drug circulation across states. Boosting Inter-State Coordination: Strengthened cooperation among enforcement agencies to track and eliminate narcotic networks under the NDPS Act. Advancing Anti-Drug Mission: Reinforced the goals of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan through proactive surveillance and public health protection.

• Curbing Synthetic Drug Trade: Dismantled a major illegal Alprazolam unit, stopping large-scale synthetic drug circulation across states.

• Boosting Inter-State Coordination: Strengthened cooperation among enforcement agencies to track and eliminate narcotic networks under the NDPS Act.

• Advancing Anti-Drug Mission: Reinforced the goals of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan through proactive surveillance and public health protection.

Relevance in UPSC Syllabus:

• GS Paper II (Governance): Role of statutory bodies like DRI in enforcing laws, coordination among central agencies, and tackling drug crimes under NDPS Act.

• GS Paper III (Internal Security): Links between narcotics, organized crime, and regional law enforcement challenges; importance of intelligence-led policing.

• GS Paper IV (Ethics): Ethical duty of officers in curbing drug abuse and safeguarding public health from illicit substances.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

FATF Expands Asset Recovery Scope Beyond Graft

Source: TOI

Context: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has issued new global guidance on asset recovery, expanding its scope beyond corruption to cover crimes like fraud, cyber offences, and money laundering.

About FATF Expands Asset Recovery Scope Beyond Graft:

• What it is? A new 340-page FATF guidance outlining a comprehensive framework for identifying, preserving, managing, and repatriating criminal assets across borders — moving beyond graft to tackle broader economic and financial crimes.

• A new 340-page FATF guidance outlining a comprehensive framework for identifying, preserving, managing, and repatriating criminal assets across borders — moving beyond graft to tackle broader economic and financial crimes.

• New Features:

• Wider coverage: Expands asset recovery to include fraud, cybercrime, investment scams, and money laundering. Lifecycle approach: Follows every stage — from legal framework setup to international cooperation and restitution of assets. Best practices from India: Cites ED cases such as Agri Gold (₹6,000 cr restored), IREO realty scam (₹1,800 cr attached), and BitConnect crypto fraud (₹1,646 cr seized). Victim-centric recovery: Promotes restitution and compensation for victims, citing India’s Rose Valley case.

• Wider coverage: Expands asset recovery to include fraud, cybercrime, investment scams, and money laundering.

• Lifecycle approach: Follows every stage — from legal framework setup to international cooperation and restitution of assets.

• Best practices from India: Cites ED cases such as Agri Gold (₹6,000 cr restored), IREO realty scam (₹1,800 cr attached), and BitConnect crypto fraud (₹1,646 cr seized).

• Victim-centric recovery: Promotes restitution and compensation for victims, citing India’s Rose Valley case.

About FATF:

• What it is? An intergovernmental body that sets global standards for combating money laundering, terror financing, and proliferation financing.

• An intergovernmental body that sets global standards for combating money laundering, terror financing, and proliferation financing.

• Established in: 1989, by G7 member countries at the Paris Summit.

• Headquarters: Paris, France.

• Aim: To protect global financial systems from criminal misuse and ensure the integrity and stability of the international economy.

• To protect global financial systems from criminal misuse and ensure the integrity and stability of the international economy.

• Functions:

• Set global standards: Develop and update FATF Recommendations to counter money laundering and terror financing. Monitor compliance: Conduct mutual evaluations to assess members’ adherence to FATF norms. Identify high-risk jurisdictions: Maintain grey and black lists for countries with strategic deficiencies. Promote cooperation: Facilitate international collaboration for financial investigations and asset recovery. Respond to emerging threats: Tackle new risks like cryptocurrency misuse, cyber laundering, and terror funding networks. Support UN and G20 mandates: Align actions with UN Security Council resolutions and global anti-terror frameworks.

• Set global standards: Develop and update FATF Recommendations to counter money laundering and terror financing.

• Monitor compliance: Conduct mutual evaluations to assess members’ adherence to FATF norms.

• Identify high-risk jurisdictions: Maintain grey and black lists for countries with strategic deficiencies.

• Promote cooperation: Facilitate international collaboration for financial investigations and asset recovery.

• Respond to emerging threats: Tackle new risks like cryptocurrency misuse, cyber laundering, and terror funding networks.

• Support UN and G20 mandates: Align actions with UN Security Council resolutions and global anti-terror frameworks.

Maharashtra Becomes First State to Partner with Starlink

Source: News on Air

Context: Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to sign an agreement with Starlink Satellite Communications Pvt. Ltd. to deliver satellite-based internet services across government institutions and remote rural areas of state.

About Maharashtra Becomes First State to Partner with Starlink:

What is Starlink?

• Starlink is a satellite-based broadband service operated by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk, providing high-speed, low-latency internet access globally through a network of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

Company involved: Starlink Satellite Communications Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of SpaceX (USA)

• To connect remote schools, health centres, and rural institutions with reliable high-speed internet and promote digital inclusion, enabling online education, telemedicine, and e-governance in far-flung areas.

How it works?

• Unlike traditional geostationary satellites orbiting at 35,786 km, Starlink’s satellites orbit at ~550 km, drastically reducing data transmission delay.

• These satellites form a constellation that communicates with each other via optical inter-satellite links (ISLs), transmitting data without relying solely on local ground stations.

• This design achieves latency as low as 25 milliseconds, making real-time streaming, gaming, and video conferencing feasible even in rural zones.

Features:

• True global coverage: Network of thousands of LEO satellites ensuring uninterrupted internet access worldwide.

• Low latency & high speed: Enables seamless access to high-data applications.

• Autonomous collision avoidance: Satellites use AI-driven systems to maneuver and avoid orbital debris, enhancing reliability and safety.

• Compact flat-panel design: Allows dense launch stacking on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, optimizing deployment efficiency.

• Rural connectivity focus: Tailored to serve hard-to-reach regions where fiber or mobile networks are impractical.

India’s first 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network

Source: DST

Context: A startup supported under the National Quantum Mission (NQM) — QNu Labs Pvt. Ltd. — has successfully demonstrated India’s first 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network.

About India’s first 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network:

What it is QKD?

• Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a secure communication technology that uses the laws of quantum physics to generate and exchange encryption keys between two parties. Unlike traditional encryption, it ensures that any attempt to intercept or observe the key instantly alters the system, making eavesdropping detectable.

Developed by: The Bengaluru-based quantum startup QNu Labs Pvt. Ltd., supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the National Quantum Mission (NQM).

How it works?

• QKD transmits streams of light particles (photons) carrying random quantum states through optical fiber.

• Each photon encodes information as qubits (quantum bits).

• If an eavesdropper tries to measure or clone the photons, quantum properties change—alerting the communicating parties.

• After error correction and privacy amplification, both parties obtain a shared secret key used for encrypting data securely.

Types of QKD:

• Prepare-and-Measure Protocols: Use random photon polarization to generate keys and detect eavesdropping. Example: BB84 protocol (most widely used).

• Use random photon polarization to generate keys and detect eavesdropping.

• Example: BB84 protocol (most widely used).

• Entanglement-Based Protocols: Use entangled photon pairs — measuring one instantly determines the state of the other. Intrusions become instantly noticeable.

• Use entangled photon pairs — measuring one instantly determines the state of the other.

• Intrusions become instantly noticeable.

• DV-QKD (Discrete Variable QKD): Uses photon detectors to read discrete quantum states.

• Uses photon detectors to read discrete quantum states.

• CV-QKD (Continuous Variable QKD): Encodes quantum data in amplitude and phase of laser light.

• Encodes quantum data in amplitude and phase of laser light.

Features of the Demonstrated QKD Network:

• 500 km quantum-secure link deployed over existing optical fiber infrastructure.

• Enabled end-to-end encryption using multiple trusted nodes for enhanced reliability.

• Supported by Quantum Suraksha Kavach hardware for high-grade data protection.

• Demonstrated integration of Quantum Random Number Generator (QSIP) technology for superior cryptographic strength.

• Showcases civil–military synergy (STRIDE model) — linking research, industry, and defence sectors.

• Positions India among leading nations in quantum-safe communication and cybersecurity readiness.

Survey Vessel – Ikshak

Source: NDTV

Context: The Indian Navy is set to commission ‘Ikshak’, the third vessel of the Survey Vessel (Large) class, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).

• It will be the first SVL-class ship based at the Southern Naval Command.

About Survey Vessel – Ikshak:

What it is?

• INS Ikshak is an indigenously built hydrographic survey vessel, designed to conduct coastal and deep-water mapping of ports, harbours, and navigational channels, ensuring safe maritime navigation and supporting India’s blue economy operations.

Developed by: Constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd., Kolkata, with over 80% indigenous content, in collaboration with Indian MSMEs under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

• To enhance the Indian Navy’s hydrographic and oceanographic survey capacity, generate accurate nautical charts, and support navigation safety, resource mapping, and defence infrastructure planning across India’s vast maritime domain.

Key Features of INS Ikshak:

• Indigenous Build: Third Sandhayak-class survey vessel built by GRSE Kolkata with 80% indigenous content under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

• Specifications: 110 m long, 16 m beam, 3,300 t displacement; accommodates 231 crew and 20 officers.

• Advanced Equipment: Fitted with multi-beam echo sounder, side-scan sonar, AUV (1,000 m depth, 24-hr mission), ROV, and 4 survey motor boats.

• Medical Role: Convertible into a 40-bed hospital ship with OT, lab, blood bank, and isolation ward for HADR missions.

• Navigation & Power: Two diesel engines with Integrated Platform Management System, bow and stern thrusters; speed 18 knots.

• Operational Reach: Equipped with a helicopter deck for surveillance and logistics.

• Hydrographic Function: Produces nautical charts for National Hydrographic Office; supports surveys for Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar.

Significance:

• Boosts hydrographic excellence: Strengthens India’s maritime charting, seabed mapping, and naval navigation safety network.

• Strategic autonomy: Reflects India’s self-reliance in naval engineering and defence manufacturing.

• Supports Blue Economy: Enables port development, undersea cable planning, and marine resource management.

GW250114 Discovery

Source: TH

Context: Scientists have detected GW250114, the clearest gravitational wave signal ever recorded, from a black hole merger about 1.3 billion light-years away.

About GW250114 Discovery:

• What it is? GW250114 is a gravitational wave event produced by the merger of two black holes roughly 30 times the mass of the Sun each, orbiting in near-circular paths before coalescing into a single, rotating black hole.

• GW250114 is a gravitational wave event produced by the merger of two black holes roughly 30 times the mass of the Sun each, orbiting in near-circular paths before coalescing into a single, rotating black hole.

• Found by: Detected jointly by the LIGO (U.S.), Virgo (Italy), and KAGRA (Japan) observatories using laser interferometry — the same technology that confirmed gravitational waves in 2015.

• Features: Most precise signal yet: Clearer and stronger than earlier detections, thanks to improved detector sensitivity (reduced laser noise, better mirrors). Observed 1.3 billion light-years away, providing an exceptionally clean waveform for analysis. Verified Hawking’s area theorem: Researchers measured the event horizon areas before and after the merger, confirming that the total surface area increased, as predicted.

• Most precise signal yet: Clearer and stronger than earlier detections, thanks to improved detector sensitivity (reduced laser noise, better mirrors).

• Observed 1.3 billion light-years away, providing an exceptionally clean waveform for analysis.

• Verified Hawking’s area theorem: Researchers measured the event horizon areas before and after the merger, confirming that the total surface area increased, as predicted.

About Stephen Hawking’s Black Hole Area Theorem:

• Proposed in: 1971 by Stephen Hawking, as part of black hole thermodynamics.

• Core Idea: The total surface area of all black holes (event horizons) in an isolated system can never decrease over time — it can only increase or remain constant.

• Physical Meaning: The event horizon area represents a black hole’s entropy (disorder). Hence, the theorem mirrors the Second Law of Thermodynamics, where total entropy never decreases. During a black hole merger, the combined event horizon area after merger is greater than the sum of the individual black holes’ areas.

• The event horizon area represents a black hole’s entropy (disorder).

• Hence, the theorem mirrors the Second Law of Thermodynamics, where total entropy never decreases.

• During a black hole merger, the combined event horizon area after merger is greater than the sum of the individual black holes’ areas.

Significance of GW250114 Discovery:

• Marks a milestone in gravitational-wave astronomy, ten years after LIGO’s first detection.

• Offers direct empirical evidence for fundamental laws of black-hole physics.

• Enhances understanding of black hole formation, spin, and merger dynamics.

• Strengthens global collaboration among LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA networks, setting the stage for next-generation detectors and deeper cosmic exploration.

Poorvi Prachand Prahar

Source: NIE

Context: The Eastern Command of the Indian Armed Forces is set to conduct a major tri-service exercise, ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’, at Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh, near the LAC.

About Poorvi Prachand Prahar:

What it is?

• A large-scale tri-service joint exercise by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force under the Eastern Command, designed to validate multi-domain operations in high-altitude terrain near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Organisations involved: Conducted by the Eastern Command, with participation from the Indian Army’s Bhairav Battalions, Ashni Platoons, Divyastra Artillery.

• To refine interoperability and command integration across land, air, and maritime domains, test revised tactics and joint doctrines, and enhance combat agility and responsiveness in high-altitude conditions.

Features:

• First-ever deployment of new light combat formations under the “Save and Raise” model, ensuring zero additional fiscal burden.

• Integration of Special Forces, UAVs, precision-strike weapons, and AI-enabled ISR systems.

• Validation of networked operations centres for real-time decision-making.

• High-altitude live simulation of multi-domain warfare close to the LAC.

• Continuation of past tri-service drills — ‘Bhala Prahar’ (2023) and ‘Poorvi Prahar’ (2024).

Significance:

• Strengthens India’s tri-service synergy and operational readiness in the Eastern theatre.

• Enhances technology-driven warfighting capacity through drones, loitering munitions, and precision-guided systems.

• Demonstrates deterrence posture against Chinese aggression in Arunachal Pradesh, particularly across disputed zones like Yangtse and Tulung-la.

The United States Government Shutdown

Source: DH

Context: The United States government shutdown entered its 36th day, becoming the longest in U.S. history as Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a budget compromise.

About The United States Government Shutdown:

What it is?

• A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass legislation to fund federal agencies and programs before the fiscal deadline. Without an approved budget, most non-essential government operations are halted, and millions of federal workers go unpaid.

Why shutdowns occur?

• Budget impasse: Political deadlock between Republicans and Democrats over funding priorities.

• In 2025: Dispute centered on expanding pandemic-era healthcare subsidies and opposition to spending cuts in social and health programs.

• Constitutional process: Congress must approve a spending bill and send it to the President for signature; failure to do so leads to shut down.

History:

• Number of Shutdowns: Since 1976, the United States has experienced 22 federal government shutdowns, ranging from brief funding lapses to prolonged political standoffs.

• First Shutdown: The first official shutdown occurred in 1976 during President Gerald Ford’s tenure after Congress failed to pass key spending bills on time.

• Longest Shutdown: The 2025 shutdown, lasting 36 days and counting, has become the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the 35-day closure during Donald Trump’s first term (2018–2019).

Key features:

• Partial suspension of government services: Essential functions like defense, border security, and healthcare continue, but most federal offices close.

• Unpaid federal workers: Around 1.4 million employees are furloughed or working without pay.

• Economic disruption: Delays in air traffic, halted food assistance programs (SNAP), and closure of national parks and museums.

• Political standoff: Republicans seek a “clean resolution” without healthcare subsidies, while Democrats demand inclusion of welfare measures.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 6 November 2025 Mapping:

Kunar River

Source: FP

Context: India has announced support for Afghanistan’s plan to build a dam on the Kunar River, marking a major geopolitical shift that could intensify Pakistan’s water scarcity.

About Kunar River:

What it is?

• The Kunar River, known as the Chitral River in Pakistan, is a transboundary river flowing through the Hindu Kush mountains, crucial for irrigation, drinking water, and hydropower.

Origin: It rises from the Chiantar Glacier near the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Countries Flow Through:

• The river flows east to west, originating in Pakistan’s Chitral region, entering Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, and re-entering Pakistan to merge with the Kabul River.

Tributaries: Major tributaries include the Pech River and Lotkoh River.

Mouth: It merges with the Kabul River near Jalalabad (Afghanistan), and this combined flow joins the Indus River near Attock (Pakistan).

Key Features of the Kunar River:

• Transboundary Nature: The river flows across Pakistan and Afghanistan, forming a critical part of the Indus Basin system shared by both nations.

• Glacial Origin: It originates from the Chiantar Glacier in the Hindu Kush Mountains, ensuring a perennial flow fed by snowmelt and glacial runoff.

• Course and Length: The river runs for about 480 km, beginning as the Chitral River in Pakistan, entering Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, and later merging with the Kabul River near Jalalabad.

Significance:

• Hydrological importance: Forms a key part of the Indus basin, sustaining agriculture and energy in northwestern Pakistan.

• Geopolitical hotspot: Emerging as a new axis of Indo-Afghan cooperation and a hydro-diplomatic flashpoint for Pakistan

Please subscribe to Our podcast channel HERE

Official Facebook Page HERE

Twitter Account HERE

Instagram Account HERE

LinkedIn: HERE