Current Affairs 15 November 2025

Belgium and Netherlands to Jointly Host 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.

• Belgium and the Netherlands will co-host the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup for both men and women from 15–30 August 2026, marking the first dual-host and dual-gender edition.
• The tournament will include the first-ever ParaHockey World Cup.
• A new competition format features 16 teams per gender, with top teams carrying forward results into a second group phase to decide semi-finalists.

Railways Introduces AI-Based "DRISHTI" System for Wagon Security.

• Indian Railways will deploy AI-powered DRISHTI to monitor the locking status of freight wagon doors in real time.
• DRISHTI is a real-time surveillance and locking-monitoring solution powered by advanced computer vision.
• Developed through a joint innovation effort by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and IIT Guwahati – TIDF.

Govt Cuts GI Tag Fee; Boost for Tribal Artisans & Traditional Crafts.

• GI tag application fee reduced from ₹5,000 to ₹1,000 to help tribal artisans preserve traditional crafts.
• Certificates awarded for items like Kannadippaya, Apatani textile, Marthandam honey, Lepcha Tungbuk, Bodo Aronai, Ambaji Marble, and Badri cow ghee.
• GIs identify products whose quality, reputation, or characteristics are tied to their geographical origin.

Phenome India Conclave 2025 Launched for Longitudinal Cohort Studies.

• Union MoS for Science & Technology launched Cohort Connect 2025 at CSIR–IMMT, Bhubaneswar under the Phenome India programme.
• Creates a nationwide platform integrating India’s major longitudinal cohort studies for large-scale, India-specific health data.
• Cohort Connect 2025 to be India’s Largest Evidence Based study on Genetic, Lifestyle & Environmental Drivers of Disease.

8th School Cinema International Film Festival 2025 Opens Nationwide.

• The 8th School Cinema International Film Festival 2025 began in celebration of Children’s Day, promoted as the world’s largest children’s film festival.
• The inaugural ceremony was hosted at Delhi Public School, Bengaluru South, launching a nationwide celebration of creativity, empathy, and learning through cinema.