Renowned wildlife conservationist Vivek Menon has been elected as the new Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) for the 2025–2029 quadrennium. The election was announced at the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Menon’s appointment marks the first time in the Commission’s 75-year history that an Asian leader will head the global body — a significant recognition of the growing leadership of Asia and the Global South in shaping conservation action worldwide.

A leading Indian wildlife conservationist, environmental commentator, author and photographer with a deep passion for elephants, Vivek Menon has dedicated his life to wildlife protection and habitat conservation.

The Indian Navy is hosting the fifth edition of the Indo-Indonesian Joint Bilateral Maritime Exercise, ‘Samudra Shakti – 2025,’ which will run till October 17.

The participating units include INS Kavaratti, an Anti- Submarine Warfare Corvette of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) and the Indonesian Navy Ship KRI John Lie, a Corvette (with an integral helicopter), that has arrived at Visakhapatnam for the exercise.

The harbour phase will feature a range of activities aimed at building camaraderie and professional rapport that include cross deck visits, joint yoga sessions, friendly sports fixtures, and Professional Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE).

Museums offer us a window into humanity’s past, allowing us to journey through different eras by observing the objects they preserve. The paintings, sculptures, tools, and artefacts on display tell stories of human evolution, the cultures that once thrived, and the heritage passed down by our ancestors.

From the age of cave dwellers to the Indus Valley Civilisation and now to the era of artificial intelligence, museums reflect humankind’s timeless desire to create, innovate, and preserve the extraordinary.

Yet, alongside the passion to create and collect, there also emerged a darker impulse, the pursuit of profit and possession. This greed has led to the theft, looting, and illicit trafficking of countless cultural treasures, depriving communities of their heritage and history.

India registered 2.52 crore births in 2023, around 2.32 lakh fewer than in 2022, the Vital Statistics of India based on Civil Registration System (CRS) report for the year 2023 shows.

The report, compiled by the Registrar General of India (RGI) and released on Monday (October 13, 2025), stated that 86.6 lakh deaths were registered in 2023, a marginal increase from 86.5 lakh deaths in 2022.

The report shows that there was no major spike in deaths in 2022 and 2023, despite the COVID-19 dashboard maintained by the Health Ministry showing that the total number of pandemic-induced deaths stood at 5,33,665 as on May 5, 2025. However, there was a significant rise in deaths in 2021, the second-year of COVID-19 lockdown, which recorded an excess of 21 lakh deaths from the 2020 count. There were 81.2 lakh deaths in 2020 and 102.2 lakh in 2021.

India's wild elephant population has been estimated at 22,446, lower than the 2017 figure of 27,312, according to the country's first-ever DNA-based count.

The All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2025 puts India's elephant population between 18,255 and 26,645, with an average of 22,446.

The government released the long-delayed report on Tuesday, nearly four years after the survey began in 2021.

Officials said the delay was due to the complex genetic analysis and data validation involved in the exercise.

Humanity has reached its first climate tipping point, marking the checkpoint as the planet continues to warm as a direct result of climate change.

The sobering development was highlighted by a landmark study led by a collaboration amongst the University of Exeter and other partners around the globe.

The study announces a clear warning: humanity has entered a “new reality”, crossing the first of many Earth system tipping points, with coral reefs now irreversibly destabilised.

The report was published ahead of COP30, the annual United Nations climate talks, slated to take place in Brazil this year. The event is expected to provide a platform for global lawmakers, climate activists and leaders, congregating to shape a plan and agenda to tackle the planetary crisis.

The Uttarakhand government on Monday (October 13, 2025) approved a crucial amendment in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bringing relief to citizens of Nepali and Bhutanese origin who are living in the State and do not have an Aadhaar card as identity proof to register their marriage.

Sources in the State government, who were part of the Cabinet meeting, stated that the government has permitted people from Nepal, Bhutan and even Tibet to register their marriage using a certificate from the Foreign Registration Officer.

“Under the new amendment in the UCC, foreign citizens will now be able register their marriages by uploading their citizenship certificate, residence certificate, passport, or valid identity card, whichever is more acceptable. In such a situation, citizens of these countries living in Uttarakhand who are already married or about to get married can register their marriage by uploading their documents,” the official said.

India has been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026-28 term, marking the country's seventh stint on the Geneva-based rights body.

Announcing the results of the election held on Tuesday, the UNHRC in a social media post said India's three-year term will begin on January 1, 2026.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, in a social media post, thanked all delegations for their overwhelming support.

"India was elected to the Human Rights Council for the term 2026-28 for the seventh time today," he said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman to inaugurate dhaRti BioNest Incubation Centre at IIT Dharwad this evening. The incubation centre will support start-ups and other entrepreneurs in the areas of biotechnology, deep tech and healthcare. The Incubation Centre has supported 15 start-ups as of now that have received the benefit of the Elevate Karnataka scheme with a seed money of 50 lakh rupees.

National School of Drama (NSD) and Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the revival of Rangmandal Repertory, which had remained inactive for over two decades.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi today, the director of NSD and renowned Actor Chittaranjan Tripathy today informed about this decision, saying this Joint NSD-Bharat Bhawan Rang Mandal is a significant step towards presenting quality theatre to the people of Madhya Pradesh and India as a whole. He further added that the Bharat Bhawan is a cultural epicentre not only for Madhya Pradesh but for the entire nation.

The MoU was signed on 11 of this month in the presence of Union Culture Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.