UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

An Indian Army contingent has departed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in the second edition of the India–UAE Joint Military Exercise “DESERT CYCLONE-II”, scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi from December 18 to 30.

The Defence Minister recently dedicated 125 newly constructed infrastructure projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to the nation, marking the highest number and significance of inaugurations by the agency in a single day.

INTERPOL has issued a Blue Corner Notice to trace the missing owners of a Goa-based nightclub where a major fire incident recently occurred. The notice seeks assistance from all member countries in locating them and obtaining key identity and background details.

The 10th edition of Exercise Garuda Shakti, the joint Special Forces military exercise between India and Indonesia, has begun at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.

Following the operational insights gained during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Armed Forces have initiated emergency procurement of additional satellite-linked Heron Mk II Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

For the first time, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) has formally paid homage to the soldiers who lost their lives during Operation Pawan, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) mission undertaken in Sri Lanka in 1987. This marks a long-awaited official recognition of the operation and its martyrs.

The 19th edition of Exercise SURYAKIRAN (SURYAKIRAN XIX – 2025) has officially begun at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, marking the continuation of one of the largest Indo–Nepal joint military initiatives.

During the Dubai Air Show, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) indigenous fighter jet, the Tejas, crashed during an aerial display. The pilot was killed. This incident has shocked both the country and the Air Force. A safety review of the Tejas aircraft is also being felt.

Nine people were killed and 29 injured in a recent massive explosion at the Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir. The explosion was caused by explosives seized during the investigation of the Red Fort blast case. This incident raises serious concerns about how to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for safekeeping and handling of seized explosives.

The 7th National Security Adviser (NSA)–level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) was recently held in New Delhi, with the participation of NSAs and Deputy NSAs from member states.