National book award

♦ Rabih Alameddine has won the National book award for fiction for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), a darkly comic saga spanning six decades in the life of a Lebanese family. 

♦ The nonfiction prize was given to Egyptian Canadian novelist-journalist Omar El Akkad for his fierce indictment of the contemporary West, “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.”

♦ Iranian American Daniel Nayeri’s “The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story” won for young people’s literature and Argentine Gabriela Cabezón Cámara’s “We Are Green and Trembling,” translated from Spanish by Robin Myers, was cited for translated literature.

♦ Winners each receive $10,000.

♦ Organized by the National Book Foundation, the awards recognize the best of American literature across five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Young People’s Literature, and Translated Literature.

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace

♦ Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was on 19 November 2025 presented with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. The award was presented to her by the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, which confers the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.

♦ Michelle Bachelet was appointed as the first director of the UN Women Agency in 2010 and later as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

National Water Awards

♦ President Droupadi Murmu presented the 6th National Water Awards, 2024 along with the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 18 November 2025. A total of 46 winners across 10 categories, including joint awardees, were honoured for their contributions to water conservation and management. 

♦ Each awardee received a citation and a trophy, with cash prizes in select categories. Another 100 individuals and organisations were recognised for developing groundwater recharge structures under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiative. 

♦ Murmu noted that more than 35 lakh groundwater recharge structures have been completed under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari scheme since its introduction last year (2024).

David Szalay won the Booker Prize.

♦ Canadian-Hungarian-British writer David Szalay won the Booker Prize for fiction for his novel ‘Flesh’ at a ceremony in London on 10 November 2025.

♦ Flesh is the story of an ordinary man's life over several decades in which what isn't on the page is just as important as what is.

♦ Szalay to take the coveted literary award, which brings a £50,000 ($66,000) payday and a big boost to the winner’s sales and profile. 

♦ Szalay, who was born in Canada, raised in the U.K. and lives in Vienna, was previously a Booker finalist in 2016 for "All That Man Is," a series of stories about nine wildly different men.

♦ The Booker Prize was founded in 1969 and has established a reputation for transforming writers' careers.

♦ Its winners have included Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy, Margaret Atwood and Samantha Harvey, who took the 2024 prize for space station story "Orbital."

Ramon Magsaysay Award

♦ Non-profit organisation Educate Girls has won the Ramon Magsaysay Award, one of Asia’s most respected honours.

♦ The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation praised Educate Girls for breaking gender stereotypes and empowering girls through education, helping them gain confidence, skills, and independence.

♦ The award was announced on August 31, and the ceremony took place on 8 November 2025 in Manila, Philippines.

♦ Founded in 2007, Educate Girls works to close India’s gender gap in education by encouraging families and communities to send girls to school.

♦ It operates in over 30,000 villages and has achieved over 90 percent student retention.

♦ The organisation pioneered the world’s first Development Impact Bond (DIB) in education, linking donor funds to real learning and enrolment results.

♦ The Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called Asia’s Nobel Prize, was established in 1957 to honour former Philippines President Ramon Magsaysay.

♦ It celebrates individuals and organisations that show integrity, compassion, and excellence in public service, journalism, community leadership, and other fields.

Manohar Parrikar Yuva Scientist Award

♦ Dr. Sai Gautam Gopalakrishnan was awarded the third edition of the Manohar Parrikar Yuva Scientist Award 2025.

♦ He is working as an Associate Professor of Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

♦ The award carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh, which is the highest in science and technology in the country.

♦ Of the 50 applications received from top research institutes in the country, 10 candidates were shortlisted for an interview.

♦ An official said that Gopalakrishnan was selected after an intense scrutiny by an expert committee headed by Anil Kakodkar.

♦ The award will be presented at Manohar Parrikar Vigyan Mahotsav in December.

Ambuj Nath Bose Prize

♦ The Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London, has conferred the 2025 Ambuj Nath Bose Prize to Dr D Nageshwar Reddy.

♦ He is the Chairman of AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad.

♦ He got this award in recognition of his contributions to the field of endoscopy.

♦ The honour marks a historic moment for Indian medicine, as Dr Reddy becomes only the second Indian to receive this prestigious award since Dr C Gopalan was recognised in 1998.

♦ The Ambuj Nath Bose Prize, established in 1954 at the request of Lieutenant Colonel Ambuj Nath Bose (1890–1948), recognises outstanding research in medical fields chosen by the RCP Council.

World Leader for Peace and Security Award

♦ Spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the prestigious 2025 World Leader for Peace and Security Award by the Boston Global Forum (BGF) and the AI World Society (AIWS).

♦ He got this award for his contributions to peace-building, reconciliation and humanitarian service. 

♦ The award was established in 2015 to honour world leaders who promote moral courage, ethical governance and compassion in global affairs. 

♦ Previous recipients include Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Japan) and Chancellor Angela Merkel (Germany) in 2015, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2016, President Sauli Niinisto (Finland) in 2018, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in 2022, and President Emmanuel Macron (France) in 2024.

♦ Through the Art of Living Foundation, founded in 1981, Gurudev has also led grassroots humanitarian initiatives — from rehabilitating over 800,000 prisoners and reviving more than 70 rivers to educating 100,000 children across India.