Northern Ethiopia

♦ A volcano erupted in Northern Ethiopia for the first time in nearly 12,000 years on 24 November 2025.

♦ The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia erupted, and the winds moving at a speed of 100-120 km/h carrying the ash plumes to many countries, including India.

♦ The ash plumes, thousands of feet up in the atmosphere, first entered Gujarat and drifted towards Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab.

♦ The volcano, which rises about 500 metres in altitude, sits within the Rift Valley, a zone of intense geological activity where two tectonic plates meet.

Gogabeel Lake

♦ Gogabeel Lake in Katihar district of Bihar, has got a tag of international importance as a Ramsar site, bringing the total number of such protected sites in the country to 94.

♦ Bihar has now six Ramsar sites, standing at third position in the country after Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. 

♦ India, meanwhile, continues to be at the top in Asia and third in the world after the UK (176) and Mexico (144) in terms of total number of Ramsar sites under a global convention. Globally, there are 2,546 Ramsar sites.

♦ With this recognition, the total no. of Ramsar sites in the country rises to 94, adding 67 sites in the last 11 years, covering an area of 13,60,805 hectares.

♦ A global Convention to protect such areas was adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.

♦ It provides a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources across its 172-member countries including India.

♦ Even the previous two wetlands (92nd and 93rd) - Gokul Jalashay of Buxar district and Udaipur Jheel of West Champaran district - added to the Ramsar list are in Bihar.

Creative City of Gastronomy

♦ Lucknow has officially been declared a UNESCO ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ during the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

♦ The global recognition celebrates the city’s centuries-old Awadhi cuisine, living food traditions, and inclusive cultural heritage.

♦ Following Hyderabad, which received the honour in 2019, Lucknow became the second Indian city to join the network of 408 Creative Cities across more than 100 countries – each recognised for excellence in Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, Music, and the newly added Architecture.