NASA’s Perseverance Rover Sets Mars Driving Record: Set a new record for the longest distance driven by any vehicle on another world + Distance – 28.10 miles (45.22 km), surpassing NASA’s Opportunity rover’s 28.06 miles (45.16 km) + Date – October 11, 2026 (Sol 2,006) + Time Taken – Achieved in about 5.5 years, compared with nearly 15 years for Opportunity + AutoNav – Over 90% of the distance covered using autonomous driving technology to detect hazards and plan routes + Previous Records Surpassed – Apollo 17 astronauts’ lunar driving distance (35.7 km) and Soviet Lunokhod 2 rover (39 km) + Mission Extension – Jezero Crater rim exploration extended through the end of 2028.

Shrutlekh – Voice-First Multilingual AI: Digital India BHASHINI Division deployed Shrutlekh at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Mussoorie, for real-time, two-way English–Spanish translation + Event – Capacity Building Programme on Urban Service Delivery for Civil Servants, October 12–23, 2026 + Organisers – NCGG; sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, with MeitY support + Participating Countries – Peru, Cambodia, Nigeria, Kenya, Palestine, Lebanon, The Gambia, Ecuador and Spain + BHASHINI Capabilities – Supports 36 Indian languages in text, 23 in voice and 35 international languages + Integration – Connected with 2,353+ government platforms and 800+ official websites

World Day Against the Death Penalty 2026: 24th observance held on October 10, 2026 + Theme – “Stories for Life,” highlighting personal stories and a human-centred approach to abolition advocacy + UN & EU Call – OHCHR and the EU/Council of Europe urged states retaining the death penalty to establish immediate moratoriums, in line with UNGA Resolution 79/179 + 9th World Congress – Held in Paris from June 30 to July 2, 2026 + 10th World Congress – Morocco announced as host for 2029 + Global Mobilisation – World Coalition Against the Death Penalty coordinated rallies, press conferences and awareness campaigns across 180+ countries to promote universal abolition.