Current Affairs - November 5, 2025 Current Affairs

Telangana has launched the Telangana Artificial Intelligence Innovation Hub (TAIH) in Hyderabad to establish itself as a global leader in emerging technologies by 2035. Spearheaded by Minister D. Sridhar Babu, the hub aims to unite academia, industry and startups to advance AI-based innovation and research. Collaborators include institutions such as IIT Hyderabad, BITS Pilani, ISB, and global tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. The initiative reflects Telangana’s strategic transition from an IT-services powerhouse to a frontier technology leader and aligns with India’s national focus on AI-driven innovation and digital growth.

Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally called Tino, struck the Philippines in early November 2025 with powerful winds reaching 205 km/h, devastating the Visayas region. The typhoon triggered floods, landslides, and 3-meter storm surges, heavily damaging provinces such as Cebu, Leyte, Samar, and Negros Occidental. At least 26 people lost their lives, primarily in Cebu, and hundreds of thousands were displaced as homes, infrastructure, and power systems were destroyed. The event underscored the Philippines’ continued vulnerability to intense tropical cyclones fueled by climate change and highlighted the urgent need for resilient infrastructure and disaster preparedness across coastal communities.

Zohran Mamdani was elected as the Mayor of New York City on 4 November 2025, marking a historic moment in American urban politics. He became the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first person of South Asian descent, and the youngest individual in over a century to hold the post. Born in Uganda to Indian-origin parents, Mamdani’s progressive platform emphasised social equity through measures like free bus services, universal childcare, rent freezes, and higher minimum wages. His election represents a generational shift, greater diversity in city leadership, and the growing influence of progressive politics in major U.S. cities.

Shri Sanjay Garg, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, has taken charge as the Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) from 1 November 2025. With over three decades of administrative experience, he has contributed significantly to policy formulation, planning, and implementation across various national sectors. Prior to this role, he served as Additional Secretary at the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and as Secretary at ICAR, where he led digital transformation initiatives, including the expansion of the Kisan Sarathi portal aimed at empowering farmers through real-time advisory services.

Lucknow has been declared a UNESCO Creative City under the Gastronomy category in 2025, joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Established in 2004, the UCCN promotes creativity as a core pillar of sustainable urban development. This recognition highlights Lucknow’s centuries-old culinary heritage rooted in Awadhi cuisine, known for its kebabs, biryanis, and refined cooking traditions. With this inclusion, Lucknow joins other Indian cities like Jaipur (Crafts and Folk Art), Varanasi and Chennai (Music), Hyderabad (Gastronomy), Mumbai (Film), and Srinagar (Crafts and Folk Art), further showcasing India’s cultural and creative diversity on a global platform.

India exported 12 metric tonnes of fortified rice kernels (FRK) from Chhattisgarh to Costa Rica, marking a milestone in nutrition-oriented trade and global food diplomacy. Facilitated by APEDA, this initiative highlights India’s growing role in promoting food fortification technology and combating micronutrient deficiencies worldwide. Fortified rice, enriched with iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12, is already used domestically under the Poshan Abhiyan. This export strengthens Chhattisgarh’s reputation as the “Rice Bowl of India,” while aligning with India’s goal to merge agricultural innovation with global health and trade initiatives, enhancing both economic and diplomatic engagement.

Amul, managed by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), secured the No. 1 global ranking in the 2025 ICA World Cooperative Monitor, followed by IFFCO at second place. This milestone highlights India’s leadership in cooperative governance and its success in promoting inclusive rural growth. Amul’s three-tier cooperative model connects millions of dairy farmers to national and international markets, ensuring fair income and empowerment for producers. Its achievements in innovation, value addition, and sustainability have transformed India’s dairy sector into a global model of cooperative excellence. The recognition also strengthens India’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi.”

World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed every year on November 5, as designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The date was inspired by the Japanese legend of Inamura-no-hi (“The Burning of the Rice Sheaves”), where a farmer saved villagers by warning them of an incoming tsunami. The 2025 theme, “Be Tsunami Ready: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness,” stresses the importance of early-warning systems, community training, and resilient infrastructure. With more than 700 million people living in tsunami-prone areas worldwide, the observance reinforces the urgent need for awareness, preparedness, and global cooperation to reduce disaster risks.

India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel during the 17th Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence Cooperation held in Tel Aviv to deepen strategic collaboration. The agreement focuses on co-development, co-production, advanced technology exchange, and counter-terrorism cooperation. It reinforces the two nations’ long-standing defence partnership, which has evolved through decades of shared security priorities and technological exchange. The MoU aligns with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) vision in defence manufacturing and supports the mutual goal of building a more secure and innovation-driven defence ecosystem between India and Israel.

The Election Commission of India has initiated the second phase of the Special Voter List Revision, encompassing nine states and three Union Territories, representing an electorate of around 51 crore voters. This nationwide electoral update aims to ensure accuracy and inclusivity in voter registration. The process will conclude with the publication of the final voter list on February 7, 2026. The first phase of the exercise was completed in Bihar, covering 7.42 crore voters. The ongoing phase includes states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, while Assam remains excluded due to Supreme Court-led citizenship verification.

The Second World Summit for Social Development took place in Doha, Qatar, from November 4–6, 2025. The event culminated in the adoption of the Doha Political Declaration, which reaffirmed global commitments to eradicate poverty, ensure decent work, and promote inclusive growth. The summit served as a key international platform to review progress on social development goals outlined in the original Copenhagen Declaration of 1995. India, represented by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, actively participated in discussions highlighting challenges faced by the Global South, especially those linked to development disparities and the transformative role of emerging technologies.