CURRENT AFFAIRS

Relations between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have grown significantly in recent years. The 22nd India-ASEAN Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, further strengthened this partnership. In his virtual address on this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the 21st century is the century of India and ASEAN.

Recently, Rajya Sabha elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir, the first after the abrogation of Article 370. In these elections, the National Conference (NC) won three of the four seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered an unexpected victory in the fourth.

Recently, environmentalists and local residents have demanded the central government's intervention to stop the illegal discharge of leachate from the Bandhwari landfill site on the Gurugram-Faridabad road into the Aravalli Range. This leakage is not only causing a health crisis for local residents but also poses a serious threat to the Aravalli forests and wildlife.

More than 100 people, mostly children, were injured during Diwali in Bhopal and Vidisha districts of Madhya Pradesh due to the use of calcium carbide guns.

Air pollution in Delhi and North India reaches dangerous levels every winter. Recently, "cloud seeding" has been proposed as a potential solution to this crisis. However, from a scientific perspective, this approach is neither sustainable nor practical.

On October 22, 2025, President Draupadi Murmu visited the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, becoming the first woman President of the country to worship at this famous temple. Also, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigation is underway into the theft of gold from the temple.

The central government has announced the implementation of a new accountability mechanism in the rules governing content published on social media platforms.

The tapioca (cassava) crop in South India was once nearly destroyed, but biological control techniques employed by scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) revived it. Parasitic wasps released two years ago have rid the threatened crop of pests and restored farmers' incomes.

The European Union has announced the award of its highest human rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, for the year 2025 to two imprisoned journalists, Andrzej Poczobut of Belarus and Mzia Amaghlobeli of Georgia.

The impact of the additional tariffs imposed by the US on goods imported from India is clearly visible in the September 2025 export data. This move reflects America's trade protectionist stance, which has directly impacted the economies of many countries, including India.