Current Affairs Quiz – October 2025

Notes:
The Global Firepower (GFP) Index 2025 ranks the world’s strongest militaries using over 60 factors like manpower, defense budgets, logistics, and technology. The United States ranks 1st, with over $860 billion defense budget, advanced technology, and global reach across land, sea, air, and cyber domains. Russia holds the 2nd position, backed by its massive tank, artillery, and nuclear arsenal, along with modernization of S-500 air defense and hypersonic missile programs. China ties with Russia, driven by rapid military modernization, focus on cyber warfare, and expansion of its blue-water navy. India ranks 4th, emphasizing Atmanirbhar Bharat and indigenous defense projects like Tejas Mk1A, Arihant-class submarines, and BrahMos upgrades.

Notes:
The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has launched a new feature on the ASTraM (Automated System for Traffic Management) app in collaboration with the Aarohan Foundation’s Police Marshals programme. It allows college students to report traffic violations around campuses. ASTraM app is a digital traffic enforcement platform developed by Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) for real-time monitoring and citizen participation. It enables users to upload photos or videos of offences like wrong parking or signal jumping. The app categorises violations and auto-records details like location and time. The initiative promotes accountability, awareness, and road discipline.

Notes:
The Model Rocketry/CANSAT India Student Competition grand finale has begun in Tumkuhiraj, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Narayani River. It is a 4-day national space competition organised by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in partnership with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Astronautical Society of India (ASI). Around 600 students from 71 teams are participating — 36 in CANSAT and 35 in Model Rocketry categories. The event builds skills in payload design, mission planning, and teamwork, key for the aerospace sector.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Coal and Mines recently launched two digital platforms — KOYLA SHAKTI Dashboard and CLAMP Portal. The Coal Land Acquisition, Management, and Payment (CLAMP) Portal is a unified digital system of the Ministry of Coal. It streamlines land acquisition, compensation, and rehabilitation & resettlement (R&R) processes in the coal sector. It serves as a central repository of land records to ensure data integration and transparency. The KOYLA SHAKTI Dashboard integrates the entire coal value chain from mine to market. It enables real-time coordination among coal companies, railways, ports, and end users. It ensures transparency and faster decision-making through live analytics and digital monitoring.

Notes:
The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh has reported a sharp rise in infections caused by Bacterium Bordetella holmesii in North India. This bacterium mimics whooping cough (pertussis), making diagnosis difficult. Bordetella holmesii was first identified in 1995. It is a gram-negative coccobacillus capable of causing pertussis-like respiratory illness. Besides cough infections, it can cause endocarditis, pneumonia, cellulitis, arthritis, and pyelonephritis. The recent surge highlights the need for improved diagnostic tests and public health awareness to differentiate it from regular whooping cough infections.

Notes:
India has ended its military presence at the Ayni Airbase in Tajikistan after the bilateral agreement with Tajikistan expired around four years ago. The Ayni Airbase, located 10 km west of Dushanbe, was built in the Soviet era and later renovated by India. India spent around $100 million upgrading the base with runway extensions, shelters, fuel depots, and air traffic control facilities. Su-30MKI jets and around 200 Indian personnel from the Army and Air Force were once deployed there. All Indian personnel and equipment were withdrawn by 2022. The base initially supported the Northern Alliance in its fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Notes:
UNESCO has declared Lucknow a “Creative City of Gastronomy” at its 43rd General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Lucknow becomes the second Indian city after Hyderabad to earn this title. The recognition highlights Lucknow’s rich culinary heritage, from royal kitchens to street food. The Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Tourism submitted the nomination on January 31, 2025, and the Government of India approved it on March 3, 2025. The official UNESCO announcement came on October 31, 2025. The UNESCO tag aims to boost culinary tourism, support local food entrepreneurs, and promote sustainable practices.

Notes:
Tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna announced his retirement at the age of 45. His final match was at the Paris Masters 1000, where he partnered with Alexander Bublik. In 2024, he became the oldest player to win a Men’s Doubles Grand Slam at the Australian Open. He also became the oldest Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) 1000 winner at the Miami Open 2024. He achieved World Number 1 ranking in doubles in 2024. Throughout his career, he won 26 doubles titles, including six ATP Masters 1000 titles.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the LVM3-M5 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 5:35 pm. The rocket carried CMS-03, India’s heaviest communication satellite weighing 4,400 kilograms. It was the fifth operational flight of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) launcher. CMS-03 was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite will provide multi-band communication services across India and nearby ocean regions. It will enhance secure data, voice, and video connectivity for civilian and strategic applications. The mission highlights India’s capability in heavy satellite launches and strengthens its communication network.

Notes:
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) is observed by the United Nations (UN) on 2 November each year. The day aims to raise global awareness about the dangers of impunity for attacks on journalists and promote media freedom and journalist safety. The 2025 theme is “Chat GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists.” The focus is on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven deepfakes, gendered disinformation, and online harassment targeting women journalists.