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Current Affairs 23 May 2025
First- Ever Global Pandemic Treaty
- World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the world’s first global pandemic treaty during its annual World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 20, 2025. The agreement, passed by a vote of 124 in favor, none against, and 11 abstentions, aims to create a more equitable and coordinated global health response to future pandemics.
- The absence of the United States — a former WHO member — raises concerns about implementation and funding. On May 20, 2025, WHO member states voted to adopt the first global pandemic treaty. It comes after three years of negotiations since the devastating impact of COVID-19. The treaty marks a major milestone in global health governance, even as the United States remains absent, having withdrawn from WHO earlier in 2025.
- Aim and Objectives
- Ensure equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
- Strengthen international coordination and global health infrastructure.
- Promote One Health approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and plant health.
- Establish a system for pathogen access and benefit sharing.
- Encourage geographically diverse R&D and local manufacturing.
- Facilitate technology and knowledge transfer.
- Key Highlights
- Voting Outcome: 124 countries supported the treaty; 11 abstained; none opposed.
- No External Control: The treaty respects national sovereignty — WHO cannot mandate lockdowns or vaccination rules.
- Financial Mechanism: A new fund will support pandemic response preparedness globally.
- Equity Focus: Responds to COVID-era inequality, where richer countries hoarded medical resources.
- Controversial Issues Addressed
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Pathogen sharing
- Sovereignty vs. global coordination
- Background
- The idea was mooted during the second special session of the World Health Assembly in December 2021, following the second COVID wave.
- Drafting was led by the Intergovernmental Negotiation Body (INB) over 13 rounds of meetings.
- The final draft was completed in April 2025.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy Jayanti
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy Jayanti 2025 will be celebrated on 22nd May. This day marks the birth anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a great social reformer who changed India’s society with his ideas on education, religion women’s rights.
- It is an important day to remember his contributions. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a visionary Indian reformer, scholar and social activist of the 19th century. Born on May 22, 1772, in Radhanagar (now in West Bengal), he played a key role in India’s social, educational and religious transformation during the Bengal Renaissance.
- Known as the ”Father of Modern India,” Roy worked tirelessly to eradicate social evils, champion women’s rights, promote education and encourage rational religious thinking. am Mohan Roy was born into a well-off Brahmin family. His father, Ramkanta Roy, was a revenue officer in the Mughal empire, and his mother, Tarinidevi, was a devout and traditional woman. From an early age, Ram Mohan Roy showed a deep interest in religion and philosophy.
- He studied Persian and Arabic in Patna, where he read Islamic texts and the writings of Greek philosophers. Later, he went to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and gained a thorough knowledge of the Vedas and Upanishads. He also mastered English, Bengali and Hindi.
- Roy believed in monotheism, or the worship of one Supreme God and rejected idol worship. He formed the Atmiya Sabha in 1815 to promote rational religious thinking and later founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828, which became a leading reform movement in India.
- He studied Christianity as well, learning Hebrew and Greek to read the Bible in its original languages. In 1820, he published ”Precepts of Jesus,’‘ emphasizing moral teachings over miracles.”
- The most notable achievement of Raja Ram Mohan Roy was his campaign against Sati Pratha, the practice where widows were forced to burn themselves on their husband’s funeral pyres. Through persistent efforts, he influenced the British Government, and with the help of Governor Lord William Bentinck, the practice was banned in 1829 by Bengal Sati Regulation XVII.
Polar Bhavan And Sagar Bhavan
- In a major step for India’s scientific advancement, Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Polar Bhavan and Sagar Bhavan at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa.
- Costing 55 crore rupees, these state-of-the-art centres include world-class ice core labs and are among the first globally. The Minister emphasised their strategic role in climate science and ocean geopolitics, highlighting India’s leadership in the Blue Economy and Deep Ocean Mission.
- He reaffirmed India’s responsibility as a global guardian of polar regions. Citing the vision for a developed India by 2047, Mr. Singh called the launch a milestone toward global scientific and geopolitical prominence.
Asian Productivity Organization for 2025-26
- India has formally assumed the Chairmanship of the Asian Productivity Organization, APO for the 2025-26 term during the ongoing 67th Session of the Governing Body Meeting of the organisation.
- India is participating in the ongoing session of the Governing Body Meeting represented by the delegation headed by APO Director for India and Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Amardeep Singh Bhatia.
- In its Chairmanship role, India is committed to support the APO’s strategic goals, including the development and implementation of the APO Vision 2030 and expansion of the Green Productivity 2.0 framework. India emphasized strengthening digital transformation, innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship across the region, sharing its national initiatives in these areas with other member economies.
- The Asian Productivity Organization is a Tokyo-based intergovernmental organization that works to improve productivity across the Asia-Pacific region through mutual cooperation and capacity building. APO membership comprises 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific region. These include Bangladesh, Cambodia,Taiwan, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkiye, and Vietnam. India is one of the founding members of the APO and has played an integral role in shaping its agenda and supporting its mission since its inception.
Banu Mushtaq
- Indian author, lawyer, and activist Banu Mushtaq has made literary history by winning the International Booker Prize 2025 for her short story anthology, Heart Lamp. The award marks the first time a Kannada-language work has received this prestigious international honor.
- Translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, the book highlights the nuanced struggles and resilience of Muslim women in southern India. Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp was awarded the International Booker Prize on May 20, 2025, in London. This is the first Kannada-language book to win the award. The recognition shines a light on the intersection of literature, gender, and cultural identity in regional Indian languages.
- About the Book: Heart Lamp
- A compilation of 12 short stories written from 1990 to 2023.
- Translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi.
- Focuses on the hardships, resistance, and resilience of Muslim women in Karnataka.
- Reflects the personal experiences and sociocultural observations of the author.
- About Banu Mushtaq
- Grew up in Karnataka; studied in both Urdu and Kannada.
- Married by choice at age 26, faced domestic conflict and postpartum depression.
- Former journalist, later became a lawyer.
- Associated with the Bandaya Movement that promotes literature-based social activism.
UK Signs Deal To Hand Over Chagos Islands
- United Kingdom signed an agreement handing sovereignty over the contested and strategically located Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The move, the British government said, ensures the future of a US-UK military base that is vital to British security.
- Under the agreement, the United Kingdom will pay Mauritius 136 million dollars per year to lease back the base for at least 99 years. The Indian Ocean archipelago is home to a strategically important naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia.
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, the deal, which involves a lease on the base for 99 years and beyond and is in the UK’s national interest.
- He said, the base, operated by US forces, is crucial for British counter-terrorism and intelligence and is right at the foundation of country’s safety and security at home.
- The Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, are located in the Indian Ocean about 9,332 km south-east of the UK. The Chagos Archipelago – a group of seven atolls with a population of just over four thousand, was separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony. Britain purchased the islands for three million pound but Mauritius has argued that it was illegally forced to give them away as part of a deal to gain independence from Britain.
- In the late 1960s, Britain invited the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, removing thousands of people from their homes. India has welcomed the signing of the treaty between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.
- External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that the formal resolution of the longstanding Chagos dispute through this bilateral treaty is a milestone achievement and a positive development for the region. This is further to the understanding between the two sides reached in October last year, and marks the culmination of the process of decolonization of Mauritius in the spirit of international law and rules-based order.
Trump Unveils $175 Billion ‘Golden Dome’
- US President Donald Trump has announced the development of a revolutionary missile defense system dubbed the ‘Golden Dome’. Estimated at an initial cost of $175 billion, with long-term projections crossing $500 billion, the Golden Dome aims to provide a multi-layered shield against missile threats, including those originating from space.
- Drawing inspiration from Ronald Reagan’s 1980s ‘Star Wars’ programme, the Golden Dome introduces space-based interceptors and lasers as part of the most comprehensive defense initiative in American history. On May 20, 2025, President Trump officially unveiled the Golden Dome missile defense concept at the White House.
- This marks the first formal move toward space-based missile defense, involving orbital lasers and interceptors. The announcement comes amid rising global threats, including hypersonic and space-launched missile technologies being developed by Russia and China.
- Objectives : To protect the US homeland from ballistic, hypersonic, and space-based missile threats.
- To build a multi-layered defense system with the ability to neutralize missiles during all phases of flight,
- Pre-launch
- Boost phase
- Midcourse
- Terminal phase
- Features and Components
- Space-based Interceptors: The defining innovation, possibly including directed-energy weapons (e.g., orbital lasers).
- Multi-tier Capability: System envisioned at three levels — medium, high, and extra-high capacity, based on satellite density.
- Integration of Existing Systems : Patriot Missiles, THAAD, Aegis BMD, Ground-based Midcourse Defence (GMD),
- Budget and Timeline : Initial allocation request: $25 billion, Estimated long-term cost (especially for space-based elements): $542 billion, Trump expects the system to be operational before January 2029.
Current Affairs 23 May 2025 Question
- Which State Has Become The First Fully Literate State In India
A. Mizoram
B. Assam
C. Uttarakhand
D. Himachal Pradesh
ANSWER: A - Where India Awarded WHO Certificate For The Elimination Of Trachoma
A. New York
B. Geneva
C. Paris
D. Vienna
ANSWER: B - Which government body is sponsoring the Delhi Games 2025
A. Ministry of Petroleum
B. Ministry of Sports
C. Ministry of External Affairs
D. Ministry of Home Affairs
ANSWER: A - Which State Launched The ‘Indira Soura Giri Jala Vikasam’ Scheme To Support
Tribal Farmers With Solar Pumps
A. Andhra Pradesh
B. Telangana
C. Chhattisgarh
D. Odisha
ANSWER: B - Koraput Kalajeera Rice Got GI Status, Is Cultivated In Which State
A. Punjab
B. Odisha
C. Andhra Pradesh
D. Uttar Pradesh
ANSWER: B - Who, Known As A Pioneer Of India’s Nuclear Energy Programme And Former
Chairman Of The Atomic Energy Commission
A. Anil Kakodkar
B. Homi Bhabha
C. M.R. Srinivasan
D. Aandhakrishnan
ANSWER: C - Which State Hosted The International Buyer-seller Meet (IBSM) 2025 To
Promote Agri-food Exports
A. Punjab
B. Maharashtra
C. Gujarat
D. Bihar
ANSWER: D - Who Was Appointed As Sudan’s First Prime Minister Since The 2023 Civil War
A. Abdalla Hamdok
B. Abdel-Fattah Burhan
C. Osman Mirghani
D. Kamil Idris
ANSWER: D - Kirkuk Which Was Seen In The News, Is Located In Which Country
A. Israel
B. Iraq
C. Australia
D. Greece
ANSWER: B - Umiam Lake Seen In The News, Is Located In Which State
A. West Bengal
B. Arunachal Pradesh
C. Sikkim
D. Meghalaya
ANSWER: D - In Which State Will The Indian Navy Induct A Traditionally Built 5th-century
inspired Stitched Ship
A. Karnataka
B. Kerala
C. Gujarat
D. Tamil Nadu
ANSWER: A - FOr Which Crop Has Dhanuka Agritech Launched The Herbicide DINKAR
A. Wheat
B. Maize
C. Paddy
D. Sugarcane
ANSWER: C - Where Were The First-ever Khelo India Beach Games Inaugurated
A. Goa
B. Chennai
C. Kochi
D. Diu
ANSWER: D - Which Anniversary Did Government E-marketplace Celebrate On May 19,
2025
A. 8th
B. 7th
C. 10th
D. 6th
ANSWER: A - Which City Is The Host Of World Hydrogen Summit 2025
A. New Delhi, India
B. Rotterdam, Netherlands
C. Geneva, Switzerland
D. Paris, France
ANSWER: B - Gabon Which Was Seen In The News, Is Located In Which Region
A. Africa
B. Europe
C. Australia
D. Asia
ANSWER: A - Which Nagar Panchayat In Tripura Introduced Compostable Bags Made From
PBAT As A Green Alternative To Single-use Plastic
A. Amarpur Nagar Panchayat
B. Jirania Nagar Panchayat
C. Kamalpur Nagar Panchayat
D. Panisagar Nagar Panchayat
ANSWER: C - Shirui Lily Festival 2025 Was Held In Which State
A. Tripura
B. Manipur
C. Assam
D. Mizoram
ANSWER: B - Irula Tribe Is Primarily Found In Which Region
A. Nilgiri Mountains
B. Aravalli Hills
C. Ladakh
D. Chotanagpur Plateau
ANSWER: A - Which Observatory Was Commemorated With A Special Stamp Marking 125
Years Of Solar Research In India
A. Vainu Bappu Observatory
B. Indian Astronomical Observatory
C. Kodaikanal Observatory
D. Aryabhatta Research Institute
ANSWER: C
