Daily Current Affairs: 4th November, 2025

National News

Post Payments Bank & EPFO Launch Free Doorstep Service

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) signed an MoU with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to offer doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services for pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS’95).
• Using its vast postal network and Face Authentication or Fingerprint biometric technology, IPPB will enable pensioners to submit life certificates from home, free of cost, under the Digital India and Ease of Living initiatives.
• The partnership aims to make services more accessible, inclusive, and technology-driven, benefiting especially those in rural and semi-urban areas.

State News

Gogabeel Lake in Bihar Declared Newest Ramsar Site

• Gogabeel Lake in Katihar, Bihar, has been designated a Ramsar site, marking it as a wetland of international importance. A
• n ox-bow wetland located between the Mahananda and Ganga rivers, it was Bihar’s first Community Reserve and hosts local cultural festivals like Sirva, Adra, and Chhath.
• The lake supports migratory birds, the Smooth Coated Otter, and vulnerable fish species like Walago attu, and features tropical dry deciduous forests.
• The Ramsar Convention (1971) promotes the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands through global cooperation.

International News

China Achieves First-Ever Thorium-Uranium Fuel Conversion in TMSR

• China has become the first country to successfully convert thorium-232 into uranium-233 in a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR), marking a major breakthrough in advanced nuclear energy.
• The TMSR uses molten salt as coolant, operates at atmospheric pressure, and features passive safety systems, offering efficient, cleaner, and safer power. T
• his milestone demonstrates in-reactor breeding of U-233, validating thorium’s potential as a next-gen nuclear fuel. India, with the world’s largest thorium reserves, is pursuing similar initiatives via the AHWR and Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (IMSBR) programs.

India to Resume Approvals for Chinese Imports After Five-Year Freeze

• India is set to resume approvals for imports from China and other countries, ending a five-year freeze imposed after the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. The policy aims to ease supply chain disruptions, support domestic industries, and meet rising consumer demand, especially after recent GST reductions.
• While approvals for sectors like electronics, telecom gear, and industrial inputs will be fast-tracked, security-sensitive areas such as telecom, dual-use technologies, and strategic electronics will remain under strict oversight. This measured approach seeks to balance economic recovery with national security.

Maldives Enacts World’s First Generational Smoking Ban

• The Maldives has become the first country to implement a generational smoking ban, prohibiting anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 from buying or using tobacco.
• Announced by President Mohamed Muizzu, the measure aims to promote a tobacco-free generation and applies to all tobacco products and e-cigarettes, including visitors.
• Violations carry fines up to 50,000 rufiyaa ($3,200), making the Maldives a global pioneer in public health and tobacco control.

India to Receive First Taliban Diplomat Since Kabul Takeover

• For the first time since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghanistan will appoint its first official diplomat to India, signaling a cautious revival of diplomatic engagement.
• The move, following Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi in October 2025, reflects gradual warming ties despite India’s non-recognition of the Taliban regime.
• While India continues its humanitarian aid and technical mission in Kabul, it remains focused on counterterrorism, minority protection, and regional stability.

Banking News

SBI Launches ‘SBI-STAR’ Awards to Honour Employee Talents

• The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched ‘SBI-STAR’ (Staff Talent Acknowledgement & Recognition), an annual award celebrating employees’ achievements beyond professional roles in fields like arts, sports, literature, culture, social work, and environmental initiatives.
• Announced by Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, the initiative aims to foster pride, motivation, and holistic engagement among SBI’s 2.45 lakh employees.
• The structured selection process allows self-nominations, with final awardees chosen by the Corporate Centre in Mumbai. SBI-STAR reflects the bank’s commitment to recognising employees as professionals, creators, and citizens making a difference.

UPI Transactions Hit Record ₹27.28 Lakh Crore in October 2025

• Driven by festive spending, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions reached an all-time high of ₹27.28 lakh crore in October 2025, marking a 16% annual growth, according to NPCI.
• Transaction volume hit 20.7 billion, while the average daily value stood at ₹87,993 crore. UPI now accounts for 85% of India’s digital payments, showcasing the strength of the nation’s real-time payment infrastructure.
• The system, operational in seven countries including the UAE, Singapore, and France, highlights India’s global digital leadership in payments innovation.

Business News

OpenAI, Amazon Sign $38 Billion Deal for AI Expansion AWS

• OpenAI and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have signed a $38 billion deal to expand OpenAI’s AI capabilities, including scaling ChatGPT on AWS’s cloud infrastructure.
• The partnership provides access to millions of CPUs and hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs, with full deployment expected by end of 2026.
• This agreement ends Microsoft’s exclusivity as OpenAI’s cloud provider, signaling a multi-cloud strategy and positioning AWS as a major player in AI infrastructure globally.

Awards News

Scindia Confers Bhupen Hazarika Awards Celebrating Northeast Icons

• Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia conferred the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika National Awards in Guwahati, celebrating Bhupen Da’s centenary year and honoring six cultural icons from the Northeast for their contributions to literature, music, film, and cultural preservation.
• Scindia highlighted Bhupen Hazarika’s legacy as a symbol of unity and empathy.
• Later, at the Nanhi Chhaan National Essay Contest, he urged youth to build a compassionate and inclusive India, emphasizing cultural harmony and nation building.

Books & Authors News

The Book By Kiran Desai Shortlisted For Booker Prize

• Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, is a cross-continental saga exploring love, family, and cultural identity.
• Following Sonia and Sunny—whose pasts are intertwined by their grandparents’ thwarted marriage plans—the novel delves into cultural alienation, generational trauma, and modern disconnection, spanning India and America.
• Desai blends philosophical inquiry, emotional depth, and comic interludes, crafting a story that is both a romance and a meditation on identity, freedom, and inherited duty, marking a major contribution to contemporary Indian fiction.

Sports News

Jannik Sinner Reclaims World No. 1 with Paris Masters Win

• Jannik Sinner defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4) in the 2025 Paris Masters final, reclaiming the ATP World No. 1 ranking and extending his indoor winning streak to 26 matches.
• The victory, following his Vienna Open title, underscores Sinner’s dominance on hard courts and consistency throughout 2025, overtaking Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings.
• This Paris triumph, his first at the Masters 1000 event, cements his status as a top contender heading into the ATP Finals.

Obituaries News

World’s Oldest Olympic Gold Medallist Charles Coste Dies at 101

• French cyclist Charles Coste, the world’s oldest living Olympic gold medallist, has died at 101. Coste won team pursuit gold at the Olympics alongside Pierre Adam, Serge Blusson, and Fernand Decanali and was a torchbearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
• He also won the 1949 Grand Prix des Nations, famously defeating Fausto Coppi, and competed in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, leaving a lasting legacy in cycling history.

North Korea’s Former Head of State Kim Yong Nam Dies at 97

• Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s former ceremonial head of state and a veteran loyalist of the Kim dynasty, has died at the age of 97, state media reported.
• Serving as President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly from 1998 to 2019, he represented North Korea internationally while Kim family leaders held real power.
• Known for his diplomatic role and propaganda speeches, Kim was a key figure in Pyongyang’s foreign outreach, including his 2018 visit to South Korea for the Pyeongchang Olympics.