Current Affairs 03 November 2025

Lucknow Secures UNESCO "City of Gastronomy" Status for Its Renowned Awadhi Food Culture.

• Lucknow recognised by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy under the Creative Cities Network 2025.
• Honoured for its rich Awadhi culinary heritage and Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.
• Highlights Lucknow’s centuries-old food traditions and cultural harmony.
• Brings global attention to its iconic kebabs, sweets, and street food.
• Marks Lucknow’s place on the world culinary map.

USCIS Ends Acceptance of Cheques and Money Orders for Immigration Payments.

• USCIS has ended cheque and money order payments for all immigration filings.
• Applicants must now use Form G-1650 to authorise electronic debit payments directly from US bank accounts.
• The change aims to make payment processing safer, faster, and more efficient.
• Previously, over 90% of payments were made via cheques or money orders, causing delays and fraud risks.
• USCIS spokesperson Matthew J. Tragesser said the shift ensures greater reliability and security in payment systems.
• The update affects H-1B applicants, F-1 students, and international workers filing with USCIS.

ISRO to Launch Indian Navy’s Advanced GSAT-7R Satellite.

• ISRO to launch GSAT-7R (CMS-03) today from Sriharikota, India’s heaviest (≈4,400 kg) and most advanced indigenous naval communication satellite.
• Designed to boost space-based communication and maritime domain awareness across the Indian Ocean Region.
• Equipped with multi-band transponders, it enables secure, high-bandwidth voice, data, and video links between naval assets and command centres.

China Launches Shenzhou-21 with Youngest Astronaut and Mice Crew.

• China’s Shenzhou-21 mission launched from Jiuquan Centre, carrying three astronauts—including 32-year-old Wu Fei, China’s youngest astronaut—to the Tiangong space station.
• Mission marks the 7th crewed flight to Tiangong; the crew replaces Shenzhou-20 after six months in orbit.
• For the first time, four black mice joined the mission for reproduction experiments in low Earth orbit.

GST Collections Rise 4.6% to Over ₹1.95 Lakh Crore in October 2025.

• Gross GST revenue grew 4.6% year-on-year to ₹1.95 lakh crore in October 2025 (up from ₹1.87 lakh crore in October 2024), despite GST rate cuts on 22 September 2025.
• Breakdown:
• Central GST (CGST): ₹36,547 crore
• State GST (SGST): ₹45,134 crore
• Integrated GST (IGST): ₹1,06,443 crore
• Cess: ₹7,812 crore
• The steady growth reflects resilient consumption following the recent tax rationalization.