Current Affairs Quiz – August 2025

Notes:
Slovenia became the first European Union (EU) country to ban all weapons trade with Israel. The arms embargo was announced by Prime Minister Robert Golob after a cabinet meeting. The decision was taken due to the ongoing war in Gaza. Slovenia acted independently as the EU failed to agree on a joint position due to internal divisions. No military export permits to Israel have been issued by Slovenia since October 2023.

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India recently launched a joint initiative with the UN World Food Programme (UN WFP) to improve rice fortification and supply chain management in Nepal. The UN WFP is the food assistance branch of the United Nations, founded in 1961. It is the world’s largest humanitarian agency focused on eradicating hunger and improving food security. WFP’s work aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Zero Hunger by 2030. India has been a WFP member since 1963. World Food Programme (WFP) is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Notes:
Pratyaya Amrit, a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Bihar. He is currently serving as Development Commissioner and also holds additional charge of Health and Disaster Management Department. He will replace Amrit Lal Meena, a 1989-batch IAS officer, who is set to retire on August 31, 2025. Pratyaya will assume charge as Chief Secretary on September 1, 2025. Till then, he will serve as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Chief Secretary’s office.

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Central government recently urged all states to actively use the India Cine Hub Portal to promote global film production locally. India Cine Hub Portal was launched on June 28, 2024 by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is a single-window system for film permissions, incentives, and resource mapping across India. It was developed under the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Its aim is to help foreign filmmakers shoot films in India by easing procedures and promoting India as a filming destination.

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Joint research by Pompeu Fabra University (Department of Medicine and Life Sciences – MELIS) and University of Trento, Italy has identified the intestinal microbiome of the indri for the first time. The study analyzed fecal and soil samples from six indri families in northeastern Madagascar. 48 bacterial species were identified in the indri microbiome. Indri (Indri indri, also called babakoto) is a critically endangered lemur endemic to Madagascar’s tropical forests. It is monogamous, lives in matriarchal families, and cannot survive in captivity. Main threats are habitat loss due to climate change and human activity, as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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India became the world’s 5th largest aviation market, handling 211 million passengers in 2024. This was reported by International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) 2024. India’s passenger traffic grew by 11.1%, overtaking Japan with 205 million passengers. The United States topped the list with 876 million passengers, followed by China (741 mn), UK (261 mn), and Spain (241 mn). The Mumbai-Delhi route ranked 7th busiest globally, with 5.9 million passengers.

Notes:
Annu Rani of India won gold in women’s javelin throw at the International Wiesław Maniak Memorial, Poland with a season-best 62.59m. The 32-year-old Asian Games champion opened with 60.96m, secured the win early, and improved in her second attempt. Eda Tugsuz of Turkey won silver with 58.36m, and Lianna Davidson of Australia took bronze with 58.24m. Annu’s throw places her among the top 15 women’s javelin throwers globally this season. She is aiming for the 64m qualification mark for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month.

Notes:
V. O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port, Thoothukudi, became the first Indian port to produce green hydrogen and achieve over 1 MW rooftop solar power generation. The announcement came during the Green Ports and Shipping Conference under NAVIC Cell-3 (Green Initiatives and Pollution Control), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The event is part of roadshows ahead of India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, showcasing maritime sustainability and innovation. The conference discussed maritime decarbonisation, green financing, and policy frameworks for achieving India’s 2070 net-zero target.

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Recently, the Great Barrier Reef recorded its steepest decline in hard coral cover in nearly 40 years due to climate change-induced heat stress, cyclones, and coral-eating starfish outbreaks. It is located in the Coral Sea, off northeastern Australia. It is the world’s longest and largest reef complex and the largest living structure on Earth. It stretches over 2,000 km, covering around 350,000 sq. km, and forms about 10% of global coral reef ecosystems. It consists of about 2,100 individual reefs and 800 fringing reefs, with 400 coral types, 1,500 fish species, and 4,000 mollusk species.

Notes:
World Sanskrit Day 2025 was celebrated on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Poornima and Raksha Bandhan. The day honoured Sanskrit, also called Devavani or “language of the gods,” one of the world’s oldest and most structured languages. Sanskrit had been the medium for India’s ancient scriptures, philosophies, and scientific works for thousands of years. The day was initiated by the Government of India in 1969. The main purpose was to promote and revive the Sanskrit language.