Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

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The United Kingdom has officially launched the Synthetic Human Genome Project, a groundbreaking effort to build human DNA from scratch. This project shifts from reading DNA, like in the Human Genome Project, to writing and assembling it synthetically. Scientists aim to create disease-resistant cells to repair damaged organs such as the heart, liver, and immune system. It could help treat genetic and age-related diseases by studying how genes control repair and development.
Critics warn about ethical concerns like designer humans and synthetic life.

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Recently, the first-ever Ladakh Astro Tourism Festival concluded in Leh, organised by the Tourism Department with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, to boost astro tourism and science tourism. The two-day festival aimed to promote Ladakh as a top destination for astro tourism because of its high altitude, dry weather, low light pollution, and clear skies, perfect for stargazing and observing the Milky Way.

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Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change released details of new Animal Discoveries and Plant Discoveries for 2024. The Zoological Survey of India publishes Animal Discoveries, while the Botanical Survey of India publishes Plant Discoveries every year. In 2024, India added 683 new faunal species, including 459 new species and 224 new records. It also added 433 plant taxa, with 410 species and 23 infra-specific taxa. Kerala topped faunal discoveries with 101 species, followed by Karnataka with 82, and Tamil Nadu with 63. In the northeast, Arunachal Pradesh found 72 species, Meghalaya 42, and West Bengal 56. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded 43 faunal discoveries.

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The fourth International Conference on Financing for Development began in Spain, focusing on the debt crisis holding back developing nations. Sovereign debt in developing countries rose from 16% of global debt in 2010 to 30% in 2023, growing twice as fast as in developed nations. Many developing nations face a debt trap dating back to 1970s oil shocks, leading to repeated borrowing to pay earlier loans. More than half of developing nations now spend 8% or more of government revenue on interest payments, limiting funds for healthcare, education, and climate goals.

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Recently, INS Udaygiri, the second ship of Project 17A stealth frigates, was delivered to the Indian Navy. Project 17A is a follow-on of the Shivalik class frigates under Project 17 already in service. INS Nilgiri is the first indigenously built stealth frigate under Project 17A. A frigate is a multi-role vessel used for protecting fleet surface ships against enemy ships and aerial threats. These multi-mission frigates can operate in a Blue Water environment to tackle both conventional and non-conventional threats around India’s maritime interests.

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Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government said 97,158 criminals were convicted under Operation Conviction since July 2023. Operation Conviction was launched on 1 July 2023 to ensure fast justice, especially for serious crimes. Out of 1,14,029 identified cases, 74,388 cases were disposed of, with 69,422 convictions secured. Under the campaign, 68 criminals got the death penalty, 8,172 got life imprisonment, 1,453 were sentenced to over 20 years, and 87,465 got up to 20 years imprisonment. It focused on organised crime, convicting 395 gang members in 272 cases involving top 10 notorious criminals.

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Recently, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) in Madhya Pradesh launched India’s first digital house address project. It was started on a pilot basis from ward number 82 in Sudama Nagar area. Special digital plates with unique Quick Response (QR) codes are installed outside every house. The project is linked to the Digipin (Digital Postal Index Number) system of the central government. Scanning the QR code shows the Global Positioning System (GPS)-based digital address of the house.

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Recently, the Bihar government launched the Chief Minister Guru-Shishya Parampara Scheme. Under this scheme, a monthly honorarium of ₹15,000 is given to the Guru (teacher). ₹7,500 per month is given to the musician. ₹3,000 per month is given to the disciples. The scheme supports teaching of nearly extinct folk tales, folk drama, folk dance, folk music, folk instruments, classical art, and painting. This step will help protect and revive folk arts that are on the verge of extinction. It aims to preserve Bihar’s rich cultural heritage for future generations.

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Ethiopia’s Prime Minister recently announced that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is now complete and will be inaugurated in September. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), earlier called the Millennium Dam, is built on the Blue Nile River. It is located in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region near the border with Sudan. The Blue Nile is a major tributary of the Nile River.

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Recently, the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development launched the high-capacity SAKSHAM-3000 to boost self-reliance and global competitiveness. SAKSHAM-3000 is a compact 25.6 Terabits per second (Tbps) switch-router developed by Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). It is built for modern data centres, large enterprises, telecom operators, and hyperscale data centres. It has ultra-low latency, wire-speed processing, and uses the modular C-DOT Router Operating System (CROS).