Daily & Latest Current Affairs in 2025

Correct Answer :   Beijing

---

China's capital city is facing nature's fury in the form of record-breaking rainfall in past few days. Beijing witnessed its heaviest-ever-rainfall in at least 140 years.

Many car sweeping away due to flood after heavy rains in Beijing, China 🇨🇳 (31.07.2023)

TELEGRAM JOIN 👉 https://t.co/9cTkji5aZq pic.twitter.com/f8Dj58WAIw

— Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) July 31, 2023

The city recorded 744.8 milimeters of rainfall(29.3 inches) between Saturday and Wednesday (2nd August 2023) morning. Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei have been hit by severe flooding because of the record rainfall. Torrential rainfall has also resulted in water levels rising to dangerous levels. Videos of cars being swept away due to severe flooding in Beijing are widely shared on the internet.

 Heavy rainfall caused destruction of roads, power cuts, water supply cut in many cities of the country. The flooded rivers surrounding the capital left cars submerged in water.

Hardest hit areas in China :

Out of all the Western China, Zhuozhou is the worst hit city. It is located in Hebei province that borders Beijing's southwest. On Tuesday night, police there issued a plea on social media for lights to assist with rescue work. There is still no clear numbers about the number of people trapped in flood-stricken areas the city and surrounding villages.

On Wednesday (2nd August 2023), waters in Gu'an county in Hebei, which borders Zhuozhou, reached as high as halfway up a pole where a surveillance camera was installed.

Gu'an county resident Liu Jiwen, 58, was evacuated from his village on Tuesday night. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s natural disaster," he said. Two other people who were passing through the flooded areas to rescue people stranded in the nearby village.

Torrential region in the capital city has caused arund 20 deaths and left more than 27 people misssing. Nature's fury forced more than 850,000 people to relocate to relief and rescue camps, local authorities in Hebei province said.

Last time when the city was lashed with such a severe level of flood was in 1891, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said Wednesday, when the city received 609 millimeters (24 inches) of rain. The earliest precise measurements made by machines are from 1883..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Elon Musk

---

The world’s Billionaires List or Real-Time Billionaires list is an annual ranking of the world’s wealthiest billionaires based on their recorded net worth.

It is produced and published by Forbes Magazine every March. The first edition of this ranking was published in 1987.

The net total worth of each person is approximated on the basis of their reported assets and accounting for debt and other considerations. The ranking published the net total worth of each person in US dollar. These rankings do not include royalty or dictators whose wealth is derived from their status.

List of Top 10 Billionaires (Till 3rd August 2023) :

Elon Musk stands in the first position on the list of Billionaires. He is the world’s richest person with a net worth of $239.3B. He is getting a significant portion of his wealth from Telsa and SpaceX.

Correct Answer :   Uttar Pradesh

---

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday (1st August 2023) approved a policy that aims at making the state a water tourism and adventure sports destination.


Approval and validity :

The Uttar Pradesh Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy, 2023, will be valid for 10 years from the date notified by the state government, an official release quoting Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said.

Hills in the Vindhya and the Bundelkhand regions, about 16,620 sq km in the foothills of the Himalayas as well as forest areas, rivers and waterfalls, dams, reservoirs and lakes have a lot of potential for water-based tourism, adventure sports and water sports, he said.

Policy Details :

“Keeping this in mind, we brought the policy, which has got the approval from the Council of Ministers. This policy will be valid for 10 years from the date notified by the state government,” the tourism minister said.

This policy will be applicable to all inland land-based, air-based and water routes, dams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers and ponds, and all adventure activities to be carried out on various water bodies and land parcels within the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh, he said.

He said that under the policy, the nodal agency will create adventure sports units at the divisional level. Ex-servicemen will be included in adventure sports units for which the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation will sign an agreement with the Uttar Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Welfare Corporation, he said.

Besides this, approval was also given to the proposal of the tourism department to develop and operate loss-making or non-operational tourist accommodation houses on public-private partnership (PPP) mode..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Microsoft

---

Microsoft has appointed Puneet Chandok as the new Corporate Vice President of Microsoft India and South Asia, effective from September 1, 2023.

He will take over operational responsibilities from Anant Maheshwari and will lead the integration of Microsoft’s businesses across South Asia, including countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Aim : Puneet aims to strengthen Microsoft’s presence in the region and focus on key industries through a customer-centric approach, with generative AI as a core technology.

This appointment comes during a period of significant market expansion for Microsoft, especially in cloud technology and digital innovation.

With a massive partner ecosystem globally, including a substantial network in India generating high cloud revenue, and investments in local infrastructure, such as a new data center in Hyderabad, Microsoft’s growth aligns with India’s emergence as a global innovation hub.

The company is dedicated to serving the market with transformative digital technology to contribute to India’s economic progress and inclusive growth agenda.

Puneet Chandok Experience :

Puneet joins Microsoft after leading the India and South Asia business for AWS, where he worked closely with enterprises, digital businesses, startups, and SMBs to drive innovation and agility. Before that, he held senior roles at McKinsey and IBM.

Puneet’s educational background includes an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, a bachelor’s degree in commerce, and diplomas in Computer Programming, Networking, and High-level Computer Systems.

Correct Answer :   Diego Godin

---

Former Uruguay defender Diego Godin retired from professional soccer on Monday (31st July 2023), ending a 20-year career at age 37.

Godin played in four World Cups and spent much of his club career in Spain, notably at Atlético Madrid from 2010 to 2019. This season, he played in Argentina for Velez Sarsfield.

“Dear soccer, today I am finishing a stage of my life. A stage that was my life,” Godin said in his social media channels. “I am coming back home with my family now. That’s something I always wanted. Since the moment I left, I wanted to enjoy my country and my family.”

Godin announced his retirement a day after his final appearance for Velez in a 1-0 loss to Huracan.

The Uruguayan also had spells at Villarreal, Inter Milan and Cagliari. He arrived at Velez in the second half of 2022 after a disappointing stint at Brazil’s Atletico Mineiro.

Godin played more than 600 professional matches and scored 38 goals in his career. He lifted 10 titles, including two at the Europa League.

He played for Uruguay at the past four World Cups..

Source : News18

Correct Answer :   Jitendra Singh

---

Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday (1st August 2023) launched India’s first indigenously developed, affordable, lightweight, ultrafast, high field (1.5 Tesla), next generation Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scanner.

Dr Jitendra said, as an indigenous MRI scanner is made available, the cost of MRI scanning is expected to reduce considerably for the common man thus allowing a wider access to the otherwise highly priced MRI scans.

He said, additionally, the capital investment of procurement of MRI scanners from the international market will be substantially reduced which in turn will save a lot of foreign exchange, the twin mission objectives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the overall objective of Atma Nirbharta in cutting edge diagnostic and therapeutic manufacturing in India.

The Minister said, in coming years, there will be “Make in India-Made for the World”.

Dr Jitendra said that it is indeed a milestone achievement for National Biopharma Mission (NBM), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as we unveil the first indigenously developed state-of-the-art MRI Scanner under Public-Private Partnership mode.

The Minister said, India will address many of these problems by making available the first indigenously developed MRI Scanner which is affordable compared to the already available machines.

In his address, Secretary, DBT, Dr Rajesh Gokhale said that Department of Biotechnology (DBT) through its various programs has made enormous efforts in strengthening the biopharma sector with attention to devices and diagnostics ecosystem India..

Source : State Times

Correct Answer :   Thuraiya Hamid Alhashmi

---

BRICS’ New Development Bank (NDB) has elected Thuraiya Hamid Alhashmi, Director of International Financial Relations and Organisations Department at the UAE Ministry of Finance, as a member of its Board of Directors and a Constituency Director.

Alhashmi will become the first Emirati and Arab woman to assume a Director’s position at the multilateral bank, established by the grouping by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in July 2015.

Her appointment followed an internal voting process during NDB’s 8th annual meeting, held recently in Shanghai, China.

In her new role, Alhashmi will be able to serve the UAE and its global contributions across financial areas.

The UAE’s national talents have supported infrastructure projects and sustainable development goals (SDGs), and Alhashmi’s expertise will enrich the UAE’s contribution to NDB, which plays a key global role in realising SDGs and stimulating international collaboration on infrastructure and sustainable development across various emerging and developing economies.

Alhashmi, a master’s degree holder in international business from Tufts University, USA, was involved in managing the UAE’s relationship with international financial organisations, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), NDB, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the G20 Finance Track.

She has also represented the UAE in numerous international meetings and forums, and sits on the boards of multiple international institutions.

Source : Arabian Business

Correct Answer :   Chetna Maroo

---

London-based Indian-origin author Chetna Maroo's debut novel 'Western Lane' is among 13 books to make the cut for the 2023 BookerPrize longlist revealed on Tuesday (1st August 2023).

Kenya-born Maroo's novel, set within the context of the British Gujarati milieu, has been praised by the Booker judges for its use of the sport of squash as a metaphor for complex human emotions.

The longlist comprises 13 books written by authors from various countries, including Ireland, Canada, the US, and the UK, explore universal and topical themes.

The longlist will be whittled down to a shortlist of six books, to be announced on September 21 at an event at the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery in London. The shortlisted authors will each receive GBP 2,500 and a specially-bound edition of their book.

The 2023 Booker Prize winner will be announced on November 26 at an award ceremony in London.

The winner receives GBP 50,000 and a trophy named "Iris" in honour of the 1978 Booker Prize-winning Irish-British author Iris Murdoch..

Source : ToI

Correct Answer :   NHPC

---

NHPC Limited and Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, under which NHPC will provide CSR support for distribution of aids and assistive devices to around 1,000 Divyangjans (Persons with Disabilities) in the vicinity of NHPC Projects located in North and North Eastern states.

The MoU was signed at NHPC Corporate Office, Faridabad on August 1st 2023, under the CSR initiative of NHPC.

The MoU was signed by Group Deputy General Manager (HR), CSR & SD, NHPC and General Manager - Marketing, ALIMCO in the presence of Shri Uttam Lal, Director (Personnel), NHPC; Executive Director (CSR & SD), NHPC, and other senior officers from NHPC CSR&SD Division and ALIMCO..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Bhutan

---

Over a decade later on Global Tiger Day 2023, the Royal Government of Bhutan has announced that tiger populations continue to increase in the country, a fantastic achievement.

The latest survey estimates there now to be 131 tigers in the country, a 27 percent increase from the last survey in 2015.

It reflected the success of Tiger conservation efforts in the South Asian Himalayan landlocked nation situated between China and India.

It was in 2010 that Bhutan continued its commitment to protecting its wildlife when the country joined the global effort to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022..

Source : Panda