Current Affairs - July 15, 2025

A quick overview of important events and news from July 15, 2025:

National News

  • India signed a five-year agreement with Saudi Arabia's Maaden company to secure 3.1 million metric tons of DAP fertilizer annually from 2025 to 2030.
  • Sonali Mishra, a 1993-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the first woman Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
  • President Droupadi Murmu appointed new Governors for Haryana and Goa, and a new Lieutenant Governor for Ladakh. She also nominated four individuals to the Rajya Sabha, including former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and lawyer Ujjwal Nikam.
  • Gujarat became the first state to officially join the Cruise Bharat Mission to promote cruise tourism.
  • Assam approved several welfare schemes, including increased pay for Gaon Pradhans and Anganwadi workers, and launched the Gaja Mitra scheme to address human-elephant conflicts.
  • The Ministry of Culture announced that India would host its first Global Conference on Manuscript Heritage in New Delhi from September 11-13, 2025.
  • Yakten village in Sikkim became India's first digital nomad village, offering high-speed broadband and homestay options for remote workers.
  • The 75th Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra (PMDK), providing services and assistive devices for persons with disabilities and senior citizens, was inaugurated in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The Indian Army held the 'Prachand Shakti' exercise in Meerut, showcasing the integration of modern technologies like drones and AI in combat units.
  • India's trade deficit narrowed to $18.78 billion in June, down from $21.88 billion in May.
  • Retail inflation fell to a 77-month low of 2.1% in June as food inflation decreased for the eighth consecutive month.
  • The Supreme Court raised concerns about the abuse of free speech on social media and suggested the need for self-restraint and regulation.
  • The Union government identified widespread misuse of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) for digital attendance under the MGNREGS and introduced physical verification layers.
  • India joined Australia's largest warfighting drill, Exercise Talisman Sabre, for the first time.
  • The Indian Navy and the Hellenic Navy (Greece) conducted a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) in the Arabian Sea.
  • The Health Ministry mandated displaying information on the sugar and fat content of canteen foods, including popular snacks like samosas.
  • The NCERT social science panel head clarified that Mughal rulers were not demonized but portrayed with their intellectual and plundering aspects in new textbooks.
  • The UIDAI urged parents to update the Aadhaar biometrics of children between five and seven years old.

International News

  • The UN urged urgent global action amid mass Afghan returns from Iran, with over 1.3 million returnees overwhelming support systems.
  • The US awarded $200 million contracts each to OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI to develop agentic AI systems for national defense.
  • China rejected the Philippines' reference to the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling.
  • France granted more autonomy to New Caledonia through a new agreement, allowing for a potential fresh referendum on its status within France.
  • The US military ordered the removal of 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles.
  • Donald Trump said that the U.S. Justice Department should release all credible information from the Jeffrey Epstein probe.

Science & Technology

  • Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla successfully returned to Earth after completing his 18-day mission and microgravity experiments on the International Space Station (ISS).
  • India launched the world's first Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) integrated with AI tools to preserve and promote ancient Indian medicine systems.
  • IIST researchers are preparing for post-flight field studies on crop seeds sent to the ISS.
  • India's first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, will use Japan's E10 Shinkansen series for commercial runs.
  • Studies confirmed that summer sea ice in Antarctica is melting faster than ever.
  • A new species of butterfly, Zographetus mathewi (Sahyadri Spotted Flitter), was discovered in the Western Ghats of Kerala.

Sports News

  • Indian golfer Anahat Singh advanced to the World Junior Squash Championships quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.
  • Indian golfer Jyoti Randhawa finished tied seventh and Jeev Milkha Singh tied 20th in the Legends Tour's Swiss Senior Open.
  • Bhavtegh Singh Gill won the silver medal in skeet at the Junior Shotgun World Cup in Italy.
  • India A men's hockey team lost to England.
  • The Panda sisters (Rutaparna and Swetaparna) exited the Japan Open after a first-round loss.
  • India's women's basketball team defeated Kazakhstan in their opening match of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup.