Current Affairs - August 18, 2025 Current Affairs

Venus Williams, a 7-time Grand Slam singles champion and 2-time U.S. Open champion, was granted a wild card entry into the U.S. Open 2025 at the age of 45. This achievement makes her the oldest singles player at the U.S. Open in more than 40 years. Earlier in the summer, she also became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since 2004. Her inclusion is both historic and inspiring, showcasing her enduring talent, resilience, and the respect she continues to command in the world of professional tennis.

The World Humanoid Robot Games took place in Beijing, bringing together over 500 robots from 16 countries in a four-day event. The competition featured 26 unique events ranging from athletics like track and field and soccer to creative performances such as dancing and even combat sports like kickboxing. One highlight was a humanoid robot completing a 100-meter sprint in 21.5 seconds, showcasing the rapid progress of robotics. Hosting such an international event in Beijing underscores the city’s growing role as a global hub for innovation, technology, and scientific advancement, especially in artificial intelligence and robotics.

India’s first all-women operated clean street food hub, named “Mauli,” was inaugurated in Kandivani, Mumbai by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is also the MP from North Mumbai. The hub is completely managed by women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs), highlighting women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship in the food sector. These women were trained under the FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) initiative to ensure that food businesses meet high standards of hygiene, safety, and cleanliness. This milestone reflects a step forward in both gender inclusivity and the promotion of safe, hygienic street food culture in urban India.

Tamil Nadu recorded the highest consumer case disposal rate of 277% in July 2025, far surpassing other states as well as the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). This means Tamil Nadu disposed of more than twice the number of cases filed during the month, reflecting exceptional efficiency in its consumer grievance redressal system. Alongside Tamil Nadu, states like Rajasthan, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala also achieved impressive disposal rates above 100%. The success highlights the growing impact of the e-Jagriti platform, which enables online complaint filing, real-time tracking, and virtual hearings, thereby strengthening consumer justice delivery in India.

The Ministry of Ayush, through Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, is hosting its 30th National Seminar on Child Health in New Delhi. The 2025 theme, “Management of Illness and Wellness in Paediatrics through Ayurveda,” highlights the integration of traditional Ayurvedic approaches with evidence-based practices to address child health concerns. This two-day seminar is set to bring together scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students, creating a collaborative platform to explore innovative and time-tested solutions in paediatric care. The choice of New Delhi as the venue underscores its role as a hub for national-level health and research initiatives.

India will host the Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy 2025, marking its debut in the field of winter sports. The event will take place from 20–23 August 2025 at Maharana Pratap Sports College in Raipur, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Organised by the Ice Skating Association of India (ISAI), the tournament will feature nine race categories, ranging from 222 meters to a 5000-meter relay. With the participation of over 11 Asian countries, this event is a significant milestone in India’s journey toward promoting winter sports and showcasing its capacity to organise international-level sporting competitions.

Devika Sihag, a 20-year-old Indian badminton player, clinched her first International Challenge title at the Malaysia International Challenge 2025 held in Ipoh. She secured this achievement by defeating her compatriot and fifth seed Isharani Baruah in the women’s singles final. This victory adds to her growing list of accomplishments, which include titles at the Swedish Open and Portugal International in 2024. More recently, she also captured the senior National Badminton Championships crown in Bengaluru. Devika’s consistent performance highlights her rising stature in Indian badminton and signals a promising future on the international stage.

The first major Atlantic hurricane of 2025 was named Erin. It reached peak intensity as a Category-5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 240 km/h before being downgraded to Category-4 by the US National Hurricane Center. Positioned just north of the Caribbean Islands, Erin posed significant threats of heavy rainfall and severe weather across the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. As the initial major storm of the hurricane season, Erin underscores the critical importance of preparedness, monitoring, and early warnings in minimizing risks to human life and infrastructure in vulnerable coastal regions.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced that peer-to-peer ‘collect requests’ on UPI will be discontinued starting October 1, 2025. This feature, which allowed one user to request payment approval from another, had become a major loophole exploited by fraudsters, despite transaction caps and limits. By mandating only payer-initiated (push) transactions such as QR code scans or manual entry of recipient details, NPCI aims to strengthen digital payment security. The move affects all UPI apps including PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm, and is expected to enhance trust, reduce fraud risks, and ensure safer digital transactions nationwide.

Russia’s upcoming Venera-D mission is focused on exploring Venus, one of the most challenging planets to study due to its extreme surface conditions. Planned for launch between 2034 and 2036, the mission will be developed with contributions from the Space Research Institute (IKI) and Lavochkin Association. It is designed to carry advanced scientific instruments, including an orbiter, a lander, and a balloon probe, to conduct comprehensive research on the planet’s atmosphere and surface. This mission represents Russia’s renewed interest in planetary exploration and builds on its historic legacy of Venus missions during the Soviet era.

Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a 1984-batch IAS officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been entrusted with additional charge as the Governor of Nagaland after the vacancy left by the passing of La Ganesan. Bhalla has had an extensive career, having served as the Union Home Secretary for nearly five years until August 22, 2024. He was appointed as the Governor of Manipur on January 3, 2025, and now expands his responsibilities to Nagaland as well. His administrative experience and leadership are seen as vital in handling key governance matters in the northeastern region of India.

Foxconn, Apple’s largest manufacturing partner, launched a new facility in Devanahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka, dedicated to producing the iPhone 17. This unit is Foxconn’s second-largest plant globally outside of China, emphasizing Bengaluru’s growing importance as a global technology and manufacturing hub. The new facility strengthens India’s role in Apple’s international supply chain, signaling a strategic shift in diversifying production beyond China. With Bengaluru already known as India’s “Silicon Valley,” this development reinforces the city’s status as a critical center for advanced electronics manufacturing and innovation, while also boosting India’s presence in the global smartphone industry.