Current Affairs - August 31, 2025 Current Affairs

BioFach India 2025 is scheduled to take place at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida. The event is a key platform for the organic sector, featuring participation from more than 27 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) from India’s North-Eastern Region under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development program. It will provide opportunities for farmers to showcase their organic products, connect with buyers, and engage with businesses and policymakers. Such exhibitions play a vital role in promoting sustainable agriculture, enhancing market access for farmers, and shaping future strategies for the organic sector in India.

Dinesh K Patnaik, a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, has been appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Canada, signaling a diplomatic reset between the two nations. The appointment comes after strained ties in 2023 following allegations related to the Nijjar controversy. Patnaik’s experience as Ambassador to Spain, Cambodia, and Morocco, along with his roles in the UK and ICCR, positions him to handle sensitive negotiations effectively. His parallel appointment alongside Christopher Cooter as Canada’s envoy to India reflects a joint effort to normalise relations, restore diplomatic channels, and revitalise cooperation in trade, education, and migration.

The national conference of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Parliamentary Committee was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Bhubaneswar. This event is notable because it is the first time such a conference is being held outside the national capital. The theme of the conference focuses on the role of parliamentary and legislative committees in advancing the welfare, development, and empowerment of SCs and STs. Hosting the conference in Bhubaneswar signifies a step toward decentralization and inclusivity, aiming to strengthen dialogue, representation, and policymaking for marginalised communities at a regional level.

Gurpreet Singh secured the gold medal in the Men’s 25m Standard Pistol individual event at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. His performance was part of India’s impressive outing, where the country achieved a ‘double gold.’ In addition to his individual success, Gurpreet Singh, along with Amanpreet Singh and Harsh Gupta, won the gold medal in the team event of the same category. These victories further underline India’s growing dominance in shooting sports, with additional gold medals also being won in the 50m Rifle Prone Junior team and 25m Standard Pistol Junior team events.

Two Indian aquanauts undertook a dive into the Atlantic Ocean aboard France’s submersible Nautile as part of preparatory work for the Samudrayaan Project. Samudrayaan is India’s first human deep-sea mission under the Deep Ocean Mission, aiming to send three humans in Matsya-6000 to a depth of 6,000 meters by 2027. France is among the few nations with advanced manned deep-sea exploration capabilities, alongside the US, Russia, China, and Japan. By collaborating with France, India strengthens its technological expertise in oceanography and submersible design, particularly in preparation for developing Matsya-6000, a vital component of its strategic deep-sea exploration goals.

India has signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to initiate negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement. Established in 2015 and headquartered in Moscow, the EAEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. The bloc ensures free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor while promoting regional economic integration. For India, this engagement holds immense significance by providing access to a USD 6.5 trillion market, enhancing energy security, and strengthening trade diversification beyond the US and EU. It also supports India’s connectivity initiatives such as the INSTC and Chennai–Vladivostok Corridor, paving the way for long-term strategic cooperation.

Google introduced its next-generation AI photo editing tool, initially known as “Nano Banana” and later released as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. Developed by Google DeepMind, this tool leverages natural language prompts to simplify complex editing tasks such as character consistency, design mixing, and image merging. It allows users to edit photos creatively by changing hairstyles, adding costumes, or merging multiple photos into a single coherent frame. Accessible through the Gemini app, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI, the tool is affordable and designed for both casual users and enterprise developers, showcasing Google’s leadership in AI-powered creativity.

Typhoon Kajiki struck the coastal provinces of Vietnam, causing severe flooding, major crop losses, and multiple deaths. The storm originated over the Philippines, intensified over the South China Sea, and impacted China and Vietnam as a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country with its capital in Hanoi, is bordered by China, Laos, Cambodia, and the South China Sea. Key rivers like the Mekong and the Red River support its agriculture, while the Annamite Cordillera forms a prominent mountain range. Vietnam’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones makes such natural disasters highly destructive.

The IADT-1 was designed to validate the parachute-based deceleration system of the Crew Module for the Gaganyaan mission. Ensuring safe landing is a critical component of human spaceflight. This test was carried out with the collaboration of ISRO, DRDO, the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and Indian Coast Guard. It ensured that the parachutes and deceleration systems worked in real-world conditions to guarantee astronaut safety during re-entry and landing.

India recently held the 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue with the United States to review and enhance their strategic partnership. This dialogue serves as a mid-cycle review of the broader 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, which was first launched between India and the US in 2018. The meeting focused on boosting defence production, trade, and energy security while reinforcing cooperation under the US-India COMPACT framework. Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, working closely through the Quad along with Japan and Australia. The initiative is particularly significant as India prepares to host the 2025 Quad Leaders Summit.