Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 15th February 2025

 

National News 

1. Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 started on 15 February in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 

• This is the third edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. It will continue for ten days till 24th February 2025.
•  It was inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. 
• Ministry of Education in partnership with various ministries and the Government of Uttar Pradesh is organising the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0. 
• Nearly 1000 delegates from Tamil Nadu will take part or become involved in five different categories in Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0. 
• Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0’s main theme is focused on Sage Agasthya’s contributions to health, philosophy, science, classical Tamil literature, and cultural unity.

 International News 

2. The former Parliament Speaker has been elected as the new President of Greece 

• On February 12, former speaker Constantine Tassoulas has been elected as the country's president by Greece's parliament, approving the conservative government's nominee for the largely ceremonial role. 
• He will replace Greece's first female president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, whose five-year term ends in March. 
• He won the support of 160 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament. 
• The 66-year-old Tassoulas is a lawyer who has been a jurist since 2000 and previously served as Greece's culture minister and deputy defense minister. 
• Tassoulas will be sworn in as head of state on March 13. 
• Greece: 
• It is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. 
• Greece's Prime Minister is Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 
• Its capital city is Athens. The official currency of Greece is the Euro (€). 

3. India and the US announced a plan for fresh Quad initiatives

 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will activate new initiatives under the Quad grouping. 
• India-Middle East-Europe Corridor and the I2U2 Group will announce new initiatives. 
• PM Modi and President Trump launched a new bilateral forum, the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture. It will be a forum for advance coordinated investments in economic connectivity and commerce. 
• Both leaders recognised the need to build “new plurilateral partnerships in the Western Indian Ocean, Middle East, and Indo-Pacific” to grow relationships, commerce and cooperation across defence, technology, energy and critical minerals. 
• PM Modi will host President Trump in New Delhi for the Quad Leaders’ Summit. 
• Quad leaders will collaborate to support civilian response to natural disasters and maritime patrols to improve interoperability. 
• Quad grouping comprises India, Japan, Australia and the United States. 

4. Jotham Napat elected as new Prime Minister of Vanuatu 

• On 11 February, Jotham Napat, President of the Vanuatu Leaders Party, was elected as the country's new Prime Minister. 
• Napat was elected via secret ballot in the parliament in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. 
• As the sole nominee in the election, Napat received 50 votes of support in the 52-seat parliament. The remaining two votes were void. 
• A coalition government made up of five political parties—the Leaders Party, Vanua'aku Party, Graon Mo Jastis Party, Reunification Movement for Change, and the Iauko Group—will be led by Napat. 
• Later, he appointed Johnny Koanapo Rasou as Deputy Prime Minister, who would also serve as Minister of Finance and Economic Management. 

5. India, U.S. to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 

• India and the US. agreed to negotiate the first segment of a trade agreement by the autumn of 2025, with India. looking to increase energy purchases from the US address 11.5. President Donald Trump's concerns about the US's trade deficit with India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Mr. Trump for bilateral discussions in Washington. 
• Mr. Trump announced that his administration had cleared the way for the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, wanted in India in connection with the '26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, in 2008. The logistics of Rana's surrender and extradition to India are being worked out, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters on Thursday evening at a briefing. 
• The joint statement by the U.S. and India covered a range of topics: defence, trade, energy, technology, multilateral cooperation and people-to-people ties. The two sides agreed to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, as part of 'Mission 500'. The Prime Minister and President first met at the Oval Office where they spoke of their friendship. 
• Mr. Modi told Mr. Trump that, like him, he kept the national interest at the top of his mind, as he compared Mr. Trump's 'Make America Great Again (MAGA)' theme to his 'Viksit Bharat' (developed In-dia) theme. 
• 'Unfair tariffs' Standing beside Mr. Modi in the East Room at a joint press conference, Mr. Trump called India's tariffs "unfair" and a "problem". Earlier in the day, the President had announced a broad policy for reciprocal tariffs, specifically citing Indian tariffs during the signing of the order. 
• Asked by The Hindu whether Mr. Trump would withhold reciprocal tariffs given that a trade negotiation has been announced, Mr. Misri did not have a definitive answer, saying he did not want to get ahead of the discussions. At the joint press conference, Mr. Trump said the two sides had agreed to negotiations to reduce the deficit. Mr. Trump said the deficit could be made up with the sale of American oil and gas (LNG) to India. "We will strengthen the oil and gas trade to ensure India's energy security. Investment in energy infrastructure will also increase," Mr. Modi said in his opening remarks. 

State News 

6. Ajmer's Foy Sagar, renamed as Varun Sagar, King Edward Memorial is now Maharshi Dayanand Rest House 

• On 12 February, a more than 100-year-old lake and a building with British-era names in Ajmer have been renamed by Ajmer Municipal Corporation. 
• The city's main lake, Foy Sagar, named after a British officer, has been renamed Varun Sagar, and the King Edward Memorial Bhawan will now be known as Maharshi Dayanand Vishrant Grih. 
• King Edward VII Memorial Building was constructed 113 years ago in 1912-1913 with the aim of providing accommodation at affordable rates to the pilgrims visiting Ajmer and Pushkar. 
• In September 2014, the building was declared an old monument by a gazette notification of the state government. 
• In 1892, the Foy Sagar Lake was constructed under a famine relief project by an English engineer named Foy. 
• Until 1995, before the construction of the Bisalpur Dam, Ajmer city got its drinking water from this lake. 
• Apart from these, RTDC Hotel Khadim was renamed as Hotel Ajaymeru on November 19, 2024. 

Banking News 

7. Several restrictions imposed on New India Co-operative Bank by the RBI

•  On 13 February, several restrictions, including on the withdrawal of funds by depositors, were imposed on New India Co-operative Bank by the RBI a-mid supervisory concerns. 
• The directions issued to New India Co-operative Bank, Mumbai, have come into effect from the close of business on February 13 and will remain in force for a period of six months and are subject to review. 
• RBI said that in view of the current liquidity position of the bank, the bank is directed not to permit withdrawal of any amount from savings bank or current account or any other account of any depositor. 
• However, the bank is permitted to set off loans against deposits, subject to conditions prescribed by the RBI. 
• The bank will not grant or renew any loans or advances, make any investment, and incur any liability, including the acceptance of fresh deposits, without prior permission from the close of business on February 13. 
• In addition, eligible depositors will be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amounts on their deposits up to Rs 5 lakh from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation. 

8. SEBI launched ‘MITRA’ platform to track unclaimed mutual fund folios 

• The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a new platform ‘MITRA’ (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant). 
• It will help investors to trace their unclaimed or inactive mutual fund folios. 
• Many investors have lost track of their investments mainly those made in physical form with minimal KYC requirements. 
• SEBI has directed Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs) like CAMS and KFin Technologies to associate with Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to launch the ‘MITRA’ platform. 
• As per the SEBI, a mutual fund folio will be classified as inactive if no transactions have been made in the last 10 years, but a unit balance still exists. 
• The Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs) will jointly manage the ‘MITRA’ platform. 

Award News 

9. NTPC Ltd. has won the Forward Faster Sustainability Award 2025 

• The company has won award in the Water Resilience category. 
• UN Global Compact Network India presented the award to Shri Harekrushna Dash and Shri K Karthikeyan. 
• The award recognizes efforts of NTPC in water conservation and sustainable water management. 
• Forward Faster Sustainability Awards recognise organizations developing and improving sustainability. 
• Forward Faster Sustainability Awards recognise organizations aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• NTPC has become completely sweet water self-sufficient at its RGPPL plant. 
• NTPC is India's largest integrated power utility. It contributes to one-fourth of power requirements of India. 

Science and Technology News 

10. A solar dehydration technique to preserve agricultural produce using sustainable energy has been introduced by Ranjit Singh Rozi Shiksha Kendra of IIT Kanpur 

• This helps farmers dry fruits and vegetables and offers a cost-effective solution to fluctuating market prices. 
• With this, farmers can store produce longer. They can sell their produce at favorable prices during peak demand. This allows them to increase profitability. 
• Prof. Sandeep Sangal and Prof. Kallol Mondal led the initiative. 
• The initiative was demonstrated to 30 farmers from the Hariya Nature Farming Producer Company in Shivrajpur. 
• Solar drying of tomatoes was demonstrated and potential to increase shelf life and improve marketability was highlighted. 
• IIT Kanpur, with support from NABARD, is aiming to increase the reach of solar dehydration technology to more villages. 
• IIT Kanpur has partnered with the Department of Food Processing at CSJMU University. 
• The partnership is to develop quality protocols and standard operating procedures for solar dehydration. 

Rank and Report News 

11. India is among the top 10 countries most aected by extreme weather events 

1. As per a report, India ranks sixth among the top 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events over the last three decades from 1993-2023. 
2. India experienced devastating floods in 1993, 1998, and 2013, along with severe heatwaves in 2002, 2003, and 2015. 
3. Over 400 extreme events have hit India since 1993, which caused $180 billion in losses. 
4. 4Recently, India also faced intense heat waves with temperatures around 50°C. 
5. As per the Climate Risk Index (CRI) published by non-profit Germanwatch, between 1993 to 2022, 5 of the 10 most affected countries, were from the lower middle-income group. 
6. 6Around the world, there have been more than 765,000 fatalities and economic losses of more than $4.2 trillion occurred due to these events. 
7. In the last 30 years, fatalities were highest from storms, followed by heatwaves, floods, drought and wildfires. 
8. In 2022, a heatwave claimed most lives, followed by flood, drought, storm and wildfire. 

12. With $260 million in 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest-paid athlete on the list of the top 100 

• There are no female athletes on the list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024. 
• Sportico made this list. There aren't any Indian athletes in the top 100. 
• Athletes in football, basketball, golf, and boxing top the list. 
• Last year, the leading 100 made an estimated $6.2 billion in total income. 
• The second-highest earner on the list, Stephen Curry, made $153.8 million. 
• Third on the list with $147 million is British boxer Tyson Fury. 
•  The top 100 athletes are from 27 different countries and compete in eight different sports. 
• Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete, earning $30.4 million. 
• Jones came in at number 100 with a total salary of $37.5 million. 

Sports News 

13. 38th National Games 2025 Concluded in Uttarakhand

 

• The 38th National Games of India, held across various venues in Uttarakhand, concluded on 14 February. 
• Services Sports Control Board topped the event with 68 gold, 26 silver, and 27 bronze medals. 
• Maharashtra secured second position with 54 gold, 71 silver, and 76 bronze medals. 
• Haryana won 48 gold, 47 silver, and 58 bronze medals and secured third position. 
• Meghalaya has received the honour of hosting the 39th National Games in 2026.