• International Relations & Organizations

  • India was elected as the President of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) at its 23rd conference in Phuket, Thailand. Gaurav Dwivedi represented India. The theme was "Media for People, Peace, and Prosperity." AIBD was established in 1977, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with 45 member countries.
  • The Indian government temporarily suspended postal services to the United States.
  • Fiji's Prime Minister, Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, visited India.
  • 81st International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit held in Delhi.
  • Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is the first African woman to become Commonwealth Secretary-General, hailing from Ghana.
  • Prime Minister Modi received the 22nd 'Mithra Vibhushan Award' from Sri Lanka.

• Defence & Security

  • DRDO conducted the first successful test flight of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the Odisha coast. This system is designed for air defense, including surface-to-air and laser-guided missiles to counter drones and enemy missiles.
  • The Indian Army conducted "Samanvay Shakti 2025," a civil-military integration exercise, starting in Tinsukia, Assam, with a second phase in Manipur, aimed at enhancing coordination among security forces, government departments, and citizens.
  • The Indian Army conducted "Drone Prahar" exercise in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The Indian Navy's first maritime training under the Indian Ocean Ship Sagar Initiative was conducted in Kochi.
  • India and the USA conducted the "Tiger Triumph" tri-service joint exercise.
  • Russia tested the Mach 9 speed Zircon hypersonic missile.

• Environment & Wildlife

  • The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in West Bengal expanded its area by 1045 sq km, becoming India's second-largest tiger reserve. The largest remains Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh. The expansion was overseen by Environment Minister Dr. Bhupender Yadav. India currently has 58 tiger reserves, with the Madhav Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh being the latest (58th).
  • India's first Kukrail Night Safari is in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
  • A new wild species, Zingiber Jagannathii, was discovered in Odisha (related to ginger).

• National Observances & Events

  • National Space Day 2025 was celebrated on August 23rd, commemorating Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander soft landing on the Moon's South Pole on August 23, 2023. India was the first country to achieve this. The landing site is named "Shiv Shakti Point." This year marks the second observance of National Space Day. The theme is "From Aryabhatta to Gaganyaan."

• Sports

  • The first Khelo India Water Sports were held in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (Dal Lake). The mascot was the Himalayan Kingfisher. Madhya Pradesh topped the medal tally with 18 medals (10 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze). Mohsin Ali won the first gold in kayaking.
  • North East United Football Club won the 134th Durand Cup Trophy 2025, defeating Diamond Harbour Football Club in the final held in Kolkata. The Durand Cup is Asia's oldest football tournament, co-hosted by West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur. Mohan Bagan is the most successful team. The cup is named after Mortimer Durand.
  • The Asian Shooting Championship was held in Kazakhstan, where India won three gold medals in mixed air rifle events. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country.
  • Indian Army topped the point table in Khelo India Winter Games 2025.
  • Harmanpreet Singh received the Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award in the men's category.
  • Manish Bhanwala won India's only gold medal at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship 2025.
  • Hitesh Golia became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Boxing Cup 2025 in Brazil.

• Economy & Governance

  • The Central government formed two panels under the leadership of Rajiv Gauba (former Cabinet Secretary, NITI Aayog full-time member) to focus on "Next Generation Reforms" and advance the "Developed India Vision 2047."
  • Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) opened three new regional offices in Patna (Bihar), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), and Dehradun (Uttarakhand). APEDA (est. 1985) operates under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to promote agricultural exports.
  • The Maharashtra government signed an agreement with IIT Madras startup 'TuTr Hyperloop' for a hyperloop transport system to connect Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Vadhavan Port. This aims to increase speed and reduce cost and time for container transport using Maglev technology.
  • Delhi Metro is the first metro rail corporation to launch urban cargo services.
  • Bengaluru is the first water board to receive BIS certification for piped drinking water supply management system.
  • The CEO of the National Research Foundation is Dr. Sivakumar Kalyanaraman.
  • The Central government notified a new turnover limit of ₹10 crore for micro-enterprises in the MSME sector.
  • The Kosi-Mechi Interlink Project was approved for Bihar.
  • Rajasthan is the top state for installing solar power plants at railway stations.
  • Andhra Pradesh launched the "Zero Poverty P4 Policy."

• Culture & Other News

  • 'Laapataa Ladies' won the Best Film award at the IIFA Awards 2025 (held in Jaipur).
  • The Tamil Nadu government is using a Tamil script symbol instead of the Rupee symbol.
  • Attukal Pongal, the largest women's religious gathering, takes place in Kerala.
  • The Gold Mercury Award 2025 was given to the Dalai Lama.
  • Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, was the chief guest at the 10th Raisina Dialogue 2025.
  • Saturn is now the planet with the most moons (274, with 128 new discoveries).
  • 'All We Imagine as Light' received the Best Film award at the Asian Film Awards 2025.
  • Khelo India Para Games were held in Delhi, with 'Ujjwala' (sparrow) as its mascot.
  • India's first Public Private Partnership (PPP) based Green Waste Processing Plant was established in Indore.
  • P. S. Raman's book 'Leo: The Untold Story' is about Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
  • Punjab is India's first Legislative Assembly to broadcast proceedings in sign language.
  • A 58-foot statue of Potti Sreeramulu (who advocated for linguistic states) was installed in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Sanjeev Chopra's book 'The Great Conciliator' is about Lal Bahadur Shastri.
  • The Jubin Portal was launched for monitoring anti-rabies and anti-snake venom stock.
  • Prime Minister Modi inaugurated India's first vertical lift sea bridge, the New Pamban Bridge, in Tamil Nadu.
  • The Madhavpur Mela, dedicated to the wedding of Dwarkadhish Shri Krishna and Rukmini, is held in Gujarat.
  • Matthew Brownlee (62 years old) became the oldest player to debut in international cricket.