NATIONAL NEWS
Political and Administrative Updates
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Denies Leadership Change – Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah rejected the proposed ’50-50′ formula for power sharing, stating clearly that there is no vacancy for the CM position in the state
Vadodara Bridge Collapse Tragedy – The death toll from the Vadodara bridge collapse has risen to 15 people, with 4 still missing as rescue operations continue for the second consecutive day
Haryana Violence Incidents – Tragic incidents reported from Haryana including teenage students stabbing a private school principal to death in Hisar, highlighting concerns about youth violence
Disaster Relief Fund Allocation – The Central Government has approved Rs 1,066 crore fund for 6 disaster-hit states to support relief and rehabilitation efforts
Bengaluru Crime Reports – Multiple serious crimes reported including a 14-year-old girl found dead at home with head injuries, and a woman gangraped by 4 men who also looted household items worth Rs 13,000
Government Schemes and Initiatives
Vice Chancellors’ Conference 2025 – A national-level conference for Central Universities was held in Kevadia, Gujarat on July 10-11, 2025, organized by the Ministry of Education to mark five years of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
IICA North-East Conclave 2025 – The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs is hosting the North-East Conclave 2025 in Shillong on July 11-12, themed “From Ideation to Incorporation” to nurture startup ecosystem in Northeast India
Plantation Drive Launch – Union Minister Shri Jayant Chaudhary inaugurated plantation drive under Green Mission and Agri-Skill Empowerment Drive in Jaipur as part of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Parivarik Vaniki Mission
DEPwD Portal Launch – Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities launched new portal for disability welfare schemes to improve service delivery
Puducherry MoU with BHASHINI – Puducherry signed MoU with BHASHINI to advance multilingual digital governance initiatives
Educational and Cultural Developments
Postage Stamp Release – Department of Posts released coin and stamp to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee
Punjab Leads PARAKH Survey – Punjab emerged as the top performer in PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, demonstrating excellence in educational assessment
MoA&FW E-NAM Platform – Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare added 7 new agricultural products to the e-NAM platform to enhance digital agriculture marketing
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Global Political Developments
Russia-Ukraine Conflict Escalation – Russia launched massive attack on Ukraine with 741 aerial weapons, marking another significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. Ukrainian capital Kyiv was pounded with missile and drone attacks
South Korea Political Crisis – Former President of South Korea was re-arrested while his wife also faces investigation in ongoing corruption scandals
Bangladesh Political Developments – Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was indicted for crimes against humanity, marking a significant political development
European Union Leadership – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen survived a confidence vote, ensuring continuity in EU leadership
Brazil-US Trade Tensions – Brazil hit back at Trump’s 50% tariff announcement with ‘Economic Reciprocity Law’, rejecting interference in internal affairs. Donald Trump announced 50% tariffs on Brazilian products
Middle East and Regional Affairs
Iran-US Tensions – Iran issued chilling threat to Trump with Ayatollah Khamenei’s aide hinting that the US President is not safe even at his Florida home
Peace Process Developments – Kremlin expects response from Kyiv to continue Ukraine peace process amid ongoing diplomatic efforts
UNESCO World Heritage Updates – UNESCO removed three African sites from World Heritage in Danger List, including locations in Madagascar, Egypt, and Libya
BANKING AND FINANCIAL SECTOR
RBI Policy Updates
Monetary Policy Summary – RBI has maintained its repo rate at 5.50% following the June 2025 policy meeting where it was reduced by 50 basis points. The next MPC meeting is scheduled for August 5-7, 2025
Banking Sector Performance – IDBI Bank shares gained 30% in 2025, reflecting strong investor confidence and progress in government disinvestment process
State Bank Fundraising – Indian state-owned banks are set to raise $5.25 billion in 2025-26 through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) to strengthen capital base
Nifty Bank Performance – Nifty Bank index closed at 57,213.55 with a marginal decline of 42.75 points or 0.07% in the previous session
Corporate Developments
Leadership Changes – Priya Nair appointed to replace Rohit Jawa as Hindustan Unilever Limited’s CEO, marking significant change in FMCG sector leadership
Technology Sector – Chipmaker Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company at $4 trillion market capitalization, highlighting the AI boom impact
Social Media Updates – Linda Yaccarino resigned from Elon Musk’s X after two years, while Elon Musk launched Grok 4 AI chatbot with $300 subscription
SPORTS UPDATES
Cricket News
India vs England Series – India-England Test series continues with focus on Lord’s Test, featuring performances by Nitish Reddy who received guidance from Pat Cummins
Team Leadership – Radha Yadav appointed to lead India Cricket Team’s A Squad for tour of Australia
FIFA Rankings – Indian Men’s Football Team slumped to 133rd position in the FIFA ranking, showing decline in international standings
Individual Sports
Tennis Tragedy – Tennis player Radhika Yadav’s father shot her dead at Gurugram home, highlighting domestic violence concerns in sports community
Charity Events – Yuvraj Singh hosted special YouWeCan charity event in London, continuing his philanthropic efforts
FIFA Club World Cup – Donald Trump confirmed attendance at FIFA Club World Cup Final on July 14, 2025, at MetLife Stadium where Chelsea will compete
DEFENSE AND SECURITY
Military Developments
Apache Helicopter Deliveries – Indian Army expects delivery of six Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters in July 2025, with first batch potentially arriving this month
Submarine Projects – MDL positioned to secure submarine contracts worth over Rs 1.06 lakh crore, marking largest defense procurement in India’s history
Defense Reforms – Ministry of Defense declared 2025 as ‘Year of Reforms’ focusing on modernization and multi-domain operations capability
Artillery Modernization – India fast-tracking Rs 20,000 crore project for acquiring 87 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones
Strategic Partnerships
International Cooperation – Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Controllers’ Conference 2025 focusing on defense financial governance transformation
Technology Transfer – Emphasis on indigenous content requirement of minimum 45% in defense procurement projects
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ISRO Achievements
Space Missions Pipeline – ISRO lined up major space missions from May to July 2025, including EOS-09 satellite launch and human spaceflight preparations
NISAR Mission – NASA-ISRO Earth-observing satellite arrived at Indian launch site with July 2025 launch scheduled
Agricultural Technology – ISRO launched short-term course on space technology in agriculture sector, registration open till July 11, 2025
Gaganyaan Progress – Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla scheduled for ISS mission on May 29, 2025, as precursor to India’s Gaganyaan program
Innovation and Research
Hot Tests Completion – ISRO conducted hot tests of Gaganyaan SMPS at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, marking progress in human spaceflight program
Satellite Services – SSCPL received IN-SPACe approval for commercial satellite broadband services in India
Research Discoveries – New tree species Garcinia kusumae discovered in Assam’s Baksa district, named after botanist’s mother
APPOINTMENTS AND HONORS
Key Appointments
Corporate Leadership – Sahil Kini named new CEO of RBI Innovation Hub, strengthening central bank’s fintech initiatives
Sports Administration – ICC appointed Sanjog Gupta as Chief Executive Officer
Aviation Sector – Hardeep Singh Brar named CEO of BMW India, marking leadership change in automotive sector
Banking Sector – Sunil Kadam appointed as SEBI Executive Director
Awards and Recognition
International Honor – Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred with ‘Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’, the highest civilian honor of Namibia
Literature Awards – TIME 100 Creator List featured Prajakta Koli as the only Indian, recognizing her digital content creation impact
Corporate Recognition – JSW Energy joined FTSE4Good Index for strong ESG and sustainability focus
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
GDP and Growth
Economic Performance – India’s GDP grew 6.5% in 2024-25, maintaining position as fastest-growing major economy
Inflation Control – CPI inflation moderated to 2.82% in May 2025, lowest since February 2019
Market Confidence – Retail investor participation jumped from 4.9 crore in 2019 to 13.2 crore by end of 2024
Trade and Commerce
Import Trends – India’s crude oil imports from US jumped over 50% in H1 2025, with inflows from Brazil up 80%
Export Outlook – India eyes record-breaking exports in 2025 despite global headwinds
Digital Initiatives – Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy launched Upkaran E-Portal for steel sector digitization
IMPORTANT DATES AND OBSERVANCES
National Days
World Population Day – July 11, 2025, observed globally with focus on demographic challenges and opportunities
National Fish Farmer’s Day – July 10, 2025, celebrating aquaculture contributions to food security
Conference and Summits
Ukraine Recovery Conference – July 10-11, 2025, in Rome focusing on reconstruction and resilience
AI for Good Global Summit – July 7-11, 2025, in Geneva identifying AI applications for sustainable development
India Maize Summit – July 7, 2025, in New Delhi discussing agricultural productivity and sustainability
EXAM PREPARATION TIPS
Banking Exams Focus
Study RBI monetary policy decisions and banking sector performance metrics
Focus on corporate leadership changes and financial sector developments
Understand government schemes related to financial inclusion and digital banking
UPSC Preparation
Analyze India’s foreign policy developments and international relations
Study defense modernization programs and strategic partnerships
Focus on economic indicators and government policy initiatives
SSC and Railway Exams
Memorize key appointments and awards announced in July 2025
Study sports achievements and important national developments
Focus on science and technology advancements, particularly ISRO missions
