Daily Current Affairs and GK | 27 May 2025

Topic: Sports

1. Novak Djokovic won his 100th career singles title by defeating Hubert Hurkacz at the Geneva Open.

• Djokovic won with scores of 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2). This was Djokovic’s first tournament victory in Geneva.
• Djokovic joined a select group of players with 100 or more titles in the Open era.
• Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer are the only others with similar achievements.
• He celebrated the milestone two days after his 38th birthday.
• Djokovic received a late wild-card entry into the Geneva Open. This was part of his preparation for the upcoming French Open.
• Djokovic will compete at the French Open.
• Djokovic is the first man in the Open era to win a title in 20 different seasons.
• His first career title was in 2006 on clay in Amersfoort, Netherlands.
• He defeated Nicolás Massú, who now coaches Hurkacz, in that final.
• Since winning his 99th title at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic has lost finals at the Shanghai and Miami Masters.

Topic: Important Days

2. World Thyroid Day 2025: 25 May

• Every year, World Thyroid Day is observed on 25 May.
• It was first observed in 2008 by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and the European Thyroid Association (ETA).
• It is observed to raise awareness about the symptoms, prevention, and treatments of thyroid diseases.
• It is also observed to mark the anniversary of the foundation of the European Thyroid Association (ETA) congress.
• Thyroid disease can be prevented with proper iodine nutrition.
• Inclusion of iodine-rich foods such as iodised salt, dairy products, and seafood is essential for thyroid hormone production.
• Thyroid gland:
  • The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ located at the base of the neck.
  • It secretes Triiodothyronine (T3) hormone, peptide hormone, and the Thyroxine hormone (T4) in the body.
  • Thyroid problems arise when the thyroid gland produces more or fewer hormones.

Topic: State News/Gujarat

3. ₹24,000 cr development projects launched by PM Modi in Dahod.

• On 26 may, multiple development projects worth around ₹24,000 crore were launched and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dahod, Gujarat.
• He highlighted how modern vehicles and rail components made in India are now exported to countries like England, France, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico.
• He laid the foundation stone for multiple projects, including new trains and a locomotive manufacturing plant.
• Vande Bharat Express between Veraval and Ahmedabad & an express train between Valsad and Dahod were inaugurated.
• The rapid expansion of India’s railway sector, including metro and semi-high-speed trains, was highlighted, with Vande Bharat trains now running on nearly 70 routes.
• PM Modi flagged off India’s first electric locomotive of 9000 HP, produced at the Dahod plant.
• These locomotives will help boost Indian Railways' freight capacity and promote energy-efficient, green transport.
• He highlighted that Gujarat has achieved 100% electrification of its railway network, which was called a remarkable milestone.

Topic: Summits/Conference/Meetings

4. India participated in the 9th BRICS Industry Ministers Meeting in Brasilia.

• On 21st May 2025, India participated in the 9th BRICS Industry Ministers’ Meeting, chaired by Brazil, held in Brasília.
• The theme of the meeting was "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance."
• Industry ministers and representatives from all BRICS member countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa were present at the meeting.
• Newly inducted members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also present.
• In a significant initiative, India launched the BRICS Startup Knowledge Hub under the aegis of the BRICS Start-up Forum on 31 January 2025.
• This is the first of its kind dedicated platform for BRICS countries, aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation and strengthening the startup ecosystem in member countries.
• India emphasized the vital role of MSMEs in the economy, noting that 5.93 crore registered MSMEs employ over 25 crore people and contributed 45.73% of India’s total exports in 2023–24.
• The joint declaration focused on innovation, digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and inclusive industrial growth.
• India highlighted the success of the Digital India campaign, with internet users increasing from 251.59 million in 2014 to 954.40 million by March 2024.
• Called upon BRICS nations to uphold the values of Sahyog (Collaboration), Samanjasya (Harmony), Samagrata (Inclusiveness), and Sarvasammati (Consensus).

Topic: Summits/Conference/Meetings

5. The theme of 9th India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, ‘Innovate to Transform’, unveiled by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

• IMC 2025 will be held from October 8–11 at Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, New Delhi.
• The event will showcase 1,000+ tech use cases in 5G, 6G, AI, IoT, electronics manufacturing, and green tech.
• ASPIRE, the flagship startup program launched in 2023, will engage over 500 startups and connect them with over 300 investors, incubators, accelerators, and VCs for mentorship, live pitching sessions, and networking.
• The Minister launched the revamped Sanchar Mitra Scheme, empowering student volunteers to promote telecom awareness and cybersecurity.
• During this occasion, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Excellence Awards were conferred on five awardees for achievements in telecom innovation and skilling.
• IMC 2025 expects over 1.5 lakh visitors from 150+ countries and participation from 400+ partners.
• Shri Scindia emphasized that today's India has developed DSS capabilities - Designing in India, Solving in India and Scaling from India.
• This reflects the country's growing self-reliance and global capabilities in technology and innovation.

Topic: Report and Indices

6. NITI Aayog released a report titled “Designing a Policy for Medium Enterprises”, focusing on their transformative potential.

• The report was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Shri Suman Beri.
• This report presents a comprehensive roadmap for transforming medium enterprises into the future growth engines of India's economy.
• The report highlights the critical but underutilized role played by medium enterprises and outlines targeted strategies to unleash their full potential.
• The report focuses on the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, which contributes around 29% to India's GDP, accounts for 40% of exports, and employs over 60% of the workforce.
• Despite its crucial role, the structure of the sector is disproportionately skewed: 97% of registered MSMEs are micro enterprises, 2.7% are small enterprises, and only 0.3% are medium enterprises.
• However, this 0.3% of medium enterprises contributes to nearly 40% of MSME exports, highlighting their untapped potential as result-driven, innovation-led units.
• The report identifies medium enterprises as strategic factors in India’s transformation towards self-reliance and global industrial competitiveness under Viksit Bharat @2047.
• The report highlights major challenges for medium enterprises, such as limited access to finance, low technology adoption, insufficient R&D support, lack of testing infrastructure, and training gaps, which restrict their growth and innovation.
• To address these issues, the report outlines a comprehensive policy framework with targeted interventions in six priority areas:

Topic: State News/Gujarat

7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for several development projects worth over ₹53,400 crore in Bhuj, Gujarat.

• He spoke about Kutch’s transformation into a key center for trade, tourism, and renewable energy.
• The projects include transmission systems, a supercritical thermal power plant in Tapi, and upgrades to ports, roads, and water infrastructure.
• Kutch is on track to become the world’s largest hub for green energy, including solar and hydrogen.
• A new green hydrogen plant was launched, using fully indigenous technology.
• Kandla Port has been chosen as one of India’s main green hydrogen hubs.
• The Khavda solar energy park is among world’s biggest and puts Kutch on the global energy map.
• India’s ports handled a record 150 million tonnes of cargo this year. Kutch’s ports managed nearly one-third of that total.
• Industries in Kutch such as textiles, ceramics, salt, and food processing are growing fast.
• Traditional crafts like Ajrakh printing have received GI tags.
• The Narmada irrigation project has improved agriculture in Kutch.
• Farmers are now exporting crops like mangoes, dates, and dragon fruit globally.
• Local job opportunities have increased. Tourism in Kutch is booming.
• Smriti Van museum has received global recognition from UNESCO.
• Dhordo village has been named one of the world’s best tourism villages.
• The upcoming Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Ahmedabad and Bhuj will boost regional tourism.
• May 26 marks the anniversary of PM Modi’s swearing-in as Prime Minister in 2014.
• Since then, India has risen from the 11th to the 4th largest economy globally.
• PM Modi praised the women of Bhuj who rebuilt the airbase during the 1971 war.
• He extended best wishes for Ashadhi Beej, the Kutchi New Year.

Topic: Science and Technology

8. Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the Bharat Forecast System.

• It is a high-resolution, fully indigenous weather prediction platform.
• The launch took place at Vigyan Bhawan on May 26, 2025.
• The system was developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
• It represents a major advancement in India’s weather forecasting technology.
• The Bharat Forecast System improves forecast resolution from 12 km to 6 km.
• This allows for more precise, village-level weather predictions.
• Dr. Singh said this system can reduce potential losses and enhance productivity through accurate forecasts.
• The project is led by four women scientists.
• He emphasized that the system is entirely developed and owned by Indians.
• The system will also benefit other tropical nations with complex weather patterns.
• Forecast accuracy for heavy rainfall has improved by 30 percent.
• In core agricultural zones, accuracy has improved by 64 percent.
• The system uses a Triangular Cubic Octahedral Grid for real-time modeling.
• This provides better predictions during critical weather events.
• The project is a result of collaboration among IITM, IMD, ISRO, and other institutions.
• Dr. Singh called it a “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Science” approach.
• He referred to Mission Mausam, a ₹2000 crore initiative to upgrade forecasting infrastructure.
• The system will serve more than 20 ministries that depend on daily weather data.
• At the event, he also launched IITM’s Hindi magazine “Indradhanush”.
• The magazine promotes the use of Indian languages in science communication.

Topic: National News

9. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan presented a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the University of Liverpool.

• The ceremony took place in New Delhi.
• The University of Liverpool is now the second foreign institution to receive such approval.
• This approval is granted under the 2023 UGC regulations.
• These regulations allow foreign universities to establish campuses in India.
• Pradhan said the move shows India’s growing importance in global education.
• He stated that this step aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• NEP 2020 promotes an education system that is rooted in Indian values and globally focused.
• Pradhan added that NEP 2020 is essential for building a developed India by 2047.
• He stressed the importance of research and innovation in higher education.
• The University of Liverpool will set up its first international campus in Bengaluru.
• This campus is expected to open in August 2026.
• It will offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
• The courses will include Business Management, Accounting and Finance, Computer Science, and Biomedical Sciences.
• The campus will also introduce a Game Design program.
• This is the first time a UK university will offer such a course in India.
• The Bengaluru campus will be research-intensive.
• The campus will support basic, applied, and industry-related research.
• Students from India and the UK will have opportunities for global mobility.
• During the event, four MoUs were signed.
• The partners included Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), AstraZeneca Pharma India, YouWeCan, and Dream11.
• These agreements will support collaboration in education, healthcare, and innovation.

Topic: Science and Technology

10. Researchers at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru have introduced a new technique to reveal hidden quantum properties in exotic materials.

• They use the spectral function for this purpose. This advancement could accelerate progress in emerging technologies like quantum computing and energy-efficient electronics.
• Topological materials, such as insulators and superconductors, have unique electronic properties.
• These properties are essential for future technology development.
• However, identifying their topological features has been difficult.
• Topological invariance is a mathematical concept describing properties that remain unchanged despite continuous shape changes.
• For example, a donut and a coffee cup are topologically the same because they both have one hole.
• At the quantum level, these features are described by invariants like winding numbers in one-dimensional systems and Chern numbers in two-dimensional systems.
• These invariants influence how electrons move inside the material.
• They help explain the material’s fundamental physical traits.
• The study was led by Professor Dibyendu Roy and PhD candidate Kiran Babasaheb Estake at RRI, which is affiliated with the Department of Science and Technology.
• They found that the spectral function, traditionally used to track electron behavior, can also detect topological properties.
• Their research focused on the momentum-space spectral function (SPSF), which they call a “quantum fingerprint.”
• Their findings, published in Physical Review B, show that SPSF carries unique markers related to a material’s topology.
• Previously, scientists used techniques like Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy to analyze related properties.
• This new method using the spectral function could offer a simpler and more accessible way to identify topological features.
• Kiran Babasaheb Estake explained that the spectral function has long been used to study physical properties.
• But it was not known as a tool to explore topological aspects.
• Their research provides clear evidence, through multiple examples, that the spectral function contains signatures of topology.