Find the Weekly Current Affairs for the 4th week of January 2025. Stay informed with the most important news and events from around the world. Our curated updates provide a comprehensive summary of the week’s key happenings, covering politics, economics, science, technology, sports, and international affairs.
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Highlights of January 4th Week Current Affairs
- Donations to political parties increased through Electoral Trusts after the Supreme Court ended Electoral Bonds in February 2024, making funding more transparent.
- Electoral Trusts, introduced in 2013, collect donations from people and companies and pass them to political parties, following legal rules.
- Electoral Trusts follow the Electoral Trust Scheme 2013 and are monitored by the Election Commission to ensure they follow the rules.
- Electoral Trusts must share the names of donors and donation amounts with the Election Commission, unlike Electoral Bonds, which allow anonymous donations.
- Political parties must reveal the funds they get through Electoral Trusts, ensuring more transparency in how they receive money.
- Electoral Trusts do not accept foreign donations, ensuring only Indian companies and citizens can donate, reducing outside influence in politics.
- The National Panchayat Awards 2024 honored 45 Panchayats for their excellent work in promoting sustainable growth and improving rural governance.
- The International Labour Organization’s 4th Edition report showed that 167.7 million international migrants make up 4.7% of the global workforce.
- Most international migrants, 68.4%, live in high-income countries, with the largest share in Northern America and Europe.
- The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting is being held from January 20 to 24 in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders discuss important global issues.
- Donald Trump became the 47th US President, returning to political power. He signed important orders, including pardoning 1500 people.
- Trump pardoned 1500 people, including those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. This was part of his immediate presidential actions on the first day.
- Trump changed tough immigration policies and paused the US Refugee Resettlement Program. He also sent additional troops to help with strict border control.
- Trump canceled 78 of Biden’s orders about COVID relief, diversity, and clean energy. He wanted to reverse policies he blamed for rising inflation rates.
- RBI introduced new rules for Asset Reconstruction Companies to improve debt settlements. The goal is to make the process more fair and highly efficient.
- The World Bank expects the global economy to grow by 2.7% in 2025 and 2026. India is set to stay the fastest-growing large economy globally.
- Uttarakhand passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill, making it the first state with UCC. The bill focuses on fairness, gender equality, and overall unity.
- India introduced a six-point plan to strengthen economic ties with the European Union. The plan focuses on trade, investment, sustainable technology, and collaboration.
- Taiwan will place NASAMS air defense systems in the north. This is to protect its capital, Taipei, from increasing regional security threats.
- The Ministry of Agriculture started a survey to check edible oil use. This supports a national mission to increase domestic oilseed production and self-reliance goals.
- World Bank appoints Michel Lino as a Neutral Expert to settle disputes between India and Pakistan about hydroelectric projects on the Kishenganga and Ratle rivers.
- India and Pakistan are in a disagreement over two hydroelectric projects, with India pushing for a Neutral Expert to resolve the issue.
- President Trump announces that the U.S. will leave the Paris Agreement, arguing it harms American businesses like coal and oil, while other countries like China face fewer restrictions.
- Trump also cancels U.S. commitments to climate funding, saying the Paris Agreement unfairly burdens the U.S. while allowing countries like China to have less strict rules.
- The U.S. pulling out of the World Health Organization could hurt global health programs and make it harder to respond to future pandemics.
- Trump signs an order to end birthright citizenship, proposing that children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents should not automatically become U.S. citizens.
- If birthright citizenship ends, it could impact immigrant communities, especially Indian Americans, and children of people on temporary visas like H-1B holders.
- India celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, which works to improve the sex ratio and encourage girls to go to school.
- India’s men’s and women’s Kho Kho teams win the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup, defeating Nepal in the finals to become the champions.
- The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme receives support from companies, offering internships to 1 crore youth over five years, with financial help and guidance.
- Trump officially pulls the U.S. out of the 2021 Global Corporate Minimum Tax deal, ending full participation in the global tax agreement entirely.
- The Global Corporate Minimum Tax sets a 15% tax floor to stop profit shifting and ensure businesses pay fair taxes globally, consistently.
- The National Tribal Health Conclave 2025 focuses on important health issues that affect India’s tribal communities across the entire country nationwide.
- The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan works to improve basic services and infrastructure in tribal areas of rural India substantially.
- India plans to get 10,000 Geographical Indications (GI) tags by 2030 to protect unique products and help exports grow significantly worldwide.
- Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana celebrates 10 years, helping girls save for their future with a great 8.2% interest rate annually, securely.
- The Madhya Pradesh High Court tells Saif Ali Khan to go to the appellate authority over the complex ‘Enemy Property’ case legally.
- The 85th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference focuses on creating one platform to share legislative information across all of India efficiently.
- The U.S. launches the $500 billion Stargate Project to build a strong artificial intelligence infrastructure for future development globally.
- India joins the Eurodrone Programme as an observer to improve its defense, surveillance, and technological abilities for national security.
- India is celebrating its 76th Republic Day on January 26, 2025, with the theme “Golden India – Heritage and Development,” focusing on progress and cultural pride.
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations in 2025, continuing the tradition of diplomacy.
- Republic Day celebrations began on January 23 with Parakram Divas to honor Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, remembering his role in freedom struggle.
- Bharat Parv at Red Fort displayed cultural performances, handicrafts, and food, promoting India’s rich heritage and tourism.
- Veer Gatha 4.0 encouraged students to learn about gallantry award winners and freedom fighters of India, fostering patriotism and civic values.
- The Beating Retreat Ceremony on January 29 will end the Republic Day celebrations with music from Indian military bands, showcasing unity and pride.
- Republic Day marks the day India became a republic by adopting its Constitution on January 26, 1950, completing its journey to sovereignty.
- The Cauvery-South Vellar Link Project has caused disputes between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over water sharing, leading to legal challenges.
- Seven new countries, including Kenya and Bangladesh, joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership to combat plastic pollution crisis.
- India has become the largest importer of tea from Kenya, with imports growing by 288% in 2024, highlighting trade relations between nations.
- NITI Aayog launches Fiscal Health Index 2025, ranking Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Goa as top-performing states based on debt management, revenue mobilization, and fiscal prudence.
- Bombay High Court rules loudspeakers non-essential to religion, directing strict enforcement of noise pollution laws to protect public health.
- U.S. President bans creation of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) via executive order, promoting dollar-backed stablecoins as an alternative.
- Essential Religious Practices Doctrine reaffirmed, protecting only core religious practices under Articles 25 and 26 of the Indian Constitution.
- Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 to feature the first public display of the Kiswah of Kaaba, a highly revered religious artifact.
- Indian Army unveils SANJAY Battlefield Surveillance System, integrating ground and aerial sensors for real-time military intelligence.
- Kodaikanal Solar Observatory celebrates 125 years, hosting a global conference on solar and space weather research.
- Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma declares Dibrugarh as the state’s second capital, aiming for balanced regional development.
- INS Sarvekshak completes a hydrographic survey of 25,000 square nautical miles around Mauritius, enhancing maritime security and navigation.
- India’s digital rupee (CBDC) continues evolving, offering transparent, efficient, and environment-friendly financial transactions.
- Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) combines elements of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and National Pension Scheme (NPS) to offer government employees a stable pension based on service length and last basic salary.
- The scheme, effective from April 1, 2025, aims to balance the fiscal responsibility of NPS with the stability of OPS.
- UPS allows employees who retired under NPS since 2004 to switch to UPS and receive adjusted arrears.
- The scheme applies to employees with a minimum of 10 years of service, with full benefits for those with at least 25 years of service.
- Government’s pension fund contribution will increase from 14% to 18.5%, while employee contributions remain unchanged.
- Employees with 25+ years of service will receive 50% of their average basic salary as a pension, with adjustments for shorter service periods.
- A minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month is guaranteed for employees with at least 10 years of service.
- Family pensions will provide 60% of the deceased employee’s pension to the family.
- Pension and related benefits will be adjusted for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW).
- Upon retirement, employees will receive a lump sum equal to 10% of their salary for every 6 months of completed service, in addition to gratuity.
- The UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime, establishing the first global treaty to combat cyber offenses.
- Hanoi, Vietnam, will host the treaty signing, which will take effect after 40 state ratifications.
- The treaty enhances international cooperation on cybercrime, focusing on evidence sharing, jurisdiction, and law enforcement collaboration.
- India was the second-most targeted country for cyberattacks in 2024, with Delhi reporting the highest number of cases.
- Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to implement the Uniform Civil Code, ensuring gender equality and banning discriminatory practices.
- The UCC mandates online registration for marriages, divorces, and live-in relationships, with Aadhaar-based verification for authentication.
- Paris will host the AI Action Summit, co-chaired by India’s PM Modi, to address global AI governance and regulatory concerns.
- India and China agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in June 2025 after disruptions due to COVID-19 and border tensions.
- The WHO urged governments to prioritize leprosy elimination, with the 2025 theme being “Unite, Act, and Eliminate Leprosy.”
- The Indian Navy launched Operation Sankalp to protect maritime interests amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, securing key trade routes.
- Global FDI declined by 8% in 2024, despite an overall 11% rise to USD 1.4 trillion, due to conduit economy adjustments.
- Developed economies saw a 43% FDI surge, but excluding conduit transactions, actual inflows dropped by 15%.
- Developing economies faced a 2% FDI decline, continuing the downward trend after a 6% drop in 2023.
- China’s FDI dropped by 29%, while India saw a 13% increase, with strong Greenfield project growth but a 23% fall in international project finance.
- ASER 2024 reports literacy and numeracy recovery, with 44.8% of Class 5 students reading at a Class 2 level, nearing pre-pandemic levels.
- Private school enrollment in rural India remains stable, while government school enrollment declined to 66.8% after a pandemic surge.
- The MSME Ministry and ONDC launched the TEAM initiative, with ₹277.35 crore allocated to digitally empower 5 lakh small businesses.
- Uttar Pradesh banned Halal-certified products, except for exports, as India lacks government regulation on Halal certification.
- China introduced DeepSeek AI models, boasting superior reasoning and efficiency, with DeepSeek-R1 being 20–50 times cheaper than OpenAI’s models.
- Libia Lobo Sardesai, a 100-year-old freedom fighter, received the Padma Shri, recognizing her role in Goa’s liberation via the “Voice of Freedom” radio.
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22 January to 31 January (Weekly Current Affairs Quiz)
Current Affairs of Other Weeks in January 2025
| January 4th Week Current Affairs 2025 | January 3rd Week Current Affairs 2025 |
| January 2nd Week Current Affairs 2025 | January 1st Week Current Affairs 2025 |