1 Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup
Divya Deshmukh has become the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup . In Batumi, Georgia, Divya achieved the biggest victory of her career by defeating Koneru Humpy in a tie-break . With this, 19-year-old Divya became the fourth Indian Grandmaster after Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali . Divya has also qualified for the Candidates Tournament next year. Divya will play against China’s world champion Ju Wenjun for the title . Humpy finished second in the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. For the first time, the final of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup was played between two Indians. Both the games of the final between Humpy and Divya were draws. After two tough matches, this final between Humpy and Divya reached a tie-break.
2 Ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, Malaysian PM announced
The border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that has been going on for the last several days has now come to an end. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that both countries have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect without any conditions. This decision came after Malaysia’s offer of mediation, which was aimed at controlling the deteriorating situation in the border area. Anwar Ibrahim called it a positive initiative by both countries towards a peaceful solution.
3 India presented the third SDG report in the UN; Significant progress in poverty, clean energy and digital development
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Beri presented India ‘s third Voluntary National Review (VNR) report at the High Level Political Forum organized by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations on 23 July 2025. This report is a comprehensive account of India’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . This report reflects the country’s continued commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda . This report prominently reflects the efforts made in coordination with both the government and the society. This report, prepared under the leadership of NITI Aayog, adopted an inclusive process with the participation of states, union territories, civil society, development partners and the private sector. UNDP has cooperated in setting up SDG Coordination and Rapid Implementation Centers in the State / Union Territories. The Voluntary National Review report presents the decisive steps and achievements made by India in many areas of sustainable development in the last decade. According to this report, about 24.8 crore people have come out of multidimensional poverty (MPI) under poverty alleviation . For food security, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana provided nutrition support to crores of people. POSHAN Abhiyaan and Ayushman Bharat have provided facilities on a large scale in the field of nutrition and health services . For clean energy, schemes like National Green Hydrogen Mission , PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme are accelerating India’s energy transition. In economic innovation, India has now become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. At the same time, schemes like PM Gatishakti, ‘Make in India’ and National Industrial Corridor Development Program are creating next generation infrastructure. In the creation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), India has set a global model through Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity, which has led to transparent and inclusive service delivery. Apart from this, data based governance has been further strengthened through tools like SDG India Index, North Eastern Region District SDG Index and National Multidimensional Poverty Index. Emphasis has been laid on delivering government services to the last person through Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks programs.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to launch three more navigation satellites — NVS-03, NVS-04 and NVS-05 — by the year 2026, which will further strengthen India’s regional navigation system NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) . The deployment of these satellites will strengthen India’s independent navigation capabilities, which will be extremely important for both civilian and military uses. NavIC, formerly called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) , is India’s indigenous regional navigation satellite system. It has been developed with the aim of reducing dependence on foreign GPS systems and providing accurate navigation services up to 1,500 km outside India and its borders . The system consists of 7 satellites, which are controlled and monitored round the clock by a ground station network.
5 Utpal Kumar Singh appointed as CEO of Sansad TV
Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh , a former IAS officer, has been given the additional charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sansad TV . Known for his administrative efficiency and his significant contribution to the Kedarnath redevelopment project, Singh has decades of administrative experience in state and central governments. His appointment is considered another important step towards strengthening parliamentary communication through Sansad TV.
6 Operation Mahadev: Indian security forces kill terrorists of Pahalgam attack
The Indian Army in collaboration with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police has launched a high-intensity counter-terrorism operation , codenamed Operation Mahadev , in the Dara area near Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir . Based on credible intelligence, security forces on Monday cracked down on terrorist activities, killing three Pakistani terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in an encounter. The operation exemplifies the coordinated efforts and quick response of the security forces who are cracking down on terrorism to maintain peace in Jammu and Kashmir. The counter-terrorism operation is also linked to the search for the accused of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam , which claimed 26 lives. Recent reports had indicated that some of the terrorists involved in the attack have shifted to the Dachigam area.
India has begun preparations to host the 33rd United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP33) in 2028 , a significant step in its climate leadership efforts . The Union Environment Ministry has set up a dedicated COP33 Cell to manage the requirements of this global event. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992. These annual meetings aim to review global progress in tackling climate change, especially after the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels . Hosting COP33 will give India an opportunity to play a key role in international climate negotiations.
8 India’s first SHAPE 2025 conference
New Delhi -based Army Hospital Research and Referral (AHRR) organised the country’s first Armed Forces National Conference – SHAPE 2025 ( Sustainable Hospital Architecture, Planning, Infrastructure, and Equipment) on 26–27 July 2025. The conference was attended by experts from the armed forces, civilian sectors and the private sector and deliberated on the future of sustainable, resilient and patient-centric healthcare infrastructure in India. The two-day event was inaugurated by DGAFMS Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sareen and AIIMS Director Dr M Srinivas along with senior officials. The conference was attended by over 275 participants, including doctors, nurses, administrators, engineers and architects, who all contributed to building a new vision for India’s healthcare infrastructure.
A coalition of 12 countries in Latin America is going to launch the region’s first major artificial intelligence language model called “ LATAM-GPT ” in September 2025. The model has been developed as an open-source project, which aims to make AI more accessible and reflect the distinct cultural and linguistic diversities of Latin America. The project is being run in collaboration with more than 30 regional institutions led by Chile’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA). Work on “LATAM-GPT” began in January 2023, supported by regional development bank CAF and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The model is based on Llama 3 technology and is trained with the help of regional supercomputing and cloud systems, including Chile’s University of Tarapacá.
10 Terminal 2 of Yantai Penglai International Airport in China named the most beautiful airport in the world at the Prix Versailles Awards 2025
Terminal 2 at China ‘s Yantai Penglai International Airport has been named the world’s most beautiful airport at the Prix Versailles Awards 2025. It beat globally recognized airports such as Singapore’s famous Changi Airport to win the accolade. The award recognizes the airport’s aesthetic architecture, environmental sensitivity and passenger-friendly design, setting a new standard for modern airport infrastructure. The Prix Versailles, often referred to as the “World Architecture and Design Award”, annually honors outstanding achievements in architecture across various categories, including airports.
11 England won the Women’s Euro Cup title
Defending champions England defeated world champions Spain 3-1 in a penalty shootout to win the Women’s European Football Championship (Euro 2025) for the second consecutive time . England thus avenged their defeat to Spain in the World Cup 2023 final. Spain failed to complete a title hat-trick. Apart from the World Cup, they also won the UEFA Nations League title in 2024. England’s women’s football team, the ‘Lioneses’, faced many challenges in this tournament. Their chances were doubted after losing the opening match against France. But under the leadership of coach Sarina Wiegman, the team surpassed all expectations and won the trophy by winning through extra time in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
12 India won 12 medals including two gold, five silver in World University Games
India has won a total of 12 medals including two gold, five silver and five bronze medals in the World University Games held in Germany . The Indian team ended its campaign at Rhine-Ruhr by finishing 20th in the medal tally. On the last day of the games, India’s Ankita Dhyani won the silver medal in the women’s 3000 meter steeplechase. At the same time, the men’s 4×100 meter relay race and women’s walking teams won two bronze medals for India. In these games, Japan topped the list with 34 gold medals, China came second with 30 gold medals and America came third with 28 gold medals.
13 Tejaswin Shankar sets new national decathlon record with 7,826 points in Poland
India’s Tejaswin Shankar set another new national decathlon record by scoring 7,826 points to finish fourth at the Wislaw Czapiewski Memorial 2025 athletics meet in Poland . The 26-year-old surpassed his previous best of 7,666 points, which earned him a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou . Ondrej Kopecky of the Czech Republic, who holds the all-time meet record, won the title with 8,254 points . He was followed by compatriot Vilem Strasky and Estonia’s Risto Lillemets.
14 Oscar Piastri wins the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa
Oscar Piastri won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps , outpacing teammate and title rival Lando Norris in a challenging wet-dry race to extend his Drivers’ Championship lead to 16 points.
15 World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day is observed every year on July 28 to raise awareness about viral hepatitis . Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can lead to severe liver disease and liver cancer. The theme this year is Hepatitis – Let’s Break It Down . The day emphasises the need to simplify, scale up and integrate hepatitis services – vaccination, safe injection practices, harm reduction and especially testing and treatment – into national health systems.