August 2025 Current Affairs for NDA, CDS, UPSC & Other Competitive Exams
Staying updated with current affairs is crucial for every defence and competitive exam aspirant. Here, we bring you the complete Monthly Current Affairs August 2025 in a simplified text format. This edition covers the most important national, international, defence, economic, sports, and exam-related updates that will help you boost your preparation for NDA, CDS, AFCAT, UPSC, and other competitive exams.
1. Politics & Legislation
- New Income-tax Act: India received a significant tax reform. The Income-tax (No. 2) Bill, 2025, was tabled in mid-August, passed through Parliament and met with Presidential approval on August 21. It switches over from the existing model to a neater "Tax Year" idea (versus Assessment Year), maintains the ₹12 lakh level of exemption for middle-income groups, reduces lengthy legal passages, and encourages fully digital, faceless assessments via the Income-tax Act, 2025.
- 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill: On 20 August, the government introduced a bill enabling automatic ouster of a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or Minister if they're held in custody for 30 continuous days on serious criminal charges punishable with 5+ years of imprisonment. It's being examined by a joint parliamentary committee.
2. India on the World Stage
- Modi–Xi Talks at SCO Summit: During the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit (late August), PM Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping. They decided to improve trade, ease visa and pilgrimage regulations, resume direct flights, and relax some tensions along the Himalayan border, but recognised continuing issues such as trade deficit and water issues from Tibetan infrastructure.
- US–India Trade Tensions: Diplomatic fireworks started as the U.S. imposed heavy tariffs (totalling 50%) on India. India retaliated, describing them as "unfair," and ripples of fallout spread over trade and defence talks. There was even speculation, but later refutation of a halt in U.S. defence import plans by India.
3. Economics & Markets
- Massive FII Sell-Off: Foreigners withdrew a whopping ₹34,993 crore from Indian shares, the largest outflow of 2025 so far, due to reasons of global uncertainty, tariff shocks, and disappointing corporate earnings. Yet, there’s hope that strong GDP numbers and upcoming GST reforms could reverse this trend.
4. Weather & Climate
- Haryana’s Wettest August in 20 Years: Haryana experienced unusually heavy rains of 194.5 mm, nearly 32% higher than average. Highlights: Gurgaon (230.2 mm, +24%), Faridabad (275 mm), Yamunanagar (408.5 mm), Fatehabad (298.3 mm, an impressive 252% above average), although a few districts reported rain deficits as well. The IMD sent yellow alerts and predicted relentless rains through early September.
- Ludhiana’s Cooling August: Punjab's Ludhiana logged its rainiest August in 17 years (246 mm, +66%), which lowered daytime temperatures significantly. The average high fell to 33.1 °C lowest in 12 years, with a day hitting only 25 °C.
- Hong Kong Rainstorms: During late July into August, Hong Kong experienced four severe "black rainstorm" events, record-breaking in number. They are being closely monitored for early warning enhancement.
5. Science & Tech Highlights
- GPT-5 Lands: OpenAI introduced GPT-5 in early August, boasting "PhD-level intelligence" as a huge improvement over ChatGPT.
- Space & Earth Science: NASA delivered strong evidence of a gas giant (Alpha Centauri Ab) close to our solar neighbour. The biggest-ever antenna reflector for imaging the Earth was put into use for the NISAR mission. Also, an additional moon of Uranus and a new carbon allotrope (cyclo[48]carbon) hit the headlines.
- Environmental Breakthrough: Australian researchers discovered a solar-powered technique to destroy recalcitrant PFAS contaminants into non-harmful fluoride, potentially a waterscape game-changer.
- Healthcare Innovation: South Australian scientists have created nanoparticles that not only detect, but also reduce, arterial plaque, combining diagnosis with treatment in a minute package.
6. Events & Culture
- World Games 2025: The World Games took place in Chengdu, China, from August 7–17, showcasing under-the-radar sports and international athletes uniting for non-Olympic competition.
- Miss Universe India 2025: Manika Vishwakarma was crowned Miss Universe India on August 18 in Jaipur. She will compete for India at the international pageant in Thailand later this year.
- Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Deal: A historic peace accord, facilitated by the U.S., concluded decades of war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, signed on August 8.
- Political Change in Thailand: On August 30, Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office due to a leaked phone call misconduct.
- Humanitarian Alerts: The UN announced famine in Gaza (August 22) at the most severe Phase 5 stage, over half a million individuals were reported to be suffering from starvation, destitution, and death.
- Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025: Kicking off August 22 in England, this women’s sporting showcase brings rugby’s flagging deserves centre stage.
7. Global Incidents & Disasters
- Herat Tragedy: A fatal accident in Herat Province of Afghanistan (August 19) killed a minimum of 79 migrants attempting to make their way back from Iran in an overpacked bus that crashed and exploded.
- Kishtwar Cloudburst: In Jammu & Kashmir, 65 people died and over 167 were injured after a cloudburst triggered sudden flooding, a stark reminder of India’s vulnerability to extreme weather.
