World Archery Championship 2025

Context: India won its maiden gold medal in the men’s compound team event at the World Archery Championships in Gwangju, South Korea (September 7, 2025).

Key Highlights

Men’s Compound Team: Gold

• Winners: Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini, Prathamesh Fuge.
• Final Result: India beat France (Nicolas Girard, Jean Philippe Boulch, Francois Dubois) 235–233.
• Match Summary:
  • Lost 1st end (57–59), bounced back in 2nd (60–58).
  • 3rd end tied (59–59).
  • The final end sealed with three 10s, while France faltered (59–57).
• Road to Final: Defeated Australia, USA, and Turkey.

Mixed Team: Silver

• Pair: Rishabh Yadav & Jyothi Surekha Vennam.
• Result: Lost to Netherlands (Sanne de Laat, Mike Schloesser) 155–157.
• Match Breakdown: (39-38, 37-39, 40-40, 39-40).

SWIFT ISO 20022

Context: Indian banks are accelerating efforts to implement SWIFT ISO 20022 by the November 2025 deadline, with partial migration already completed.

About SWIFT

• Introduction: The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is a global provider of secure financial messaging services, connecting banks and institutions worldwide.
• Establishment: 1973 in Brussels, Belgium.
• Headquarter: La Hulpe, Belgium.
• Operation: Overseen by a consortium of central banks from the G10 countries (including the U.S., UK, Japan, Germany, and others), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), which holds a lead oversight role.
• Role
• • It facilitates cross-border payments, securities transactions, treasury operations, and trade-related communication.
  • Over 11,000 institutions across 200+ countries rely on SWIFT for standardized, secure, and fast financial communication.

SWIFT ISO 20022

• ISO 20022 is the new global standard for electronic data interchange between financial institutions.
• Features: It enables richer, structured, and more detailed payment data compared to legacy MT (Message Type) standards.
  • The standard supports automation, compliance checks, fraud detection, and real-time payments.
• Global Compliance: The mandatory global migration deadline is November 2025.
• Target: Indian banks must achieve 100% migration to SWIFT ISO 20022 by November 22, 2025, aligning with global requirements.
  • Failure could disrupt international payment flows and attract penalties.
• Achievements So Far: By August 2025, Indian banks had achieved around 40% implementation of the new standard.
  • Major banks, including State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank, have already migrated key operations.

RBI’s Direction on SWIFT ISO 20022

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, has mandated strict compliance with ISO 20022 timelines.
• RBI has directed banks to prioritize investment in IT systems, cybersecurity, and message validation tools to ensure error-free adoption.

Blood Moon

Context: On September 8, 2025, Asia, Australia, and parts of Africa witnessed a Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse turning the moon red.

What is a Lunar Eclipse?

• A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon, aligning the sun, earth, and moon in a straight line.
• Types of Eclipse: If the moon passes through the umbra (darkest shadow), it causes a total eclipse; passing through the penumbra (outer shadow) causes a partial or subtle dimming.
• Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye.

What is a Blood Moon?

• A Blood Moon appears during a total lunar eclipse when only filtered red sunlight, scattered by earth’s atmosphere, reaches the moon.
• The Rayleigh scattering phenomenon, also responsible for blue skies and red sunsets, makes the moon glow red.

Astronomical and Environmental Significance

• The intensity of the red colour reflects atmospheric conditions; more pollutants or volcanic ash make the moon appear darker or deeper red.
• Historical records of Blood Moons have helped scientists link volcanic eruptions to atmospheric changes in medieval times.

Hockey Asia Cup 2025

Context: On September 7, 2025, India defeated Korea 4-1 in the men’s Hockey Asia Cup final at Rajgir, securing the title and a World Cup berth.

About Hockey Asia Cup 2025

• Introduction: The 2025 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup was the 12th edition of the tournament, organized by the Asian Hockey Federation.
  • It is held every four years as Asia’s premier men’s field hockey competition.
  • The previous edition was held in 2022, delayed from its original schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • South Korea entered 2025 as the defending champions.
• Venue: The tournament was hosted at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium in the Rajgir Sports Complex, India, from 29 August to 7 September 2025.
• Participants in 2025: A total of 8 teams; India, Korea, China, Malaysia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan competed in the tournament.
  • Pakistan withdrew due to security and financial constraints, replaced by Bangladesh.
  • Oman withdrew citing financial reasons, replaced by Kazakhstan.
• Final Outcome: India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, dominating the Super 4s stage with wins over Malaysia and China, and a draw with Korea.
  • In the final, Sukhjeet Singh and Dilpreet Singh scored in the first half; Dilpreet added another, and Amit Rohidas sealed the 4-1 victory.
• Qualification: With the triumph, India booked automatic qualification for the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Sree Narayana Guru

Context: Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the vision of Sree Narayana Guru on his 171st birth anniversary, praising his teachings of equality and compassion.

About Sree Narayana Guru

• Sree Narayana Guru (1856–1928) was a saint, philosopher, poet, social reformer, and spiritual leader from Kerala.
• Early Life: He was born on 22 August 1856 (1032 Chingam, Malayalam calendar) in a humble cottage at Chempazhanthi, near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
  • From an early age, he questioned superstitions and social taboos, later undergoing penance and meditation before attaining enlightenment.
• Social Contributions:
  • Guiding principle: “One caste, one religion, one God for humanity”, became the cornerstone of his reformist philosophy.
  • Breaking the Monopoly: In 1888, he consecrated a Shiva Lingam at Aruvippuram, breaking the Brahminical monopoly on temple rituals.
  • SNDP Yogam: In 1903, along with reformer Dr. P. Palpu co-founded the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam to promote education and fight caste discrimination.
• Spiritual Contributions:
  • In 1904, he established the Sivagiri Matha near Varkkallai, which later became a hub of reformist thought.
  • In 1914, he founded an ashram at Aluva, where he organized inter-religious and comparative religion conferences, encouraging harmony and dialogue.
• Literary and Philosophical Works: He composed poems, hymns, and philosophical writings in Malayalam and Sanskrit such as Daiva Daśakam , contributing to spiritual and literary heritage.
  • His works blended Vedantic philosophy with social reform ideals, making spirituality accessible to the masses.
• Influence: Guru’s vision attracted Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and other reformers who admired his ideals.
  • His life and teachings continue to inspire movements for social justice, equality, and education in India.

US Open 2025

Context: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the US Open men’s singles final, securing his sixth Grand Slam title and regaining the World No. 1 ranking.

• SinCaraz Era: Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly dominates men’s tennis, winning eight of last Major titles over two seasons.

Results of US Open 2025 

• Men’s Singles: Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) defeated Jannik Sinner (Italy) to claim his second US Open and sixth Grand Slam title overall.
• Women’s Singles: Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) defeated Amanda Anisimova (USA), defending her title and reinforcing her position atop the WTA rankings.
• Men’s Doubles: Marcel Granollers (Spain) and Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) beat Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski (UK) to win the title.
• Women’s Doubles: Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) defeated Kateřina Siniaková (Czech Republic) and Taylor Townsend (USA) to clinch the championship.
• Mixed Doubles: Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (Italy) triumphed over Iga Świątek (Poland) and Casper Ruud (Norway) to take the mixed doubles crown.

What is a Grand Slam in Tennis?

• A Grand Slam in tennis refers to winning all four major championships—Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open—in the same calendar year.
• Common Misuse: The term is often loosely applied to players who win all four majors across different years, but this is not a true Grand Slam.
• Grand Slam Title vs. Grand Slam: Winning any one of the four tournaments is called a Grand Slam title. A Grand Slam requires winning all four in a single season.

Players Who Have Achieved a Calendar-Year Grand Slam (Singles)

• Don Budge (USA) – 1938
• Maureen Connolly (USA) – 1953
• Rod Laver (Australia) – 1962 and 1969 (only player to achieve it twice)
• Margaret Smith Court (Australia) – 1970
• Steffi Graf (Germany) – 1988

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