Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Current affairs for KBC

Mohsin Naqvi is a prominent Pakistani politician, media owner, and administrator who became the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in February 2024 and President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in April 2025. During the 2025 Asia Cup final, the Indian cricket team refused to accept the trophy from him, citing his high-profile role in Pakistan’s government and provocative social media posts as reasons for their protest. The official presentation ceremony was canceled after a lengthy delay, and the trophy and medals were removed from the venue, leading to an international controversy.

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The Pentagon is urgently pushing U.S. missile manufacturers to double or even quadruple their production rates of 12 critical weapons systems to prepare for a potential future conflict with China. This initiative, called the Munitions Acceleration Council and led hands-on by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, involves frequent high-level meetings with defense contractors to accelerate production despite challenges like long assembly times and funding needs. The Pentagon aims to produce nearly 2,000 Patriot missiles annually, about four times the current rate, and expand capabilities for missiles such as Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, Standard Missile-6, and Precision Strike Missiles. However, experts warn that significantly increasing production will require substantial additional investments, long testing periods, and overcoming supply-chain bottlenecks. This effort reflects concerns over low U.S. weapons stockpiles amid rising geopolitical tensions with China and global conflicts straining missile inventories.

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The iconic era of Hyderabad City Police dates back to 1847 during the Nizam's rule, when the police commissioner system was established. The head of the city police was known as "Kotwal-e-Balda" and was directly accountable to the Nizam. The force had a unique hierarchy and uniforms, and the city was heavily secured with gates and armed guards ensuring strict law and order in a walled city. Over time, the police system evolved with divisions and zones to manage increasing population and crime. The historic Kotwal House in Purani Haveli served as the police commissioner's office and remains a symbolic landmark of Hyderabad police history. Notable figures like Raja Bahadur Venkatram Reddy contributed significantly to the police administration during this era, earning public respect. Even in modern times, efforts continue to preserve the heritage of Hyderabad City Police through restoration of its century-old buildings.

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Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has warned that artificial intelligence will "change literally every job" at the country's largest private employer. While some jobs will be eliminated due to automation and AI tools like chatbots, new roles—such as AI “agent builders” who develop AI tools—will also be created. Walmart plans to keep its global workforce stable at around 2.1 million workers over the next three years but expects a significant shift in the composition of job types. The company is actively tracking which jobs will increase, decrease, or remain steady to guide worker training and adaptation efforts. McMillon emphasized the importance of helping workers "make it to the other side" of this AI-driven transformation, with some roles growing in areas like home delivery and customer interaction, even as others become more automated. This reflects broader industry trends where AI is reshaping the labor market, but human skills and adaptability remain critical.

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Tech rivals Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are competing fiercely in the AI and robotics space. In 2023, Meta under Zuckerberg introduced AI-powered smart glasses, integrating AI assistants into wearable devices aiming to someday replace smartphones. Meanwhile, Musk’s Tesla is developing humanoid robots called Optimus that learn tasks by watching human videos online, leveraging Tesla’s advanced computer vision from its autonomous vehicles. Both see humanoid robots and AI as game-changing future technologies, with Zuckerberg investing heavily in AI infrastructure and recruiting top robotics experts to catch up with Musk’s robotics advances. The rivalry, once limited to social media and business, is heating up in AI and robotics innovation, potentially shaping the future of human-robot interaction by 2040.

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World Heart Day (September 29) highlights the global burden of cardiovascular diseases, which claimed 19.8 million lives in 2022 (32% of all deaths worldwide), with 85% due to heart attacks and strokes, according to the WHO.

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On September 26, the Supreme Court was informed that 8 out of 10 posts of Information Commissioners, including the Chief Information Commissioner, are lying vacant at the Central Information Commission, which currently has over 26,800 pending cases, prompting the court to direct the Union government to expedite appointments within three months.

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In June 2025, despite its record of harbouring terrorists and backing groups like LeT and JeM, Pakistan was shockingly chosen to head the UN’s Taliban Sanctions Committee and serve as vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council, raising serious questions on the UN’s credibility in combating global terrorism.

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Women now make up over 42% of India’s agricultural workforce, with female employment in the sector rising by 135% in the past decade — yet nearly one in three working women is unpaid, highlighting the urgent need for reforms that recognise women as equal farmers and empower them in value-added agri-chains.

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President Donald Trump recently advised pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen (sold as Tylenol), claiming it is linked to an increased risk of autism and ADHD in children. This claim is based on some studies suggesting an association, but experts emphasize that the evidence is complex and inconclusive, with many studies finding no causal link. The US FDA has announced label changes warning about the possible association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurological conditions, but medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists still consider acetaminophen the safest option for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. Experts warn that untreated fever or pain during pregnancy can pose greater risks than the potential but unproven drug-related risks.

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At the UN General Assembly in September 2025, President Donald Trump sharply criticized green energy and immigration.

He labeled green energy a "scam" and dismissed climate change as a "con job." Trump argued that nations must rely on fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal) and enforce strong borders to maintain power.

Trump specifically warned that "open immigration" and renewable energy policies were combining into a "double-tailed monster" that is destroying Europe. He urged countries to reject these policies to avoid decline.

The remarks were notable for their strong rejection of climate science and global efforts like the Paris Agreement, contradicting the views of many international leaders and experts who advocate for renewables for energy security and climate mitigation.

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India dominated the H-1B visa approvals in the 2024 fiscal year by a large margin, receiving about 71% of the total approved visas, which amounted to around 283,397 beneficiaries. China ranked second but at a distant share, with approximately 11.7% of the visas, around 46,680 approvals. Since the H-1B program began in 1990, India has consistently been the largest recipient of these visas. Other countries, including the Philippines, Canada, and South Korea, make up much smaller portions, each with around 1% or less of the total. The dominance of Indian applicants highlights the critical role Indian professionals play in the US skilled workforce, especially in sectors like technology and engineering.

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Dr. R. S. Jayasree of the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has become the first Malayali to receive the Women in Medicine Award conferred by the National Academy of Medical Sciences under the Union Health Ministry in 2025. She is a Senior Scientist specializing in biophotonics, working on advanced research in optical imaging, nanobiophotonics, and biomedical diagnostics, including technologies to cross the blood-brain barrier. This award recognizes her distinguished contributions as a female biomedical scientist in India.

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The co-founders of Wikipedia are Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Jimmy Wales is an American internet entrepreneur who provided the funding and vision for the project, while Larry Sanger, a philosopher and internet project developer, coined the name "Wikipedia" and helped develop many of its early policies. They launched Wikipedia together in January 2001, with Wales as the public face and Sanger acting as its first editor-in-chief. Their collaboration combined Wales's entrepreneurial skills and Sanger's academic background to create the world's largest free online encyclopedia.

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Surekha Yadav, Asia's first woman locomotive pilot, retired on September 30, 2025, after a remarkable 36-year career in Indian Railways. She began her journey in 1989 as an assistant loco pilot and broke many gender barriers by operating goods trains, passenger services, suburban locals, and prestigious trains like the Deccan Queen, Rajdhani Express, and the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express. She was the first woman in Asia to pilot such a range of trains and inspired over 2,000 women to join the Indian Railways as loco pilots. Known for her determination and pioneering spirit, Yadav’s trailblazing journey symbolizes women empowerment in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her retirement was marked by tributes from colleagues, officials, and prominent figures like Anand Mahindra, who called her a pioneer.

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