This is the current affairs of 17 & 18 March 2025. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. At which place in India was the conference of heads of intelligence agencies from all over the world held in March 2025?
a. Delhi
b. Chennai
c. Kolkata
d. Gandhinagar
Answer: a. Delhi
– The 2025 conference was held amidst global uncertainties arising from the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and the impacts of these uncertainties on major issues around the world.
– Name of the conference: Conference of Global Intelligence and Security Chiefs
– Date of the event: March 16, 2025
– Edition: 4th Conference
– Organized by: Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) {Both of these report to NSA Ajit Doval.} The conference was hosted by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, R&AW Chief Ravi Sinha, and Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka.
– The conference is held before which event: Raisina Dialogue
– Modeled after which conference: This event is organized in the style of the Munich Security Conference and the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Agenda of the Conference:
– Counterterrorism
– Indo-Pacific cooperation
– Global challenges
– Global security and intelligence-sharing mechanisms
– Immigration and extradition
– Transnational crimes, narcotics, and terror funding
(Note: Sharing intelligence on transnational crimes and counterterrorism was a key issue for India.)
Which countries’ intelligence agency chiefs participated:
– According to official sources cited by The Hindu newspaper, more than 28 people attended the conference.
– Chiefs or other officials from the intelligence agencies of 20 countries were present.
– The leaders of the Five Eyes countries attended the meeting, which include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
– U.S. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, and New Zealand’s Intelligence Chief Andrew Hampton participated in the meeting. Their gathering in New Delhi signals close ties between India and its partners in terms of security and intelligence cooperation.
– Canadian intelligence chief Daniel Rogers also attended the conference. His visit came at a time when Canada and India are looking to rebuild their bilateral relations after a deep deterioration caused by the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case. Canada’s new Prime Minister…
When was the first conference held?
– The conference was held for the first time in April 2022.
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2. What is the Raisina Dialogue, the 10th edition of which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2025?
a. Russia-India Summit
b. Conference of Presidents of the World
c. Annual Conference on Geopolitics and Geo-economics
d. India ASEAN Summit
Answer: c. Annual Conference on Geopolitics and Geo-economics
– The Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
– Its purpose is to address the world’s most challenging issues.
– This conference is held in New Delhi.
– It brings together people from political, business, media, and civil society backgrounds from around the world.
– The Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation hosts the conference in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Raisina Dialogue 2025:
– The inaugural edition was launched in 2016.
– The 2025 edition: 10th
– Inauguration: March 17, 2025
– Dates: March 17 to 19 (three days)
– Chief Guest: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
– 2025 theme: ‘Kalachakra – People, Peace, and Planet’
Six ‘Thematic Pillars’ for 2025:
(i) Politics Interrupted: Shifting Sands and Rising Tides
(ii) Resolving the Green Trilemma: Who, Where, & How
(iii) Digital Planet: Agents, Agencies, and Absences
(iv) Militant Mercantilism: Trade, Supply Chains & the Exchange Rate Addiction
(v) The Tiger’s Tale: Rewriting Development with a New Plan
(vi) Investing in Peace: Drivers, Institutions, & Leadership
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3. Who participated as the chief guest of Raisina Dialogue Conference 2025?
a. Vladimir Putin (President of Russia)
b. Rishi Sunak (PM of UK)
c. Christopher Luxon (PM of New Zealand)
d. Kyriakos Mitsotakis (PM of Greece)
Answer: c. Christopher Luxon (PM of New Zealand)
New Zealand
– It is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
– Capital: Wellington
– PM: Christopher Luxon
– Currency: New Zealand Dollar
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4. Ramakant Rath, the famous poet of which language, died on 16 March 2025?
a. Gujarati
b. Tamil
c. Odia
d. Hindi
Answer: c. Odia
– Ramakant passed away on March 16, 2025, at his residence in the Kharavel Nagar area of Bhubaneswar.
– He was 90 years old and was a former civil servant.
– Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that his last rites would be performed with full state honors. Several prominent leaders also paid tribute to him.
Some of his major poetry collections:
– Kete Dinara (1962)
– Aneka Kothari (1967)
– Sandigdha Mrigaya (1971)
– Saptama Rutu (1977)
– Sachitra Andhara (1982)
– Shri Radha (1985)
– Shreshtha Kavita (1992)
– Some of his poems have been translated into English and other languages.
Honors received by him:
1977 – Sahitya Akademi Award
1984 – Sarala Award
1990 – Bishuwa Samman
2009 – Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
2006 – Padma Bhushan
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5. Which airport of India has been chosen as the best airport in the Asia Pacific region?
a. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad)
b. Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru)
c. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai)
d. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) Delhi
Answer: d. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI)
– Indira Gandhi International Airport has been named the best airport in the Asia-Pacific region for the seventh time.
– Delhi International Airport has been declared the best in the Asia-Pacific region for the “40 million or more passengers” category for 2024.
– More than 400 airports across the country participated in this.
– The award ceremony will be held on September 10, 2025, in Guangzhou, China.
– Prior to this, Indira Gandhi Airport had won this title continuously for six years between 2018 and 2023.
– The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards, presented by Airports Council International, are considered the gold standard in airport experience.
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6. Which team won the title of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025?
a. Mumbai Indians
b. UP Warriors
c. Delhi Capitals
d. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Answer: a. Mumbai Indians
– Mumbai Indians won the WPL title for the second time in three years.
– The team defeated Delhi Capitals by 8 runs in the final match held on March 15, 2025, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
– Mumbai scored 149 runs, losing 7 wickets, while Delhi could only manage 141 runs.
– Delhi has been the runner-up for the third consecutive time.
– Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 66 runs.
– WPL started in 2023, and Mumbai had defeated Delhi in the final to win the title that year as well.
– In the second season, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the title.
– Now, in the third season (2025), Mumbai has once again won the title.
Award winners:
– Player of the Match: Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians)
– Player of the Tournament: Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians)
– Orange Cap: Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians)
– Purple Cap: Amelia Kerr (Mumbai Indians)
Other award winners:
– Highest Strike Rate: Chinelle Henry (UP Warriors)
– Most Sixes: Ashleigh Gardner (Gujarat Giants)
– Best Catch of the Season: Annabel Sutherland (Delhi Capitals)
– Most Dot Balls Bowled: Shabnim Ismail (Mumbai Indians)
– Emerging Player of the Season: Amanjot Kaur (Mumbai Indians)
– Fair Play Award: Gujarat Giants
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7. Former cricketer and all-rounder Syed Abid Ali passed away, he played for which country?
a. Pakistan
b. Sri Lanka
c. India
d. Bangladesh
Answer: c. India
– Former Indian all-rounder Syed Abid Ali passed away on March 12, 2025.
– Abid Ali, 83 years old, was a medium pace bowler.
– He played 29 Test matches for India, scoring 1,018 runs and taking 47 wickets.
– He made a spectacular start to his Test career in 1967-68 in Brisbane against Australia.
– As a coach, Abid managed the Hyderabad junior team, as well as the national teams of the Maldives and UAE. He also served as a mentor for the Telangana Cricket Association.
– He was the captain of the Andhra team that won the South Zone League in the 2001-02 Ranji Trophy.
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8. Who has been appointed the Chairman of Tata Communications?
a. Natarajan Chandrasekharan
b. N. Ganapati Subramaniam
c. Cyrus Mistry
d. Manoj Shekhar Rao
Answer: b. N. Ganapati Subramaniam
– Tata Communications announced on March 15, 2025, the appointment of N Ganapati as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
– The company stated that Subramanyam, a non-executive, non-independent director, will take on a leadership role to drive the company’s strategic direction forward.
– N Ganapati Subramanyam was associated with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for 40 years.
– He retired as the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of TCS in May 2024.
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9. When is World Consumer Rights Day celebrated?
a. 10 March
b. 15 March
c. 20 March
d. 30 March
Answer: b. 15 March
Theme 2025
– A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles
– World Consumer Rights Day was first celebrated in 1983. This day is inspired by the historic speech delivered by U.S. President John F. Kennedy to the U.S. Congress on March 15, 1962, in which he highlighted four fundamental consumer rights.
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10. Which of the following has been declared as the official national language by the United States of America (USA)?
a. Hindi
b. French
c. German
d. English
Answer: d. English
– President Donald Trump announced in March 2025 that English will now be the official language of the United States.
– Language Assistance Program Ended: Previously, a rule was implemented during President Bill Clinton’s tenure, which required organizations receiving government funding and federal agencies to provide services in multiple languages. This rule has now been removed.
– Agencies Given Freedom to Choose Language Services: Government offices and federally funded organizations will now decide for themselves whether they will provide services and documents in other languages.
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11. According to scientists, the world’s largest iceberg is stuck near a remote Antarctic island in March 2025, what is its name?
a. A23a
b. A-76
c. B-15
d. A23b
Answer: a. A23a
– Iceberg: Large pieces of ice that break off from glaciers or ice shelves and float in the sea.
– They are found in oceans surrounding Antarctica, the Arctic and sub-Arctic seas, Arctic fjords, and lakes filled with glaciers.
– On March 4, 2025, a research organization reported that the world’s largest iceberg had become stuck about 70 kilometers away from a remote Antarctic island.
– This may have saved important wildlife habitats from being affected.
– The massive iceberg, A23a, which is twice the size of Greater London and weighs about one trillion tons, has been drifting north from Antarctica towards South Georgia Island since 2020.
– There are concerns that it could collide with ships or become stuck in shallow waters near the island.
– However, according to a statement from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), this massive ice wall has been stuck 73 kilometers (45 miles) from the island since March 1.
– BAS marine scientist Andrew Meiers said, “If the iceberg remains grounded, we don’t expect it to have much impact on local wildlife.”
– Satellite imagery had previously revealed that this iceberg was not breaking into smaller chunks, as icebergs often do.
– However, a 19-kilometer-long piece did break off in January.
Impact on Wildlife
– Animals like penguins and seals may have to travel much farther to cross the massive ice chunk.
– Marine scientists have said, “This could reduce the amount of food available to pups and chicks on the island, leading to an increase in mortality rates.”
– The nutrients generated by the iceberg grounding and melting may increase the availability of food for the entire regional ecosystem, including penguins and seals.
– Along with the nearby South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia is home to five million seals and 65 million breeding birds of 30 different species.
On Climate Change
– This iceberg does not pose a threat to ships; they can easily avoid it.
– However, marine scientist Meiers stated that as the iceberg breaks into smaller pieces, some areas may be restricted to commercial fishing vessels, “because there will be smaller—though often more dangerous—marine chunks.”
– South Georgia has no permanent human population, and it is administered by the UK as a British overseas territory.
– Meiers emphasized that such massive icebergs are a “completely normal part of Antarctica’s ice sheet lifecycle.”
– He noted that since 2000, 6,000 billion tons of ice have been lost from ice shelves, which is equivalent to the rapid ice loss caused by climate change.
– Researchers have warned that if the Earth’s average temperature rises by 1.5 to 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, it could melt enough ice to raise sea levels by up to a dozen meters.
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