Current Affairs 18 August 2025

Foxconn Launches Bengaluru Plant for iPhone 17 Production in India.

• Company: Foxconn, Apple’s largest manufacturing partner.
• Facility: New plant in Devanahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Product: Begins production of iPhone 17.
• Global ranking: Bengaluru unit is Foxconn’s second-largest plant globally outside China.
• Strategic impact: Strengthens India’s role in Apple’s global supply chain.

Russia Plans Venera-D Mission to Venus with Launch by 2036.

• Mission name: Venera-D, Russia’s next Venus exploration mission.
• Objective: To revisit Venus with advanced scientific instruments.
• Timeline: Preliminary design starts January 2026; launch between 2034–2036.
• Collaborators: Space Research Institute (IKI) and Lavochkin Association.
• Components: Mission will include a lander, balloon probe, and orbital spacecraft.

NPCI to Discontinue P2P UPI "Collect Requests" from October 2025.

• To combat financial fraud, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has directed banks and payment apps to discontinue peer-to-peer (P2P) collect requests on UPI by October 1, 2025.
• This decision impacts major UPI apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm.
• The move aims to enhance security by ensuring all P2P transactions are payer-initiated, reducing the risk of fraud.

Ambanis Top 2025 Hurun India Most Valuable Family Businesses List.

• Top family: Ambani family leads 2025 Hurun India Most Valuable Family Businesses list.
• Valuation: ₹28.2 lakh crore, nearly 1/12th of India’s GDP.
• Leadership: Mukesh Ambani heads Reliance Industries, dominating energy, telecom, retail, and digital sectors.
• Growth: Ambani wealth rose 10% YoY, showing consistent growth despite global uncertainties.

Real Madrid Named Most Valuable Football Club in Brand Finance 2025.

• Real Madrid crowned the world’s most valuable football club in the Brand Finance Football 50-2025 report.
• Brand value of €1.921 billion and a near-perfect brand strength score of 94.9.
• Real Madrid holds the top spot for the fourth consecutive year.
• FC Barcelona ranked second with a brand value of €1.7 billion, up 11%, returning to second place for the first time since 2021.