Daily Current Affairs – 24-09-2025
Sports News
Ousmane Dembélé Wins Ballon d’Or; Aitana Bonmatí Secures Historic Hat-trick
The 69th Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in Paris crowned France’s Ousmane Dembélé (28) as the Best Men’s Player and Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí (27) as the Best Women’s Player. The Ballon d’Or, awarded since 1956 by France Football magazine, remains one of football’s most prestigious honours.
Best Men’s Player – Ousmane Dembélé
Represents Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Outperformed Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Vitinha (PSG).
6th French player to win the award after legends like Zidane and Platini.
Stats last season: 53 matches, 35 goals, 16 assists; key role in PSG’s Champions League victory, with 2 crucial semi-final goals.
Best Women’s Player – Aitana Bonmatí
Star midfielder for FC Barcelona Femení.
Outvoted compatriot Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal) and England’s Alessia Russo (Arsenal).
Achieved a hat-trick of Ballon d’Or titles (2023–25), joining Platini and Messi in back-to-back wins.
Inspired Spain to the UEFA Women’s Euro final, even after recovering from illness.
Women’s Ballon d’Or winners (last 5): Alexia Putellas (2021–22), Bonmatí (2023–25).
Other Major Awards
Kopa Trophy: Lamine Yamal (18, Barcelona); Women’s – Vicky López (19, Barcelona).
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper): Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, Napoli).
Gerd Müller Trophy (Best Striker): Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP, 63 goals); Women’s – Ewa Pajor (Barcelona, 43 goals).
Best Teams: Men’s – Real Madrid; Women’s – Arsenal.
Best Coaches: Men’s – Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona); Women’s – Emma Hayes (Chelsea).
Tamil Nadu News
Tamil Nadu Plans 10,000 MW Solar Power Expansion in Next 5 Years
The Tamil Nadu government will increase solar power generation by 10,000 MW and wind power by 2,000 MW over the next five years as part of its energy transition goals, Electricity Minister S.S. Sivasankar announced at the 6th International Energy Conference and Exhibition in Delhi.
Tamil Nadu currently has a renewable energy capacity of 25,500 MW, ranking 3rd in India. The state stands 2nd in wind power (11,500 MW) and 4th in solar power (10,700 MW), along with 2,323 MW hydropower. Rooftop solar has grown from 239 MW to 290 MW following the Prime Minister’s Surya Ghar scheme.
Sivasankar highlighted that Tamil Nadu is one of the largest renewable energy states in India with over 20 GW installed capacity, of which 10 GW comes from wind alone. He stressed that the government under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin sees energy transition not just as expanding policies, but also as ensuring integration, innovation, and cooperation.
The event was attended by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi, and Delhi Power Minister Atishi Marlena, among others.
Area of Mangrove Forests in Tamil Nadu Has Increased: Report Released at First Conference
The first conference on mangrove forests in Tamil Nadu revealed that the area of mangrove cover in the state has increased.
The event, organized by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department at Mamallapuram, was inaugurated by Minister for Forests and Wetlands R.S. Rajakannappan, who released a report titled “Tamil Nadu’s Mangrove Journey.”
Over the past four years, mangrove forests have expanded through the planting of saplings across 2,400 hectares and the restoration of 1,200 hectares of wetlands.
During the conference, a renewed cooperation agreement was signed between the Departments of Environment & Climate Change, Forests, Municipal Administration, Housing, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The agreement covers areas such as urban heat reduction, plastic waste management, air quality, green jobs, and blue economy initiatives.
Additionally, another agreement was signed between the Environment and Climate Change Department and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation to promote climate literacy initiatives statewide and strengthen coastal and marine protection.
Minister Rajakannappan emphasized that while protecting coastal ecosystems, the government also aims to enhance the livelihoods of coastal communities.
The conference was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu, UNEP India Head Balakrishna Pathri, MSSRF Chairperson Soumya Swaminathan, Erik Solheim, Nirmala Raja, Dr. Ramesh Ramachandran, G. Sundararajan, and Dr. Kalaiarasan.