Monday, Dec 08
Daily current affairs for 8 December 2025 with exam-focused key facts, connected news context, and revision notes for UPSC, SSC, banking and government exams.
Today at a glance
Key Updates:
Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2025 was observed from 24th to 28th November 2025. The event is organised annually by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
World Sustainable Transport Day is observed globally on 29th November. The theme for World Sustainable Transport Day 2025 focuses on accelerating clean, inclusive, and resilient mobility.
Scheme Name: 'Yatri Sewa Diwas 2025' launched by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu from Hindon Airport. Objective: Improve passenger experience and reaffirm commitment to seamless, dignified…
The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is observed on 07 September 2025. The day is described as a global emergency highlighting that "nearly every person on Earth breathes air that is unsafe, contributing to…
Key Updates:
Award recipient: Sai Gautam Gopalakrishnan, associate professor of materials engineering at IISc Bengaluru Research focus: leads a computational materials science group at IISc
The International Day of Science, Technology, and Innovation for the South is observed on September 16th. The United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed September 16th as this day on 9 January 2024, adopting…
Programme backed by India’s Department for Science and Technology (DST) and London Institute for Mathematical Sciences (LIMS) Phase one selects Indian PhD students as Ramanujan Junior Visitors from Jawaharlal Nehru…
Event name: Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC); organising agency: Department of Science and Technology (DST) Venue: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi; scheduled dates: 3-4 November
Key Updates:
The Ministry of Education will host the fourth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) 4.0 starting December 2. This event will be celebrating the profound civilisational links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi.
Shardiya Navratri 2025 begins on 22 September and ends on 2 October, making it a 10-day celebration this year. Day-wise colours: 22 Sept – White, 23 Sept – Red, 24 Sept – Royal blue, 25 Sept – Yellow, 26 Sept – Green, 27…
Hindus celebrate Govardhan Puja on October 22, 2025. Another name for this festival is Annakut or Annakoot.
The Dindi Mahotsav is celebrating its 116th edition. The festival was accorded the status of a state-level celebration by the government earlier this year.
Key Updates:
The 7th India International Seaweed Expo and Summit 2026 will be hosted by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Jointly organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), CMFRI, and the CSIR–Central Salt…
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has joined the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as an Adopter APSEZ pledges to begin nature-related reporting from the financial year 2026
Scheme Name: Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Objective: Promote city-level competition to expedite air-quality improvement; annual survey…
Scheme Name: Environment Audit Rules, 2025; Notified by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Objective: "to prevent Environment Degradation while promoting Sustainable Development and Ease of Doing…
Key Updates:
Exercise Trishul: tri-service 12-day drill in Rajasthan & Gujarat involving ~40,000 troops, warships, missile batteries, special forces, Rafale & Su-30 aircraft to test post-Sindoor readiness against Pakistan Exercise…
Exercise name: 'Ajeya Warrior-25' (8th edition) Location: Mahajan field firing ranges, Bikaner district, Rajasthan
Exercise name: Zapad 2025; location: Mulino Training Ground, Nizhniy, Russia Indian contingent: 57 Army (led by Kumaon Regiment battalion), 7 IAF, 1 Navy personnel
Event Name: Young Leaders Forum (YLF) 'Veer Yuva' organised by Indian Army with CLAWS as pre-event to third edition of Chanakya Defence Dialogue (CDD) 2025 Venue: Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi
Key Updates:
Species: Giant African Snail (Lissachatina fulica) – the world’s largest land snail First US mainland detection: 1966 in Miami after a boy reportedly brought three snails from Hawaii
A new spider species, named Aptostichus ramirezae, was discovered. This species is a type of trapdoor spider found hidden in California's coastal sand dunes.
A new freshwater fish species was found in the Taretlok river of Manipur’s Kamjong district. The new species is named Garra nambashiensis.
The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is recognized as one of the most invasive destructive species globally. Originally from Central and South America, cane toads were introduced to other regions, such as Australia, to manage…
Key Updates:
India expressed 'strong support' to Brazil for the inclusive leadership at CoP30. India welcomed progress under the Global Goal on Adaptation, noting it reflects recognition of the overwhelming need for adaptation in…
Bangladesh became the first country in South Asia to join the U.N.’s Water Convention, officially known as the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. The convention…
Event: ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Participants: ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners — Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the…
The event attended by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting - Plus (ADMM-Plus). The meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Key Updates:
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the Third India-Indonesia Defence Ministers' Dialogue with Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in New Delhi. Both nations adopted a shared vision on maritime…
Name: Great Nicobar Project; spear-headed by NITI Aayog with ANIIDCO (Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation). Objective: Build an International Container Transshipment Terminal (deep-sea port at…
A two-member Indian Coast Guard (ICG) delegation, led by Director General Paramesh Sivamani, is participating in the 4th Coast Guard Global Summit (CGGS). The summit is being held in Rome, Italy, from September 11–12.
Event: India Maritime Week 2025 (IMW 2025) organised by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in partnership with Indian Ports Association Location: NESCO Grounds (Bombay Exhibition Centre), Mumbai
Key Updates:
Astronomers believe they may have discovered evidence of a mysterious structure far beyond Neptune, hidden deep inside the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt extends approximately 30 to 50 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun…
Discovered two asteroids—2020 CM24 in Class VIII and 2021 CM37 two years later—through the International Astronomical Collaboration’s Asteroid Search Campaign Represented India at the 2021 Astronomy and Astrophysics…
India has secured nine major world records in space exploration – ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014 made India the first nation to reach Mars on its maiden attempt
Veteran archaeologist from Dharwad Ravindra Korisettar has been selected for the Rajyotsava Award. Prof. Korisettar is a UGC Emeritus Fellow in the Department of History and Archaeology in Karnatak University of Dharwad.
Key Updates:
Alphabet's Google opened its largest artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure hardware engineering centre outside of the United States. The new AI infrastructure hardware engineering centre is located in Taiwan.
Google has started rolling out Gemini 3 Deep Think mode to Google AI Ultra subscribers using the Gemini app. The feature is designed for demanding maths, science and logic tasks, supported by advanced parallel reasoning.
Uber Technologies Inc. is setting a goal to eventually have a fleet of 100,000 autonomous vehicles. These autonomous vehicles will be powered by Nvidia Corp. technology.
Nvidia has joined the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) as a founding member and strategic technical adviser. The IDTA is an industry-led consortium of investors, corporates, technology partners, and ecosystem stakeholders…
Key Updates:
The Election Commission has ordered a 'Special Revision' of Assam's electoral rolls. January 1, 2026, is the qualifying date for the revision exercise, with the final voter list scheduled for publication on February 10…
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department of Posts (DoP) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The MoU aims to expand BSNL's mobile connectivity reach across India for SIM sales and…
The upcoming Census in 2027 will be the country’s first fully digital Census, conducted by nearly 34 lakh enumerators. Enumerators will use their own smartphones and dedicated mobile applications to collect data and…
The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar cards as a valid proof of identity for voter list inclusion in Bihar, adding it as the 12th accepted document. Aadhaar cards shall be accepted as…
Key Updates:
The Assam government tabled a bill to create the Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission, a quasi-judicial body to preserve satras and regulate their lands. The commission will have civil-court powers under…
Senior forest officials, including the PCCF Wildlife, appeared before the Odisha Human Rights Commission regarding alleged inadequate compensation for families relocated from Satkosia Tiger Reserve. Complainants alleged…
The Supreme Court upheld the Allahabad High Court guidelines mandating that 'No arrest or police action shall be made before the lapse of two months from the lodging of the FIR or complaint under Section 498A IPC.'…
The Supreme Court held that the Court cannot impose any timelines for decisions of the President and the Governor on granting assent to Bills under the Constitution. A Constitutional bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai…
Key Updates:
Saudi Arabia and Russia have signed a historic mutual visa exemption agreement allowing citizens of both countries to stay visa free for up to 90 days. The agreement covers all passport types for tourism, business, and…
Imports of Russian pipeline gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) will be prohibited from six weeks after the regulation's entry into force, with a transition period for existing contracts. Russian gas accounts for an…
The International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures was observed for the first time on 4 December. This day was proclaimed in June 2025 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution titled “International…
Resolution adopted removes Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from UN sanctions targeting ISIL/Al-Qaida supporters US, UK and European Union had already lifted punitive…
Key Updates:
The UK and France have agreed a year-long scheme of exchanges of migrants to deter small boat crossings, known as the 'one in, one out' deal. Under the scheme, for each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant…
Guru Tegh Bahadur's 350th Martyrdom Day is observed as a public holiday in Delhi, honouring his sacrifice and teachings on human dignity and religious freedom. He became the ninth Sikh Guru in 1664 and led the community…
Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana Police jointly recovered 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate, arms, and bomb-making equipment in Faridabad. Two individuals, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, were arrested…
The terror attack figured prominently at the 44th meeting of the RATS held at Cholpon Ata in Kyrgyz Republic. The Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Wednesday condemned…
Key Updates:
Scheme Name: Ujjwala Yojana. Objective/Provision: Over 100 homes will receive power under the Ujjwala Yojana.
India’s leading PSU NTPC signed a strategic MoU with Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to accelerate global energy collaboration and power sector transformation. The MoU lays the foundation for extensive collaboration in…
Agreements signed between POWERGRID (India) and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for Inaruwa (Nepal)-New Purnea (India) 400 kV and Lamki (Dododhara) (Nepal)-Bareilly (India) 400 kV Double Circuit (Quad Moose)…
Non-fossil sources account for 51.37% of India’s installed electricity capacity while fossil fuels contribute 48.6%. Total power capacity hits 5.05 Lakh MW.
Key Updates:
The Lok Sabha passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha that look to repurpose levies on 'sin goods' such as tobacco, pan masala and related products ahead of the scheduled phaseout of the GST…
The government will introduce the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Winter session of Parliament to raise the FDI limit in insurance from 74% to 100%. The bill seeks to amend the Insurance Act 1938, the Life…
Scheme Names: SPREE-2025 (Scheme for Promoting Registration of Employers and Employees) and AMNESTY Scheme-2025 Implementing Agency: Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Ministry of Labour & Employment
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to introduce the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes changes to the Central Excise Act, 1944. The bill will replace the current GST compensation cess on…
Key Updates:
Justice Surya Kant took oath as India's 53rd Chief Justice at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, succeeding Justice B R Gavai. He is known for landmark rulings on issues such as Article 370, gender equality, free speech, and…
The Government of India has approved the Scheme for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration, 2025. The scheme will confer 5 awards under Category 1: Holistic Development of Districts under 11…
Nitish Kumar unanimously elected leader of JD(U) legislature party Will take oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the 10th time at Gandhi Maidan
Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri took oath as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. The oath was administered by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at Raj Bhavan.
Key Updates:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has made Passport Verification Record (PVR) available on DigiLocker to reduce reliance on…
Vehicle Name & Developer: Pravaig VEER all-terrain tactical electric vehicle developed by Bengaluru-based Pravaig Dynamics Key Capabilities: Stealth features, high mobility on deserts/mountains/forests, reduced acoustic…
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has granted Third-Party Application Provider (TPAP) approval to Viyona Fintech. This milestone enables Viyona to offer Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services in…
Visakhapatnam Port Authority and the Government of Andhra Pradesh signed an MoU for a ‘major port cum ship building and ship repair cluster’ at Dugarajapatnam with an investment commitment of ₹29,662 crore. VPA signed a…
Key Updates:
The final Battlefield Trek of the 63rd Walong Day Commemoration was conducted from Ashi Hill to Tri Jn Post, Arunachal Pradesh. The event witnessed the participation of 20 civilians, along with Indian Army personnel.
Exercise Name: 'AMOGH FURY' Integrated Fire Power Exercise Conducted by: Sapta Shakti Command of the Indian Army
Nyoma airbase, located about 35 km from the LAC in eastern Ladakh, was operationalised with a Rs 230 crore upgrade The upgrade included a 2.7-km rigid-pavement runway, new ATC complex, hangars, crash bay and…
The 19th edition of the annual India–Nepal joint military exercise 'SURYAKIRAN XIX – 2025' began at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. The exercise runs from 25 November to 08 December 2025.
Key Updates:
Russia's novel cancer vaccine, Enteromix, has demonstrated 100% efficacy and safety in initial human trials. The vaccine is designed to train the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells.
Russia has announced that its novel cancer vaccine, Enteromix, has demonstrated 100% efficacy and safety in initial human trials. Developed using the same mRNA technology as the COVID-19 vaccines, Enteromix is designed…
1 Bio has been established by the Telangana government through Telangana Lifesciences and Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Thermo…
Bharat Biotech is venturing into advanced therapies by launching Nucelion Therapeutics, a subsidiary focused on cell and gene therapies. This new entity will offer comprehensive development and manufacturing services for…
Key Updates:
GSH India Private Ltd (Indian arm of US-based GSH Group UK) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with IIIT Manipur to collaborate on facility management, IoT, sustainability and smart building systems. The partnership will…
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched CSIC 1.0 under the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) project. CSIC 1.0 invites students and researchers to solve real-world cyber…
RRP Electronics Ltd (Maharashtra’s first OSAT company) partners with Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) on the HGCAL project for the CMS experiment upgrade at CERN, Geneva. MoU with Polaron Infotech embeds…
**Cyber Bharat Setu:** A National Cybersecurity Exercise organized by the Directorate of Information Technology (DIT), Government of Tripura, in collaboration with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)…
Key Updates:
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launched two new insurance plans: Protection Plus (Plan 886) and Bima Kavach (Plan 887). LIC's Protection Plus (Plan 886) is a non-participating, linked life insurance plan with…
Ageas Federal Life Insurance has formed an SME Bancassurance Partnership with CSB Bank. Under the collaboration, customers of CSB Bank, especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), will be offered life insurance…
Ramakrishnan Chander has been appointed as the Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), with effect from December 1. Prior to this, he was the Executive Director (Investment – Front Office) & Chief…
Bank of Baroda and SIDBI Sign MoU to Boost Credit Access for MSMEs and Startups Across India. Partnership aims to enhance joint financing, streamline digital working capital, and expand global opportunities for small…
Key Updates:
Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) introduced the SWAGAT-FI framework for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) and Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs) through two separate notifications dated December 1.…
Name: Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund with corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore Implementing structure: Two-tier model—special purpose fund under Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) managed by Department…
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has granted Third-Party Application Provider (TPAP) approval to Viyona Fintech. This milestone enables Viyona to offer Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services in…
Scheme Name: Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) – fee waiver and validity extension initiative by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Key Feature: CRR registration, renewal, and qualification addition fees…
Key Updates:
Cardholders earn points equivalent to 5% on online purchases and 1% on offline transactions, including CRED Scan and Pay. Points can be redeemed across the CRED ecosystem, including the new flights product powered by…
Harmanpreet Kaur has been appointed as the first female brand ambassador of Punjab National Bank (PNB). The appointment was announced during the launch of PNB's new initiatives including the RuPay Metal Credit Card…
Razorpay becomes one of a select cohort of fintechs authorised to facilitate both inward and outward cross-border payments with complete regulatory oversight. Indian businesses can accept payments in over 130 currencies…
UPI-linked credit card transactions now account for nearly 40% of total credit card transactions by volume, up from 10% at the end of FY24. RuPay’s credit card market share has climbed to nearly 16%, from 3% two years…
Key Updates:
India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), London, in Category B, comprising 10 countries with the most significant interest in international seaborne trade. India secured…
Irfaan Ali has been re-elected for a second term as oil-rich Guyana’s president. He is a 45-year-old centre-left politician.
The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, addressed the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. The address was delivered at Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Key Updates:
Belgium clinched the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025 by defeating India 1-0 in the final. Thibeau Stockbroekx scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute.
Arjun Erigaisi defeated Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov in 30 moves with the white pieces. P Harikrishna beat Belgium’s Daniel Dardha in 25 moves using a sharp Sicilian Classical variation.
Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) became the youngest ever Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) World Cup champion, defeating China’s Wei Yi in a rapid tiebreak after two drawn classical games. Wei Yi (China) was the…
🇭🇰 Jason Gunawan won the Men’s Singles by defeating 🇮🇳 Srikanth Kidambi 21–16, 8–21, 22–20. 🇯🇵 Hina Akechi won the Women’s Singles by defeating 🇹🇷 Neslihan Arın 21–16, 21–14.
Key Updates:
Rajasthan sports minister Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced the grand opening at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The opening ceremony features Siddharth Mahadevan, Arunita Kanjilal, folk artists curated by Rajnigandha…
In a grand event at the historical Amer Fort here on Wednesday, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in association with the Government of Rajasthan and the Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC), launched the official…
The two-day National Agricultural Conference-Rabi Abhiyan 2025 will be organized from Monday. The conference will be chaired by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi.
Event Name: Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh Pakhwada; Organiser: Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) under National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. Duration…
Key Updates:
Paul Costelloe has died at the age of 80 following a short illness, surrounded by his wife and seven children in London. He was appointed personal designer to Princess Diana in 1983, an association that continued until…
Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA, has died aged 97. Watson shared the 1962 Nobel Prize with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for the DNA…
Baba Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director of Bharat Forge, has been conferred with the Holley Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The ASME Holley Award, established in 1924, recognizes…
Chen Ning Yang, Nobel laureate and one of the world's most influential physicists, has died at the age of 103 Yang and fellow theoretical physicist Lee Tsung-Dao were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957…