Weekly Current Affairs Test : 1st to 7th December 2025

Researchers found a nearly intact ancient pottery vessel near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, dating back over 10,000 years. It is Japan’s largest freshwater lake on Honshu, about 64 kilometres long and 672 square kilometres in area. The lake looks like a biwa musical instrument and is over four million years old. It is fed by mountain rivers and drains into Osaka Bay through the Yodo River. It supports fish, pearl culture, water supply, textile industries, and was listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1993.

Samudrayaan is India’s first manned deep-ocean submersible mission to reach 6,000 metres depth. Testing is delayed due to late supply of syntactic foam from France, now expected by year-end after testing in Norway. The project is led by National Institute of Ocean Technology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. A steel model has been tested up to 100 metres; a 500-metre trial is planned by April next year. The final titanium hull, built by Indian Space Research Organisation, will be tested in Russia. The mission will carry three crew members to collect seabed soil and rocks for future deep-sea mining.

Delhi High Court quashed the proceedings of the Lokpal of India against Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in a promotion-related case. The case involved alleged irregularities at the National Productivity Council (NPC). National Productivity Council (NPC) was established under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is a non-profit body with equal representation from government, employers, and workers. It provides consultancy, training, research, publications, and productivity awards. It is also a member of the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO).

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) won the Gold Prize for Public Outreach and Communication at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025 in New Delhi. The award recognised its innovative, inclusive, and people-friendly communication through the GST and Customs Pavilion. The pavilion ran from 14–27 November 2025 with the theme “Next-Gen Goods and Services Tax (GST): Simple Tax, Prosperous Nation.”

The University Grants Commission (UGC) asked all Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to nominate teachers for the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM). National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) is a flagship scheme of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It connects Mentors (guides) with Mentees (teachers) to share skills and improve teaching quality. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) designed the mission and released the NMM Blue Book.

A new species of damselfly named Protosticta sooryaprakashi has been discovered in the Western Ghats of India. It is also called the Kodagu Shadowdamsel and was found in Kodagu district of Karnataka. The species is named in honour of Dr. Sooryaprakash Shenoy, a famous botanist. It has bright sky-blue markings and a very slender body, making it the thinnest in its group. It lives in cool, shaded, low-light areas and needs a clean environment to breed. Its presence shows a healthy and low-pollution ecosystem.

The Prime Minister (PM) spoke about Ramban Sulai Honey in the 128th episode of Mann Ki Baat radio programme. This honey is made in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir from nectar of wild Sulai (basil) flowers. It is known for its rich taste, floral smell, high nutrition, and medicinal value. Bees collect nectar from Sulai flowers during August to October. The honey is crystal-clear, white to amber in colour, and rich in minerals, enzymes, and vitamins. It received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2021. It is selected under the One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme of Government of India.

The Prime Minister (PM) of India recently mentioned the Khiamniungan tribe in his Mann Ki Baat radio programme. They are a major Naga tribe living in eastern Nagaland (India) and north-western Myanmar. The word Khiamniungan means “source of great river or water.” Their society traditionally follows a clan-based social system. They speak the Khiamniugan language, which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family. They celebrate Tsokum Sumai for good harvest and Khaotzao Sey Hok-ah Sumai at the end of farming season.

Bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis spinipes) has been rediscovered in India after 72 years, in Karnataka and Odisha. The rediscovery was by researchers from Centre for Climate Change Studies, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai. Bamboo shrimp are filter feeders, using fan-like limb structures to capture edible particles from flowing water. It is a medium-sized freshwater shrimp native to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Armand Duplantis (Sweden) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) were named World Athletes of the Year 2025 at the World Athletics Awards. Duplantis broke the men’s pole vault world record four times and won all 16 competitions, including indoor and outdoor world titles. He is the first male pole vaulter in modern athletics to remain undefeated in a single event for two consecutive years. McLaughlin-Levrone won the women’s 400 metre title in Tokyo in 47.78 seconds, breaking a 42-year-old World Championships record. She is the first athlete to win world titles in both 400 metre flat and 400 metre hurdles.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has made Sanchar Saathi app mandatory on all new or imported mobile phones in India to improve digital safety. It is developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as a security and awareness platform for mobile users in India. Sanchar Saathi is a security and awareness platform available as a mobile app and web portal for public use. It helps users manage digital identity, report fraud, and protect mobile devices from cyber risks.

To boost unmanned strength after Operation Sindoor, the Indian armed forces have urgently procured more satellite-linked Heron Mk II Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Heron Mk II is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UAV developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It is 8.5 m long, has a 16.6 m wingspan, and carries a 490 kg payload with 1,430 kg maximum takeoff weight. It flies for 45 hours, reaches 35,000 ft, and operates beyond 1,000 km. It carries Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), and Communications Intelligence (COMINT) systems for long-range border-safe surveillance.

The 14th edition of Exercise Ekuverin 2025 has started from 2 December and will run till 15 December at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. “Ekuverin” means “Friends” in the Dhivehi language and it began in 2009. It is a bilateral annual military exercise conducted alternately between India and the Maldives. It involves the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Forces. It focuses on Counter Insurgency (CI) and Counter Terrorism (CT) operations in semi-urban, jungle, and coastal areas. It also promotes niche technology integration, sharing of best practices, and regional peace and security.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become India’s first water-positive airport handling over 40 million passengers per year. Water-positive means the airport recharges more water than it consumes, helping conserve natural resources. The achievement was announced by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). This step also supports IGIA’s long-term goal of becoming a net-zero airport and improving climate readiness.

The Ministry of Tourism of India launched the Incredible India 2.0 campaign with a shift from general promotion to thematic tourism in major global markets. The campaign aims to attract more international tourists to India through focused promotion. India is promoted as a holistic tourism destination with stress on sustainability and responsible tourism. Special promotion is given to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism. Promotion is done through social media, official websites, fairs, and exhibitions.

Members of the Bonda tribe in Malkangiri, Odisha, will shift from thatched huts to permanent pucca houses under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN). Bondas live mainly in Khairaput block, Odisha and are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). They are among the oldest tribes of India with Austroasiatic origin. They are divided into Upper Bondas (hilly areas) and Lower Bondas (border regions).

A rare Striated Grassbird was recorded for the first time in Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary, marking a major range extension in Maharashtra. Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. The sanctuary lies between the Markhanda and Pedigundam hills with the Pranhita River along its western side. It is located near the confluence of the Wardha and Wainganga rivers.

Land reclamation in the ravines of the Chambal River area increases risks of soil erosion, flooding, and loss of biodiversity. The Chambal, called Charmanvati in ancient times, is a major tributary of the Yamuna in the Gangetic drainage system. It is a perennial river originating from Janapav near Indore on the Vindhya range. It flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) celebrated its Silver Jubilee (25 years) and released commemorative postage stamps. It was established on 25 May 1998 as an autonomous Research and Development (R&D) institute. It was earlier called the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). It works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences and is located at Vasco da Gama. It coordinates the Indian Antarctic Programme and polar expeditions in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, and Himalayas.

More than 1,500 academics protested in Kolkata against the Central government’s plan to repeal the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Act, 1959. The Indian Statistical Institute, founded by Professor Prasanta Chandra (P.C.) Mahalanobis on 17 December 1931 in Kolkata, is India’s key centre for statistical research, education, and training. The Act applies to ISI, its governing body, staff, and students, and grants autonomy to support its national role. The Act declared ISI an institution of national importance under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Five products from Tamil Nadu received the Geographical Indications (GI – legal tag for regional products) status, raising the State’s total to 74 GI products. The products are Woraiyur cotton sari, Kavindapadi naatu sakkarai (jaggery powder), Thooyamalli rice, Namakkal makkal pathirangal (soapstone cookware), and Ambasamudram choppu saman (wooden toys). Woraiyur saris are woven in Tiruchi using cotton from Coimbatore and natural dyes. Kavindapadi jaggery is made from local sugarcane using slow juice evaporation. Thooyamalli is a 135–140 day sambha rice variety, applied by the Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) support. Namakkal soapstone cookware gained approval through Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) support.

A Rainbow Water Snake (Enhydris enhydris) was photographed for the first time in Uttar Pradesh in the buffer of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), proving the area’s rich ecology. The 35 cm snake was slightly inactive due to ecdysis (skin shedding) and was safely released after minimal handling and measurement. The sighting highlights Terai ecosystem diversity; six new species have been reported from Uttar Pradesh in the past two years. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is located on the Indo-Nepal border in Lakhimpur-Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is declared over after 42 days without new cases, confirmed by Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO). Ebola, caused by orthoebolaviruses, first discovered in 1976 in DRC near the Ebola River, leads to severe hemorrhagic fever with internal bleeding. It spreads from wild animals like fruit bats and non-human primates, and among humans through direct contact with infected body fluids, not through air.

The Indian Navy announced that INS Aridhaman, India’s third Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN), will soon be inducted. It is the second submarine of the Arihant class, built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre, Visakhapatnam. It has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes on surface and 7,000 tonnes submerged, powered by an 83 Megawatt (MW) pressurized water reactor from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). INS Arighaat is India’s second indigenously built Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN), following the first SSBN INS Arihant.

Researchers at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA–TIFR), Pune, discovered a new spiral galaxy named Alaknanda. It lies 12 billion light years away and shows a perfect spiral structure. The name comes from the Alaknanda River and the Hindi word for the Milky Way. The galaxy spans 30,000 light years, with two clear spiral arms around a bright central bulge. It forms stars rapidly, producing 60 solar masses per year. It resembles a young Milky Way, formed when our galaxy was only 10% of its current age. The discovery was made using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).