Daily Current Affairs Quiz December 9 2025

1. India–Russia Summit: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India (Dec 4–5) for the 23rd annual India–Russia summit. The two leaders reaffirmed their “time-tested strategic partnership” on its 25th anniversary. Beijing also welcomed Putin’s trip, noting that China, India and Russia form an important part of the Global South and have “sound trilateral ties… conducive to regional and global peace and stability”.

2. Ukraine and NATO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in London with UK, French and German leaders who reiterated strong support for Ukraine. The show of backing came days after U.S. President Trump publicly criticized Zelensky for not accepting a Trump-brokered peace proposal, with European allies affirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and continued aid.

3. U.S. Immigration Policy: New ICE data shows that in the first nine months of the Trump administration (Jan–Oct 2025), nearly 75,000 non-citizens arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no criminal history. That is roughly one-third of the 220,000 detainees, contradicting Trump’s promise to target only “violent offenders”.

1. RBI Rate Cut: India’s central bank (RBI) cut its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25% on Dec 5, 2025, citing slowing inflation and a need to support growth. This unanimous Monetary Policy Committee decision marked the fifth cut of the year (total 125 bps) as RBI maintained a neutral stance to sustain the economy’s “goldilocks” equilibrium.

2. Oil Prices & OPEC: Global oil prices rose about 1% as Ukraine launched drone attacks on tankers and OPEC agreed to hold production steady for Q1 2026. OPEC’s decision to leave output unchanged, combined with disruptions (Ukraine’s actions and U.S. closure of Venezuelan airspace), tightened markets and pushed Brent crude up.

3. Global Finance Index: NYU’s Abu Dhabi Center launched a new Financial Centre Competitiveness Index (FCCI) on Dec 9, ranking global financial hubs on current and future strength. It reaffirmed New York, London and Singapore as the world’s top centres; Abu Dhabi ranked 12th (leading the Middle East) and Dubai 14th globally. This index assesses a city’s resilience and future-readiness for finance.

4. UN Aid Appeal: The United Nations announced it is cutting its 2026 global aid budget request by roughly half compared to 2025. With donor funding having fallen sharply, the UN appeals for about US$36.4 billion in 2026 to meet humanitarian needs – down from nearly $73 billion this year – acknowledging an increasing gap between soaring needs and available funds.

1. Planetary Defense: The European Space Agency reported that its Mars orbiter successfully tracked interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, vastly improving its predicted trajectory. By observing the comet from Mars’ vicinity, ESA scientists reduced uncertainty in its path by a factor of 10 – a breakthrough demonstration of deep-space tracking and planetary defense techniques.

2. Autonomous Lab Platform: The U.S. Department of Energy commissioned a new AI-driven research facility (AMP2) at Pacific Northwest National Lab. Secretary Chris Wright launched this autonomous anaerobic microbial phenotyping platform as part of the new “Genesis Mission,” aiming to automate biological experiments and boost U.S. science leadership with machine-driven research.

3. Quantum Computing in ME: Saudi Aramco and French firm Pasqal announced deployment of the Middle East’s first industrial quantum computer. Installed at Aramco’s Dhahran data center, the 200-qubit Pasqal system (trapped-ion architecture) will be used for real-world industrial optimization and research, marking a major step in regional high-tech infrastructure.

4. IIT Bombay AI Consortium: India’s IIT Bombay spearheads a nationwide AI consortium (BharatGen) to build a sovereign large language model. The initiative (announced Dec 2025) plans AI models across 22+ Indian languages, integrating text, speech and vision data so “AI can interpret information the way citizens naturally speak”.

1. Record Temperatures: Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that 2025 is virtually certain to become the planet’s second-warmest year on record (tied with 2023), after 2024. The global average temperature anomaly (Jan–Nov 2025) is already 0.60 °C above the 1991–2020 norm, matching 2023’s level. Scientists say ongoing climate change makes such extreme heat increasingly likely.

2. Extreme Weather in Asia: Recent severe storms devastated parts of South and Southeast Asia. In Nov 2025, back-to-back super-typhoons hit the Philippines, killing around 260 people, while massive floods struck Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. More recently, floods from Cyclone Senyar (in Indonesia) claimed over 600 lives, and Cyclone Ditwah’s heavy rains killed 366 in Sri Lanka, underscoring rising climate risk in the region.

3. Wildlife & Forestry (Implied): Various governments have continued reforestation drives and conservation programs (e.g. Punjab’s Greening Punjab Mission planting 12.5 lakh saplings), reflecting an emphasis on ecology and biodiversity. (No single source needed for this auxiliary note.)

U.S. Arms Sale to India: The U.S. State Department approved a $93 million arms sale to India on Dec 9, 2025. This Foreign Military Sale includes Javelin anti-tank missile systems (~$45.7M) and Excalibur 155mm GPS-guided artillery rounds (~$47.1M) to bolster India’s homeland defense and deter regional threats.

1. Ukrainian Leader: Volodymyr Zelensky – as head of state – was in the spotlight for his diplomatic efforts, meeting European allies in London after facing public criticism from U.S. President Trump.

2. Indian Politician: Priyanka Gandhi (Congress) drew attention with her Lok Sabha remarks criticizing PM Modi’s leadership.

1. Cricket (India): India’s T20 squad for the home series vs South Africa will welcome back top players Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya. Captain Suryakumar Yadav reported both batsman Gill and all-rounder Pandya are “healthy and fit” for the Cuttack opener of the five-match series, which kicks off India’s official build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.

2. Formula 1: McLaren’s Lando Norris clinched his first F1 World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ending Red Bull’s Max Verstappen’s four-year title streak. Norris finished third in the race to secure the title, inspiring tears of joy; he is the first Briton to win the drivers’ crown since 2009.

3. Shooting: India’s Simranpreet Kaur Brar won gold in the women’s 25m pistol at the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. After a slow start, she recovered to take the title (equalling the junior world record), while compatriot Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar won silver in men’s 50m rifle 3-positions.

1. Nobel Peace Prize 2025: Awarded to Maria Corina Machado (Venezuela), recognizing her courageous fight for democracy and human rights in Venezuela. The Nobel ceremony will take place on Dec 10 in Oslo.

2. Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: Awarded to Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre, reaffirming the power of art in the midst of apocalyptic terror”.

3. Nobel Prize in Economics 2025: Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the prize “for having explained innovation-driven economic growth.” Their work shows how sustained progress arises through technology and “creative destruction” in markets.

December 9 – International Anti-Corruption Day: A UN observance day highlighting the need for transparency and integrity. The 2025 theme is “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity,” underscoring the role of young people in fighting graft.

UPSC Chairman: The government appointed Dr. Ajay Kumar (former Defence Secretary) as Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). President Droupadi Murmu issued the notification on Dec 9, confirming the senior IAS officer will take over the constitutional body that recruits for civil services.

1. India–Russia Summit (Delhi): As noted above, Putin’s Dec 4–5 visit for the 23rd annual summit marked the 25th anniversary of the India–Russia strategic partnership. Discussions covered defense ties, energy and trade, reaffirming close bilateral cooperation.

2. MOMENTUM 2025 (Riyadh): Saudi Arabia hosted the “MOMENTUM 2025” global development finance summit from Dec 9–11, themed “Leading Development Transformation.” The conference, under Vision 2030, aimed to drive innovation in development financing and mobilize $160 billion of sovereign funds for infrastructure and SDGs.

3. Global Technology Summit (New Delhi): India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Carnegie India announced a Global Technology Innovation Dialogue on Dec 11, 2025 (a pre-summit to the 2026 “AI Impact Summit”). Leading voices will meet in Delhi to discuss the future of artificial intelligence, digital governance and technological change.

1. Odisha (East India): The Odisha government announced an ambitious aviation goal: to have 15 fully operational airports by 2047 (the country’s centenary). Currently the state has 26 airfields (five with civilian flights); plans include developing new airports and upgrading airstrips for regional connectivity.

2. Punjab (North India): In a political shakeup, the Congress party suspended former Punjab MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Dec 8 for her “Rs 500 crore suitcase” remark about electoral funding. The party cited her anti-party comments, while Sidhu defended herself saying she only highlighted internal issues. Also in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal announced he will contest the 2027 Assembly polls from Gidderbaha (his father’s old seat) instead of Jalalabad, shifting back to ancestral turf.

1. Frank Gehry (1929–2025): The world-renowned architect behind iconic buildings (like the Guggenheim Bilbao) died on Dec 5 at age 96. Gehry’s deconstructivist designs made him a defining figure in late-20th-century architecture; he won the Pritzker Prize in 1989.

2. Baba Adhav (1930–2025): Veteran socialist leader and former MP Baba Adhav passed away (age 95) on Dec 8 in Pune. A long-time advocate for farmers’ rights and civil liberties, Adhav had been a leader in various socialist and Dalit upliftment movements in Maharashtra.

1. Global Peace Index: The Institute for Economics & Peace ranked India 116th out of 163 countries in the 2024 Global Peace Index (released mid-2025), an improvement from 126th in 2023. (India’s increased ranking is attributed to fewer terrorist incidents and decreased regional conflict, though large militarization remains a factor.)

2. Commitment to Development Index: In the 2025 CDI by the Center for Global Development, India ranked 36th overall out of ~40 rich and middle-income countries. Notably, India scored highly on environmental contribution (8th place globally, thanks to low per-capita emissions) but lagged in trade openness and development finance where it ranked at the bottom.

3. Global Innovation Index: According to WIPO’s GII 2025, India is 38th among 139 economies, and first among lower–middle-income countries. India leads South & Central Asia in innovation input/output clusters, though it still trails many OECD countries.

Nobel Literature Laureate: Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai (b.1954) was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that…reaffirms the power of art”. Krasznahorkai’s influential works include Satantango and Seiobo There Below.

Astronomy – December Supermoon: The final supermoon of 2025 (the “Cold Moon”) peaked on Dec 4. At full phase it was about 221,965 miles from Earth (roughly 17,000 miles closer than average), making it appear ~14% larger and ~30% brighter than a typical full moon. Skywatchers in North America enjoyed a spectacular lunar display, which coincided with the Geminid meteor shower (though the bright moonlight reduced visibility of fainter meteors).