4.5/5
Current Affairs 08th December 2025
1. SimranpreetKaurBrar Wins Gold in Women’s 25m Pistol
-
Event and Competition: She won the gold medal in the Women's 25m Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup Final 2025 held in Doha, Qatar.
-
Record-Equalling Performance: Simranpreet, who is 21 years old, shot a superb score of 41 hits out of 50 in the final, which equalled the Junior World Record in the event.
-
Key Victory: Her win was a significant achievement as she overcame a challenging field, including China's reigning 10m Air Pistol World Champion, Yao Qianxun (who took silver), and former World Champion Doreen Vennekamp of Germany (who won bronze).
-
Career Highlight: This gold medal marks the biggest achievement of her career and is her maiden medal at an ISSF World Cup Final. She had previously won a silver medal at a World Cup stage in Lima earlier in the year.
-
Impact for India: The medal contributed to India's strong performance at the World Cup Final, showcasing the country's growing depth in pistol shooting. The victory also earned high praise, particularly as it was achieved after she rallied from a slow start in the final.
2. Donald Trump awarded First FIFA Peace Prize
-
Inaugural Recipient: Donald Trump was the first-ever winner of the newly created award, officially named the "FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World."
-
Date and Venue: The award was presented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday, December 5, 2025, during the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
-
Rationale for the Award: FIFA stated the prize is meant to reward "individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world."
-
Specific Peace Efforts Cited: FIFA and President Infantino commended Trump for his efforts, including mediating a historic peace treaty between Congo DR and Rwanda the day before the ceremony, as well as playing a pivotal role in establishing a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.
-
Political Context: The award's timing and recipient drew significant attention, as it came after Trump had openly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize (which was awarded to someone else this year) and highlighted the close alliance between the U.S. President and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
3. Indian Naval Academy Ezhimala to Host Admiral’s Cup 2025
-
Dates: The championship is scheduled to take place from December 8 to December 13, 2025. The Opening Ceremony is set for December 9, with four days of intense racing to follow, and the Closing Ceremony on December 13.
-
Host and Location: The event is hosted by the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala, Kannur, Kerala, with races held off the coast at Ettikulam Beach.
-
Participation: The 2025 edition will feature a record-high participation from 35 international countries, in addition to teams from the Indian Naval Academy (INA) and the National Defence Academy (NDA). This large turnout reinforces the event's growing global stature.
-
Objective: The primary goal of the Admiral's Cup is to promote camaraderie, maritime cooperation, and mutual understanding among the officer trainees of friendly foreign navies. It also showcases INA's world-class training and watermanship facilities.
-
Competition Format: The competition is conducted in the Match Racing format using the internationally recognized ILCA–6 class sailboats (formerly Laser Radial). This format demands exceptional tactical acumen, physical endurance, and refined seamanship from the competitors.
4. SanskarSaraswat Clinches Men’s Singles Title at 2025 Guwahati Masters
-
Maiden Super 100 Title: This victory marks SanskarSaraswat's first-ever BWF World Tour Super 100 title, a major milestone in his young career.
-
All-Indian Final: He defeated fellow Indian compatriot MithunManjunath in the final. Manjunath is a more experienced player, making the win an upset.
-
Final Scoreline: The Jodhpur-born shuttler won a tough, three-game match: 21-11, 17-21, 21-13. The match lasted 50 minutes.
-
Qualifier to Champion Run: Sanskar had an incredible run, starting the tournament from the qualification rounds. This makes his title win even more remarkable, as he had to defeat more opponents than the main draw players.
-
Key Upsets: During his campaign, the 19-year-old defeated several higher-ranked players, notably upsetting Jason Gunawan of Hong Kong (a player ranked in the world's top 50) in the early rounds.
5. YashasviJaiswal Becomes 6th Indian to Hit Tons in All Formats
-
The Decisive Century: Jaiswal completed the prestigious 'all-format century' milestone by scoring his maiden One-Day International (ODI) century. This critical knock of an unbeaten 116 came against South Africa in the series-deciding third ODI in Visakhapatnam on December 6, 2025.
-
The Exclusive Club: He is the sixth Indian male cricketer to achieve this distinction, joining an elite group of Indian legends and modern greats. The other five players are: Suresh Raina (the first to do it), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, ViratKohli, and Shubman Gill.
-
Impact on the Match: His ODI century was a match-winning innings. Opening the batting, his unbeaten 116 off 121 balls anchored India's chase of 271, leading to a dominant nine-wicket victory that sealed the series 2-1 for India.
-
Age and Trajectory: At just 23 years old, Jaiswal is one of the youngest players globally, and the second youngest Indian (after Shubman Gill), to achieve this incredible feat. His rapid rise since his international debut in 2023 highlights his rare potential as a multi-format star.
6. Dr.RenukaIyer appointed as CMO of National Comprehensive Cancer Network
-
Effective Date: Dr.Iyer's appointment will formally take effect on February 26, 2026. She will succeed the former CMO, Dr.Wui-Jin Koh.
-
Previous Role: Prior to her appointment, Dr.Iyer was a Professor of Oncology and the Section Chief of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (an NCCN member institution). She also served on the NCCN Guidelines Steering Committee since 2023.
-
Core Responsibility: As CMO, her primary responsibility will be to provide clinical leadership and strategic oversight for the NCCN Guidelines program, which produces 90 evidence-based clinical pathways for nearly all types of cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive care worldwide.
-
Expertise and Background: Dr.Iyer is a highly respected clinician-scientist with over two decades of experience, specializing in Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and rare tumors. She is recognized for her research contributions in areas like immunotherapy, biomarker discovery, and quality-of-life improvement for cancer patients.
-
Global Mission: Her role will involve strengthening NCCN's efforts to advance high-quality, equitable, and accessible cancer care globally.
7. Microsoft Store Awards 2025
-
Focus on AI and Productivity: The awards heavily favored AI-powered and productivity-focused applications, reflecting Microsoft's strategic direction. New categories were introduced to celebrate this trend, such as AI Assistants and Computer-Using Agents (CUA).
-
Top AI Winners (Tie): The AI Assistants category resulted in a tie, with the award going to both Perplexity (for its research-first design, multimodal search, and deep desktop integration) and ChatGPT by OpenAI (for its Windows-specific features like the Alt + Space quick-access shortcut and enterprise privacy settings).
-
Productivity Champion: Notion was a standout winner in the Productivity category. It was recognized for transforming scattered notes, tasks, and projects into a unified workspace with native Windows features like quick-launch and offline access.
-
New Automation Category: The new Computer-Using Agents (CUA) category, focusing on advanced automation, was won by Manus by Manus AI. This app was cited for its secure, sandboxed AI agent that can execute complex, multi-step tasks like running code and managing web tasks.
8. Mohammad Alfaraj wins Art Basel Gold Award
-
Award and Category: Mohammad Alfaraj, a multidisciplinary artist from Saudi Arabia, was named the Gold Awardee in the Emerging Artist category of the inaugural Art Basel Awards 2025.
-
Multidisciplinary Practice: His work is highly regarded for its unique blend of mediums, including film, photography, sculpture, and poetry. His art often creates a "cinematic collage" charged with stories, memory, and a poetic search for truth.
-
Key Themes and Materials: Alfaraj’s work is deeply influenced by his hometown of Al-Ahsa (a palm tree oasis and major oil source). He frequently incorporates organic and manmade waste materials, such as palm fronds and charcoal from burned trees, to explore themes of environmental tension, collective memory, and the relationship between nature and progress.
-
Prize and Recognition: As an Emerging Artist Gold Awardee, Alfaraj received a substantial, unrestricted honorarium of USD 50,000. The award is designed to provide flexible support to help propel his work onto new global platforms.
-
Selection Process: The Art Basel Gold Award is a prestigious honor determined through a unique, peer-driven process. Alfaraj was first selected as one of 36 Medalists by an international jury in May 2025, and then the Gold Awardees were selected by a vote among the Medalists themselves and announced in December 2025 at Art Basel Miami Beach.
9. NMDC & IIT Kanpur Partner for Cybersecurity& AI Integration
-
Strengthening Cyber Resilience: The primary goal is to significantly strengthen NMDC's digital defenses against sophisticated cyber threats. This is crucial as critical infrastructure sectors like mining are increasingly targeted.
-
Comprehensive Risk Assessment: IIT Kanpur, particularly through its C3iHub (Cyber Security and Cyber Physical Systems Innovation Hub), will conduct thorough cybersecurity risk assessments and vulnerability analysis across NMDC's operational technology (OT) and enterprise networks.
-
AI/ML Integration: The partnership will focus on integrating AI and ML to enhance operational intelligence. Applications will include predictive maintenance to reduce equipment downtime, digital twin frameworks for optimizing mining workflows, and data-driven decision-support systems.
-
Capacity Building and Training: The MoU includes provisions for joint training programs, pilot projects, and capacity building workshops for NMDC personnel. This collaboration aims to foster a culture of digital security and upskill staff in advanced technologies.
-
Benchmarking and Governance: IIT Kanpur will assist NMDC in benchmarking its Security Operations Centre (SOC) against global best practices and help draft policies for robust security governance and compliance.
10. Simone Tata, visionary Behind Lakme& Westside passed away
-
Date of Passing and Age: Simone Naval Tata (née Dunoyer) passed away on December 5, 2025, at the age of 95 in Mumbai, following a brief illness. She was the stepmother of the late Ratan Tata and the mother of Noel Tata, the Chairman of Tata Trusts.
-
Transformation of Lakme: She is widely credited as the "Cosmetic Czarina of India" for transforming Lakme from a small subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills in the 1960s into the country's leading cosmetics brand. She broke societal taboos around makeup and successfully convinced Indian women that beauty was a necessity, not a luxury.
-
Founding of Westside/Trent: Following the sale of the Tata Group's stake in Lakme to Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in 1996, Simone Tata strategically used the proceeds to establish a new retail entity, Trent Ltd., which launched the Westside chain of department stores. This move pioneered the modern, private-label fashion retail format in India.
-
Swiss-Indian Background: Born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1930, she was a Swiss national who came to India as a tourist in 1953, where she met Naval H. Tata. She married him in 1955 and dedicated her life to building Indian consumer businesses, bringing a European sensibility and sharp business acumen to the Tata Group.
-
Role in Tata Group: She served as the Chairperson of Lakme starting in 1982 and later as the Non-Executive Chairperson of Trent until 2006. Her success in the consumer-facing businesses earned her a seat on the board of Tata Industries in 1989, making her a formidable figure.
2 likes |
0 comment
