Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 August 2025

Topic: Art and Culture

1. Archaeologists discovered 3,000-year-old remains of 14 individuals on Peru's northern coast.

• The remains are believed to be victims of a ritual human sacrifice by the Cupisnique culture.
• The Cupisnique civilization existed more than a thousand years before the Incas.
• The bodies were buried face down with hands tied behind their backs, a typical sign of human sacrifice.
• The victims showed signs of trauma and violence, indicating harsh treatment during life.
• The burial method was unusual, with simple pits in sand mounds, without offerings or treasures.
• The site is located near a beach in the La Libertad region, 675 kilometers north of Lima.
• This discovery adds to Peru's list of significant archaeological sites like Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. A Global Award instituted in honor of M. S. Swaminathan for food and peace.

• The M. S. Swaminathan Global Award for Food and Peace has been instituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in memory of the father of India’s Green Revolution, Professor M. S. Swaminathan.
• This award will be given to recognize the contribution of scientists from developing countries who have worked towards “Food and Peace.”
• The first award was presented to Nigerian scientist Dr. Arenare during the Swaminathan Centenary International Conference held in New Delhi.
• The conference was held on August 7-9, 2025, at Pusa Campus, New Delhi.
• The theme of the conference was “Evergreen Revolution, the Path to Bio-Happiness,” which reflects Professor Swaminathan’s lifelong dedication to ensuring food for all.
• Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, who passed away in September 2023, was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2024.
• PM Modi acknowledged Swaminathan’s pivotal role in ensuring India's self-reliance in food production.
• Dr. Swaminathan, who led India to self-reliance in food production, also introduced the visionary concept of 'bio-happiness' beyond biodiversity.

Topic: Important Days

3. World Sanskrit Day 2025: 09 August

• Every year, World Sanskrit Day is celebrated on Sawan Purnima, according to the Hindu calendar.
• In the year 2025, the day has been celebrated on 09 August.
• The Gujarat State Sanskrit Board also organized a three-day festival from 6 to 8 August 2025.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness and revive the ancient Sanskrit language.
• In 1969, this day was first celebrated through a joint effort by the Government of India and Sanskrit institutions.
• Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language and belongs to the group of Indo-European languages. It is also called Dev Vani, i.e., God language.
• Sanskrit is the mother of all Indian languages, and it was one of the first languages spoken in India.
• It is believed that the Sanskrit language originated in India 3500 years ago.
• The Sanskrit language is divided into two parts, which are Vedic and Classical.
• 'Sudharma' is the only Sanskrit newspaper in the world. The Sanskrit language is the second official language of Uttarakhand.

Topic: International News

4. Moldova became the 107th member of the International Solar Alliance.

• Moldova was officially inducted as the 107th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), as confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
• The Instrument of Ratification was handed over in New Delhi to P. S. Gangadhar, Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy) and Head of Depository of ISA.
• The handover was done by Ana Taban, Ambassador of Moldova to India, during an official meeting.
• ISA was co-founded by India and France at the 2015 Paris COP21 summit and now includes 124 member and signatory nations.
• Its goal is to improve global energy access and security by promoting solar power as a reliable, clean source.
• The Alliance seeks to lower costs and increase investment in solar energy across agriculture, healthcare, and transportation sectors.
• ISA has helped member nations improve policy, regulatory frameworks, and financial access to solar projects.
• The Ease of Doing Solar program has been designed to advise countries on making their laws solar-friendly.
• On 6 December 2017, 15 countries signed and ratified the ISA Framework Agreement, making the ISA the first international intergovernmental organization headquartered in India.
• The organization collaborates with multilateral development banks (MDBs), development financial institutions (DFIs), and other partners to push solar deployment in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Topic: State News/Punjab

5. Punjab became the first state to empanel sign language experts under the Juvenile Justice Act.

• Punjab has become the first Indian state to officially empanel sign language professionals under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
• The step was announced by Dr. Baljit Kaur, Minister for Social Security, Women, and Child Development.
• These experts, including interpreters, translators, and educators, will be appointed across districts to support children with hearing and speech impairments.
• Their role will include assisting in court proceedings and other formal interactions involving such children.
• The move is also in line with the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, to ensure accessible and sensitive justice for all children.
• These professionals will be posted in different districts and will be remunerated as per the relevant legal provisions.
• Their timely assistance will be ensured in both routine and urgent cases involving children with special needs.
• The Punjab government has already made the Vidhan Sabha accessible by broadcasting its sessions in sign language.
• This latest decision strengthens the state's approach to inclusive governance and child protection.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. The revamped Incredible India Digital Platform launched by the Ministry of Tourism.

• The Incredible India Digital Platform (IIDP) has been relaunched by the Ministry of Tourism with enhanced features for global and domestic travelers.
• The upgraded version integrates AI tools for personalized experiences, offering real-time weather, local guides, and travel services.
• A virtual showcase of India's cultural, adventure, wellness, and rural tourism offerings has been included.
• Since its launch, the platform has received around 26 lakh visitors by July 2025.
• In 2024, 294.76 crore domestic tourist visits were registered, marking a 17.36% rise from the previous year.
• Sustainable tourism is being promoted through initiatives like the Swadesh Darshan, Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD), and Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) schemes.
• These initiatives aim to build capacity and promote entrepreneurship among local communities, women, and youth.
• Under the Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP) scheme, local communities, women, and tribal groups are being trained to boost tourism services and employment.
• As part of this, the Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi initiatives have been rolled out by the Ministry to empower locals, particularly women, in tourism-related roles.
• In 2002, the Incredible India campaign was launched.
• It was an international tourism campaign created by the Government of India to promote tourism in India.

Topic: National News

7. Chapters on Manekshaw, Brig Usman, and Maj Somnath Sharma added to the school syllabus by NCERT.

• NCERT has introduced new chapters about military icons—Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Brig. Mohammad Usman, and Maj. Somnath Sharma—into the school curriculum.
• These lessons have been included in Class VII and VIII English and Urdu textbooks to honour their service and sacrifice.
• The initiative was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Education, and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
• Field Marshal Manekshaw, the first Indian officer to be awarded the five-star rank, is remembered for his decisive leadership during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
• Brigadier Usman, known as the ‘Lion of Nowshera,’ laid down his life in service of the nation and was posthumously awarded the Mahavir Chakra.
• Major Somnath Sharma, the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, also laid down his life in service of the nation and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
• The chapters are intended to build patriotic spirit and educate students on India’s military legacy.
• The National War Memorial, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25, 2019, is located at the 'C' Hexagon near India Gate in the national capital.
• It is a tribute to over 26,000 soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation since Independence.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. Israel signed a record $35 billion natural gas export deal with Egypt.

• Egypt has signed a landmark $35 billion deal to import natural gas from Israel's Leviathan gas field.
• It is the largest export agreement in Israel's history and strengthens regional energy cooperation despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
• Under the deal, announced by Newmed Energy on August 7, Israel will supply Egypt with approximately 130 billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2040.
• The agreement represents Egypt’s most important long-term energy supply agreement as the Arab world’s most populous country seeks to meet growing domestic energy demands.
• Under the terms signed between Newmed, its partners, and Blue Ocean Energy, deliveries will begin in early 2026.
• The Leviathan gas field off Israel's Mediterranean coast, which has reserves of around 600 billion cubic meters, has become the hub of Israeli energy exports.
• The field currently supplies around 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Egypt under existing contracts.
• The IMF has raised Egypt's growth forecast for 2024-2025 to 3.8%, while the central bank forecasts a 4.3% expansion in 2023-2024, up from 2.4%.

Topic: National News

9. Bharat Forecast System enhanced rainfall prediction by 30%.

• India’s newly developed Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS) has increased extreme rainfall prediction accuracy by 30% compared to the previous operational model.
• BharatFS, indigenously developed by Indian scientists, is powered by advanced Triangular Cubic Octahedral (TCO) dynamic grid.
• This enables real-time weather forecasting at an unprecedented 6 km horizontal resolution.
• This is a leap from its predecessor, the GFS T1534 model (~12 km resolution), and even surpasses most global operational models that operate at 9–14 km.
• Forecast runtimes have been cut from 12 hours to just 3–6 hours, using supercomputers Arka and Arunika.
• BharatFS is designed to provide forecasts at the panchayat cluster level, enabling targeted advisories for farmers and local authorities.
• Water managers can better regulate reservoirs during monsoon, reducing flood risk
• The system performs especially well in complex terrains like the Himalayas and Western Ghats.
• Teams from IITM-Pune, with support from NCMRWF-Noida and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), have developed the system as a product of India’s “Make in India” initiative, aligning with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• The Bharat Forecast System was launched by Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh on 26 May 2025.

Topic: Sports

10. Victoria Mboko defeated Naomi Osaka to win the Canadian Open.

• 18-year-old Victoria Mboko pulled off a major upset by defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to win her first WTA 1000 title at the Canadian Open.
• After losing the first set 2-6, Mboko bounced back with 6-4 and 6-1 wins to claim the title in Montreal.
• She became only the second Canadian semifinalist, finalist, and champion at the Canadian Open since Bianca Andreescu's 2019 victory.
• Mboko, ranked 85th entering the tournament, is now the second-lowest ranked player to win a Tier I/WTA 1000 title since the format's introduction in 1990.
• She is the second player to win her first title at a WTA 1000 event since 2009 and the second wild card player to win the National Bank Open after Monica Seles in 1995.
• Canadian Open winners: