Current Affairs – December 10, 2025

{GS1 – Geo} Tsunami Warning in Japan

Context (HT): A tsunami warning was issued in Japan following an earthquake of magnitude 7.6.

An earthquake is the shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by seismic waves produced by the sudden release of energy from movements in the Earth’s crust or upper mantle.

About Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of powerful ocean waves caused by the sudden, large-scale displacement of water, usually in oceans or large lakes.
The term “tsunami” is a Japanese word meaning “harbour wave.”
Major Examples: Include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused by a magnitude 9.1–9.3 earthquake near Sumatra, and the 2011 Japan tsunami caused by a magnitude 9.0 undersea quake.

Causes of Tsunamis

Earthquakes: It is the most common cause (about 80%). Megathrust earthquakes at subduction zones with a magnitude of 7.0 or above mainly trigger tsunamis.
Landslides: Coastal or submarine landslides can violently displace water, creating large waves near the source that diminish with distance.
Volcanic Activity: Explosive underwater eruptions or the collapse of volcanic islands can push large water volumes upward, generating tsunamis.
Other Causes: Large oceanic meteorite impacts or underwater explosions can cause tsunami-like waves.

Characteristics of Tsunami Waves

Speed: In deep oceans, tsunamis may travel at over 800 km/h, yet appear only as low, broad swells.
Wavelength: They have extremely long wavelengths, often hundreds of kilometres between crests.
Shoaling Effect: As they enter shallow water, speed drops, but wave height and force increase dramatically, sometimes surpassing 10m at the shore.
Wave Train: Tsunamis arrive as a series of waves minutes to hours apart, often preceded by a sudden recession of water from the shore.

Read More > Tsunami | Kamchatka Earthquake & Tsunami

{GS2 – Governance} One Nation One Licence One Payment **

Context (IE | BS): A DPIIT-led committee released a working paper titled ‘One Nation, One License, One Payment’ proposing a new copyright framework for AI training.

India would become the first to adopt a statutory licensing model with retrospective royalty obligations if the proposal is implemented.

Key Recommendations

Blanket License: Introduce a compulsory license permitting AI developers to use all lawfully accessed copyrighted works for training.
Hybrid Compensation Model: Provide creators with statutory remuneration while ensuring developers non-discriminatory access to training data.
Centralised Body: Create Copyright Royalties Collective for AI Training (CRCAT), a non-profit body to collect royalties from AI companies and distribute them to rights holders.
Royalty Rates: Adopt a fair, revenue-based royalty model determined by a government-appointed expert committee to ensure nationwide uniformity.
Retroactive Payment: Apply royalty payments retrospectively to commercially successful AI systems already trained on copyrighted materials.
Data disclosure: Mandate AI developers to submit a ‘Sufficiently Detailed Summary’ of all datasets used to ensure transparency.

Need for an AI Royalty Framework for India

Legal Gap: Addresses the lack of legal exceptions for text-and-data mining or AI training in India; the scope of existing exceptions under the Copyright Act, 1957, remains unclear.
Fair Compensation: Ensures payment for sectors heavily used in AI training; E.g. India’s publishing industry alone generates ₹8,000+ crore annually, yet receives zero compensation from AI dataset use.
Level Playing Field: Prevents dominance of large players in licensing; E.g. top AI firms raised $50+ billion globally in 2024, widening the bargaining gap with small Indian creators/startups.
Digital Sovereignty: Establishes India as a rule-setter in AI governance; E.g., India is home to 1.3 million registered creators, giving global weight to a statutory model.
Reduced Litigation: Reduces infringement under Section 51 of the Copyright Act, 1957, lowering disputes; E.g. DNPA publishers (48 major Indian news outlets) have filed cases against unlicensed AI training.

Challenges for Implementation

Global Precedent Risk: No major economy mandates government-fixed rates, raising unpredictability.
Rate-Setting Complexity: Diverse content sectors complicate pricing; E.g. India has over 20 copyright categories with varying economic values, making uniform rates difficult.
Institutional Capacity Gaps: CRCAT must manage huge datasets, requiring advanced auditing tools.
Startup Burden: Royalty and retroactive payments may impact scalability; for example, India’s AI startup ecosystem crossed $1.5 billion in funding in 2024, but margins remain thin for early-stage players.
Judicial Uncertainty: Rate challenges may clog courts (22,000+ IP-related pending cases in 2023).

Way Forward

Adaptive Regulation: Begin with flexible royalty tiers and revise based on market outcomes; E.g. similar to phased tariff adjustments used in India’s telecom sector.
Tech–Creator Dialogue: Build continuous consultation channels between AI firms and creative sectors to reduce conflicts; E.g., similar to Australia’s bargaining code consultations.
Support For Startups: Offer concessional royalty slabs or credits; E.g., modelled on MSME support frameworks like Startup India Seed Fund and Digital India Innovation Fund to ease early-stage costs.
Strengthen CRCAT: Build automated audit engines, royalty calculators, and metadata verification systems for efficient distribution.

{GS2 – Governance} Karnataka Hate Speech Bill, 2025

Context (IE | TH): Karnataka has introduced the Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, to create India’s first State-level law explicitly defining hate speech.

Key Provisions of Karnataka Hate Speech Bill, 2025

Explicit Definition: Covers expressions causing injury, hostility, or disharmony based on religion, caste, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disability, or place of birth.
Punishment Range: Imprisonment from 2 to 10 years with fines, based on severity and recurrence.
Collective Liability: If a crime is linked to an organisation, office-bearers can be held as culprits.
Online Regulation: The State is empowered to remove or restrict digital content carrying hate speech.
Suo Motu Action: Enables police to act without a formal complaint in specified circumstances.

India’s Legal Framework Against Hate Speech

BNS Section 196 (Ex-153A IPC): Penalises promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, language, etc.
BNS Section 299 (Ex-295A IPC): Punishes deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
BNS Section 353: Penalises statements likely to incite offences against State or disturb public order.
IT Act 2015 (Section 66A): Previously used for online content, struck down by the Supreme Court (Shreya Singhal Judgement) for being vague and overbroad.
Tehseen Poonawalla Judgment (2018): Mandated nodal officers to prevent hate crimes and mob violence, especially related to targeted group attacks.

Challenges in Hate Speech Regulation

Low Convictions: Only 1 in 5 cases under Sec. 153A result in conviction (20.2%, NCRB).
Over-criminalisation Risk: 2,000+ arrests annually, but weak evidence collection leads to acquittals.
Online Escalation: 70% hate speech content originates online/off social media (NCRB).
Subjective Definition: SC noted (2023) that difficulty in “defining hate speech objectively” leads to misuse.
Political Influence: Hate speech FIR filings rise by 30–50% before elections (Common Cause study, 2022).

Way Forward

Clear Definition: Adopt harm-based definitions (incitement + targeting) to avoid vague interpretation. (Law Commission 267^thReport).
Independent Nodal: Create independent nodal authorities outside the police chain for hate speech monitoring. E.g. UK’s Crown Prosecution Service Hate Crime Units.
Digital Protocols: Mandate 48-hour takedown windows and traceability for repeat hate content pages.
Evidence Standards: Develop forensic documentation protocols for voice/video hate content to improve conviction. E.g. Delhi Police Cyber Forensics Lab protocols for hate speech.

{GS2 – IR} India–UK Defence Partnership

Context (IE): India and the UK are deepening defence cooperation through joint exercises and a 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap signalling a stronger Indo-Pacific partnership.

India–UK Defence Partnership

Operational Interoperability: Regular high-end exercises strengthen joint warfighting skills and trust; E.g., Ajeya Warrior 2025 trained both armies in complex multi-domain operations in Rajasthan.
Maritime Cooperation: Shared Indo-Pacific priorities push both navies to coordinate on sea control and air defence; E.g., KONKAN 2025 saw INS Vikrant operate with HMS Prince of Wales.
Defence Industrial Synergy: Complementary strengths allow co-production. E.g., 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap supports Make in India while boosting UK defence manufacturing.
High-Value Defence Deals: Government-to-government agreements boost strategic trust; E.g., the £350-million deal to supply Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to the Indian Army.
Advanced Technology Collaboration: Joint work on emerging propulsion enhances future capabilities; E.g., UK–India cooperation on maritime electric propulsion for Indian naval platforms.

Potential of India–UK Defence Partnership

Indo-Pacific Stability: Joint carrier operations and maritime coordination strengthen a rules-based order and deter coercive actions in critical sea lanes.
Counter-Terror & Intelligence: Deeper information-sharing and joint training enhance India–UK capability to tackle cross-border terrorism and emerging hybrid threats.
Resilient Supply Chains: Defence-industrial collaboration reduces dependence on single-source suppliers and supports secure, diversified global defence ecosystems.
Humanitarian Operations: Combined expertise in logistics, airlift, and disaster relief boosts joint response capacity for regional crises, from evacuations to natural disasters.
Emerging Tech Governance: Cooperation in cyber, AI-enabled defence systems, and space domain awareness helps shape global norms for responsible military technology use.

Read More > India-UK Bilateral Talks

{GS3 – Envi} New Findings on Plastic Pollution

Context (DTE): The Pew Charitable Trusts released the “Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025” report to assess rising plastic pollution impacts and propose system-wide solutions.

Key Findings of the Study

Plastic Production

Growth: Global plastic pollution will more than double from 130 Mt in 2025 to 280 Mt by 2040.
Output: Annual primary plastic production will rise 52% by 2040, increasing twice as fast as waste-management capacity.
Waste Gap: The global share of uncollected plastic waste will nearly double from 19% in 2025 to 34% by 2040.

Health Impacts

Health Burden: Plastic-related health impacts are projected to increase by 75% by 2040.
Costs Burden: Annual costs of health effects from plastic chemicals have exceeded US$1.5 trillion.
Toxic Chemicals: Of the ~16,000 chemicals used in plastics, at least 25% are harmful to human health.

Climate & Microplastic

Emission Surge: Greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic system will rise 58%, reaching 4.2 Gt CO₂-equivalent by 2040.
- If treated as a country, the plastic industry would become the world’s third-largest emitter.
Microplastic: Pollution from microplastics is expected to increase by more than 50% by 2040.
- Major Sources: Microplastics account for 13% of plastic pollution in 2025, mainly from tyre wear and paint, agriculture, and recycling.

Key Recommendations for System Transformation

Reduce virgin plastic production and shift toward reuse and refill systems.
Mandate strict design standards to remove hazardous chemical additives from the supply chain.
Expand collection and sorting systems in the Global South.
Extend regulations beyond packaging to agriculture, construction, automotive and microplastics.

{Prelims – A&C} UNESCO Recognises Deepavali as Intangible Cultural Heritage*

Context (TH | PIB): UNESCO inscribed Deepavali on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity during the 20^th ICH Committee session hosted at New Delhi’s Red Fort.

Deepavali becomes India’s 16^th element on UNESCO’s ICH list, following recent additions such as Kumbh Mela (2017), Kolkata Durga Puja (2021) and Garba of Gujarat (2023).

UNESCO: UN specialised agency (est. 1945) promoting cooperation in education, science, & culture; headquartered in Paris, with 194 members (India a founding member) and 12 associate members.

About Deepavali

Origins: A 2,500-year-old Indian festival with roots in ancient harvest celebrations, later assimilated into multiple religious traditions across regions.
Hindu Traditions: Marks Rama’s return to Ayodhya, Lakshmi’s birth, Krishna’s defeat of Narakasura, and the Pandavas’ return – symbolising victory of light, dharma and renewal.
Other Religions: Observed as Mahavira’s Nirvana (Jainism), Bandi Chhor Divas marking Guru Hargobind’s release (Sikhism), and Tihar/Newar Buddhist observances in Nepal.
Cultural Practices: Celebrated over five days (Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj) with diyas, pujas, home decoration, gifting, and region-specific rituals across India and Nepal.
Deepavali drives major economic activity across textiles, gold, handicrafts, fire crackers and e-commerce; increasingly observed globally with official recognition in several countries.

About 20^th UNESCO ICH Committee Session

India is hosting the 20^th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage from 8-13 December 2025 at the Red Fort, New Delhi.
Agenda: Examine new nominations for inscription, assess safeguarding reports, review listed elements, decide on international assistance, and discuss best practices for safeguarding “living heritage.”
Participation: Involves 800+ delegates from 180+ countries, including Committee members, UNESCO officials, experts, accredited NGOs and ICH practitioners.
Significance: Enhances India’s cultural diplomacy and soft power, showcases national heritage, strengthens cooperation with UNESCO, and positions India as a leader in global heritage discourse.

Read More > UNESCO World Heritage Sites

{Prelims – Geo} Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) *

Context (NW): Meteorologists have warned that a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event might occur in December 2025.

SSW is a rapid rise in temperature of up to 50°C within a few days in the stratosphere.
It is triggered by Rossby waves rising upward from the troposphere that dissipate in the stratosphere, transferring energy and momentum.
This weakens the strong, circulating polar winds called the polar vortex; as the air stops spinning, it compresses due to deceleration, and heats up significantly.
The warmed air mass in the stratosphere then spreads downward, disrupting the jet stream and letting cold Arctic air spill into the mid-latitudes.
Surface Impact: It causes prolonged cold spells, snowstorms, and unusual weather in North America, Europe, and Asia, with effects appearing after 1 to 3 weeks.

The polar vortex is a year-round low-pressure, cold-air region around the poles, which becomes strongest in winter. “Vortex” refers to the anticlockwise airflow that keeps colder air near the Poles.
Rossby waves are large-scale bends in high-altitude winds and ocean currents caused by Earth’s rotation and variations in Coriolis forces.

Read More > Polar Vortex & Ozone Hole

{Prelims – Eco} Hindu Rate of Growth

Context (IE): PM Modi criticised the phrase “Hindu rate of growth” for unfairly linking India’s past economic stagnation to Hindu culture.

The term “Hindu rate of growth” describes India’s slow real GDP growth of about 3.5% per year from the 1950s to the 1980s.
It refers to long-term real GDP growth and is not connected to religion-based economic behaviour in macroeconomic models.
The term was introduced by Indian economist Professor Raj Krishna in 1978.
He used it as a ‘polemical device’ to highlight the meagre growth that remained stable despite political upheavals, wars, and crises, indicating institutional stagnation.
Economic Setting: The period featured a mixed economy with significant state control over key industries and a widespread system of permits and licences (‘License Raj’).
Breakaway Phase: Selective deregulation in the 1980s raised growth to around 5.8%, and the 1991 liberalisation shifted India onto a sustained higher-growth path.

GDP is the total value of all final goods & services produced within a country during a specific period.
Real GDP is the inflation-adjusted value of all final goods and services produced within a country, calculated using the prices from a fixed base year.

{Prelims – IR} Interpol Blue Corner Notice

Context (ET): After the Goa nightclub fire that killed 25 people, Interpol issued a Blue Corner Notice within 48 hours to help track the missing owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane establishment.

About Interpol

It is an international organisation that facilitates cooperation and collaboration among law enforcement agencies from different countries to combat transnational crime.
It is the world’s largest international police organisation, established in 1923.
It is headquartered in Lyon, France.
It has 196 member countries (including India).
It is headed by the Secretary-General, appointed by the General Assembly.

About Interpol Blue Corner Notice

Purpose: Collects information on a person’s identity or location connected to a criminal investigation.
Request Mechanism: Issued by Interpol’s General Secretariat after a request from a member country’s National Central Bureau (NCB).
Non-Arrest Notice: Unlike a Red Notice, it does not seek arrest, only intelligence collection.

Other Interpol Notices

Red Notice: Locate and arrest wanted individuals for prosecution/sentence.
Yellow Notice: Trace missing persons, especially children.
Black Notice: Identify unidentified bodies.
Green Notice: Warn about habitual offenders who may pose threats.
Orange Notice: Warn of dangerous persons, objects, or events to public safety.
Purple Notice: Share crime methods, tools, concealment techniques.
Silver Notice (Pilot): Trace assets linked to criminal activity.

{Prelims – S&T} Cosmic Filaments *

Context (TH): Researchers have recently identified a cosmic filament approximately 50 million light-years long that contains at least 14 galaxies.

Uniqueness: The galaxies were spinning in the same direction as the filament, in a coordinated motion that current models did not predict.
Significance: The discovery indicates that ‘cosmic-web’ structures strongly influence how galaxies gain angular momentum and develop.

The cosmic web is the large-scale structure of the universe, a vast, intricate network that shows how matter organises itself across billions of light-years.

About Cosmic Filaments

Cosmic filaments are extensive, thread-like structures that link galaxy clusters, creating the vast cosmic web network.
They are the universe’s largest known structures, often extending hundreds of millions of light-years.
Composition: They mainly consist of invisible dark matter, intergalactic gas, and galaxies.
Formation: Gravity initially compressed matter into sheets, which then further collapsed at their intersections to form long, thin filaments.
Structural Role: They form the backbone of the universe’s structure and act as cosmic highways that channel pristine gas and smaller galaxies from surrounding voids toward dense clusters.
Significance: Filaments govern galaxy formation and growth; they impact galaxy structure, spin, and star-formation rates.

{Prelims – S&T} Biostimulants

Context (DTE): Biostimulants are gaining policy and regulatory focus in India as a sustainable alternative to chemical-intensive farming.

About Biostimulants

Biostimulants are natural or biologically derived substances or microorganisms that enhance plant growth, nutrient uptake and stress tolerance without supplying chemical fertilisers.
Unlike traditional fertilisers, they do not directly provide nutrients; instead, they improve the nutrient uptake efficiency of the plants and boost plant metabolism.
Sourced from seaweed extracts, humic and fulvic acids, protein hydrolysates, microbes, amino acids, and botanical extracts, commonly applied through foliar spraying.
Regulated under the Fertiliser Control Order (1985) since 2021, with only notified products in Schedule VI permitted; oversight provided by the Central Biostimulants Committee.

Read More About > Biostimulants

{Prelims – Exercise} Military Exercise SURYAKIRAN

Context (TH): India and Nepal concluded their joint military exercise SURYAKIRAN in Uttarakhand.

About Exercise SURYAKIRAN

Initiated in 2011, it is an annual India-Nepal Army bilateral exercise held alternately in India and Nepal; the 19^th edition (2025) was hosted at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
Trains both armies in sub-conventional operations, United Nations Chapter VII counter-terrorism tasks, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and battalion-level drills in jungle & mountain.
Uses Unmanned Aerial Systems, drone-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), AI-enabled tools and unmanned logistics platforms to enhance joint operational capability.

Read More > Major Military Exercises of India

{Prelims – In News} Counting Migrants in Census 2027

Context (TH): The Census 2027 will use the de facto method to record migration data for each individual, based on their place of birth and last residence.

An individual is identified as a migrant when their current location differs from their last residence.
The Census will record the duration of stay at the current residence and the reasons for migration.
The Census 2027 questionnaire will also add new categories to record migration related to climate change and natural disasters.

About Census 2027

Census 2027 will be India’s first fully digital census, using mobile applications for data collection, replacing traditional paper-based forms.
It will be conducted in two phases –
- House Listing and Housing Census: This phase lists all structures and households, recording details about housing conditions and essential amenities.
- Population Enumeration: Enumerators will visit each household to collect demographic, social, and economic data, including detailed migration information.

Read More > Census 2027 | National Migration Survey 2026

{Prelims – In News} International Air Transport Association

Context (TH): The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says India’s revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms are more restrictive than global standards.

India’s phased rollout of the new FDTL norms caused major disruptions, including IndiGo’s large-scale cancellations and a 10% cut in its winter schedule to stabilise operations.

About IATA

A global non-governmental trade association representing the airline industry; founded in 1945 in Havana, Cuba, succeeding the 1919 International Air Traffic Association.
Structure: Headquarters in Montreal, Canada, with executive offices in Geneva, Switzerland; represents 317+ airlines from 120+ countries covering ~82% of global air traffic.
Mandate: Advocates airline interests for fair regulation, reduced operational charges and harmonised global frameworks for aviation safety, efficiency and industry governance.
It organises the World Air Transport Summit (WATS) annually on Sustainable Aviation Fuel, connectivity, decarbonisation, airport infrastructure and financing for green aviation transitions.

Read More > India’s Aviation Sector

{Prelims – In News} Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan

Context (NOA): Sikkim is hosting a supercar rally under Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative, covering key border routes to promote battlefield and border tourism.

About Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan

A digital platform (mobile app + web portal) developed by the Ministry of Defence with the Ministry of Tourism to enable public access to India’s historic battlefields and border sites.
Covers 77 sites along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC) such as Galwan Valley, Doklam, Longewala and Nathu La, previously restricted due to security sensitivity.
Aims to boost border tourism and awareness of military history while offering virtual tours, key historical content, route details, and a single-window permit system for restricted border sites.