Published on August 19, 2025 · 3 minutes read
Stay updated with the latest current affairs crucial for UPSC CSE preparation. This post presents a concise news summary of 18 August 2025, covering key national and international developments.
📝 Karaikal (Puducherry) to get first-of-its-kind fisheries processing cluster
✅ One of the 34 fisheries production and processing clusters approved across the country under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) ⇒ Thengaithittu fishing harbour (Puducherry) is notified as a partnering harbour for the one in Karaikal.
✅ National Fisheries Development Board will be the nodal agency for overall coordination and implementation.
📝 Northeast Frontier Railway becomes India’s first railway zone to shift to compostable bioplastic on trains
✅ Introduced biodegradable bags to distribute linen to passengers on the 79th Independence Day.
✅ The ISO 17088-compliant bioplastic used as the packaging material was developed at the IIT Guwahati.
📝 Ecological disturbances in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (DSNP)
✅ Grasslands in DSNP are shrinking due to both invasive species (Chromolaena, Parthenium, Mikania) and even native trees (Bombax ceiba, Lagerstroemia speciosa), along with Brahmaputra floods and human pressures ⇒ Threatens species like Bengal florican, hog deer, swamp grass babbler; reduces biodiversity and carbon storage.
✅ DSNP is the only habitat of feral horses in India.
💡DSNP: A riverine ecosystem situated between the Brahmaputra and Dibru rivers in eastern Assam ⇒ A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (1997).
💡Feral horses are erstwhile domesticated horses that now live freely in the wild without human care. Feral horses in DSNP are descendants of WWII military horses.
📝 Ambergris worth ₹2.97 crore seized by officials in Ahmedabad
✅ Ambergris is a rare, waxy substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales; usually expelled and later found floating/washed ashore ⇒ Commonly known as sperm whale vomit ⇒ Rich in ambrein; turns into ambroxide/ambrinol, giving ambergris its prized scent profile
✅ Ambergris has been used in perfumery as a natural fixative that enhances and prolongs fragrance longevity.
✅ Regulation: In India, possession/transport/trade of Ambergris is illegal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Not banned under CITES ⇒ considered a natural waste product excreted by sperm whales.
📝 Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla welcomed at Delhi airport
✅ Became the 1st Indian to visit the International Space Station ⇒ Piloted NASA’s Axiom-4 mission (launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre on 25th June 2025) ⇒ Conducted microgravity experiments in space ⇒ Returned to Earth on 15 July 2025 (stayed aboard the ISS for 18 days and completed nearly 310 orbits around the Earth).
✅ Shubhanshu Shukla is also one of the astronauts shortlisted for India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan ⇒ Expected to be launched in 2027.
📝 Miscellaneous
✅ Hurricane Erin: First Atlantic hurricane of 2025 ⇒ Became a major storm just north of the Caribbean Islands.
💡A hurricane is the regional name for a tropical cyclone that develops over warm tropical oceans in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific.
✅ Rapid Support Forces (RSF): Rebel paramilitary force in Sudan ⇒ They control several regions in Sudan, including most of the Darfur region ⇒ El Fasher is the last major city in Darfur not controlled by RSF.
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