Daily Current Affairs Quiz: December 28-29, 2025

Notes:
The Chhattisgarh government has intensified efforts to secure UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site status for Kanger Valley National Park. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been assigned to conduct a biodiversity survey for submission to UNESCO. Currently, Kanger Valley National Park and the Sirpur archaeological site are on UNESCO’s Tentative List. Kanger Valley National Park is located in Jagdalpur, in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

Notes:
Lantana camara is a highly invasive, strongly scented flowering shrub that has spread across millions of hectares in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions across the world. It is an invasive alien plant species, originally native to Central and South America, where it grew naturally as a harmless ornamental shrub. Due to failed control efforts worldwide, the IUCN declared Lantana camara one of the world’s worst invasive species in 2000. Climate change and global warming are accelerating its spread, although some local communities now use its woody stems for furniture and handicrafts, converting an ecological threat into a livelihood opportunity.

Notes:
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India–NCB Carbon Uptake Report was released on the 63rd Foundation Day of the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB). NCB was established in 1962 as India’s apex research and development organisation for the cement and building materials sector. Its main objective is to promote scientific research and innovation related to cement manufacturing and building materials. NCB functions under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

Notes:
On December 26, 2025, Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology, and economic sectors. Somaliland is located in the Horn of Africa and shares borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Puntland region, with a strategic coastline along the Gulf of Aden. Its capital city is Hargeisa.

Notes:
The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) population at Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary has increased to a total of 300. Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Tamil Nadu and was established to protect blackbuck antelopes. Blackbuck is an antelope species native to India and Nepal, primarily inhabiting open grasslands, dry scrub, and lightly forested areas. It is distributed across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and other parts of peninsular India.