DAILY GK 10-11 DEC 2025

 DAILY GK 10-11 DEC 2025

1.       PFRDA ISSUES NEW INVESTMENT RULES

·       The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) released ‘Master Circular on Investment Guidelines issued for government‑sector pension schemes’, including Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), National Pension System (NPS) for Central/State Government subscribers, Corporate Government (CG) NPS, NPS Lite, Atal Pension Yojana (APY), and APY Fund Scheme.

·       Government Securities (G-secs): Pension funds are allowed to invest up to 65% of the portfolio in the G-secs, the safest instruments.

 

·       Debt Instruments: Funds may invest up to 45% in corporate bonds and other debt instruments such as infrastructure debt and bank deposits, subject to credit-rating requirements.

·       Short-term debt instruments: Pension Funds can make investments up to 10% in short term debt instruments like Commercial Paper (CP), Certificate of Deposit (CoD) etc.

·       Equity Exposure: Equity exposure is capped at 25%, with funds allowed to buy shares through Initial public offering (IPO), Follow-on Public Offer (FPO) and offers for sale, as well as through index-linked investments.

·       Asset Backed Funds: A maximum of 5% can be invested in Asset Backed, Trust Structured and Miscellaneous Investments.

·       Broadened Investment Options: Pension funds (PFs) can now invest in Gold & Silver Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) (with rating and exposure limits), AAA-rated Municipal Bonds (MBs), and Government Debt ETFs, enhancing diversification, risk management, and liquidity.

 

2.       11TH INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL

·       The 11th India International Science Festival (IISF 2025), organized by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and coordinated by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune (Maharashtra), was held in Panchkula, Haryana.

·       2025 was held under the theme titled “Vigyan Se Samruddhi: for Aatmanirbhar Bharat” .

·       During the event, Matsya 6000, India’s first human-occupied deep-sea submersible, developed under the Samudrayaan Mission, a part of the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) was showcased.

 

3.       INDIA’S 1ST INDIGENOUS HYDROGEN-FUEL CELL VESSEL IN VARANASI, UP

·       Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), flagged off India’s 1st indigenous Hydrogen powered FCV (Fuel Cell Vessel) Pilot-01.

·       The initiative supports India’s long-term plans, Maritime India Vision 2030 (MIV 2030) and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 (MAKV 2047), promoting clean inland water transport, smart infrastructure, and alternative fuels.

·       This 24 meter (m)-long hydrogen-powered catamaran, owned by IWAI, was indigenously designed and built by CSL as a pilot project under MoPSW’s ‘Harit Nauka’ initiative.

·       This fully air-conditioned vessel has the capacity to carry 50 passengers and can operate continuously for 8 hours (hrs) at a speed of 7 to 9 nautical miles per hour(NM/h).

 

4.       CITES COP20

·       The 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) was held successfully in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, marking the 50th anniversary of the convention.

·       During the 12-day long meeting, member states adopted 353 decisions, held around 46 rounds of voting and reviewed 50 listing proposals that resulted in the addition of 77 species to CITES Appendices, with Global South playing an instrumental role in shaping wildlife trade policies.

·       Event is Hosted by the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

·       New Additions in Appendix-I: Species like: oceanic whitetip shark, whale shark, and all manta and devil ray, were added in Appendix-I, the highest-level of protection by CITES.

·       Also, Ecuador’s proposal to place all 3 species of Galapagos land iguana to Appendix-I was successfully adopted at the meeting.

·       Species from Appendix-II to Appendix-I: Ecuador also succeeded in uplisting the Galapagos marine iguana from Appendix-II to Appendix-I.

·       Cameroon efforts resulted in moving Home’s hinge-back tortoise from Appendix-II to Appendix-I.

·       Species Downlisted to Appendix-II: Kazakhstan’s saiga antelope and South Africa’s bontebok were removed from Appendix-II.

·       Mexico succeeded in changing the protection status of Guadlupe fur seal and Parlatore’s podocarp from Appendix-I to Appendix-II due to improvements in their conservation status.

·       India’s Opposition to EU Proposal: At COP20 CITES, India successfully opposed a European Union (EU) proposal to place guggul (Commiphora wightii) in Appendix-II.

·       CITES Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland.

 

5.       ARTON CAPITAL‘S PASSPORT INDEX

·       Canada based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital released the 2025 Passport Index. 

·       As per the index, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) retained its position as the world’s strongest passport for the 7th consecutive year, with an overall Mobility Score(MS) of 179, allowing visa-free access to 126 destinations, visa-on-arrivals in 45 countries and Estimate Time of Arrival (ETA) access to 08 countries.

·       It is followed by Singapore and Spain which are placed jointly at 2nd spot in the index, with both countries securing an overall MS of 175.

·       India ranked 67th globally with a mobility score of 74, granting visa-free access to 74 countries, covering 37% of the world.

·       Bottom 5 Countries: Afghanistan (94th) with an overall MS of 38, ranked lowest in the Global Passport Power Index; followed by Syria (93rd), Iraq (92nd) and Pakistan and Somalia (91st).

 

6.       FIFA PEACE PRIZE

·       FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) presented the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize to Donald John Trump, the President USA, during the Final Draw Ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Washington.

·       The award, accompanied by a gold medal and certificate, was presented by Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA.

·       The FIFA Peace Prize Award- FIFA Unites the World, is a new global award, instituted by FIFA in 2025 to recognize individuals who made exceptional contributions to peace, unity, and conflict resolution. It is intended to be an annual award.

·       From 2017 to 2021, he served as the 45th President of the USA, winning against Hillary Clinton in 2016, representing the Republican party.

·       In 2024 he again won the USA Presidential election and was sworn in for a second, non-consecutive term in 2025.

·       FIFA President – Gianni Infantino.

·       Headquarters – Zurich, Switzerland.

·       Established – 1904.

 

7.       TIME 2025 CEO OF THE YEAR

·       TIME Magazine named Indian-Origin Nael Mohan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the social media and online video sharing platform, YouTube Inc., as ‘2025 CEO of the Year’.

·       Since 2023, Mohan has been serving as the CEO of YouTube after his mentor Susan Wojcicki stepped down.

·       Renowned Hollywood actor and Oscar Winner Leonardo DiCaprio has been named TIME’s 2025 Entertainer of the Year.

·       This recognition came after the astounding success of  his latest film, One Battle After Another.

 

8.       GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD

·       Anant Ambani, Founder of the wildlife conservation centre Vantara, received the ‘Global Humanitarian Award for Animal Welfare’ from the Global Humane Society, the international brand of the American Humane Society, in Washington DC, USA.

·       Zdeclarations in 2015.

·       As of 2025, three Indian cities are part of UNESCO’s GNLC: Warangal in Telangana, and Thrissur and Nilambur in Kerala.

·       The UNESCO contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information.

·       Member States – 194.

·       Headquarters – Paris, France.

·       Established – 1945.

 

9.       GLOBAL BANK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2025

·       Singapore-based DBS Bank was named Global Bank of the Year 2025 by The Banker, a publication of Financial Times, during its annual Bank of the Year Awards 2025 held in London.

·       This is DBS’s third global win in the category after 2018 and 2021.

·       DBS also clinched multiple regional and category awards, including Asia Bank of the Year, Singapore Bank of the Year, Investment Bank of the Year – Asia, and the first-ever Investment Bank of the Year.

 

10.    2026 FORBES 30 UNDER 30 LIST IN FINANCE

·       USA based Indian-origin financial innovator Arkin Gupta was featured in the annual Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2026 in the Finance category, published by Forbes magazine in recognition of his impactful contributions to financial innovation

·       Forbes 30 Under 30: An annual Forbes list recognising 600 young innovators across 20 industries, including AI, Finance, Healthcare, Media, Retail & E-commerce, Social Impact, Transportation & Aerospace, and more.