Daily Current Affairs 2025  

11/12/2025

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CA-11/12/2025

• "Safe Third Country" Concept: EU member states will have wider latitude to dismiss asylum applications if an applicant is from or has transited through a country deemed "safe." This would allow for faster rejection of claims and quicker deportations.
• List of "Safe Countries of Origin": The EU is establishing an EU-wide list of countries considered safe. Asylum seekers from these countries will face accelerated procedures.
• Faster Asylum Procedures and Returns: New laws aim to introduce quicker and more effective procedures for asylum applicants deemed unlikely to qualify for protection. This includes streamlining deportations and increasing detentions.
• "Return Hubs": The EU is considering establishing "return hubs" outside the bloc for failed asylum seekers. This could involve transferring rejected asylum seekers to countries considered safe, even if they are not their countries of origin.
• Increased Detention and Sanctions: Proposals include making detention the default for individuals issued deportation decisions and imposing sanctions on migrants who refuse to leave. This could involve longer periods of detention and broader surveillance.
• Solidarity Pool: A "solidarity pool" is being formed to share the costs of hosting refugees among member nations, with funds to be disbursed to countries facing greater migratory pressure.
• Conditionality on Trade Benefits: The EU could suspend trade benefits for countries that do not cooperate on the return and readmission of failed asylum seekers.

• Political Pressure: The rise of far-right political parties and increased public concern over immigration have led mainstream parties to adopt tougher stances.
• Perception of Lost Control: Governments aim to give citizens the feeling that they have control over migration flows.
• Humanitarian Concerns (Disputed): While governments argue these measures are necessary, human rights groups express concern that stricter policies could push migrants into danger and legal limbo, and potentially violate fundamental rights.

• EU interior ministers have agreed on negotiating positions for these legislative packages.
• The measures still need to be approved by the European Parliament before they can come into effect, likely by mid-2026.
• Despite these policy shifts, data from Frontex indicates a decrease in irregular arrivals to the EU in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the previous year.

• Synchronize elections for Lok Sabha and all state assemblies first, followed by panchayat and municipal polls within 100 days.​
• Cut public expenditure on frequent polls, minimize strain on security forces, and limit Model Code of Conduct disruptions to governance.​
• Restore the pre-1967 cycle of simultaneous elections disrupted by premature dissolutions.​

• Reduces overall election costs significantly, freeing resources for development like healthcare and education.​
• Boosts voter turnout by curbing fatigue and enables focus on long-term policies over populism.​
• Improves resource efficiency for security and administration while promoting cooperative federalism.​

• Threatens federalism by favoring national parties over regional ones and mixing local-national issues.​
• Requires complex constitutional amendments risking legal challenges under Article 14 on unequal tenures.​
• Limits government accountability as frequent polls allow voter checks on performance.​

• Build consensus through national dialogue with parties, experts, and civil society.​
• Strengthen Election Commission with more EVMs, VVPATs, and tech for voter rolls.​
• Develop legal mechanisms like an 'Appointed Date' from 2029 for gradual synchronization.

• Nathu La Pass serves as a key India-China border trading point in Sikkim, historically vital for commerce until its closure post-1962 war and reopening in 2006.
• Trade volumes have remained modest due to seasonal limits and infrastructure challenges, with recent agreements signaling resumption after a pandemic-induced halt.​

• Situated at 4,310 meters in the Dongkya Range, connecting Sikkim's Gangtok to China's Chumbi Valley.​
• One of three official border trade posts alongside Shipki La and Lipulekh Pass.​
• Open seasonally from May to November due to extreme cold and snowfall.​

• India exports 29+ items (e.g., tea, spices, textiles, shoes); imports 15+ (e.g., raw wool, yak tails, borax).​
• Operates Mondays to Thursdays; duty-exempt for listed goods.​
• Pre-2020 volumes peaked modestly (e.g., ₹63 crore exports in 2016), far below projections.​

• The Sachar Committee Report (2006) found 31% of urban Muslims and 40% of rural Muslims below the poverty line, exceeding national averages of 27% and 28%.
• Earlier studies, like 2004-05 data, indicated Muslims at 31% poverty overall, slightly above Scheduled Castes and Tribes at 35%.
• Multidimensional poverty affected 33% of Muslims in 2015-16, similar to Dalits.​

• Muslims recorded the lowest average monthly per capita consumption and asset levels among major groups, at 87.9% and 79% of national averages.
• Buddhists faced around 40% poverty in some older metrics, while Sikhs and Jains had lower rates at 5% and 2%.​

• Many Muslim-majority countries rank among the poorest, with Somalia at $462 GDP per capita in 2025, followed by Yemen and Syria, due to conflict, weak governance, and resource mismanagement.
• Factors include rapid population growth, low education investment, and inequality, perpetuating cycles in regions like the Islamic world.
• Oil wealth concentration in elites hinders broader development.​

• The Award honors contributions to national development, social reform, and humanitarian outreach, drawing inspiration from Veer Savarkar's legacy of patriotism and nation-building.​
• Instituted by the High Range Rural Development Society (HRDS India), an NGO focused on grassroots work in tribal and rural areas across states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Tripura, Assam, and Jharkhand.​
• Guided spiritually by Swami Atma Nambi, emphasizing dharma, courage, compassion, and national integrity through cultural performances and dialogue on sustainable development.​
• Recognizes six awardees overall for embodying community empowerment, inclusive growth, and social justice in contemporary India.​

• Several notable figures received awards, including Karuna Gopal for her work in urban development and futurism, adopted under India's Smart Cities Mission, and Dr. Bu Abdullah, a UAE philanthropist supporting community projects across Indian states.​
• Acharyashri K.R. Manoj, founder of Aarsha Vidya Samajam, was also honored for de-radicalization

• Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta emphasized that contempt jurisdiction balances judicial dignity with human fallibility under Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, allowing forgiveness for genuine remorse.
• The Court noted mercy as integral to judicial conscience, distinguishing this from prior cases with graver allegations or no apologies.
• It set aside the sentence, accepting her unconditional apology as bona fide.​

• These ruling balances judicial dignity with freedom of expression, clarifying that contempt jurisdiction must not stifle fair criticism or dissent, as courts possess inherent power to forgive repentant contemnors.
• It distinguishes from prior cases like DC Saxena v Chief Justice of India, where no apology was offered, reinforcing that human fallibility and magnanimity guide contempt proceedings.

• The decision highlights Deepavali's role in fostering social cohesion through practices like lighting diyas, creating rangoli, exchanging gifts, and community celebrations with music and dance.
• It supports traditional crafts, promotes well-being, and aligns with Sustainable Development Goals such as gender equality and cultural education.​

• Deepavali joins prominent Indian traditions on the list, including Yoga, Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja, Vedic chanting, Ramlila, and Garba.
• These elements showcase India's diverse living heritage, with the list now featuring around 700 global practices.​

• The report analyses global trends in income, wealth, gender, and ecological disparities using data from over 100 researchers.
• This is the third major World Inequality Report, following 2018 and 2022 editions; the 2026 report was released on 10 December 2025.​

• Today's inequality of opportunity drives future outcomes: Average education spending per child in Sub-Saharan Africa is €200 (PPP), versus €7,400 in Europe and €9,000 in North America/Oceania—a 1:40 gap wider than per capita GDP disparities.​
• Wealth hits historic highs but stays uneven: The top 0.001% (under 60,000 multimillionaires) hold three times more wealth than the global bottom 50%; top 1% exceeds bottom 90% in most regions.​
• Global finance favors rich nations: About 1% of global GDP flows yearly from poorer to richer countries via net income transfers, triple the aid volume.​
• Gender pay gap endures: Women earn 61% of men's hourly income excluding unpaid work, dropping to 32% including it; women work more total hours in every region.​
• Capital ownership worsens emissions inequality: Bottom 50% cause 3% of private capital-related carbon emissions; top 10% cause 77%.​
• Political shifts fragment redistribution: In Western democracies, educated voters lean left, high-income right, weakening class-based coalitions.​
• Tax progressivity fails at the top: Centi-millionaires and billionaires often pay less proportionally than average citizens, limiting funds for public goods.​

• High inequality: Commentaries on the report underline that India is among the countries with the highest levels of inequality in the world, with very large gaps between top and bottom groups.​
• Top vs bottom shares: Coverage notes that a very high share of national income accrues to the top decile in India, while the bottom 50% receives only a relatively small share, illustrating severe concentration of both income and wealth.​

• Closures stem from US tariffs curbing exports, policy uncertainties, and withdrawal of fiscal benefits like tax incentives.
• Gems and jewellery sectors saw major exits, dropping from around 500 units pre-2019 to 360 by FY22, hit by pandemic disruptions, better incentives abroad, and productivity issues.
• Additional factors include low FDI due to missing investment protections (unlike Vietnam), negative perceptions, low R&D spending, and competition from other nations.

• Despite closures, SEZ exports doubled to Rs 14.63 lakh crore in FY25 from Rs 7.59 lakh crore in FY21.
• Investments rose modestly to Rs 7.82 lakh crore in FY25 from Rs 6.17 lakh crore in FY21, amid challenges like low R&D and global competition.​

• SEZs struggle with low FDI due to missing investment protections, negative perceptions, and exits in sectors like gems and jewellery, dropping from around 500 to 360 units pre-FY22.
• Government pursues ongoing reforms, including reverse job work policies and stakeholder consultations.​

• Investments target AI-driven digitization for 15 million small businesses, quadrupling e-commerce exports to $80 billion, and expanding logistics infrastructure.
• The plan supports small business growth and innovation, positioning Amazon as India's largest foreign investor and top e-commerce exporter.​

• By 2030, Amazon aims to support 3.8 million direct, indirect, induced, and seasonal jobs, adding about 1 million new opportunities.
• Current contributions already include digitizing 12 million small businesses and enabling $20 billion in exports.​​

• The commitment follows similar moves by Microsoft ($17.5 billion) and Google ($15 billion), amid competition from Flipkart and Reliance in India's e-commerce market.
• It emphasizes quick commerce, cloud computing, and AI to fuel Atmanirbhar Bharat goals.​​

• Long-standing ideological clashes trace back to Hugo Chávez's socialism and anti-U.S. stance, evolving under Nicolás Maduro into disputes over elections, human rights, and U.S. sanctions imposed since 2014.
• The U.S. views Maduro as illegitimate, citing rigged elections and repression, while refusing to recognize his 2018 or 2024 victories.
• Venezuela counters that sanctions are politically motivated to control its vast oil reserves, the world's largest.​
• Control over Venezuela's oil and its Caribbean position drives U.S. focus, seen as a "backyard" security issue amid rival powers' influence.
• Maduro dismisses threats as bluffs, while U.S. lawmakers and the UN express fears of broader conflict.
• Economic woes, including hyperinflation over 200%, exacerbate the crisis but fuel U.S. pressure for change.​

• Composition: Election Commission includes one CEC and a variable number of ECs fixed by the President.​
• Eligibility: Appointees must hold or have held Secretary-level rank, possess integrity, and have election management experience.​
• Appointment Process: President appoints on Selection Committee recommendation; committee comprises Prime Minister (Chair), Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (or single largest opposition party leader), and a PM-nominated Union Cabinet Minister; Search Committee (headed by Law Minister) proposes five names.​
• Term: Six years or until age 65, whichever earlier; no reappointment; aggregate term not exceeding six years if EC promoted to CEC.​
• Salary and Benefits: Equivalent to Supreme Court Judge (with protections for incumbents); includes dearness allowance, 50% leave encashment, pension options from prior service, and General Provident Fund subscription.​
• Removal: CEC removable like Supreme Court Judge; ECs only on CEC recommendation.​

• Executive Dominance: Selection Committee gives government majority (PM and Cabinet Minister), excluding Chief Justice of India as per Supreme Court interim order, risking ECI independence.​
• Bypassing Transparency: Committee can ignore Search Committee panel, enabling arbitrary picks.​
• Salary Shift: Ties pay to Cabinet Secretary (unlike prior Supreme Court Judge equivalence), potentially increasing executive influence.​
• Vacancy Validity: Appointments valid despite committee defects, possibly allowing ruling party monopoly pre-elections.​
• Legal Challenges: Petitions question constitutionality under Article 324; Supreme Court hearings pending, citing bias and haste in appointments.​

• These spiders were collected during field surveys in Ri Bhoi and East Khasi Hills districts, with formal descriptions published in Zootaxa in late 2025.
• Asemonea dentis marks the third species of its genus recorded in India, while Colyttus nongwar is only the second Indian species in its Oriental genus.
• Both belong to jumping spiders known for sharp vision, stalking prey, and leaping attacks rather than web-building.​

• Asemonea dentis features males with a greenish-brown body and pale-yellow V-shaped abdominal mark, plus a tooth-like projection on the male palpal femur earning its "dentis" name; females show creamy white bodies with black markings.​
• Colyttus nongwar, named after Nongwar village in East Khasi Hills, has an oval reddish-brown carapace and light-brown abdomen with a front creamy band plus five rear chevron patches in both sexes.​

• The drone is 53% smaller than conventional models, enabling two-wheeler portability and single-operator use without bulky vehicles.
• It covers up to 5 acres per battery charge—a 60% improvement over comparable systems—with hexacopter architecture, swappable tanks, multiple nozzles, terrain-following radar, and collision avoidance.
• Designed for Indian conditions like heat, dust, humidity, and wind, it was validated over 6,000+ acres on crops such as sugarcane and paddy.​
• AvironiX engineers applied field-tested iteration in Ambattur (design) and Maramalainagar (manufacturing), following a "Genchi Genbutsu" approach.

• Discussions emphasized harmonizing aids to navigation amid advances in autonomous shipping, satellite systems, and digitalization, aligning with India's Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
• India, an active IALA Council member, reaffirmed commitments to technical cooperation, training, and safe maritime practices.​

• The International Organization of Aids to Marine Navigation, known as IALA, standardizes global maritime aids like buoys and lighthouses to enhance safety.
• Founded in 1957 as a non-governmental organization (NGO); became an intergovernmental organization (IGO) on August 22, 2024, after ratification by 34-39 states.​
• Headquarters located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France.​
• Approximately 200 members, including 80 national authorities (India joined in 1957) and 60 commercial firms.​
• Harmonizes aids to navigation worldwide, promotes safe vessel movement, and protects the marine environment.​
• Motto: "Successful Voyages, Sustainable Planet."​
• Key decision-making body: IALA Council, with a General Assembly every four years.​

• Developed the IALA Maritime Buoyage System in 1973-1982, replacing 30+ disparate systems after 1971 Dover Straits accidents (51 lives lost).​
• Advances technologies like AIS (Automatic Identification System) and DGNSS; four committees cover digital tech, management, engineering, and vessel traffic services.​
• Collaborates with IMO, ITU, and IHO for global standards and aids developing nations.

• Large Language Models (LLMs) are advanced AI systems trained on vast text datasets to understand and generate human-like language.
• They power applications like chatbots and content creation through transformer architectures.​
• LLMs consist of billions to trillions of parameters, enabling tasks such as text generation, summarization, translation, and reasoning.
• They use self-supervised learning to predict next words or tokens, capturing syntax, semantics, and context from training data.​

• Text generation for stories, articles, or emails.
• Language translation between multiple tongues.
• Summarization of long documents into key points.
• Question answering with contextual responses.​

• Sentiment analysis to detect emotions in text.
• Named entity recognition for identifying people, places, or dates.
• Text classification into categories like spam or topics.
• Grammar correction and spell checking.​

• Code generation, debugging, and explanation.
• Conversational agents for chatbots and dialogue.
• Zero-shot and few-shot learning for new tasks without retraining.
• Multimodal support for text, images, and more in recent models.

• LLMs generate plausible but often inaccurate outputs, known as hallucinations, due to pattern-based predictions rather than true comprehension.
• They lack long-term memory, treating each interaction independently without retaining context across sessions.
• Computational demands are high, with token limits restricting input size and real-time processing.​
• Biases inherited from training data produce unfair or stereotypical responses.
• Overreliance risks misinformation, as outputs mimic authority without factual grounding.

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