Current affairs 10 February 2025

Singapore Is World's Most Powerful Passport Of 2025.

• Singapore has the world’s strongest passport, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 countries, followed by South Korea and Japan (190 countries).
• UAE saw the biggest gain, rising to 8th place, while the US dropped to 9th; Venezuela fell from 2nd to 44th since 2015.
• India ranked 80th with access to 56 nations, while Pakistan ranked 96th near the bottom.

Coal India Wins Golden Peacock CSR Award 2024.

• Coal India Limited (CIL) received the Golden Peacock CSR Award 2024 at the 19th International CSR Conference in Mumbai.
• Award received by CIL Chairman P.M. Prasad and Director (Personnel) Vinay Ranjan.
• CIL allocated ₹572 crore for CSR in the last fiscal year, focusing on healthcare, sanitation, education, and livelihood.
• Invested ₹850 crore in Aspirational Districts.

Lebanon Forms First Government Since 2022 to End Deadlock.

• Nawaf Salam appointed Prime Minister, ending over two years of political stalemate.
• President Joseph Aoun accepted the caretaker government's resignation and approved the new 24-member cabinet.
• Salam's priorities: judicial reforms, economic stability, and implementing the ceasefire with Israel.
• Pledged to oversee Israeli troop withdrawal and war reconstruction efforts.

Nepal & France Sign MoU for HydroNepal Project.

• Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), French Embassy in Nepal, and Blue Water Intelligence (BWI) signed an MoU for the HydroNepal Project.
• MoU signed by NEA MD Kul Man Ghising and BWI CEO Jeremy Fain, in the presence of French Ambassador Virginie Corteval.
• The project aims to digitize Nepal’s river basins, optimize hydropower resources, and improve hydrological risk preparedness.

RBI Implements Additional Authentication for Global Payments.

• RBI introduces Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) for international Card Not Present (CNP) transactions.
• AFA, previously for domestic payments, includes OTP or biometric verification to curb fraud.
• Move addresses rising e-commerce transactions & cyber risks, ensuring safer cross-border digital payments.