Current Affairs 18 December 2025

India Adds Siliserh Lake and Kopra Jalashay as New Ramsar Sites.

• India designated Siliserh Lake and Kopra Jalashay as its 95th and 96th Ramsar Sites, taking the country’s total to 96.
• Siliserh Lake is a man-made freshwater lake, constructed in 1845 by Maharaja Vinay Singh of Alwar to meet the drinking water needs of Alwar city.
• Kopra Jalashay, located near Bilaspur, became the first Ramsar site in Chhattisgarh.

FIFA Best Football Awards 2025 Held in Doha.

• The FIFA Best Football Awards 2025 were held in Doha, Qatar, honouring the best performances in world football over the past year.
• Ousmane Dembélé (France / PSG) won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year 2025, capping a standout season that also included the Ballon d’Or.
• Aitana Bonmatí (Spain / Barcelona) secured the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award for the third consecutive time.

VB G RAM G Bill, 2025 Introduced to Replace MGNREGA.

• Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB G RAM G Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha.
• The Bill proposes to replace MGNREGA, 2005, marking a shift from a demand-driven framework to a supply-driven scheme.
• It guarantees 125 days of wage employment to rural households.

UNAOC Marks 20 Years of Promoting Intercultural Dialogue.

• The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) has completed two decades of efforts to bridge divides and reduce global polarisation.
• Launched in 2005, the initiative was jointly started by the Republic of Türkiye and Spain under the auspices of the UN. Secretariat: New York.
• Its core objective is to improve cross-cultural and inter-religious relations between nations and communities.

Google Launches "Flex" Credit Card in India with Axis Bank.

• Google launched its first-ever global credit card, named Flex, starting with India.
• The card is launched in partnership with Axis Bank and operates on the RuPay network.
• Flex offers instant rewards on every transaction, unlike traditional credit cards where rewards or cashbacks are credited later.
• The instant rewards can be used immediately for the next payment.