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17.12.2025 in English, suitable for UPSC and TNPSC preparation, based
on the provided news content.
1. National News
·
Insurance Laws (Amendment)
Bill, 2025 Passed:
The Lok Sabha passed the Insurance Laws (Amendment)
Bill, 2025 .
Key Provision: The bill
proposes to increase the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in the insurance
sector from the existing 74% to 100% .
attract additional foreign direct investment and
protect the interests of policyholders .
Safeguard: Even with 100%
FDI, the bill mandates that key management persons (such as the Chairperson,
Managing Director, or CEO) must be Resident Indians .
· Higher Education Commission of
India (HECI) Bill:
A bill to establish a single higher education
regulator, the ‘Viksit Bharat Education Oversight Commission’
(replacing UGC, AICTE, and NCTE), was introduced in the Lok Sabha .
The bill has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary
Committee (JPC) for further review .
Structure: The commission
will be headed by a Chairperson appointed by the President . It will regulate
Central Universities, IITs, NITs, and IISERs .
· Changes to MGNREGA:
The ‘Viksit Bharat Rural Employment
and Livelihood Guarantee Bill’ was introduced in the Lok Sabha to
replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act .
Key Change: The new bill
proposes to increase the guaranteed workdays from 100 to 125 days in a financial year .
Controversy: Opposition
parties protested the removal of “Mahatma Gandhi’s” name from the
bill .
· ‘Paramvir’ Gallery
Inaugurated:
President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the ‘Paramvir’ Gallery at Rashtrapati Bhavan .The gallery features photographs of 21 awardees of
the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military decoration .
2. International
News
· PM Modi’s Visit to Jordan:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jordan and
held talks with King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein .
Trade Target: Both leaders
set a goal to double bilateral trade to $5 billion (approx.
₹45,483 crore) within the next 5 years .
Agreements: Five MoUs were
signed in areas including defense, counter-terrorism, and cyber security .
· Security Guarantee for
Ukraine:US President Donald Trump announced a new peace
plan proposing security guarantees for Ukraine equivalent to those of NATO members .
3. Economy
· Rupee Hits Historic Low:
The Indian Rupee fell to a historic low of ₹91.01 against the US Dollar .
The government attributed this to the strengthening
dollar and ongoing trade agreement negotiations .
· Trade Deficit Narrows:
India’s trade deficit narrowed to a 5-month low of $24.53 billion in November .
This was largely due to a dip in gold and crude oil
imports .
· Wholesale Inflation (WPI):
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation remained
negative (deflationary) for the second consecutive month, recording -0.26% in November .This decline is attributed to falling prices in
food articles, fuel, and power .
4. Sports
· IPL Auction 2026:
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was
bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹25.20 crore,
becoming the most expensive overseas player in this auction .
· Double Century in U-19
Cricket:
Indian cricketer Abhigyan Kundu created
history by scoring a double century (209 runs*) in the
U-19 Asia Cup match against Malaysia .He became the first Indian to
score a double century in Youth ODIs .
5. Important Days
· Vijay Diwas (December 16):
Vijay Diwas was observed to
commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, which led
to the liberation of Bangladesh
the soldiers .
6. Science &
Tamil Nadu Specific
· Food Safety Inspection (Eggs):
Food safety officials in Tamil Nadu are conducting
inspections to check for the presence of the banned antibiotic ‘Nitrofuran’ in eggs .
· CyberKnife Treatment:
Doctors at Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai,
successfully removed a brain tumor located in the hypothalamus using CyberKnife (robotic radiosurgery) without open surgery
.
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