This is the current affairs of 20 December 2025. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Who won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025?
a. Jharkhand
b. Haryana
c. Maharashtra
d. Tamil Nadu
Answer: a. Jharkhand
– The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is India’s premier domestic T20 tournament, in which teams from across the country participate. It is organized by the BCCI.
– The Jharkhand team won the trophy for the first time by defeating Haryana by 69 runs in the final match on 18 December 2025.
– The final was played at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune.
– Both teams were playing their first-ever final.
– Indian wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan captained the team.
– He scored 101 runs off 49 balls and won the Player of the Final award.
– Ishan Kishan also became the player with the most T20 sixes (94) for Jharkhand.
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2. Which state’s Ponduru Khadi has been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag?
a. Kerala
b. Andhra Pradesh
c. Tamil Nadu
d. Telangana
Answer: b. Andhra Pradesh
– These khadi products are made in Ponduru village of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh.
– The Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued an order on 12 December 2025 granting GI tag status to this khadi.
– Mahatma Gandhi had praised it 100 years ago.
– In 1942, freedom fighter Chaudhary Satyanarayana presented Mahatma Gandhi with a dhoti made of Ponduru khadi during his halt at Dusi railway station, and Gandhi was deeply impressed by its fineness.
– Due to the quality of the hand-spun and hand-woven khadi produced here, its texture reaches a count of 125.
Andhra Pradesh
– Capital: Amaravati
– Chief Minister: Nara Chandrababu Naidu
– Governor: S. Abdul Nazeer
– Population: 49.5 million (2011)
– Language: Telugu
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3. Name the Sultan of Oman who bestowed his country’s highest honor, the ‘Order of Oman’, upon Prime Minister Modi?
a. Theyazin bin Haitham
b. Haitham bin Tariq
c. Mohammed bin Salman
d. Roshan Jahan Ara
Answer: b. Haitham bin Tariq
– Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman conferred the ‘Order of Oman’, the country’s highest honor, on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 December 2025.
– PM Modi was on a two-day state visit to Oman.
– The Order of Oman is the highest civilian award of Oman, instituted in 1970 by Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
– In 2025, India and Oman completed 70 years of diplomatic relations.
– By December 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had received the highest foreign civilian honors from 29 countries.
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4. What type of trade agreement was signed between India and Oman in December 2025?
a. CETA
b. CECA
c. PTA
d. CEPA
Answer: d. CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement)
India–Oman CEPA Agreement
– Full name: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) — a broad free trade/economic partnership agreement.
– Signed on 18 December 2025 in Muscat, Oman.
– Objective: To boost bilateral trade and investment, reduce trade barriers, and facilitate services and investment flows.
– India–Oman trade (FY 2024–25): Around $10.5 billion, with India’s exports at about $4.06 billion and imports at $6.5 billion.
– The agreement goes beyond trade to include capital attraction, labor mobility, and investment facilitation, strengthening overall economic cooperation.
– Oman’s geographical location (near the Strait of Hormuz) is important for India’s energy security and logistics network.
Key Features – Duty-Free Access (Tariff Reforms)
– Oman will provide duty-free access to about 98.08% of its tariff lines for India, covering around 99.38% of India’s total exports.
– India will open tariffs on about 77.79% of Oman’s tariff lines, covering approximately 94.81% of import value.
– Sensitive items list: Agricultural products (milk, tea, coffee), precious metals, and certain domestic industry items have been given special protection.
Sector-wise Opportunities
– Textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, footwear, sports goods, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, electronics, automobiles, etc.
Opportunities in Services and Investment
– Easier access in services such as IT, education, healthcare, design/architecture, etc.
– 100% FDI permitted, encouraging Indian investment in other service sectors.
Professional and Labor Mobility
– Oman has agreed to provide hiring flexibility to Indian companies, making workforce deployment easier.
Economic and Strategic Significance
– The agreement provides Indian exporters near-complete duty-free access to a new market.
– As a major gateway in the Gulf region, Oman offers India an entry point to the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
What is a Trade Agreement?
– It is an agreement between two or more countries to facilitate trade in goods and services with reduced or zero taxes (duties).
– It benefits companies by making products cheaper and boosting demand.
– Trade agreements are generally referred to as FTAs (Free Trade Agreements), though many are limited in scope and known by different names. A full FTA has been signed only with Sri Lanka.
Types of Trade Agreements
– FTA (Free Trade Agreement): No customs duty on all goods and services (e.g., Sri Lanka).
– CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement): A new-generation comprehensive trade agreement, e.g., with the UK.
– CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement): Includes economic and investment cooperation, e.g., Australia and Singapore.
– CECPA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement): Indicates deeper bilateral cooperation, e.g., India–Mauritius.
– CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement): e.g., India with Korea and Japan.
– PTA (Preferential Trade Agreement): Reduced duties on selected items (e.g., India–Thailand).
– RTA (Regional Trade Agreement): Trade agreement among several countries of a region.
– TEPA (Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement): An expanded version covering goods, services, and investment.
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5. Who won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year 2025 award?
a. Ousmane Dembélé
b. Lamine Yamal
c. Kylian Mbappé
d. Lizbeth Ovalle
Answer: a. Ousmane Dembélé (France)
– The FIFA Best Football Awards ceremony was held on 16 December 2025 in Doha, Qatar.
– Ousmane Dembélé is a 28-year-old French star footballer.
– He played a key role for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in winning the club’s first-ever Champions League title.
– He scored a total of 35 goals across all competitions last season, including 21 in Ligue 1, finishing as the top scorer.
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6. Who won the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year 2025 award?
a. Mariona Caldentey
b. Alexia Putellas
c. Aitana Bonmatí
d. Sakina Karchaoui
Answer: c. Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
– Aitana Bonmatí is a legendary Spanish midfielder.
– She dominated women’s football with outstanding performances for Spain’s national team and Barcelona.
– In 2025, she also won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third consecutive time.
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7. Who won the FIFA Best Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2025?
a. Gianluigi Donnarumma
b. Kasey Keller
c. Emiliano Martínez
d. Manuel Neuer
Answer: a. Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
– Donnarumma won the award for his outstanding performances with PSG, including Champions League and domestic league titles.
– This was the first time he received this award.
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8. Who won the FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2025?
a. Anna Moorhouse
b. Hannah Hampton
c. Chiamaka Nnadozie
d. Cata Coll
Answer: b. Hannah Hampton (England)
– The 25-year-old Hannah Hampton is the goalkeeper for England and Chelsea.
– She is the second English player to win this award.
Titles Won
– UEFA Women’s Euro 2025
– Women’s Super League 2024/25
– Women’s FA Cup 2024/25
– FA Women’s League Cup 2024/25
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9. FIFA Awards 2025 List
– Men’s Player of the Year: Ousmane Dembélé (France)
– Women’s Player of the Year: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
– Best Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
– Best Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Hannah Hampton (England)
– Best Goal of the Year: Lizbeth Ovalle (Mexico) and Santiago Montiel (Argentina)
– Best Men’s Team of the Year (XI): Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
– FIFA Fan Award: Zakho SC Club
– Best Men’s Coach of the Year: Luis Enrique (Spain)
– Best Women’s Coach of the Year: Sarina Wiegman (England)
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10. Sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar passed away on 18 December 2025. Which tall statue was he famous for creating?
a. Statue of Unity
b. Idol of Ram Lalla
c. B. R. Ambedkar statue
d. Lord Shiva, Nathdwara (Rajasthan)
Answer: a. Statue of Unity
– He was 100 years old.
– The Statue of Unity is located near Kevadia on the banks of the Narmada River in Gujarat, India.
– It is the world’s tallest statue at 182 meters, dedicated to India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and symbolizes unity and patriotism.
– Ram Sutar also created the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a meditative posture in the Parliament complex and the famous equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in Delhi.
– He infused life into even hard stone, making his sculptures appear alive.
– He created more than 1,150 sculptures in his lifetime.
– He made his first sculpture at the age of 22, depicting a bodybuilder.
– In his 100th year, he completed a 77-foot-tall statue of Lord Ram in Goa.
– He was influenced by Gandhian ideals, and his favorite works included the meditative Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex.
– He created all 16 statues in the Parliament complex.
Awards
– Padma Shri in 1999
– Padma Bhushan in 2016
– Maharashtra Bhushan Award in 2025
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11. Which Indian company won the title of ‘Best Domestic Airline’ at the Travel + Leisure India & South Asia Best Awards 2025?
a. Vistara
b. SpiceJet
c. Air India
d. IndiGo
Answer: c. Air India
– This is the second consecutive year that Air India has received this honor.
– The Travel + Leisure India & South Asia Awards are organized by Travel + Leisure India and South Asia.
– These are entirely reader-voted awards, not jury-decided.
– Passengers vote based on their real travel experiences.
– Evaluation is based on service quality, comfort, operational reliability, and overall travel experience.
– The airline highlighted the role of its frontline staff, cabin crew, and ground operations team.
– Air India’s Chief Customer Experience Officer, Rajesh Dogra, said that winning the award for the second consecutive year reflects the airline’s commitment to delivering a world-class travel experience.
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12. Which word was declared Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2025?
a. Slop
b. Polarization
c. Kraken
d. Malarkey
Answer: a. Slop
– Merriam-Webster is an American company that publishes reference books and is best known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.
Meaning of “Slop”
– Bizarre, eccentric, and clearly fake content is often referred to as “slop.”
– The term has seen widespread online use, partly due to the broad availability of artificial intelligence.
– Merriam-Webster President Greg Barlow announced this on 15 December 2025.
– The word “slop” was first used in the 1700s to mean soft mud, but its meaning later expanded to refer to low-value material, and now to low-quality digital content often produced in large quantities using artificial intelligence (AI).
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