Current News and Affairs

Which of the following statements about Vijay Seshadri is/are correct ?

• He is an India-born US poet
• He won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in the year 2014 for his book ‘3 Sections’
• He is the first Indian origin person to bag the Pulitzer Prize

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”1 and 2 only” option3=”2 and 3″ option4=”1, 2 and 3″ correct=”option2″]

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Vijay Seshadri is indeed an India-born poet who later emigrated to the US. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2014 for his collection titled ‘3 Sections’.

Vijay Seshadri is an Indian-American poet who received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2014 for his work ‘3 Sections’.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Vijay Seshadri was not the first person of Indian origin to win a Pulitzer Prize. Several individuals of Indian origin had won Pulitzer Prizes before him in various categories, including Jhumpa Lahiri (Fiction, 2000), Geeta Anand (Explanatory Reporting, 2003, as part of a team), and Siddhartha Mukherjee (General Nonfiction, 2011), among others.

Recently Iran has clinched a deal with six world powers to curb nuclear activities. Which one among the following is not a party to it ?

[amp_mcq option1=”USA” option2=”France” option3=”Russia” option4=”Japan” correct=”option4″]

Iran’s nuclear negotiations were primarily conducted with the P5+1 group, which consists of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. The P5 are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Germany is the “+1”. This group was involved in the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) in 2013 and the subsequent Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Japan is not a member of the P5+1 group and was not a direct party to these negotiations or the resulting agreements.

– Parties to the Iran nuclear deal (JPOA/JCPOA): Iran and the P5+1 group.
– P5+1 members: China, France, Russia, UK, USA + Germany.
– Role of Japan: Not a direct party to the negotiations.

The Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), an interim agreement, was signed in November 2013. It aimed to freeze key parts of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for partial sanctions relief while a long-term agreement was negotiated. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the comprehensive agreement, was reached in July 2015.

Recently a leading public sector bank of India has allowed withdrawal of upto Rs. 1000 from any shop/trader with a point-of-sale (PoS) terminal. Identify the bank from below :

[amp_mcq option1=”Bank of Maharashtra” option2=”Punjab National Bank” option3=”State Bank of India” option4=”Bank of Baroda” correct=”option3″]

In late 2013 and early 2014, State Bank of India (SBI) launched a pilot project allowing cash withdrawals of up to Rs 1000 at Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals located at merchant outlets. This initiative aimed to extend basic banking services to areas with limited ATM penetration and promote the use of debit cards. While other banks might have explored similar options, SBI was a prominent public sector bank that initiated this specific service around that time.

– Initiative: Allowing cash withdrawal at PoS terminals in shops.
– Amount limit: Up to Rs 1000 (at the time).
– Bank involved: State Bank of India (SBI).
– Purpose: Enhance financial inclusion, increase card usage, provide cash access in underserved areas.

The service was often branded as ‘Cash@POS’. It was introduced by various banks and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to leverage the existing network of PoS terminals for providing cash, especially in semi-urban and rural areas where ATMs were scarce. RBI guidelines regulate such withdrawals.

Consider the following statements :

• 1. The Presidency of the Council of European Union rotates among the Member States every six months
• 2. Italy became the President of the European Union for six months since 1 January 2014

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”2 only” option3=”Both 1 and 2″ option4=”Neither 1 nor 2″ correct=”option1″]

Statement 1 is correct as the Presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among the Member States every six months according to a predetermined order. Statement 2 is incorrect because while Italy did hold the Presidency in 2014, it was during the second half of the year, from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2014. The Presidency for the first half of 2014 (1 January – 30 June) was held by Greece.

The Council of the European Union Presidency rotates every six months.
The rotation order is determined years in advance.
In 2014, Greece held the Presidency in the first half, and Italy in the second half.

The country holding the Presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council. It also represents the Council in relations with other EU institutions, such as the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Which one among the following teams did not top in their respective Groups in the 2013-2014 Ranji Trophy League Table ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Karnataka” option2=”Punjab” option3=”Railways” option4=”Maharashtra” correct=”option4″]

The correct option is D, as Maharashtra did not top its respective group in the 2013-2014 Ranji Trophy League Table.

– The question asks which team among the options did *not* top their group in the Ranji Trophy 2013-2014 season.
– In the 2013-2014 Ranji Trophy season:
– Group A was topped by **Karnataka**.
– Group B was topped by **Punjab**.
– Group C was topped by **Railways**.
– **Maharashtra** was in Group C and finished as the runner-up behind Railways.

Karnataka went on to win the Ranji Trophy title in the 2013-2014 season, defeating Maharashtra in the final.

The leader of which one of the following countries has recently executed his deputy who happened to be his own uncle ?

[amp_mcq option1=”South Sudan” option2=”Syria” option3=”Myanmar” option4=”North Korea” correct=”option4″]

The correct option is D, as the leader of North Korea executed his deputy who was his uncle.

– This question refers to a specific event that occurred in December 2013, which was widely reported in early 2014.
– Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, ordered the execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who was his deputy and a powerful figure in the regime, after accusing him of treason and corruption.
– This was a significant political purge within the North Korean leadership.

Jang Song Thaek was married to Kim Jong Un’s aunt (Kim Jong Il’s sister) and was considered the second most powerful person in North Korea before his sudden removal and execution. This event highlighted the consolidation of power by Kim Jong Un.

The historical drama film ’12 Years a Slave’ which was adjudged best picture at 86th Academy Awards presented in March 2014, is based on 1853 memoir of the same name by :

[amp_mcq option1=”Steve McQueen” option2=”Solomon Northup” option3=”Brad Pitt” option4=”Matthew McConaughey” correct=”option2″]

The historical drama film ’12 Years a Slave’, which won the Best Picture award at the 86th Academy Awards in March 2014, is based on the 1853 memoir of the same name written by Solomon Northup. The memoir recounts Northup’s true story of being a free African American man kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South for twelve years.

The film ’12 Years a Slave’ is based on the autobiographical narrative written by Solomon Northup.

Steve McQueen directed the film ’12 Years a Slave’. Brad Pitt was one of the producers and also played a role in the film. Matthew McConaughey was another actor in the film, winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ at the same ceremony.

United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2013 as

[amp_mcq option1=”International Year of Water Cooperation” option2=”International Year of Space Cooperation” option3=”International Year of Air Cooperation” option4=”International Year of Science and Technology Cooperation” correct=”option1″]

The correct option is A.

– The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/154 adopted on 20 December 2010, declared 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation.
– The declaration aimed to highlight the importance of water cooperation, recognizing that water is critical for sustainable development, poverty eradication, food security, and human well-being.

– The theme focused on promoting dialogue, building trust, and finding peaceful solutions for the cooperative management of water resources.
– Other UN International Years include International Year of Biodiversity (2010), International Year of Forests (2011), International Year of Sustainable Energy for All (2012), and International Year of Family Farming (2014).

In February 2013, the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled in favour of India’s position on the diversion of Kishanganga water setting aside the objections raised by

[amp_mcq option1=”Pakistan” option2=”China” option3=”Nepal” option4=”Bangladesh” correct=”option1″]

The correct option is A.

– The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is built on the Kishanganga River in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The river is a tributary of the Jhelum, which flows into Pakistan.
– Pakistan raised objections to the project, arguing it violated the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), which governs the use of water from the Indus river system shared by India and Pakistan.
– The dispute was referred to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
– In February 2013, the Court ruled on certain aspects of the dispute, generally allowing India to proceed with the project while also requiring India to maintain a minimum environmental flow of water downstream.

The Indus Waters Treaty designates the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers to Pakistan and the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers to India, while allowing certain uses (like hydro-power generation with specific provisions) on the rivers allocated to the other country. Pakistan’s objection centered on the planned diversion of water, which they argued would impact downstream flows in their territory. The ruling was seen as a mixed outcome for both countries.

Who among the following won the Men’s Singles All-England Badminton Championship held in Birmingham, England in 2013?

[amp_mcq option1=”Lee Chong Wei” option2=”Chen Long” option3=”Chen Jin” option4=”Lin Dan” correct=”option2″]

The correct option is B.

– The Men’s Singles final of the All-England Badminton Championship held in March 2013 was contested between Chen Long of China and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
– Chen Long defeated Lee Chong Wei to win the title.

– Lee Chong Wei is a multiple Olympic silver medalist and former world number one.
– Chen Long is also a former world number one and Olympic gold medalist (2016).
– Chen Jin and Lin Dan are other famous Chinese badminton players. Lin Dan won the All England title multiple times but did not win in 2013.