Current News and Affairs

Which one among the following is the oil exploration and production company operated in Siberia and owned by the ONGC ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Venture Production” option2=”Regal Petroleum” option3=”Enterprise Oil” option4=”Imperial Energy” correct=”option4″]

The correct answer is Imperial Energy. Imperial Energy is an oil exploration and production company with assets primarily located in Siberia, Russia.

ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), the overseas arm of the Indian state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), acquired Imperial Energy Plc in January 2009. This acquisition gave OVL significant oil and gas assets in Siberia.

Other options: Venture Production was a UK-based company acquired by Centrica. Regal Petroleum is an oil and gas company focused on Ukraine. Enterprise Oil was a UK-based company acquired by Shell. None of these were operating extensively in Siberia under ONGC ownership.

Which of the following countries won the gold medal in Cricket in the Asian Games, 2010 ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Sri Lanka” option2=”Pakistan” option3=”Bangladesh” option4=”India” correct=”option3″]

Bangladesh won the gold medal in Men’s Cricket at the Asian Games, 2010.

Cricket was included in the Asian Games for the first time in 2010 held in Guangzhou, China, featuring the T20 format.
– Men’s Tournament: Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan in the final to win the gold medal. Pakistan secured the bronze medal.
– Women’s Tournament: Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in the final to win the gold medal. China secured the bronze medal.
The question asks about “gold medal in Cricket”. Since Bangladesh won the gold medal in the Men’s event and Pakistan won the gold medal in the Women’s event, and both are options, it is possible the question implicitly refers to the more prominent Men’s event, or it expects recognition of one of the gold medal winners. Given the options, both Bangladesh and Pakistan won a gold. However, assuming the more prominent men’s event is referred to, Bangladesh is the winner.

India did not send teams for the cricket event in the 2010 Asian Games, citing prior international commitments. In the 2014 Asian Games, Sri Lanka won the Men’s gold and Pakistan won the Women’s gold again.

Which one among the following brought together the thinkers, editors, business and cultural groups and political leaders of India and Pakistan to bridge the divide between the nations ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Aman Biradari” option2=”Aman Ki Ore” option3=”Aman Ke Raste” option4=”Aman Ki Asha” correct=”option4″]

The initiative that brought together thinkers, editors, business and cultural groups, and political leaders of India and Pakistan to bridge the divide between the nations is Aman Ki Asha.

Aman Ki Asha (meaning ‘Hope for Peace’) was a joint peace initiative launched in 2010 by two leading media houses, the Jang Group of Pakistan and The Times of India Group of India. The initiative aimed to promote peace and cooperation between the two countries through various activities including dialogues, cultural exchanges, and media campaigns involving people from different walks of life.

The initiative gained significant media attention and organised numerous events and discussions across both countries involving artists, intellectuals, students, business leaders, and politicians, seeking to build public support for better relations and understanding.

In 2010, at the Lisbon Summit, NATO signed a “Declaration on Enduring Partnership” for future enhanced cooperation with regard to capacity building and security sector reform. With whom did NATO sign this declaration ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Pakistan” option2=”Turkey” option3=”Serbia” option4=”Afghanistan” correct=”option4″]

In 2010, at the Lisbon Summit, NATO signed a “Declaration on Enduring Partnership” for future enhanced cooperation with Afghanistan.

The NATO Summit in Lisbon in November 2010 was a significant event where NATO leaders reviewed the mission in Afghanistan (ISAF). A key outcome was the agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on a long-term partnership aimed at strengthening Afghanistan’s institutions, particularly in the security sector, beyond the planned transition of security responsibility to Afghan forces. This partnership was formalised through the “Declaration on Enduring Partnership”.

The enduring partnership framework aimed to continue NATO’s support to Afghanistan through training, assistance, and advice even after the completion of the ISAF mission. The focus was on capacity building and ensuring Afghanistan’s long-term stability and security sector reform.

Which one among the following statements regarding SAARC is correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Myanmar is a member of SAARC” option2=”Headquarters of SAARC is located in Dhaka” option3=”The first SAARC award was posthumously conferred upon late President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh” option4=”The present Secretary General of SAARC is from India” correct=”option3″]

Statement C is correct. The first SAARC Award was posthumously conferred upon late President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh (one of the proponents of SAARC) for his vision and contribution to the idea of regional cooperation in South Asia.

The SAARC Award is conferred to individuals or organizations for their outstanding contribution to the cause of peace, development, poverty alleviation, and regional cooperation in South Asia.

Statement A is incorrect; Myanmar is not a member of SAARC. Statement B is incorrect; the SAARC Secretariat is located in Kathmandu, Nepal, although the first summit was held in Dhaka. Statement D is incorrect; the Secretary General of SAARC is appointed by the Council of Ministers on the principle of rotation among the Member States in alphabetical order and serves for a term of three years. While there have been Indian Secretaries General in the past, the statement refers to the “present” which is relative to the time of the question and also typically implies the current office holder. However, even looking at historical SGs around the likely time of this question’s origin (early 2010s), the SG was from Nepal (2011-2014). Regardless, C is a definitively correct historical fact about the SAARC award.

Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists :

List I (Prominent American Indian)	List II (Field of activity)
A. Piyush ‘Bobby’ Jindal	1. Media
B. Manoj Night Shyamalan	2. Author
C. Siddhartha Mukherjee	3. Film Maker
D. Fareed Zakaria	4. Administration

Code :

[amp_mcq option1=”A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1″ option2=”A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1″ option3=”A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4″ option4=”A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4″ correct=”option1″]

Matching the prominent American Indians (of Indian origin) with their fields of activity:
A. Piyush ‘Bobby’ Jindal – 4. Administration (He is a former Governor of Louisiana and a former US Congressman).
B. Manoj Night Shyamalan – 3. Film Maker (He is a renowned film director, screenwriter, and producer).
C. Siddhartha Mukherjee – 2. Author (He is a physician, scientist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author).
D. Fareed Zakaria – 1. Media (He is a journalist, author, and host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS).
The correct code is therefore A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1.

This question tests knowledge of prominent personalities of Indian origin who have made significant contributions in various fields in the United States.

All individuals listed are well-known figures in their respective domains in the United States. This question highlights the increasing presence and influence of the Indian diaspora globally.

Which one of the following was not identified as a pillar of their reform agenda by the heads of the G-20 nations in the declaration at the Toronto Summit in June 2010 ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Relaxing regulatory framework” option2=”Effective supervision” option3=”Resolution and addressing systemic institutions” option4=”Transparent international assessment and peer review” correct=”option1″]

Among the options provided, “Relaxing regulatory framework” was not identified as a pillar of the reform agenda by G-20 nations in the declaration at the Toronto Summit in June 2010.

Following the 2008 global financial crisis, G-20 efforts focused on strengthening, not relaxing, the global financial regulatory framework. The Toronto Summit built on previous commitments, emphasizing areas like building stronger financial institutions, improving effective supervision, addressing systemic risk (including ‘too big to fail’ institutions), and enhancing transparency and international cooperation through mechanisms like peer review. Relaxing regulations would have been contrary to the prevailing sentiment and goals of preventing future crises.

The G-20 leaders at the Toronto Summit committed to completing the financial regulatory reform agenda. Key areas included finalizing reforms to capital and liquidity standards for banks, strengthening oversight of the shadow banking system, improving resolution regimes for failed financial institutions, and enhancing the regulation of derivatives markets.

Consider the following statements regarding the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) :

• 1. It is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia.
• 2. All countries with whom India shares international border are members of the organisation.
• 3. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand were the original members of the organisation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

Statements 1 and 3 regarding the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) are correct, while statement 2 is incorrect.

Statement 1 is correct because BIMSTEC is an international organization comprising seven member states from South Asia and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Statement 3 is correct; the organisation was founded as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand) in 1997, making these four countries the original members. Statement 2 is incorrect because India shares international borders with countries like Pakistan and China, which are not members of BIMSTEC.

BIMSTEC aims to promote regional cooperation in various sectors. Myanmar joined BIST-EC in late 1997, and the group was renamed BIMST-EC. With the inclusion of Bhutan and Nepal in 2004, the name was changed to BIMSTEC.

Consider the following statements: regarding a record breaking First Round match in Wimbledon Tennis Tournament 2010 between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut :

• 1. This match is considered as the longest tennis match in the history.
• 2. There were 183 games in the match with altogether more than 200 aces served.
• 3. The match was spread over three days.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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

All three statements regarding the record-breaking first-round match at Wimbledon 2010 between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are correct.

Statement 1 is correct as the match set multiple records for duration, lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes, and becoming the longest tennis match in history. Statement 3 is correct as the match was indeed suspended due to darkness on two consecutive evenings, spreading it over three days. Statement 2 is also correct; the final score was 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 70–68, resulting in a total of 183 games. The match also saw a combined 216 aces (Isner 113, Mahut 103), exceeding 200 aces.

This match took place from June 22 to June 24, 2010. The final set alone, which Isner won 70-68, lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes, longer than the previous record for the longest match ever.

Garuda 2010 is a military exercise involving the air forces of :

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

Garuda is a military exercise involving the air forces of India and France.

Garuda is a series of bilateral aerial exercises conducted between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF). These exercises aim to enhance interoperability, exchange best practices, and strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries. Garuda 2010 was one such iteration held in France.

India conducts various bilateral and multilateral military exercises with different countries. Examples include ‘Malabar’ (with USA, Japan, Australia), ‘Indra’ (with Russia), ‘Surya Kiran’ (with Nepal), ‘Hand-in-Hand’ (with China), ‘Shakti’ (Army) and ‘Varuna’ (Navy) with France, in addition to ‘Garuda’ (Air Force).