Current News and Affairs

Which one among the following statements about the United Nations (UN) is not correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”All the main bodies of the United Nations, such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Trusteeship Council, etc. were established with the founding of the UN in 1945.” option2=”The United Nations System comprises not only the main bodies, but also many funds, programmes and specialized agencies.” option3=”Specialized agencies of the UN System are funded by both voluntary and assessed contributions.” option4=”The programmes and funds of the UN System are financed only through assessed contributions.” correct=”option4″]

Statement D is not correct. The programmes and funds of the UN System (such as UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, etc.) are primarily financed through *voluntary* contributions from member states, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, and the private sector, not assessed contributions. Assessed contributions are mandatory payments from member states that fund the core budget of the United Nations itself and some peacekeeping operations.

– Statement A is correct: The six principal organs of the UN (General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, ICJ, Secretariat) were established in 1945.
– Statement B is correct: The UN System encompasses the principal organs, funds, programmes, and specialized agencies.
– Statement C is correct: Specialized agencies (like WHO, FAO, ILO) receive funding from both assessed contributions (for regular budgets) and voluntary contributions (for specific projects and programmes).
– Statement D is incorrect: UN Funds and Programmes rely mainly on voluntary contributions.

The distinction between assessed and voluntary contributions is key to understanding UN financing. Assessed contributions are based on a scale determined by the General Assembly, reflecting a country’s capacity to pay. Voluntary contributions are discretionary and often tied to specific projects or themes.

Who among the following is the recipient of Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2022?

[amp_mcq option1=”David Julius” option2=”Svante Paabo” option3=”Charles M. Rice” option4=”Ardem Patapoutian” correct=”option2″]

Svante Pääbo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022.

He received the prize for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.

Svante Pääbo’s pioneering work includes sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal, discovering the existence of Denisovans (another extinct hominin group), and revealing that gene transfer occurred from these extinct hominins to Homo sapiens after the migration out of Africa. This gene flow has physiological relevance today, for example, affecting how our immune system reacts to infections. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2021. Charles M. Rice shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2020.

Who among the following players won the Golden Boot Award in FIFA World Cup, 2022?

[amp_mcq option1=”Lionel Messi” option2=”Kylian Mbappe” option3=”Angel Di Maria” option4=”Thomas Muller” correct=”option2″]

Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award in FIFA World Cup, 2022.

– The Golden Boot award is presented to the top goalscorer of the FIFA World Cup tournament.
– In the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, French player Kylian Mbappe scored 8 goals, securing the award.

Lionel Messi of Argentina finished second with 7 goals. Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, defeating France in the final. Thomas Muller won the Golden Boot in 2010 and was among the top scorers in subsequent tournaments but not in 2022. Angel Di Maria is an Argentine player.

Freddie, Elton, Oban, Siyaya, Aasha, Tbilisi, Sasha and Savannah are names of

[amp_mcq option1=”nuclear reactors of Ukraine” option2=”cheetahs brought to India from Namibia” option3=”National Parks of Tanzania” option4=”tropical and sub-tropical grasslands” correct=”option2″]

Freddie, Elton, Oban, Siyaya, Aasha, Tbilisi, Sasha and Savannah are names of cheetahs brought to India from Namibia.

– These are the names of the eight cheetahs (five females and three males) that were translocated from Namibia to India in September 2022 as part of a project to reintroduce cheetahs in the country.
– They were released into enclosures in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Siyaya later gave birth to cubs in the park.

India declared the cheetah extinct in 1952. The reintroduction project aims to establish a viable cheetah population in the country. More cheetahs have since been translocated from South Africa to Kuno National Park and other designated sites.

The e-AMRIT web portal on electric vehicles, launched at COP26 Summit in Glasgow recently, has been developed by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Government of

[amp_mcq option1=”USA” option2=”UK” option3=”Russia” option4=”Canada” correct=”option2″]

The correct answer is (B) UK.

The e-AMRIT web portal on electric vehicles was launched by NITI Aayog at COP26 in Glasgow as part of the UK-India joint declaration on Zero Emission Vehicles, developed in collaboration with the UK Government.

e-AMRIT (Accelerated e-Mobility Revolution for India’s Transportation) is intended to be a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles, addressing common concerns and providing details on purchase, investment opportunities, and government policies.

Recently which one of the following countries became the first in the world to adopt the cryptocurrency ‘Bitcoin’ as legal tender?

[amp_mcq option1=”Argentina” option2=”Bolivia” option3=”El Salvador” option4=”Peru” correct=”option3″]

The correct answer is (C) El Salvador.

In September 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, alongside the US dollar.

The move was aimed at boosting the nation’s economy by facilitating remittances and attracting foreign investment, although it has faced significant challenges and criticism.

Among the following, which one has been accorded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site recently?

[amp_mcq option1=”Chausath Yogini Temple, near Morena” option2=”Sri Kalahastheeswara Temple, near Tirupati” option3=”Ramappa Temple, near Warangal” option4=”Manjunatha Temple, near Dharmasthala” correct=”option3″]

The correct answer is (C) Ramappa Temple, near Warangal.

The Ramappa Temple (also known as Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple) in Telangana was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021.

The Ramappa Temple dates back to the 13th century and is a masterpiece of Kakatiya architecture. India had two sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021: the Ramappa Temple and the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation city of Dholavira in Gujarat.

Who among the following is the CMD of the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.?

[amp_mcq option1=”Dr. Krishna Ella” option2=”Adar C. Poonawalla” option3=”Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla” option4=”Viloo Poonawalla” correct=”option3″]

Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.

– Serum Institute of India (SII) is one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers.
– It was founded by Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla.
– While Adar C. Poonawalla is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla holds the position of Chairman and Managing Director.

– The Serum Institute of India is based in Pune, India.
– It plays a significant role in producing vaccines for various diseases, including those supplied through global programs like Gavi and UNICEF.
– During the COVID-19 pandemic, SII was a major producer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (branded as Covishield).

The inaugural edition of the coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ was conducted in the year:

[amp_mcq option1=”2017″ option2=”2018″ option3=”2019″ option4=”2020″ correct=”option3″]

The inaugural edition of the coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil’ was conducted in January 2019.

Sea Vigil is India’s largest coastal defence exercise, involving all coastal states and Union Territories, along with all maritime stakeholders.

The exercise is a biennial event. The first edition was conducted on 22-23 January 2019. It aims to validate the efficacy of coastal security mechanisms and create synergy among all stakeholders.

Which one of the following is NOT a member country of the Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council (FIORC)?

[amp_mcq option1=”India” option2=”Australia” option3=”United Kingdom” option4=”United States” correct=”option1″]

India is NOT a member country of the Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council (FIORC). FIORC is related to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.

The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. FIORC facilitates cooperation and information sharing between the oversight and review bodies of the intelligence agencies of these five countries.

India is not part of the Five Eyes alliance. The member countries of the Five Eyes are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Therefore, only options B, C, and D are members of this grouping’s oversight council.