Current News and Affairs

Who among the following won the Italian Open Women’s Tennis Singles Title, 2019 ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Karolina Pliskova” option2=”Johanna Konta” option3=”Naomi Osaka” option4=”Serena Williams” correct=”option1″]

The correct answer is Karolina Pliskova.

Czech player Karolina Pliskova won the Women’s Singles title at the Italian Open (Internazionali d’Italia) tennis tournament in Rome in 2019. She defeated Johanna Konta in the final.

The Italian Open is a prestigious clay-court tournament held annually in Rome, considered one of the key warm-up events for the French Open Grand Slam tournament.

Which one of the following statements about the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is not correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Its permanent Secretariat is located at Jeddah.” option2=”It endeavours to safeguard and protect interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.'” option3=”It is the largest inter-governmental organization of the world.” option4=”It has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN.” correct=”option3″]

The statement that it is the largest inter-governmental organization of the world is incorrect.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is a large inter-governmental organization, but it is not the largest in the world. The United Nations (UN) with its 193 member states and numerous affiliated organizations is generally considered the largest. The OIC currently has 57 member states.

Statements A, B, and D are correct. The OIC’s permanent secretariat is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Its mission includes safeguarding the interests of the Muslim world and promoting international peace. It maintains consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other international organizations.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was founded in

[amp_mcq option1=”Colombo” option2=”Islamabad” option3=”Kathmandu” option4=”Dhaka” correct=”option4″]

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was founded in Dhaka.

SAARC was founded on 8 December 1985, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined as the eighth member in 2007.

The first SAARC Summit was held in Dhaka. The organization’s Secretariat is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC aims to promote economic and regional integration among its member states.

Name the Indian cricketer who is not inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (till July 2018).

[amp_mcq option1=”Rahul Dravid” option2=”Sunil Gavaskar” option3=”Sachin Tendulkar” option4=”Anil Kumble” correct=”option3″]

The Indian cricketer who was not inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame till July 2018 among the given options is Sachin Tendulkar.

Rahul Dravid was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in July 2018. Sunil Gavaskar was inducted in 2009, and Anil Kumble was inducted in 2015. Sachin Tendulkar was inducted in July 2019, which is after the specified date (July 2018).

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an initiative by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to honour legendary cricketers who have made a significant impact on the sport. Inductions are typically announced annually.

Ace athlete Neeraj Chopra is an accomplished player in

[amp_mcq option1=”Hammer throw” option2=”Javelin throw” option3=”Shot put throw” option4=”Discus throw” correct=”option2″]

Neeraj Chopra is a renowned Indian athlete who specialises in the Javelin throw. He is an Olympic Gold medallist (Tokyo 2020) and a World Champion (2023) in this event, making him one of India’s most successful track and field athletes.

– Neeraj Chopra is an Indian athlete.
– His primary sport is Javelin throw.

Neeraj Chopra’s achievements include winning gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2023 World Athletics Championships, 2018 Asian Games, and 2018 Commonwealth Games, all in the men’s javelin throw event.

Which one of the following is the official mascot of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games?

[amp_mcq option1=”Soohorang” option2=”Vinicius de Moraes” option3=”The Hare, the Polar Bear and the Leopard” option4=”Miraitowa” correct=”option4″]

The official mascot of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was Miraitowa. The mascot for the accompanying Paralympic Games was Someity.

Miraitowa is a futuristic character inspired by Japanese culture, representing tradition and innovation. Its name is derived from the Japanese words “mirai” (future) and “towa” (eternity).

Soohorang was the mascot for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. Vinicius was the mascot for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The mascots for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics were The Hare, The Polar Bear, and The Leopard.

In which one of the following States was ‘DEFEXPO 2018’ held in April 2018?

[amp_mcq option1=”Goa” option2=”Karnataka” option3=”Tamil Nadu” option4=”Andhra Pradesh” correct=”option3″]

DEFEXPO 2018, the tenth edition of the biennial land, naval, and internal homeland security exhibition, was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

The event took place from 11 to 14 April 2018. The venue was the Tiruvidanthai, on the East Coast Road near Chennai.

DEFEXPO is organised by the Ministry of Defence and is one of the largest events of its kind in the world, showcasing India’s defence production capabilities and attracting global defence companies. Subsequent editions have been held in different locations, such as Lucknow (2020) and Gandhinagar (2022, 2024).

Who among the following is the Convener of the ‘Task Force’ set up in November 2017 by the Government of India to review the Income-tax Act and draft a new direct tax law?

[amp_mcq option1=”Girish Ahuja” option2=”Mukesh Patel” option3=”Arbind Modi” option4=”Mansi Kedia” correct=”option3″]

Arbind Modi was the Convener of the Task Force set up in November 2017 by the Government of India to review the Income-tax Act and draft a new direct tax law.

– The Task Force was constituted by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
– Arbind Modi was then a Member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

– The Task Force was mandated to draft a new direct tax law in tune with the economic needs of the country and based on international best practices. It submitted its report in August 2019.
– Girish Ahuja is a known expert on taxation, but was not the convener. Mukesh Patel and Mansi Kedia are not widely associated with this specific task force’s leadership.

The acronym ‘CAATSA’ refers to a piece of legislation enacted by which one of the following countries?

[amp_mcq option1=”United Kingdom” option2=”United States of America” option3=”Russia” option4=”India” correct=”option2″]

The acronym ‘CAATSA’ refers to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a piece of legislation enacted by the United States of America.

– CAATSA was enacted in 2017 by the US Congress.
– It imposes sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Section 231 of CAATSA targets individuals and entities that engage in significant transactions with Russia’s defense or intelligence sectors.

– CAATSA has implications for countries, including India, that have significant defence procurement ties with Russia. The acquisition of S-400 missile systems by India from Russia is an example of a transaction potentially subject to CAATSA sanctions, though waivers or exceptions are possible.

The 2+2 Bilateral Dialogue was held in September 2018 between

[amp_mcq option1=”External Affairs and Defence Ministers of India with their US counterparts” option2=”Finance and Defence Ministers of India with their Russian counterparts” option3=”Home and Defence Ministers of India and their counterparts in Pakistan” option4=”External Affairs and Defence Ministers of India with their counterparts in Pakistan” correct=”option1″]

The “2+2 Bilateral Dialogue” is a format of meeting between the External Affairs Minister and Defence Minister of India and their counterparts from another country. The first such dialogue between India and the United States was held in New Delhi in September 2018.

This dialogue mechanism is considered a high-level platform for discussing and coordinating on critical foreign policy and security issues.

India currently holds 2+2 dialogues with its key strategic partners including the USA, Japan, Australia, and Russia.