Day-1 : Current Affairs May 2020 MCQ 

Topic- IR

 

Answers

1. Consider the following statements about Permanent Mission of UN:

1. It is the diplomatic mission that every member state deputes to the United Nations.
2. It is mission of permanent character, representing the State, sent by a State member of an international organisation to the Organization.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

      (a) 1 and 2

      (b) 1 only

      (c) 2 only

      (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct: It is the diplomatic mission that every member state deputes to the United Nations.
2. Statement 2 is correct: It is mission of permanent character, representing the State, sent by a State member of an international organisation to the Organization.

 

For More Information Read the following:

 Permanent Mission to the UN

• India has appointed diplomat TS Tirumurti, currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, as its Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Permanent Mission to the United Nations –

• The Permanent Mission is the diplomatic mission that every member state deputes to the United Nations, and is headed by a Permanent Representative, who is also referred to as the “UN ambassador”.
• According to Article 1 (7) of the Vienna Convention on the Representation of States in their Relations with International Organisations of a Universal Character, a “Permanent Mission” is a: “… mission of permanent character, representing the State, sent by a State member of an international organisation to the Organization”.

 

2. Consider the following statements about H-1B visa:

1. The US H1-B visa is designed to be used for staff in specialty occupations.
2. H-1B visa holders can bring their spouse and children under 21 years of age to the US under this Visa H-1B category as independents holders.
3. An H4 Visa holder is allowed to remain in the US as long as the H-1B visa holder remains in legal status.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

      (a) 1 and 2

      (b) 1 and 3

      (c) 2 and 3

      (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct: The US H1-B visa is designed to be used for staff in specialty occupations.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect: H-1B visa holders can bring their spouse and children under 21 years of age to the US under the H-4 Visa category as dependents.
3. Statement 3 is correct: An H4 Visa holder is allowed to remain in the US as long as the H-1B visa holder remains in legal status

 

For More Information Read the following:

H-1B visa

• In a major relief for professionals and immigrants from countries like India, the US government has given a grace period of 60 days to H-1B visa holders and Green Card applicants, who have been served notices for submission of various documents, taking into account the massive COVID-19 outbreak in America.

What is H-1B visa?

The US H1-B visa is designed to be used for staff in specialty occupations. The job must meet one of the following criteria to qualify as a specialty occupation

• Have a minimum entry requirement of a Bachelor’s or higher degree or its equivalent.
• The degree requirement for the job is common to the industry or the job is so complex or unique that it can be performed only by an individual with a degree.
• The employer normally requires a degree or its equivalent for the position.
• The nature of the specific duties is so specialised and complex that the knowledge required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a bachelor’s or higher degree.
• H-1B visa holders can bring their spouse and children under 21 years of age to the US under the H-4 Visa category as dependents. An H4 Visa holder is allowed to remain in the US as long as the H-1B visa holder remains in legal status.
• While, an H-4 visa holder is not eligible to work in the US, they may attend school, obtain a driver’s license and open a bank account while in the US.

 

3. Consider the following statements about Non-Aligned Movement:

1. NAM was born as a movement of developed and developing countries.
2. The NAM Summits are among the largest gathering of countries, after the United Nation.
3. There are almost half of the countries of the world and 10 international organisations that are Observers at NAM.

Which of the given statements is/are not correct?

      (a) 1 and 2

      (b) 2 and 3

      (c) 1 and 3

      (d) 3 only

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is incorrect: NAM was born as a movement of developing countries.
2. Statement 2 is correct: The NAM Summits are among the largest gathering of countries, after the UN.
3. Statement 3 is incorrect: There are 17 countries and 10 international organisations that are Observers at NAM.

 

For More Information Read the following:

Non-Aligned Movement

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently participated in the online Summit of Non-Aligned Movement(NAM) Contact Group to discuss response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

About Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) –

• The Non Aligned Movement came into being 55 years ago when leaders of 25 developing countries met at the 1961 Belgrade Conference.
• 18th NAM Summit was held at Baku in Azerbaijan in October 2019. India hosted the 7th NAM Summit in the year 1983.
• NAM was born as a movement of developing countries that shunned military alliances and wished to jointly play a role in promoting peace, disarmament and development.
• Presently 120 developing countries are members of this Movement. The NAM Summits are among the largest gathering of countries, after the UN.
• 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan).
• There are 17 countries and 10 international organisations that are Observers at NAM.

  

4. Which of the following is/are objectives of Diamer Bhasha Dam:

1. To help alleviate acute irrigation shortage in the Indus basin irrigation system.
2. It serves as the main storage dam of the country, besides Mangla and Hirakund dams.
3. The dam will have a gross storage capacity of 8.1 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4500 MW

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

      (a) 1 and 2

      (b) 2 and 3

      (c) 2 only

      (d) 1 and 3

Answer: (d)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct: Help alleviate acute irrigation shortage in the Indus basin irrigation system.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect: Serve as the main storage dam of the country, besides Mangla and Tarbela dams.
3. Statement 3 is correct: The dam will have a gross storage capacity of 8.1 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4500 MW

 

For More Information Read the following:

Gilgit-Baltistan

• The External Affairs Ministry issued a “strong protest” over an order by the Pakistan Supreme Court allowing the Imran Khan government to hold elections in the region of Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

What is the issue?

• India had issued a demarche to protest what it called Pakistan’s attempt to make “material changes” to the disputed area, by bringing federal authority to Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), which has functioned as a “provincial autonomous region” since 2009.
• On April 30, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in Islamabad, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed, had allowed the government to organise general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, and to set up a caretaker government there before that.

About Gilgit-Baltistan –

• It is a picturesque, hilly region to the north of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and east of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• The British sold it, along with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Dogra ruler of Jammu, Gulab Singh, after defeating the Sikh army in 1846.
• However they retained controlled over the area through a lease extracted from the Maharaja. This lease was last renewed in 1935.
• In 1947, a British army officer of the rank of Colonel imprisoned Maharaja Hari Singh’s governor in the region, and handed over the area for accession to Pakistan.
• Gilgit Baltistan (GB) is spread over 72,871 sq km, and is five-and-a-half times the size of PoK. But it is sparsely populated, with just under 20 lakh people.
• Gilgit-Baltistan is divided into three administrative divisions and 10 districts.
• Though both PoK and GB are ruled directly from Islamabad, neither is officially listed as the territory of Pakistan.
• Pakistan has just four provinces – Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (which now includes the Federally Administered Tribal areas or FATA), Balochistan, and Sindh.
• PoK and GB are both “autonomous territories”.

Diamer Bhasha Dam

• The Diamer-Bhasha Dam is located on the Indus River in northern Pakistan between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan.
• The dam will have a gross storage capacity of 8.1 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4500 MW.
• With the height of 272 meters, it will be the tallest Roller Compact Concrete (RCC) dam in the world, would be completed in 2028.

• Recently, Pakistan signed a contract with a joint venture of a China Power (Chinese state-run firm) and the Frontier Works Organization (FWO-a commercial arm of Pakistan’s military) for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.
• The contract covers construction of a diversion system, main dam, Access Bridge and the 21MW Tangir hydropower project.

 

• The objectives of the project are

1. Fulfil the increasing water and electricity requirements of the country.
2. Serve as the main storage dam of the country, besides Mangla and Tarbela dams.
3. Help alleviate acute irrigation shortage in the Indus basin irrigation system.
4. Reduce intensity, quantum and duration of floods and reduce magnitude and frequency of floods in the River Indus downstream.

• India has opposed the move on the grounds that Gilgit-Baltistan region is part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that was illegally occupied by Pakistan.

Gilgit Baltistan

• Gilgit-Baltistan formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory.
• It constitutes the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region of India, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947, and between India and China from somewhat later.
• The territory shares a border with Azad Kashmir, together with which it is referred to by the United Nations and other international organizations as “Pakistan administered Kashmir”.
• The territory also borders Indian-administered union territories Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) and Ladakh to the south and is separated from it by the Line of Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistan.
• Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside the Polar Regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan.
• Attabad Lake is a lake in Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, was created in January 2010 as a result of the Attabad Disaster, a major landslide in the region.
• Attabad Lake has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Gilgit-Baltistan offering activities like boating, jet skiing, fishing and other recreational activities.

 

5. Consider the following statements about Indus Water Treaty:

1. Under the treaty all the waters of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas (Eastern Rivers) were allocated to India for exclusive use.
2. The Indus system comprises of main Indus River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
3. India has constructed the Bhakra Dam on Ravi river the main cause of the issue between India and Pakistan

Which of the given statements is/are not correct?

      (a) 1 and 2

      (b) 2 only

      (c) 3 only

      (d) 1 and 3

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct: Under the treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas ( Eastern Rivers) were allocated to India for exclusive use
2. Statement 2 is correct: The Indus system comprises of main Indus River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej
3. Statement 3 is incorrect: Bhakra Dam on Satluj

 

For More Information Read the following:

Indus Water Treaty

• The Indus system comprises of main Indus River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
• The basin is mainly shared by India and Pakistan with a small share for China and Afghanistan.
• Under the treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas ( Eastern Rivers) were allocated to India for exclusive use.
• While, the waters of Western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab were allocated to Pakistan except for specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the Treaty.
• India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation is unrestricted.
• To utilize the waters of the Eastern rivers which have been allocated to India for exclusive use, India has constructed following dams:

1. Bhakra Dam on Satluj,
2. Pong and Pandoh Dam on Beas and
3. Thein (Ranjit Sagar) on Ravi.

Other Projects in Indus

• The above following projects will help India to utilize its entire share of waters given under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960.
• Shahpurkandi Project – This project will help in utilizing the waters coming out from powerhouse of Thein dam for irrigation and power generation in J&K and Punjab.
• The construction work is being undertaken by the Govt of Punjab under monitoring of Govt of India.
• Construction of Ujh multipurpose project – This project will create a storage of water on river Ujh , a tributary of Ravi for irrigation and power generation in India
• The 2nd Ravi Beas link below Ujh – This project is being planned to tap excess water flowing down to Pakistan through river Ravi, even after construction of Thein Dam, by constructing a barrage across river Ravi for diverting water through a tunnel link to Beas basin.

Govt. of India declared Ujh project as National Project.

 

6. Vande Bharat Mission is related to which of the following option:

      (a) It is a mission related to border security issues of the soldiers

      (b) In an effort to bring back its stranded citizens abroad due to the spread of the novel coronavirus

      (c) It is related to the issue of Rohingyas

      (d) It is about the tribal population to include them in main stream

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

All the options are incorrect only (b) is correct

For More Information Read the following:

 ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ begins

What’s in News?

• In an effort to bring back its stranded citizens abroad due to the spread of the novel coronavirus and the resulting lockdown thereof, India has rolled out massive evacuation plans called ‘Vande Bharat Mission’.

• The government is expected to operate 64 flights within a span of 7 days to bring home thousands of Indian nationals.

Details:

• India will operate 10 flights to the UAE, seven flights each to the US and the UK, five flights to Saudi Arabia, five flights to Singapore and two flights to Qatar to repatriate Indian nationals.
• During this period, India will also operate seven flights each to Malaysia and Bangladesh, five flights each to Kuwait and Philippines, two flights each to Oman and Bahrain.

 

7. Consider the following statements about India’s role in Afghanistan:

1. India has crucial role in sustainable peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.
2. India was the main part in the UN-coordinated “6+2+1” meeting of Afghanistan.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

      (a) 1 and 2

      (b) 1 only

      (c) 2 only

      (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct: India’s crucial and continuing role in sustainable peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect: India was not included in a UN-coordinated “6+2+1” meeting of Afghanistan.

 

For More Information Read the following:

India’s role in Afghanistan

• The U.S. recognises India’s constructive contribution to Afghanistan, said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad.

Details:

• Khalilzad was in Delhi to discuss the important role of India in a sustainable peace process in Afghanistan and the region.
• India was not included in a UN-coordinated “6+2+1” meeting of Afghanistan, its neighbours and the U.S. and Russia on April 16, 2020, an exclusion New Delhi is understood to have protested.
• However, Afghan officials have hinted that they are speaking to the UN, the U.S. and others about a broader “6+4” formation for regional talks on Afghanistan, which would include India.

• The U.S. side recognised India’s constructive contribution in economic development, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
• They laid importance to India’s crucial and continuing role in sustainable peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.
• The statement said that India reiterated its continued support for strengthening peace, security, unity, democratic and inclusive polity and protection of rights of all sections of the Afghan society, including Afghan Hindus and Sikhs.

 

8. Consider the following statements about Pearl Harbor:

1. The Harbour is the main location and unresolved issue between China and South Koria.
2. Between 1937 and 1938 the Nanking Massacre occurred because of the Harbor.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

      (a) 1 only

      (b) 2 only

      (c) 1 and 2

      (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (d)

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is incorrect: Between December 1937 and January 1938, the “Nanking Massacre” occurred where Japanese soldiers killed and raped Chinese civilians and combatants.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect: read the following

 

For More Information Read the following:

Virus attack worse than Pearl Harbor

• Donald Trump has said the COVID-19 pandemic is a worse attack on the U.S. than either Pearl Harbor or 9/11, taking aim once again at China, which he said should have stopped the disease in its tracks.

Details:

• The pandemic has hammered healthcare infrastructure in many parts of the United States, including New York City, and its impact has been particularly severe on the least privileged sections of American society, such as undocumented migrants.
• The U.S. President has ramped up his rhetoric against Beijing.
• China accused the United States of trying to shift blame over the novel coronavirus, after President Donald Trump said the pandemic was a worse “attack” than Pearl Harbor or 9/11.
• Tension between the world’s two biggest economies (the US and China) has reached fever pitch as they have exchanged barbed comments on each other’s handling of the virus.

Pearl Harbor Assault:

• Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, relations between the US and Japan were already worsening.
• In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and, in 1937, it invaded China. This showed  Japan’s manifest expansionist agenda.
• Between December 1937 and January 1938, the “Nanking Massacre” occurred where Japanese soldiers killed and raped Chinese civilians and combatants.
• Japan invaded China and later French Indo-China as it was reliant on imports for oil and other natural resources.
• In July 1941, the US ceased exporting oil to Japan.
• As the negotiations between the US and Japan did not lead to anything concrete, Japan set its task for Pearl Harbor in November 1941.
• The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor killed over 2,300 Americans and destroyed the battleships USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma.
• The Japanese assault on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii in 1941 drew the United States into the Second World War.
• It signalled the official entry of the US into the hostilities, which eventually led to the dropping of nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

9/11 attacks:

• The September 11, 2001 jihadist attacks on the World Trade Center killed about 3,000 people and triggered two decades of war.
• The attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States.

Terrorists hijacked four passenger airplanes and crashed them onto two towers of the World Trade Center Complex and the Pentagon (HQ of the US Defense department).

 

9. Toman is seen in news it is related to ?

      (a) Iran’s new missile

      (b) Iranian money

      (c) India-Iran partnership

      (d) Iran-USA tensions

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

(b) is the correct nswer

For More Information Read the following:

Toman

• Iran’s parliament has passed a bill allowing the government to slash four zeros from the rial after a sharp fall in the value of the currency as a result of crippling U.S. sanctions. Iran’s money will soon likely be called the Toman.

Why?

• Iran has seen the value of its national currency decline steadily since the Islamic Revolution brought the religious government to power in 1979. That drop has accelerated in recent years as harsh US sanctions battered the country’s economy.
• The currency has been devalued 3,500 times since 1971. It declined steadily since the Iranian Revolution, 1979 brought the religious government to power.
• Iran has faced a litany of financial disasters since 1979, including international sanctions that have severely limited its ability to sell oil, which in turn have all but dried up its primary source of revenue.
• The government has also implemented strict rules on access to foreign currency, leading to a flourishing black market for non-Iranian cash inside the country and further eroding the value of the national currency.
• The global COVID19 pandemic has piled even more stress onto the lives of people ramping up maximum pressure on Iran.

 

10. Misison Sagar is related to which of the following option:

      (a) It is India’s successful journey around the world

      (b) It is India’s diplomatic ties towards Middle East

      (c) It is a part of the Government of India outreach to the Indian Ocean countries

      (d) It is India’s defence related import – export ties

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

The option (c) is correct

For More Information Read the following:

 

MISSION SAGAR

• It is a part of the Government of India outreach to the Indian Ocean countries amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Details –

• Indian Naval Ship Kesari departed for Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, to provide Food Items, COVID related Medicines including HCQ Tablets and Special Ayurvedic Medicines with Medical Assistance Teams.
• This deployment as ‘Mission Sagar’, is in line with India’s role as the first responder in the region and builds on the excellent relations existing between these countries to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant difficulties.
• The deployment is in consonance with the Prime Ministers vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region ‘SAGAR’ and highlights the importance accorded by India to relations with her neighbouring countries and further strengthens the existing bond.
• The operation is being progressed in close coordination with the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, and other agencies of the Government of India.