1. The Kataib Hezbollah militia, which was attacked by US recently, is based in which country?
[A] Syria
[B] Yemen
[C] Iraq
[D] Somalia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Iraq]
Notes:
US had recently launched air strikes on the bases of the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, Kataib Hezbollah in retaliation to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base. Many in Iraq had taken to the streets against the US in response to the air strikes.
2. The US was recently praised by the UAE for its role in the Global Coalition against Daesh. What is the other name for Daesh?
[A] Al Qaeda
[B] Hezbollah
[C] ISIS
[D] Houthis
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ISIS]
Notes:
The UAE had expressed its support for all the measures taken by the US to defend and protect its interests and forces in the region and also praised the US’ role in the Global Coalition against Daesh (ISIS). The term “Daesh” is an acronym for the Arabic phrase al-Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).
3. Which country was the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in India during the first half of the financial year 2019-2020?
[A] UAE
[B] Switzerland
[C] Singapore
[D] USA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Singapore]
Notes:
According to the recently released Government data, Singapore remains the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in India during the first half of the financial year with investments amounting to $8 billion. The second largest source was Mauritius with $6.36 billion worth investments followed by the United States, the Netherlands and Japan. India remains as one of the world’s favourite FDI destinations during this year. FDI limits in coal mining and contract manufacturing were recently relaxed by the Government.
4. Who was recently re-appointed as the Deputy Election Commissioner of India for the term of one year?
[A] Umesh Sinha
[B] Navin Chawla
[C] Sunil Arora
[D] N.Gopalaswami
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Umesh Sinha]
Notes:
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet recently approved the re-appointment of Umesh Sinha as the Deputy Election Commissioner of India on a contract basis. The appointment is made for one year from January 1, 2020 up to December 31, 2020. Umesh Sinha was a 1986 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer, who was about to attain his age of superannuation. He has earlier served as the Chief Election Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh.
5. The National Ice Hockey Championship, 2020 is held in which city?
[A] Manali
[B] Shimla
[C] Leh
[D] Kullu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Leh]
Notes:
The 5th edition of the National Ice Hockey Championship, 2020 is being in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh. The event is organised by the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) today. ‘Under-20 category’ of Boys matches and Girls matches are being conducted. The Ice Hockey tournament is held in Karzoo Ice Hockey Rink in Leh. Various Ice hockey teams including Army,Delhi and Ladakh are participating in the tournament.
6. The first silk processing plant of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is set up in which state, to boost production of Patola sarees?
[A] Maharashtra
[B] Gujarat
[C] Rajasthan
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Gujarat]
Notes:
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) inaugurated their first silk processing plant at Surendranagar district in Gujarat. The Patola is a trademark saree variety of Gujarat. It is regarded as a royal attire as it is priced very high. The reason for high price is the non-availability of processing plants in Gujarat. The silk yarn required to weave the saree is usually purchased from other states. This new plant set up by KVIC would cut down the price of silk yarn and boost production of Patola sarees.
7. Which Indian city hosts the All India Police Judo Cluster Championship 2019?
[A] Guwahati
[B] Cuttack
[C] New Delhi
[D] Goa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [New Delhi]
Notes:
The Central Reserve Police Force organised the 4th edition of the All India Police Judo Cluster Championship in New Delhi. The event will be held from January 4 to January 7, 2020. More than thousand sportspersons across the country are participating in the tournament. The event was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai. The previous edition of the championship was organized by the Odisha Police.
8. Which two Indian cities are placed in the list of HexGn “Global Top 10 Cities for Start-up Funding” for 2020?
[A] Delhi NCR and Mumbai
[B] Mumbai and Bengaluru
[C] Delhi NCR and Bengaluru
[D] Gurugram and Mumbai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Delhi NCR and Bengaluru]
Notes:
A leading research agency, HexGn conducted a study of the funding patterns in the start-up ecosystem in the year 2019. The total international funding for technology start-ups decreased by 22% to $293 billion when compared to the funding of $375 billion, last year. However, the start-up funding in India has grown by 18% to $14 billion in 2019. For the first time, two Indian cities namely Delhi NCR and Bengaluru were ranked in the “Global Top 10 Cities for Start-up Funding” list.
9. Common Service Centre (CSC) recently partnered with which bank for sale of FASTags?
[A] Airtel Payment Bank
[B] Paytm Payment Bank
[C] State Bank of India
[D] Equitas Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Paytm Payment Bank]
Notes:
The Common Service Centre (CSC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Paytm Payment Bank Ltd (PPBL) for selling digital toll payment tags called FASTags. CSC will integrate its platform with that of the bank to sell the PPBL FASTags. The digital tags are made mandatory to be fixed in all vehicles from December last year. The Common Service Centres sell the FASTags through its Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). Earlier CSCs had integrated with State Bank of India, Equitas Bank and HDFC Bank for sale of FASTags.
10. Which Indian Grandmaster won the title in the Hastings International Chess Congress?
[A] Pendyala Harikrishna
[B] Sasikiran Krishnan
[C] P Magesh Chandran
[D] Abhijeet Gupta
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [P Magesh Chandran]
Notes:
Indian Grandmaster, P Magesh Chandran who presently lives in the USA, won the prestigious title of the Hastings International Chess Congress. The tournament was held in Hastings, England.
He completed the game with 7.5 points and remained unbeaten in all rounds. The 36-year-old chess player became the Grand master in 2006. With 6 points each, other Indian players Deep Sengupta and Swayam Mishra were placed in the 13th and 14th ranks respectively.