Current Affairs Quiz - February 2025

Notes:
The first Raisina Middle East Conference was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 28-29 January 2025. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar was the Chief Guest. Dr. Jaishankar visited the UAE from 27-29 January 2025. This was his third visit to the UAE since his reappointment in June 2024. The Raisina Dialogue is India’s top conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. The event was organised by the Observer Research Foundation, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The conference brought together policymakers, academics, media, and business leaders to discuss regional and global integration.

Notes:
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released findings from the second Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES). The survey collects data on household spending on goods and services. It helps assess economic well-being, update the Consumer Price Index, and measure poverty and inequality. The Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) is the main indicator for analysis. Urban-rural consumption differences declined in 2023-24 across major states. MPCE increased for all household types in both rural and urban areas. Kerala has the lowest urban-rural MPCE gap, followed by Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar. Consumption inequality declined across almost all major states. The Gini coefficient fell to 0.237 (rural) and 0.284 (urban) in 2023-24.

Notes:
The Ministry of Railways has launched the ‘SwaRail’ SuperApp, designed to streamline various railway services. The app offers services like reserved and unreserved ticket bookings, as well as platform ticket bookings. A major focus of the app is enhancing user experience with a clean and seamless interface. It has been developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).

Notes:
The third annual Deepor Beel Winter Birding Festival 2025 recorded an increase in migratory and resident birds compared to 2024. Deepor Beel is a perennial freshwater lake on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam. It was once a channel of the Brahmaputra River and spans 4.1 sq. km. It serves as Guwahati’s major stormwater storage basin, with outflow into the Khandajan rivulet. It was declared a Ramsar Site in 2002 and an Important Bird Area (IBA) in 2004. It is Assam’s only Ramsar site. The lake supports migratory birds, including globally threatened species like Spot-billed Pelican, Lesser Adjutant Stork, and Baer’s Pochard.

Notes:
Iran has unveiled two new missiles: Etemad and Ghadr-380. Etemad is a ballistic missile with a range of 1,700 km. It measures 16 meters in length and 1.25 meters in diameter. It is equipped with a precision-guided warhead for accurate targeting. Ghadr-380 is an anti-warship cruise missile with a range of over 1,000 km. It features anti-jamming capability, making it resistant to electronic warfare.

Notes:
Britain will be the first country to introduce laws against Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools used to generate sexual abuse images of children. Possessing, creating, or distributing these AI tools will be punishable by up to 5 years in prison. It will also be illegal to possess AI paedophile manuals, punishable by up to 3 years. The law will criminalize websites promoting child abuse content with up to 10 years in prison. AI is making it easier for predators to manipulate images and groom children. 500,000 children in the UK face abuse each year, with online abuse increasing.

Notes:
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Tata Steel Masters title for the first time in his career. The 19-year-old from Chennai defeated world champion D Gukesh in a tiebreaker. Both players tied with 8.5 points after the 13th round. Praggnanandhaa came from behind to win 2-1 in the tiebreaker.

Notes:
India leads the global index in digital well-being with a score of 67 out of 100. 58% of Indians are satisfied with their digital experiences, the highest among major countries. India has the strongest support networks for youth, with 9-12 sources of guidance. 78% of Indian Gen Z sought support, up from 65% in 2023. Parental engagement increased, with 70% of parents monitoring teens’ online activities.

Notes:
The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha about the National Youth Parliament Scheme (NYPS) 2.0. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs launched the National Youth Parliament Scheme (NYPS) 2.O. The scheme aims to strengthen democracy, promote discipline, tolerance, and awareness of parliamentary practices. The NYPS 2.0 web portal allows citizens to participate through three categories. Under Institution Participation, schools (Kishore Sabha) and colleges (Tarun Sabha) can organize Youth Parliament sessions. Group Participation allows groups to conduct sessions following portal guidelines, while Individual Participation enables citizens to take a quiz on ‘Bhartiya Democracy in Action.’

Notes:
The Framework Agreement on the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) has officially come into force. India established IBCA through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). It was launched on April 9, 2023, marking 50 years of Project Tiger. It aims to conserve seven big cats: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma. Member countries are Nicaragua, Eswatini, India, Somalia, and Liberia. The alliance aims to collaborate, share expertise, and secure financial support to conserve big cats globally.