Current Affairs Quiz - February 2025

Notes:
Switzerland will end development aid for Bangladesh, Albania, and Zambia due to budget cuts in foreign aid. The Swiss parliament reduced its 2025 foreign aid budget by 110 million Swiss Francs, and another 321 million Swiss Francs for 2026-2028. These cuts will impact both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. However, Switzerland will still fund humanitarian efforts. This decision is part of Switzerland’s financial adjustments and shift in international aid priorities.

Notes:
TROPEX-25 or Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise 2025 is India’s largest biennial maritime exercise, led by the Indian Navy with participation from the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The exercise focuses on joint warfare, power projection, and countering challenges in the Indian Ocean Region. Senior military leaders witnessed operations aboard INS Vikrant, highlighting India’s carrier-based air power. The exercise demonstrated integrated fleet operations, uniting the Eastern and Western Fleets. Vice Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force participated, symbolizing growing joint warfare coordination. TROPEX-25 strengthens India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, signaling deterrence against China’s expanding naval presence. The exercise reinforces India’s role in regional security and Quad cooperation.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh launched ‘Mana Mitra’, India’s first WhatsApp-based governance platform. It provides 161 civil services, making government services easily accessible. Citizens can avail public services directly via WhatsApp, enhancing digital governance. Developed in collaboration with Meta, the platform marks a major innovation in service delivery. More services will be added in the future to further improve accessibility.

Notes:
OpenAI launched a new AI tool called Deep Research on February 2. It is the first major release after the DeepSeek controversy. Deep Research gathers information from the internet and creates reports like a research analyst. OpenAI showcased its capabilities in a YouTube demonstration video. The tool was also privately presented to US lawmakers and government officials in Washington, DC.

Notes:
Gujarat appointed a panel to draft the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai. The five-member panel includes experts from different fields. The panel is expected to submit its report within 45 days. This move aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of implementing UCC for equal rights. Gujarat becomes one of the active states working on UCC legal reforms.

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New Delhi hosted the 15th International Meeting of World Pharmacopoeias from 5-7 February 2025. The event brought together global pharmacopoeial leaders, regulators, and industry experts to enhance cooperation in pharmaceutical standards. Key discussions focused on pharmaceutical harmonization, regulatory convergence, and improving public health. The first meeting was held in Geneva in 2012, and the 10th in Strasbourg in 2020. WHO defines pharmacopeia as a legally binding collection of quality standards for medicines. The meeting was organized by WHO and hosted by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC).

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh men’s kabaddi team won gold at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand. They secured a 57-43 victory over Chandigarh with agility, strategy, and teamwork. UP also won another gold in artistic yoga in the men’s singles category. Praveen Kumar Pathak emerged as the winner in artistic yoga.

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ISRO unveiled the latest version of Finite Element Analysis of Structures (FEAST) software at the 8th National Finite Element Developers’ Meeting at IIT-Hyderabad. More than 250 industry leaders, academicians, and researchers attended to promote indigenous structural analysis software. FEAST, developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), analyzes structures under various loads in aerospace, automobile, civil, and mechanical fields.

Notes:
A teenage member of the Kanjar nomadic tribe was beaten to death by fellow tribe members in East Champaran, Bihar. The Kanjar tribe is a nomadic group found in North India and Pakistan, mainly in the Indus River valley and Punjab. Historically labeled a “criminal tribe” during colonial rule, they were decriminalised after independence. With about 5,000 Kanjar in Pakistan and more in India, they lack permanent land or shelters and move between communities. Their occupations include hunting, fishing, basket weaving, and entertainment, and they speak several languages, including Kanjari, a language related to Romani.

Notes:
Dashavatar performances recently started in Maharashtra. Dashavatar is a traditional theatre form with an 800-year history. It represents the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vaman, Parashuram, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. Performers use bright makeup and costumes, accompanied by a paddle harmonium, tabla, and zanj (cymbals). It is popular in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra’s South Konkan region and North Goa district of Goa.