International Current Affairs MCQs

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India has sent 26 tons of humanitarian aid to Honduras after Tropical Storm SARA. The assistance includes medical supplies like surgical items, glucometers, oximeters, gloves, syringes, and IV fluids. It also contains disaster relief materials such as blankets, sleeping mats, and hygiene kits. The aid aims to help the country recover from the impact of the storm.

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Mount Fentale in northern Ethiopia released huge methane plumes starting January 31, 2025. This event, described as a “burp,” involved large amounts of methane escaping from underground gas deposits. The phenomenon was first detected through satellite monitoring and later confirmed by GHGSat. This unprecedented natural event could have significant climate change implications due to the high potency of methane as a greenhouse gas.

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China, Iran, and Russia conducted joint naval drills in the Middle East as a show of force. The drills, called Maritime Security Belt 2025, took place in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is a key global oil trade route, where Iran has previously seized commercial ships and launched suspected attacks. This was the fifth year of the joint drills.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the UN80 Initiative to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the United Nations. It is a reform strategy introduced on the 80th anniversary of the UN. The initiative aims to ensure financial sustainability as global contributions decline. It focuses on structural reforms to enhance the implementation of UN mandates.

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Stuart Young was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago at the President’s House in St. Ann’s. He succeeds Dr. Keith Rowley, who has officially stepped down. Trinidad and Tobago is an island country in the southeastern West Indies, close to Venezuela and Guyana. It is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

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The Maasai tribe in Tanzania is resisting international carbon credit projects, fearing land loss and threats to their traditional way of life. The Maasai are semi-nomadic pastoralists and a prominent indigenous community in East Africa, primarily in Tanzania and Kenya. They speak Maa, a Nilo-Saharan language, and are known for their distinct dress, beadwork, and warrior traditions. Their society follows a patrilineal structure with age-set systems, transitioning from junior warriors to senior elders. They rely on livestock for meat, milk, and blood, practice transhumance, and live in kraals with mud-dung houses and thorn fences.

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On 3rd April 2025, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), becoming the first European country to do so. The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals responsible for serious global crimes. It is the only permanent international criminal tribunal. The ICC was created by the Rome Statute, an international agreement adopted on 17 July 1998. The Rome Statute defines the Court’s powers, structure, and responsibilities and came into force on 1 July 2002. The ICC investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.

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India urged BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to support the Baku to Belém Roadmap. It was adopted at Conference of the Parties 29 (COP29) in 2024. The roadmap aims to mobilize USD 1.3 trillion to help developing nations meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. It focuses on defining a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance post-2025 and ensuring finance is predictable, adequate, and accessible. As BRICS countries now represent 47% of the world’s population and 36% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), their united climate efforts are crucial for a fair global transition.

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The Philippines confirmed the deployment of the United States anti-ship missile system NMESIS for this year’s Balikatan military exercises. NMESIS stands for Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System. It is developed for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to support land-to-sea missile attacks. It uses the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), the latest anti-ship missile of the United States Navy. The missile is mounted on an unmanned version of the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The vehicle platform is called Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires. Oshkosh Defense supplies the ROGUE Fires vehicle. The Naval Strike Missile is jointly made by Raytheon Missiles and Defense from the United States and Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace from Norway.

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BRICS nations launched the BRICS Land Restoration Partnership to tackle land degradation, desertification, and soil fertility loss across 11 member countries. The announcement was made during the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ meeting held in Brasilia, Brazil. This was the first agriculture meeting of the expanded BRICS, which now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. India was represented by Union Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan. BRICS countries together represent 47% of the global population and contribute 36% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The meeting supported fair agricultural trade, stable global prices, and better returns for small farmers.