International Current Affairs MCQs

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Senegal has recently been declared free of trachoma by the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 15, 2025. It became the 25th country globally and the 9th in Africa to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and leads to preventable blindness. It contributes to about 1.4% of global blindness, affecting 1.9 million people. Senegal faced trachoma since early 1900s and joined WHO’s global elimination alliance in 1998.

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Turkey has unveiled its most powerful conventional bomb, the Gazap, at the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025 in Istanbul. The Gazap bomb weighs 970 kg and is designed for F-16 fighter jets. It disperses 10.16 fragment explosions per metre, up from the earlier standard of 3 metres. It is developed by the National Defence Ministry’s R&D centre, it increases Turkey’s airstrike power.

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Recently, China faced Typhoon Co-May and tsunami threats from an 8.8-magnitude earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Typhoon Co-May, locally called Zhu Jie Cao, hit Shanghai with strong winds of 83 km/h and heavy rain. Nearly 2.83 lakh people were evacuated from Shanghai and nearby areas. A level-one emergency response was issued for flood and typhoon control.

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India will be the ‘Guest of Honour’ at the 38th Bogota International Book Fair (FILBo) 2026. This will strengthen people-to-people connections between India and Colombia. Indian Ambassador to Colombia Vanlalhuma highlighted the role of literary exchange in building deeper ties. Since 1988, the Colombian Book Chamber and Corferias have organised FILBo as a major Spanish-speaking cultural event. The announcement was attended by Colombia’s Cultural Minister, FILBo Director, Corferias President, and Book Chamber President. Recently, at the 37th FILBo 2025 (April 25–May 11), India’s National Book Trust showcased a collective exhibit of Indian books for the first time.

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Adani Power signed a pact with Bhutan’s Druk Green Power to build the 570 MW Wangchu Hydroelectric Project. Project will follow a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model with power purchase and concession agreements signed. It is a run-of-river project on Wangchu River (Raidāk River in India) in Chukha District, Bhutan. Construction will start in first half of 2026 and complete within five years. It will meet Bhutan’s peak winter electricity demand and export surplus power to India in summer.

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Bangladesh recently announced export of hilsa fish to India ahead of Durga Puja as a mark of “enduring Bangladesh-India friendship.” Earlier in September 2024, Bangladesh had banned hilsa export to India but relaxed it after appeals from traders. Hilsa, also called Ilish fish, is culturally significant in Bengali traditions, offered during pujas, weddings, and to Goddess Lakshmi. It lives in both saltwater and freshwater, spending most life in the ocean but migrating to rivers like Padma, Meghna, Ganges, and Godavari for breeding. Bangladesh produces about 70% of the world’s hilsa and it is the national fish of Bangladesh. Hilsa contributes 12% of Bangladesh’s total fish catch and nearly 1% of GDP.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on his re-election and expressed confidence in strengthening India–Norway partnership. Store, leader of the Labour Party, secured about 28 per cent votes in Norway’s legislative elections, ensuring majority with support from four left-wing parties. The Progress Party achieved its best-ever result, finishing second, while the Conservative Party fell to third place. Around 4.3 million voters elected members for 169-seat Storting, with centre-left securing 85+ seats for majority. Store’s second term comes after challenges like inflation, scandals, and internal strife.

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Recently, the governments of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) announced a series of nuclear power deals. Leading US-based companies will build nuclear projects overseas. The initiative aims to accelerate advanced reactor deployment and reduce dependence on Russian nuclear fuel. It is named the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy. The partnership includes faster safety approvals, regulatory cooperation, and billions in private sector investment. The initiative strengthens transatlantic cooperation in nuclear energy and strategic energy security.

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Indonesia suspended import of Indian groundnuts from 3 September 2025 due to Aflatoxin concerns. Suspension threatens new crop arrivals in a month, with groundnut sown on 48 lakh hectares this kharif season. Gujarat expects record 66 lakh tonnes, but prices remain below Minimum Support Price (MSP). Indonesia is India’s top buyer, importing one-third of exports — 2.77 lakh tonnes worth $280 million in 2024–25. Aflatoxins are toxic compounds from fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, linked to liver cancer and health risks.

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The Taliban government recently rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after the U.S. withdrawal. Bagram Air Base is the largest airbase in Afghanistan, located north of Kabul. It holds a strategic position near Iran, Pakistan, China’s Xinjiang, and Central Asia. Originally built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, it supported Soviet operations until the late 1980s. The United States later revamped it and used it as a hub for war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda since 2001. It served as the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan for air operations, intelligence, and logistics.