International Current Affairs MCQs

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A US military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indian nationals landed at Amritsar airport on 5th February 2025. The deportees spent between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 1 crore on expenses and agent fees to reach the US. They traveled through the “dunki route,” an illegal and dangerous immigration path. “Dunki” or “donkey journey” refers to long, risky routes taken due to a lack of legal permits or financial resources. American authorities deported individuals who used this illegal route to enter the US.

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US President Trump has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. He designated February 9 as “Gulf of America Day” through an executive order, requiring the Secretary of the Interior to formalize the change within 30 days.

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The oldest known Jurassic bird fossil was recently found in China’s Fujian Province. The fossil is of a species called Baminornis zhenghensis and is estimated to be 149 million years old. The discovery of Baminornis zhenghensis is considered a landmark discovery and one of the most important bird fossils ever found. It shows that birds and dinosaurs lived alongside each other in China during the Jurassic period.

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US President Donald Trump announced the Gold Card, a new immigration initiative offering a direct path to US citizenship for $5 million. It is described as a “premium version” of the Green Card, granting long-term residency and naturalization. The Gold Card will replace the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program, which required job creation. The program aims to attract wealthy investors and generate government revenue.

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Lithuania exited the Convention on Cluster Munitions, citing security concerns over Russia, drawing criticism from human rights groups. The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) bans the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs. It was adopted on May 30, 2008, and enforced on August 1, 2010. The treaty has 112 member states and 12 signatories yet to ratify it. Major nations like India, the U.S., Russia, China, Ukraine, and Israel have not signed due to strategic concerns. The CCM aims to prevent civilian harm and supports global peace, human rights, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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Mark Carney won the leadership of Canada’s Liberal Party with 86% of the vote and will become Prime Minister after Justin Trudeau’s resignation. His tenure begins amid a trade war with the US, where President Trump has imposed tariffs and threatened to annex Canada. Carney vowed to uphold Trudeau’s C$30 billion retaliatory tariffs until the US respects Canada. Born in 1965, he studied economics at Harvard and Oxford and worked at Goldman Sachs. He served as Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008) and the Bank of England (2013), managing financial crises and Brexit.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director praised India’s growing nuclear sector, calling it one of the most dynamic in Asia and the world. IAEA is the world’s top intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. It promotes safe, secure, and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. IAEA is an autonomous body within the United Nations (UN) and is known as the “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization. It was established in 1957. Its headquarters is in Vienna, Austria, with 178 member states. It ensures nuclear safeguards through monitoring, inspection, and verification to prevent misuse.

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The Prime Minister of Thailand gifted a copy of the Tipitaka in Pali language to the Indian Prime Minister during his ongoing visit. Tipitaka, meaning “three baskets,” is a collection of Buddhist scriptures written in the Pali language and is the core of Theravada Buddhism. The Vinaya Pitaka contains rules and guidelines for monks and nuns in the monastic community, called the sangha. The Sutta Pitaka includes the sermons and teachings of Gautama Buddha. The Abhidhamma Pitaka explains deep philosophical ideas about the nature of reality. Theravada Buddhism is the oldest surviving Buddhist tradition followed by those called theravadins, meaning followers of the old teachers or theras.

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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.

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India and Nepal recently inaugurated the start of electromechanical works at the Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project to ensure its timely completion. The Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project is located on the Arun River, a tributary of the Kosi River, in Sankhuwasabha District of eastern Nepal. It is a 900 Megawatt (MW) Run-of-River scheme, which means it uses the river’s natural flow without needing a large reservoir.