International Current Affairs MCQs

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Super Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest tropical cyclone of 2025, hit southern China. Ragasa, called the “King of Storms” by China’s meteorological agency, may bring waves up to seven metres and severe coastal flooding. Authorities issued urgent warnings, advising residents to stay indoors unless part of emergency response teams. Ragasa previously hit Taiwan, injuring six and cancelling 100+ flights, and the Philippines, causing one death and 10,000+ displacements. Experts warn climate change may intensify such storms in the future.

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China has launched a new visa category called the “K Visa” to attract foreign science and technology talent. It was created by revising the Regulations on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners. The K Visa will come into effect from October 1, 2025. It is aimed at foreign youth and professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Eligible applicants include graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher from reputed universities or research institutions and STEM researchers or teachers. It allows multiple entries, longer validity, wider activities like education, entrepreneurship, and no need for local sponsorship.

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The External Affairs Minister of India hosted a meeting of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) foreign ministers in New York. FIPIC is a multinational grouping launched by India in 2014 for cooperation with 14 Pacific Island nations. Member countries include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. FIPIC aims to strengthen cooperation in politics, economy, trade, investment, culture, health, education, infrastructure, and disaster management.

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President Vladimir Putin announced Russia will launch the world’s first nuclear power system with a closed fuel cycle by 2030. The system will reuse up to 95% of spent fuel, reducing radioactive waste and lowering uranium demand. The project will be built in the Tomsk Region and tested at a new research centre in Ulyanovsk. The announcement was made at World Atomic Week in Moscow, with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi present.

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The Kokrajhar–Gelephu rail line between India and Bhutan has been declared a Special Railway Project (SRP) by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). It is the first-ever railway connectivity for Bhutan, giving the project huge strategic importance. The 69 km line will connect Kokrajhar in Assam (India) with Gelephu in Bhutan. Another link, the 16 km Banarhat–Samtse line, will connect West Bengal with Bhutan. The project supports India’s Act East Policy and strengthens bilateral ties with Bhutan.

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India has been re-elected to Part II of the Council of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Part II includes States contributing most to international civil air navigation facilities. ICAO is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency established in 1944 under the Chicago Convention. Its purpose is to develop safe, secure, and efficient international air transport for peaceful purposes. India has been a founding member of ICAO since 1944, maintaining 81 years of uninterrupted Council presence. India focuses on aviation safety, security, sustainability, equitable connectivity, technology, innovation, and No Country Left Behind initiative.

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On October 8, 2025, Russia’s lower house of parliament approved withdrawing from the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) with the United States. The Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) is a pact between the United States and Russia signed in 2000. It came into force in 2011 to reduce weapons-grade plutonium from dismantled Cold War nuclear warheads. Both countries had large plutonium stockpiles that were expensive to store and posed a nuclear proliferation risk. The PMDA required each country to dispose of 34 tonnes of plutonium. The plan involved converting it into Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel or using it in fast-neutron reactors for electricity.

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In October 2025, China inaugurated the world’s first solar thermal power station in the Gobi Desert, Gansu Province. The plant is built by China Three Gorges Corporation and uses two 200-meter-high towers feeding a single turbine system. 27,000 mirrors concentrate sunlight, storing heat up to 570°C for electricity generation after sunset or cloudy weather. The dual-tower setup is 25% more efficient than single-tower designs and reduces mirror requirements, saving costs. It complements solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind farms, addressing intermittency in solar/wind energy.

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Armenia has become the newest State Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Announcement made during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi highlights Armenia’s growing role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Armenia is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, with habitats including alpine meadows, mountain forests, semi-deserts, and freshwater ecosystems. The country is home to rare and threatened species, including the Critically Endangered Caucasian leopard, endemic Bezoar goat, and Sevan trout found only in Lake Sevan.

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Patrick Herminie, opposition leader of Seychelles, won the presidential election, defeating incumbent Wavel Ramkalawan. Herminie secured 52.7% of votes, while Ramkalawan got 47.3% in the run-off election. He represents the United Seychelles party, which ruled for four decades before losing power in 2020. Herminie’s victory gives United Seychelles full control of the government, after winning a parliamentary majority in the first round of elections last month. In 2023, Herminie was arrested on witchcraft charges, which were later dropped. He served as parliament speaker from 2007 to 2016.