International Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Recently, France became the first European Union (EU) country to pass a blanket ban on social media for children below 15 years. The move aims to reduce cyberbullying, mental health risks, and excessive screen time. Australia was the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for minors below 16 years. Countries including Indonesia, Türkiye, Malaysia, the UAE, and the UK have also adopted similar restrictions. Karnataka became India’s first state to announce a social media ban for children below 16 years.

Notes:
The Pacific island nation Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero. The country’s Parliament passed a constitutional amendment in May 2026 to approve the name change. President David Adeang announced that a proposed referendum was dropped as Naoero already reflects the people’s identity. The traditional name Naoero predates European colonisation, during which it was altered to Nauru. The country’s short-form name will now be Naoero, and its citizens will be called dei-Naoero.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) concluded its participation in Exercise Udara Shakti 2026 in Malaysia. Exercise Udara Shakti was conducted with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and focused on combat sorties, joint tactical manoeuvres, air-combat tactics and Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE). The participation strengthened India’s strategic defence partnerships and operational cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Notes:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported Iran to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), marking the first such referral in 20 years. The IAEA is the world’s leading intergovernmental organisation for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. Its origin is linked to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech at the UN General Assembly in 1953. The IAEA Statute was approved in 1956 and came into force in 1957. The IAEA is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

Notes:
India and MERCOSUR signed the First Additional Protocol to the India–MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). The Protocol aims to facilitate the acceptance of electronic Certificates of Origin (CoO). It is an important step towards paperless trade and modernising customs procedures. MERCOSUR stands for the Southern Common Market (Spanish initials). It is a South American regional economic organization and the fourth largest integrated market after the European Union (EU), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Notes:
India and Liberia have jointly launched a new Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers. The initiative was launched during a ministerial-level meeting on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. India and Liberia will co-chair the group, bringing together countries with major interests in shipping and seafaring. The main objective is to improve the safety of merchant ships and seafarers and strengthen international cooperation on maritime security. The initiative comes amid increasing attacks and security threats to commercial shipping in areas such as the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb, Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.

Notes:
A rare pyramid-shaped tomb dating to the Roman period has been discovered at Bir Al-Shaghala in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis. The tomb is believed to date to the late 3rd or early 4th century AD, around 1,700 years old. Dakhla Oasis is located in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is one of Egypt’s major oases in the Sahara Desert, surrounded by arid desert landscapes. Its settlements depend heavily on groundwater, which supports agriculture and human habitation. Dakhla has been inhabited since ancient times and contains archaeological remains from Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Roman and later Islamic periods.

Notes:
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri was appointed as the first woman Prime Minister/Head of Government of Morocco on 29 September 2026. She belongs to Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). Her party won the largest number of seats (97) in the 2026 parliamentary elections. Under Article 47 of Morocco’s Constitution, the King appoints the Head of Government from the party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives.

Notes:
The Indian Navy relinquished command of Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) during a ceremony in Manama, Bahrain, on 14 October 2026, completing its first-ever command of a Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) task force. CTF 154 is the CMF’s dedicated multinational maritime training task force, responsible for professional training and capacity building to improve interoperability and operational readiness among its 47-nation partnership. The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a voluntary, multinational maritime partnership headquartered at the U.S. Naval Support Activity in Manama, Bahrain. It comprises over 40 member and partner nations working together to promote security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters.

Notes:
The world’s largest chinstrap penguin colony, located on Zavodovski Island, has experienced a major population decline. Zavodovski Island is a volcanic island in the South Sandwich Islands, located in the southern Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica. It is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The island lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the southern tip of South America.