ANSWER : B

Current Context : European Parliament lawmakers re-elected Ursula von der Leyen to a second five-year term as President of the European Union’s executive commission.

She was first elected by MEPs in July 2019.

Election Method : The vote was held by secret paper ballot.

Majority Need : Parliament is currently composed of 719 MEPs, so the necessary majority was 360 votes.

ABOUT EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC):

• It is an executive body of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
• One of the 27 members is the Commission President proposed by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament.

ANSWER : D

Current Context : Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has broke his own record by winning elections with more than 99% of the vote.

ABOUT RWANDA:

• It is a landlocked countrylocated south of the equator in east-central Africa.
• It is part of the Great Rift Valley region of Africa.
• Often referred to as the “land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda’s landscape is mostly hilly and mountainous.
• It covers an area of 26,338 sq. km.
• Borders: Rwanda shares a border with the four nations of Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda,and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Capital: Kigali
• Languages: Kinyarwanda, French,English
• Money: Rwandan franc

ANSWER : A

Current Context : Gaurav Gogoi, the three term Congress MP from Assam’s Jorhat will continue to be the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha,

• Additionally, Senior Kerala MP Kodikkunnil Suresh will continue as the party’s chief whip.
• Gaurav Gogoi is a three-time MP, is the son of three-time Assam CM Tarun Gogoi.

ANSWER : D

Current Context : Manoj Soni, chairman of UPSC, has resigned before his term ends in May 2029.

• Manoj Soni became a member of the UPSC on 28 June, 2017, and was appointed its chairperson on 16 May, 2023.
• His term was supposed to end in 2029.

ABOUT UPSC

• The Union Public Service Commission is a constitutional body in India.
• It conducts direct recruitment of officers to the All India Services and the Central Civil Services through examinations.
• Besides the chairman, there are 10 members in the UPSC who are either retired bureaucrats or academicians or from the armed forces, among others.
• Established in 1926.
• Articles 315 to 323 of Part XIV of the constitution deals with UPSC.
• 316, the Chairman and other members of Union Public Service Commission shall be appointed by the President.

ANSWER : C

Current Context : The 2024 World Heritage Young Professionals Forum was hosted by India.

• It was held in New Delhi.
• Aim : focuses on enhancing youth skills in preserving global and local heritage amid challenges like climate change.
• 50 Young professionals from across the globe (20 from India and 30 from outside India) will make presentations.
• This event would enhance the expertise, skills and capacities of young professionals in protecting, preserving, and promoting our natural and cultural World Heritage.

ABOUT THE WORLD HERITAGE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL FORUM

• The Forum serves as a platform by bringing young people and heritage experts together to foster intercultural learning and exchange.
• It also provides an opportunity for the youth to meet and learn about each other’s heritage, discuss common concerns in preservation and discover new roles for themselves in heritage conservation.

ANSWER : D

Current Context : Inland Waterways Authority of India and Transport Department of Government of Nagaland to conduct detailed feasibility study for development of Tizu and Zungki River (National Waterways 101).

ABOUT TIZU AND ZUNGKI RIVER

• Tizu originates near Longkhim, Tuensang district, of Nagaland and falls into Chinwin River (one of the largest Tributary of river Irrawaddy river).
• It is also known as Ningthi river in Myanmar.
• Main tributaries of Tizu River are river Zungki, Lanye and Likimro.
• Zungki is biggest tributary of Tizu in

ANSWER : C

Current Context : Recently, The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu received first copies of four books namely, ‘Wings to Our Hopes’; ‘Aashaon Ki Udaan’; ‘Kahani Rashtrapati Bhavan Ki’; and ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan.

• The books ‘Wings to Our Hopes’ and ‘Aashaon Ki Udaan’ are a collection of selected speeches of President Droupadi Murmu during the first year of her Presidency.
• ‘Kahani Rashtrapati Bhavan Ki’ is a book for children which includes information about Rashtrapati Bhavan and President Droupadi Murmu in an interesting manner and simple language.
• ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan: Heritage Meets the Present’ is a pictorial representation of the history and architecture of Rashtrapati Bhavan and contains information about all the former Presidents.
• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the e-book in the presence of Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
• Published by ; Directorate of Publications Division
• Language : Hindi and English.

ANSWER : A

Current Context : Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh presented  a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “leadership legacy”

• Written by noted Intellectual, author Dr R Balasubramaniam (former Rhodes Professor at Cornell University USA) presently serving as Member HR at the Capacity Building Commission, Government of India.
• The book, “Power Within “: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi captures Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership journey and interprets it through Western and Indic lenses, amalgamating them to provide a roadmap for those who aspire to a life of public service.

ANSWER : D

Current Context : Recently, a 14-year-old boy from Kerala’s Malappuram, who had tested positive for the Nipah virus, died.

About Nipah Virus

• It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans).
• The organism that causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA or Ribonucleic.
• Acid virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus.
• Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal diseases in both infected horses and humans.
• It first broke out in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999.
• The disease is named after a village in Malaysia, Sungai Nipah, where it was first detected.
• It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.
• Transmission: The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses.
• The virus is present in bat urine and potentially, bat faeces, saliva, and birthing fluids.
• Symptoms: fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death.
• Prevention: Currently, there are no vaccines for both humans and animals. Intensive supportive care is given to humans infected by the Nipah virus.