ANSWER: C

 ANSWER: A

 ANSWER: B

 ANSWER: D

• Muslim World League chief Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa lauded Indian philosophy and tradition that taught harmony to the world. He met PM Modi and president along with other dignitaries.

ABOUT MWL

• MWL is an international NGO, with members from all Islamic countries and sects.
• The Muslim World League was founded in 1962.
• HQ- Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
• It aims to present the true Islam and its tolerant principles, provide humanitarian aid, realize the message of Islam and ward off movements calling for extremism, violence and exclusion etc.
• MWL is a member of UNESCO and UNICEF and an Observer in consultative status with UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• Secretariat General is the executive wing of the organization.

 ANSWER: B

• India and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states which are negotiating the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), have agreed for early conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement.
• The primary objective of these negotiations is to establish a fair, mutually beneficial, and comprehensive trade deal between India and EFTA.
• The TEPA aims to create opportunities for trade and investment between India and EFTA by eliminating/reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers on a wide range of products.

ABOUT EFTA

• EFTA is an inter-governmental organisation for the promotion and intensification of free trade.
• It was founded as an alternative for states that did not wish to join the European Community.
• Established –1960
• Members – Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (remember mnemonic – NILS)
• EFTA is India’s 9^th largest trading partner, accounting for about 2.5% of India’s total merchandise trade in 2020-21.
• EFTA countries are not part of the European Union.

 ANSWER: C

• India recently voted in favour of a draft resolution tabled in the UN Human Rights Council that condemns and strongly rejects recent “public and premeditated” acts of desecration of the Holy Quran.
• The draft resolution was brought by Pakistan on “behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation” as well as by the State of Palestine.
• Nations voting against the resolution included Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.

ABOUT UNHRC

• The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world.
• It was created by the General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by replacing the Commission on Human Rights.
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) serves as the Secretariat of the Human Rights Council.
• HQ– Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
• Seats are distributed on equitable geographical distribution:
  • African States: 13 seats
  • Asia-Pacific States: 13 seats
  • Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats
  • Western European and other States: 7 seats
  • Eastern European States: 6 seats
• Members of the Council serve for a period of three yearsand are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

 ANSWER: B

• Luis Suárez Miramontes, the famous footballer, also known as the “Golden Galician, passed away recently.
• He was the only Spanish man to receive soccer’s most prestigious individual accolade, the Ballon d’Or in 1960.

 ANSWER: D

• China and Solomon Islands signed diplomatic agreements recently.
• Solomon Islands are an archipelagic state comprising of volcanic islands and coral atolls in Melanesia, located in southwest Pacific Ocean.

 ANSWER: B

• The government recently evacuated all 118 stranded tourists from the Sangla valley of Kinnaur district.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) with the help of ITBP personnel and the district administration managed to airlift the stranded tourists from Sangla to Choling village.