Current Affairs

1. Which of the following was observed on April 11, 2011?


a)    Coast Guard Day
b)   Customs & Excise Day
c)    Income Tax Day
d)   Public Sector Day*
e)    Civil Services Day




Answer 1:


‘Public Sector Day’ was celebrated on April 11, 2011. It was celebrated for the first time in 2010. The President, Pratibha Patil, Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Praful Patel, and the Minister of State, A. Sai Prathap, released the PSE flag during the celebration of Public Sector Day in the Capital.
2. Which of the following pairs of people involved in discussions for resolving the crisis in Libya and their designations are correctly matched?
I. Amr Moussa – Arab League Secretary-General
II. Jean Ping – Chairman of the African Union Commission
III. Catherine Ashton – EU Representative on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
a)    I only


b)   I and II only
c)    II and III only
d)   III and I only
e)    I, II and III*


Answer 2:
Amre Mohammed Moussa is an Egyptian diplomat. Since 2001 he has been the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states. Jean Ping is a Gabonese diplomat and politician who is currently the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union. Catherine Ashton is a British politician who has been the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) since 1 December 2009 when the post was created.
3. The Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the US, are facing risk because of mining of which of the following?
a)    Coal
b)   Iron ore
c)    Natural gas
d)   Gold
e)    Uranium*


Answer 3:
America’s most majestic landscapes – from the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore – are at risk because of booming global demand for uranium, a new report warns. The report, by the Pew Environment Group in April 2011, calls on the Obama administration to overhaul antiquated laws governing the mining of gold and uranium, and offer permanent protection to national landmarks.
4. Who among the following has called for 10-year term limits for himself and his successors recently?
a)    Bashar al-Assad of Syria
b)   Vladimir Putin of Russia
c)    Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen
d)   Raul Castro of Cuba*
e)    Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran


Answer 4:
Raúl Castro on April 15, 2011 proposed term limits for Cuba’s rulers, including himself, in an unprecedented effort to rejuvenate the island’s political leadership. The 79-year-old Cuban president told the Communist party congress that senior positions should be rotated at least every 10 years to shake off the inertia and "self-delusion" that has crippled the economy.
5. The Mayotte islands have become an official part of which country recently?
a)    USA
b)   France *
c)    Spain
d)   Portugal
e)    Netherlands


Answer 5:
Mayotte, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, became an overseas department of France in March 2011 in consequence of a 29 March 2009 referendum.