Today in History (February 27^th, 2002)

In 2002, 59 Hindu pilgrims were killed during the Godhra train burning incident.

Let’s revise

A) On which day International Mother Language Day?

1. 21 February
2. 22 February
3. 21 March
4. 12 February

Ans. (a)

B) International Mother Language Day was started based on the initiative of which country?

1. Pakistan
2. Bangladesh
3. India
4. Israel

Ans. (b)

C) What is the expanded form of VPN in computer world?

1. Virtual Private Network
2. Virtual Powerful Network
3. Very Protective Network
4. Very Private Network

Ans. (a)

D) Which of the following sea rout is under attack of Houthis militants?

1. North Sea
2. Black Sea
3. Red Sea
4. Adriatic Sea

Ans. (c)

E) Red Sea is the connecting route between the following________

1. North Sea and Adriatic Sea
2. Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
3. Atlantic Ocean and Caspian Sea
4. None of the above

Ans. (b)

F) Bab el-Mandab Strait lies between_________

1. Asia and Europe
2. Asia and Africa
3. North America and South America
4. East Europe and West Europe

Ans. (b)

G) Recently IMEC was seen in news what is this?

1. India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
2. India Middle East Economic Corridor
3. India Madagascar Economic Corridor
4. None of the above

Ans. (a)

H) IMEC was announced during the meeting of ______

1. G-7
2. G-20
3. G-77
4. SCO

Ans. (b)

I) Strait of Hormuz is nearest to which of the following countries?

1. Lebanon
2. Israel
3. Egypt
4. Iran

Ans. (a)

J) Before opening of Suez Canal, which was the sea route to reach Europe from Indian Ocean?

1. Cape of good hope
2. Panama Canal
3. Strait of Malacca
4. Strait of Hormuz

Ans. (a)

Summary of Today’s News

Attukal Pongala

Recently, an annual event offering Pongala at Attukal was witnessed in Kerala.

Key Points about Attukal Pongala:

• It is in ‘The Guinness Book of World Records’for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day.
• It is held annually at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
• It is called as the ‘Women’s Sabarimala’, symbolising the strength and power of women.
• It involves women preparing ‘Pongala’ a sweet pudding of rice, jaggery, grated coconut, ghee, and banana in earthen pots.
• It is dedicated to Kannaki, the heroine of the Chilappatikaram.
• The Pongala has gained international recognition with the Malayali diaspora taking it to the US and the UK.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)’ exit from the grey list of FATF

• The UAE was placed under closer scrutiny in 2022,
• It was placed due to the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing involving banks, precious metals and stones, as well as property.

Key Points About FATF

• FATF is an inter-governmental policy-making and standard-setting body.
• It is dedicated to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
• The Headquarter: Paris, France
• It was established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris.
• India became a member of FATF in 2010.
• Members: It has 39 member countries
• 37 jurisdictions
• 2 regional organisations
• The Gulf Cooperation Council and
  • The European Commission

FATF has 2 types of lists:

• Grey List: Countries that are considered a safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put on the FATF grey list.
• This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.
• Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countriesor Territories (NCCTs) are put on the blacklist.
• These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities.
• The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.

Three countries North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar are currently in FATF’s blacklist.

Raisina Dialogue

• Recently The ninth edition of the Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi
• It is an annual conference on geopolitics and geo-economics,
• Its aim is to address the most challenging issues faced by the world.
• It is held annually since 2016 in New Delhi.
• It is organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
• The theme of the 2024 edition is “Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create,”

The eight Nordic-Baltic countries (NB8) participated in the recent Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi.

What is Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8)

• The NB8 is a regional cooperationformat that brings together the Nordic countries and the Baltic States.
• Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
• Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
• All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD.