This is the current affairs of 16 May 2023. Here are 10 questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Which terrorist organization has appointed its ambassador to India, making it difficult for India to choose?
a. Al Qaeda
b. Taliban
c. ISIS
d. Boko Haram
Answer: b. Taliban
– The Taliban is a declared terrorist organization by the United Nations.
– The Taliban had captured Afghanistan in 2021.
– However, most of the countries in the world are still working with the old Afghan government’s diplomats.
– India is also one of them. Here, there are continuous ambassadors from the old Afghan government.
– They do not report to the Taliban. They believe that the Taliban has forcibly taken control.
– But now (May 2023), the Taliban has appointed its acting ambassador in India for the first time. His name is Qadir Shah.
– The Taliban has stated that the diplomats and other officials appointed by the previous Afghan regime are corrupt, so they are appointing a new ambassador.
Tough Choices for India
– The Indian Ministry of External Affairs is faced with the tough choice of who to choose.
– Should India recognize the ambassador of the fallen Afghan government or the Taliban ambassador?
– The question is whether there will be a Taliban or Afghan diplomat in India.
– Because accepting the ambassador appointed by the Taliban would mean recognizing Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
– It is important to note that India had already opened its embassy in Afghanistan in 2022. It has been recognized by the Taliban.
What did the Indian Ministry of External Affairs say?
– The MEA has so far refused to comment on the Taliban’s decision, stating that they have not received any official information regarding changes.
China and Russia have recognized the Taliban ambassador:
– The Afghan embassies in Moscow and Beijing have deployed Taliban diplomats.
– Other countries like Pakistan and Uzbekistan have also recognized the Taliban ambassador.
Embassy had to be closed in 60 countries
– These countries have diplomats appointed by the Afghan government.
– All of them have refused to recognize Taliban rule.
– Then the Taliban announced the closure of embassies by cutting off funding.
– However, most countries still have diplomats from the old Afghan government.
What did the diplomats from the previous Afghan regime say?
– Ambassador Farid Mamundzay has been the Ambassador of Afghanistan in India since 2020.
– In a released letter, he stated that the Taliban has unilaterally, biasedly, and baselessly accused him of corruption.
– He accused the Taliban of “the collapse of the democratic system” in Afghanistan.
– He said that Afghan people are facing extremely difficult challenges because of the Taliban.
Taliban asks Ambassador Farid to return
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban has asked Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, who has been stationed in India since 2020, to return immediately.
– It has been stated that Trade Counselor Kadir Shah will now work at the Afghan Embassy in Delhi.
What now?
– The focus is now on the Indian government.
– Accepting the Taliban’s desire to replace the Afghan ambassador and taking a step forward in formalizing relations with that insurgent group will be seen as a step towards addressing the allegations that India has supported terrorist attacks in the past.
– The Taliban has also been involved in the bombing at the Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008.
– This incident resulted in the martyrdom of an Indian diplomat and two security personnel from the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police).
Afghanistan:
Supreme Leader – Hibatullah Akhundzada
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2. When and how long will the UN Global Road Safety Week 2023 be celebrated?
a. May 16 to 22
b. May 14 to 20
c. May 15 to 21
d. May 13 to 19
Answer: c. May 15 to 21
Theme 2023: Sustainable Transport
– This year it is the 7th edition.
– According to WHO, approximately 1.3 million people die every year and around 50 million people get injured.
– Globally, 1 in every 4 deaths occurs among pedestrians and cyclists.
What is UN Global Road Safety Week?
– It is an annual program held in May.
– This week is organized to promote road safety, prevent accidents, and raise awareness about its significance.
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3. How many weapons and platforms have been included by the Ministry of Defense in the fourth positive indigenization list?
a. 1238
b. 928
c. 1000
d. 520
Answer: b. 928
– Defense Minister Rajnath Singh released the fourth list on May 14, 2023.
– This list focuses on the weapons and platforms being developed by Indian companies.
– The aim is to reduce the import of defense-related items and become self-reliant on indigenous weapons.
– The plan is to make these weapons and platforms indigenous from December 2023 to December 2028.
– These 928 weapons and platforms will now be procured from local sources as per the provisions of Defense Acquisition Procedure (DAP).
– This fourth list has been prepared by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Department of Defense Production (DDP), Service Headquarters (SHQs), and the private industry.
Number of weapons and platforms included in the previous years’ Indigenous Arms List:
– December 2021: 351
– March 2022: 107
– August 2022: 780
– May 2023: 928
Note: Prior to 2021, the name of this list was Negative Import List. It has now been changed to ‘Positive Indigenization List’.
The issuance of this list means a ban on the import of these weapons and platforms.
– The issuance of these three lists implies that these weapons cannot be imported anymore.
– These weapons and platforms will now have to be manufactured in India and will be purchased from here only.
The target of releasing these three lists:
– To attract new investments in technology and manufacturing capabilities, thereby enhancing research and development capacity.
– To provide sufficient opportunities to the domestic industry to understand the trends and future requirements of the armed forces.
India’s military expenditure:
– According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in 2022 (released in the year 2023), India ranked fourth in global military expenditure.
– In 2022, India’s military expenditure was $81.4 billion (approximately ₹6 lakh crore).
– This is an increase of 6.0% compared to 2021.
– In the year 2021, India’s military expenditure was $76.6 billion (₹5.86 lakh crore).
Major weapons and platforms in the fourth list:
– Sukhoi-30B aircraft, Margins Fire-Fighter Systems on warships, and Gas Turbine Generators.
– Parts of Jaguar fighter jets and Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) aircraft will be manufactured.
– The Ministry of Defense issued three lists.
– The first list was issued in December 2021, followed by the second list in March 2022 and the third list in August 2022.
The goal of ₹1.75 lakh crore weapon production in the Atmanirbhar Yojana:
– Over the next five years, the military plans to spend around $130 billion to meet its procurement requirements.
– In order to promote domestic defense production, the Atmanirbhar Yojana aims to achieve ₹1.75 lakh crore worth of defense production in the country over the next five years.
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4. Which leader, known as the Gandhi of Turkey, gave a tough fight to Erdogan in presidential election, due to which he did not get the majority and had to go for re-voting?
a. Kemal Kelikdaroglu
b. Sinan Ogan
c. Mustafa Kemal
d. None of these
Answer: a. Kemal Kelikdaroglu
– The results of the presidential elections held on May 14 in Turkey have been announced.
– Any party needs to receive more than 50% of the votes to come into power.
– However, no party has been given a majority by the people.
– The ruling party AKP, led by President Erdogan who has been in power for 20 years, received 49% of the votes.
– Whereas the party led by Turkey’s Gandhi, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, CHP, received 45.0% of the votes.
– These elections took place three months after the earthquake that occurred in February in Turkey, where over 50,000 people lost their lives.
When will the voting take place?
– The voting will take place again on May 28.
– Erdogan has been the Prime Minister of Turkey for 11 years and the President for 9 years.
– This result was worrying for him.
Erdogan supports Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
– He openly supports Pakistan in the Kashmir issue.
About the earthquake in Turkey:
– An earthquake occurred in Turkey on February 6, 2023.
– The intensity of the earthquake was 7.8 on the Richter scale.
– The epicenter of the earthquake was the city of Gaziantep in Turkey.
– It is located 90 kilometers away from the Syria border.
– The name of the earthquake relief campaign conducted by India in Turkey is “Operation Dost” (Operation Friend).
Turkey:
– The capital of Turkey is Ankara.
– The main and official language of Turkey is Turkish.
– The currency used in Turkey is the Turkish lira.
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5. Which country refused to accept payment in Indian currency for crude oil, weapons, and other businesses and stated that they have a heap of Indian rupees?
a. China
b. USA
c. Russia
d. France
Answer: c. Russia
– The Russian Foreign Minister has said in May 2023 that we have billions of rupees deposited in Indian banks, but we cannot use it.
– In fact, due to the bumper oil imports from Russia, India’s trade deficit has reached a record level, meaning India is purchasing goods from Russia but not able to sell much in return. It means there is no trade balance.
– No other country is accepting the Indian rupee, so Russia has said that it is not useful for them.
What did Russia say?
– Russia wants the rupees deposited in Indian bank accounts to be exchanged into Chinese yuan or Saudi Arabian riyals and used for payments in India.
– This amount is equivalent to two billion US dollars.
When did India start trading in rupees with Russia?
– Since last year, 2022, after the war between Russia and Ukraine, India has been purchasing oil in rupees.
– India also increased its oil purchases from Russia for its energy security.
– Since Russia was offering cheap oil, India increased its imports.
– In fact, due to the US sanctions and the war between Russia and Ukraine, Russia cannot use the dollar.
– Therefore, Russia suggested that India should engage in trade using rupees.
– However, now Russia says that around 40 billion dollars’ worth of rupees have been deposited.
– This rupee amount has come to India in exchange for Russian weapons, oil, coal, and other goods.
– In reality, India has a lower export and higher import ratio with Russia. Due to the lower exports, Russia is unable to utilize these rupees.
– Discussions on this matter have been ongoing between both parties for the past few months.
– However, attempts to settle the bilateral trade in rupees have currently stalled.
– This could cause difficulties in importing oil from Russia at a lower price.
– According to a report by Bloomberg, Foreign Minister Lavrov had said, “We will have to use this money,
– but it needs to be transferred into another currency. Discussions are underway regarding this.”
– Russia wants India to make payments in a different currency such as Chinese yuan or other currencies like Saudi riyal.
How much has the import of crude oil increased?
– As per data from the intelligence firm Vortexa Limited, in April of this year, India’s import of crude oil from Russia increased to 1.68 million barrels per day.
– This is six times higher compared to April 2022.
– Russia’s share in India’s import basket of oil was only one percent, but within a year, by February 2023, this share increased to 35 percent.
– After China and the United States, India is the third-largest buyer of oil in the world.
– By purchasing cheaper oil from Russia, India has saved up to 35,000 crore rupees so far.
What difficulties will India face by refusing payment in rupees?
– India’s imports from Russia have increased from $10.6 billion to a value of $51.3 billion.
– On the other hand, exports have slightly decreased from $3.61 billion to a value of $3.43 billion.
– In March of this year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that his country had increased its oil sales to India by 22% in the past year.
Russia:
– President – Vladimir Putin
– Capital – Moscow
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6. When is International Day of Light celebrated?
a. May 13
b. May 14
c. May 15
d. May 16
Answer: d. May 16
Why is this day celebrated?
– This day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of the first successful operation of a laser by physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman in 1960.
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7. When is World Migratory Bird Day celebrated?
a. Second Saturday of May
b. Second Saturday of October
c. Second Saturday of June
d. a and b
Answer: d. a and b (second Saturday of May and October)
– In the year 2023, the dates of this day are on 13 May and 14 October.
Theme 2023:
– ‘Water and its importance for Migratory Bird’
– Artificial light is increasing worldwide by at least 2 percent annually, and it has adverse effects on several bird species.
– Light pollution poses a significant threat to migratory birds, as it disrupts their navigation during night flights and leads to collisions with buildings.
– It disturbs their biological clock or interferes with their ability to travel long distances.
– There are a total of five flyways in the world. (Flyway refers to the route of migratory birds’ flights. India falls within the Central Asian Flyway.)
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8. When is International Day of Families celebrated?
a. May 13
b. May 14
c. May 15
d. May 16
Answer: c. May 15
Theme 2023:
– ‘Demographic Trends and Families’
– This day has been declared by the United Nations.
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9. When is the International Day of Living Together in Peace celebrated?
a. May 13
b. May 14
c. May 15
d. May 16
Answer: d. May 16
– This day has been declared by the United Nations.
– The day was established in the year 2018.
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10. When is the world hypertension day organized?
a. May 16
b. May 17
c. May 18
d. May 19
Answer: b. May 17
– High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer.”
– Maintaining an appropriate blood pressure level in the general population through lifestyle changes such as limiting salt intake and increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables will be highly beneficial.
