(National News)

New Parliament Inauguration

The new Parliament Building in India is a state-of-the-art facility that will allow the country’s
lawmakers to conduct their business in a more efficient and effective manner. The building is
designed to accommodate the growing number of members of Parliament, and it also features
a number of new technologies that will help to improve the legislative process.

The vast, triangular-shaped complex in the heart of Delhi will house the upper and lower
parliamentary houses. It sits adjacent to the old circular parliament building that was
constructed in 1927 during the colonial era, which will now be converted into a museum.

The building was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, who, dressed in traditional attire, took part
in several prayer rituals. The overall development, known as the Central Vista project, cost
over $2.4bn and involved building a new government secretariat and a new prime minister’s
residence and office. The new complex is three times larger than the old one and has room to
seat more than 1,200 MPs, over 500 more than the original parliament. Though India now has
800 representatives across the upper and lower house, the numbers are up for review in 2026.
According to the architect, materials and designs had been brought in from all over India to
reflect the country’s cultural diversity and different architectural styles.

Questions are as follows:

1. Recently, Prime minister of India unveiled the new Parliament building. When was
the old Parliament building built?

(a) Jan 18,1926

(b) Jan 18,1927

(c) Jan 18,1928

(d) Jan 18,1930

2. The New Parliament Building was constructed under the Central Vista
Redevelopment project. What are the objectives of Central Vista Redevelopment
project?
(a) To construct a triangular-shaped Parliament building, construction of Common Central
Secretariat & revamp of the 3 kilometres long Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India
Gate.

(b) To accommodate the offices of various ministries & 87 storied buildings to be built for the
common Central Secretariat.

(c) To convert the North and South Blocks into museums and the development of Central
Vista Avenue.

(d) All of the above

3. Recently, the New Parliament Building was constructed which became the fourth
largest parliament building in the world. Which is the largest parliament building in the
world?

(a) China

(b) Romania

(c) United States

(d) Russia

4. Which article describes the Constitution of Parliament?

(a) Article 79

(b) Article 80

(c) Article 81

(d) Article 82

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has installed “Sengol” in a dedicated enclosure to the
right of the Speaker’s chair in the Lok Sabha chamber. Sengol is a symbol of rule in the
which empire of the past?

(a) Gupta Empire

(b) Chola Empire

(c) Maurya Empire

(d) Mughal Empire

Answers:

1. (b) On 18 January 1927, Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra, Member of the Governor-General’s
Executive Council, in charge of the Department of Industries and Labour, invited Lord Irwin,
then Viceroy of India to inaugurate the building.

2. (d) All of the above.

3. (a) China has the largest parliament building in the world. With 2,977 members in 2023, it
is the largest legislative body in the world.

4. (a) Article 79 of the Indian Constitution describes the Constitution of Parliament.

5. (b) Sengol is a symbol of rule in the Chola empire of the past. The Cholas ruled over parts
of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Sri Lanka from
the 9th to 13th century CE.

(International)
WHO launches Global Network IPSN to detect & prevent infectious diseases

WHO and partners are launching a global network to help protect people from infectious
disease threats through the power of pathogen genomics. The IPSN will provide a platform to
connect countries and regions, improving systems for collecting and analysing samples, using
these data to drive public health decision-making, and sharing that information more broadly.

Pathogen genomics analyses the genetic code of viruses, bacteria and other disease-causing
organisms to understand how infectious they are, how deadly they are, and how they spread.
With this information, scientists and public health officials can identify and track diseases to
prevent and respond to outbreaks as part of a broader disease surveillance system, and to
develop treatments and vaccines.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said, “The goal of this new
network is ambitious, but it can also play a vital role in health security: to give every country
access to pathogen genomic sequencing and analytics as part of its public health system. As
was so clearly demonstrated to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is stronger
when it stands together to fight shared health threats.”

1. The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded on?

(a) 13 May, 1989

(b) 7 August, 1945

(c) 7 April, 1948

(d) 15 April, 1956

2. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hails from which country?

(a) Kenya

(b) Ethiopia

(c) Democratic Republic of Congo

(d) Uganda

3. IPSN stands for?

(a) The International Pathogen Surveillance Network

(b) The International Pathogen Secured Nations

(c) The Inner Pathogen Surveillance Network

(d) The International Pathogen Safety Network

4. Which of the following statement is correct about viruses?

(a) Viruses do not contain a ribosome.

(b) Viruses can make protein.

(c) Viruses can be categorised by their shapes.

(d) Both A and C are correct

5. After which period virus replicates in the body and starts to affect the host?

(a) Incubation period

(b) Uncoating

(c) Penetration

(d) None of the above

Answers:

1. (c) 7 April, 1948

2. (b) Ethiopia

3. (a) The International Pathogen Surveillance Network

4. (d) Both A and C are correct

5. (a) Incubation period

(Economic)
Airtel Payments Bank rolls out Face authentication system for AePS (Aadhar Enabled
Payment Systems)

Airtel Payments Bank has collaborated with the [1] to introduce face authentication for
the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) at its five lakh banking points. The move
comes as one of the first initiatives of its kind in India, where four banks have partnered with
[1] to offer face authentication for AePS. AePS allows customers to carry out financial and
non-financial transactions at any banking point using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to
access their Aadhaar-linked bank account.

With this, Airtel Payments Bank is amongst the first four banks to offer face authentication
for AePS in the country, the telco added. The roll out is being deployed in phases, starting
with the first phase that includes non-financial transactions like balance enquiry and mini-
statements.

In the first phase, the facility is made available for non-financial transactions – Balance
enquiry and mini-statements - for the Bank’s customers.
Soon the Bank will make it available for financial transactions. As per the guidance from
NPCI, Airtel Payments Bank will enable the functionality for other bank customers and the
Bank’s customers at other banking outlets.

1. What is [1] referred to in Para 1?

(a) National Payments Corporation of India

(b) State Bank of India

(c) Reserve Bank of India

(d) Ministry of Finance

2. Which is India’s first payments bank and it was launched in which year?

(a) Airtel Payment Bank & 2018

(b) Paytm Payment Bank & 2016

(c) Airtel Payment Bank & 2017

(d) Paytm Payment Bank & 2018

3. Who is the Chief Operating Officer of Airtel Payment Bank?

(a) Mr. Pradeep Kumar Sinha

(b) Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal

(c) Ganesh Ananthanarayanan

(d) Anubrata Biswas

4. Where is the headquarter of Airtel Payment Bank located?

(a) New Delhi

(b) Bangalore

(c) Mumbai

(d) None of the above

5. What is the Scope of Activities in Payment Banks?

(a) They provide services for loans.

(b) Issuing of ATM/debit card.

(c) They issue credit cards.

(d) All of the above

Answers:

1. (a) National Payments Corporation of India

2. (c) Airtel Payment Bank & 2017

3. (c) Ganesh Ananthanarayanan

4. (a) New Delhi

5. (b) Issuing of ATM/debit card

(Sports)
Ronaldo tops Forbs World's 10 Highest paid Athletes 2023

International soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe ($120

million) are the top three highest-paid athletes. Ronaldo leads the way with an estimated haul
of $136 million, including $46 million from his playing salary and bonuses and $90 million
from endorsements, appearances, licensing income and other business
endeavors. Mbappé, who at age 24 comes in at No. 3 with $120 million, and Johnson, who
lands at No. 6 with $107 million, make eye-popping debuts in the top ten.

Ronaldo has over 850 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. He is the
only individual who has over 500 million followers on Instagram and is the most-followed
human on the platform.

Besides his own CR7 label, Ronaldo has been a magnet for brands since his early playing
days. Earnings from endorsements form a major chunk of his overall career earnings, which
is more than a billion dollars. Nike, with whom he signed a lifelong deal in 2016, has been a
partner since 2003.
But his partnerships with certain brands in 2022 have majorly contributed to the period’s
earnings. These include cryptocurrency exchange, with which he signed an unspecified deal
in June to promote non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Then, in November, the footballer partnered
with luxury watchmaker Jacob & Co., for whom he co-designed two watches — Heart of
CR7 and Flight of CR7.

1. What year did Ronaldo first won his Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year
awards?

(a) 2007

(b) 2014

(c) 2013

(d) 2008

2. According to Forbes, what is the estimated pay of Cristiano Ronaldo?

(a) $132 M

(b) $158 M

(c) $136 M

(d) $140 M

3. Who is the highest earning non-footballer in the list?

(a) Roger Federer

(b) Kylian Mbappé

(c) Virat Kohli

(d) LeBron James

4. According to Forbes, who is the richest person in the world in 2023?

(a) Bernard Arnault

(b) Jeff Bezos

(c) Cristiano Ronaldo

(d) Elon Musk

5. Forbes is an American business magazine owned by which of the following?

(a) Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family

(b) Red Chief Entertainment and the Forbes family

(c) Insider Business and the Forbes family

(d) BBC news & Media and the Forbes family

Answers:

1. (d) 2008

2. (c) $136 M

3. (d) LeBron James

4. (a) Bernard Arnault

5. (a) Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family

(Technology)

AIRAWAT - India's fastest AI supercomputer ranks 75th among fastest AI SCs of world

The AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’ has been ranked 75th in the world. It was declared so in
the 61st edition of Top 500 Global Supercomputing List yesterday at the International
Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany. It puts India on top of AI
Supercomputing nations worldwide. The system is installed under National Program on AI by
Government of India.

Speaking on this achievement, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY)

Secretary Shri Alkesh Sharma said, “Artificial Intelligence is the most promising technology
in the digital age. India has a strong ecosystem and competitive advantage for AI due to its
massive data availability, strong digital economy and skilled workforce. India has been
working in the Applied AI with focus on Natural Language Processing, Image Procession,
Pattern Recognition, Agriculture, Medical Imaging, Education, Health Care, Audio
assistance, Robotics and developing solutions for the strategic sectors.” India will pursue AI
technology to empower citizens and organisation to solve the most pressing problems of
society and economy to make the world a better place, he added.

1. Where is AIRAWAT installed at?

(a) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi

(b) Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), New Delhi

(c) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune

(d) Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Bangalore

2. It is part of the National Artificial Intelligence Program launched by the Government

of India, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of which of the following?

(a) AI in India

(b) AI for all

(c) Atma Nirbhar Bharat

(d) None of the above

3. Which was India’s first Supercomputer?

(a) PARAM 8000

(b) RAMAN 250

(c) CV RAMAN 88

(d) None of the above

4. National Supercomputing Mission was launched in which year?

(a) 2002

(b) 2010

(c) 2018

(d) None of the above

5. Which country has the largest number of supercomputers in the world?

(a) Japan
(b) USA

(c) China

(d) Russia

Answers:

1. (c) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune

2. (b) AI for all

3. (a) PARAM 8000

4. (d) None of the above, it was launched in the year 2015

5. (c) China

(Defence)
INIOCHOS 23 - Multinational Air Exercise

INIOCHOS-23 is a multi-national air exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force. INIOCHOS-
23 was conducted at the Andravida Air Base from 24 Apr 2023 to 04 May 2023. IAF
participated with four X and two Y aircraft. The objective of the exercise INIOCHOS-23 is to
enhance international cooperation, synergy and interoperability amongst the participating Air
Forces.

The exercise INIOCHOS-23 is designed to simulate a realistic combat scenario and will
involve various types of air and surface assets. Moreover, it will offer opportunities for the
participating contingents to interact professionally, share their best practices, and gain
valuable insights from one another. Exercise INIOCHOS-23 is conducted in a realistic
combat scenario that involves multiple types of air and surface assets. This scenario allows
the participating air forces to test their capabilities, tactics, and strategies in a challenging
environment, and enables them to refine their skills and techniques. The exercise provides an
opportunity for the IAF to showcase its capabilities and demonstrate its professionalism on an
international stage.

1. INIOCHOS-23 is a multi-national air exercise that took place between which

countries?

(a) India and Australia

(b) India and Japan

(c) India and Russia

(d) India and Greece

2. X in paragraph 1 represents which aircraft?

(a) Su-30 MKI

(b) C-17 Aircraft

(c) HAL Tejas

(d) HAL Dhruv

3. Y in paragraph 1 represents which aircraft?

(a) Su-30 MKI

(b) C-17 Aircraft

(c) HAL Tejas

(d) HAL Dhruv

4. IAF took part in INIOCHOS-23 abreast multinational exercises with which two
countries?

(a) Japan and Russia

(b) USA and France

(c) China and Australia

(d) Russia and USA

5. What is the highest rank in Indian Air Force?

(a) Marshal of the Airforce

(b) Chief Marshal Air

(c) Commander in Chief

(d) Commander

6. Which one of the following is the lowest rank in Indian Air Force?

(a) Wing Commander

(b) Flight Lieutenant

(c) Aircraftsman

(d) Warrant Officer

Answers:

1. (d) India and Greece

2. (a) Su-30 MKI

3. (b) C-17 Aircraft

4. (b) USA and France

5. (a) Marshal of the Airforce

6. (c) Aircraftsman

(Obituaries)
Nobel laureate Robert E Lucas Jr passes away

Robert E. Lucas Jr., a Nobel laureate who helped set in motion a seismic shift in economic
thought by challenging assumptions about the power of government intervention to change
the course of the economy, died May 15 at a hospital in Chicago. He was 85.

The University of Chicago, where he served on the faculty for four decades, announced his
death but did not cite a cause. Dr. Lucas, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in economic
sciences, was best known for his role in developing a concept called the theory of rational
expectations.

Dr. Lucas received a scholarship to attend the University of Chicago, traveling 44 hours by
train to report for his first semester. He became a history major and was fascinated by his
readings about the economy in the waning days of the Roman empire.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1959, Dr. Lucas studied economic history and theory at
the University of California at Berkeley, then returned to the University of Chicago, where he
received a doctorate in economics in 1964.

1. As clear from the excerpt Robert E. Lucas Jr. received Nobel Prize in economics and
in which year?

(a) 2002

(b) 1995

(c) 2000

(d) None of the above

2. The Nobel prize was instituted by which country?

(a) USA

(b) UK

(c) Canada

(d) Sweden

3. Who won both an Oscar and a Nobel Prize for literature?

(a) Harold Pinter

(b) George Bernard Shaw

(c) John Steinbeck

(d) John Lennon

4. When did the Nobel Prize start?

(a) 1895
(b) 1901

(c) 1888

(d) 1918

5. The Nobel Prize for Economics was instituted by

(a) Alfred Nobel

(b) Sweden’s central bank

(c) The Nobel Committee

(d) World Bank

Answers:

1. (b) 1995

2. (d) Sweden

3. (b) George Bernard Shaw

4. (b) 1901

5. (b) Sweden’s central bank

(Important Days)

World Press Day

World Press Freedom Committee was established in 1976 by a batch of independent

journalists to promote and defend press freedom and cover 44 media organizations from
around the world. In 1993, the UN General Assembly officially proclaimed World Press
Freedom Day following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.

Every year Press Freedom Day or World Press Freedom Day is observed on XYZ day to
evaluate press freedom around the world and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their
lives in the exercise of their profession.
It’s a day to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on
their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of
their profession. At the core of the date is a reminder that it can be suicide to become a
journalist. Publications and the people who work with them are harassed, attacked, murdered.
Publications are censored, fined and closed down. It is important to realize the role of media
in the society as media is considered as the fourth pillar of the Government.

1. When is the World Press Freedom Day celebrated?

(a) 5th May

(b) 3rd May

(c) 20th May

(d) 2nd May

2. What is the theme for World Press Freedom Day, 2023?

(a) “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all other human
rights.”

(b) Free Media means Real news

(c) Media’s Rights, Our Rights

(d) “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression, most pivotal right.”

3. The World Press Freedom Index, a ranking of countries based on the degree of press
freedom they provide is done by?

(a) World Press Organisation

(b) Reporters without fear

(c) Reporters without border

(d) World freedom of Reporter

4. What is 18th May celebrated as?

(a) World AIDS Vaccine Day

(b) Armed Forces Day

(c) National Anti-Terrorism Day

(d) Anti-Tobacco Day

5. Various rights to Media has been given under which constitutional provision?

(a) Article 17

(b) Article 19 (1) (a)

(c) Article 19 (1) (c)

(d) Article 19 (1) (d)

Answers:

1. (b) 3rd May

2. (a) “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all other human
rights.”

3. (c) Reporters without border

4. (a) World AIDS Vaccine Day

5. (b) Article 19 (1) (a)