Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 12th May 2023

1. Which country has returned to Arab League after 11 years?

[A] Israel

[B] Iran

[C] Syria

[D] UAE

Answer: [C] Syria

Arab League member states have agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than 10 years ago. The country was suspended from the intergovernmental grouping in 2011 due to Damascus’ actions against peaceful protects that started earlier that year.

2. Akashvani will be the permanent name of which institution?

[A] All India Radio

[B] TRAI

[C] IAMAI

[D] JMAGC

Answer: [A] All India Radio

The Indian Government recently announced that the public broadcaster, All India Radio, will be exclusively referred to as the Akashvani. Previously, these two names were used interchangeably. With a network of over 262 radio stations, All India Radio is available to 92 per cent of India’s area and nearly all its population.

3. Which state announced financial aid of Rs.10 lakh to discharged patients suffering from the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?

[A] Kerala

[B] Goa

[C] Odisha

[D] West Bengal

Answer: [C] Odisha

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder of progressive muscular weakness that generally affects boys. The Odisha government recently announced one-time financial aid of Rs.10 lakh to each discharged patient suffering from the DMD.

4. Which is the first state to provide digital health cards for children?

[A] Uttar Pradesh

[B] Assam

[C] West Bengal

[D] Rajasthan

Answer: [A] Uttar Pradesh

The School Health Program was launched recently by the Urban Development Department and Lucknow Smart City. This initiative makes Uttar Pradesh the first state in the country to provide digital health cards for children.

5. Which military unit is an auxiliary organization with part-time volunteers, who assist the Indian Army?

[A] Territorial Army

[B] Friends of Army

[C] Friends of People

[D] Border Volunteers

Answer: [A] Territorial Army

The Territorial Army, a military unit in India, is an auxiliary organization with part-time volunteers who provide assistance to the Indian Army. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently approved the posting of women officers of the TA with Engineer Regiments along the LOC and as staff officers at TA Group Headquarters/ Directorate General of Territorial Army at New Delhi.

6. Galapagos Island is a UNESCO world nature heritage site situated in which country?

[A] South Africa

[B] Ecuador

[C] Sri Lanka

[D] Indonesia

Answer: [B] Ecuador

Galapagos Island, remotely situated islands in  Ecuador, is a UNESCO World nature heritage site. Credit Suisse and the Ecuador government have entered into an agreement to spend millions of dollars for two decades to protect these islands’ ecosystems.

7. ‘Kremlin’ is used to refer the government of which country?

[A] Ukraine

[B] Russia

[C] Israel

[D] Iran

Answer: [B] Russia

Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to conduct drone attacks targeting Kremlin to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Currently, there are around 20 kremlins across Russia. The most important popular one is in Moscow. The name kremlin means ‘fortress inside a city’, and is often also used to refer to the Russian government.

8. Which institution is the regulator of insurance companies?

[A] RBI

[B] IRDAI

[C] PFRDA

[D] SEBI

Answer: [B] IRDAI

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the regulator of insurance companies, is planning to tighten requlations on insurance advertisemens. These new rules will assign higher responsibilities on senior management of insurers in designing and approving media campaigns that promote insurance products.

9. ‘Saurona triangular and Saurona aurigera’, which were discovered recently, belong to which species?

[A] Snake

[B] Butterfly

[C] Spider

[D] Gecko

Answer: [B] Butterfly

A new group of genus, Saurona, is named after the villain from The Lord of the Rings novels, Sauron. Two new butterfly species- Saurona triangular and Saurona aurigera – belong to this genus. The team has also found another butterfly genus, which has been named. Argenteria, meaning silver mine, on account of the silver scales on its wings.

10. Which city introduced the ‘One Minute Traffic Light Plan’?

[A] Shimla

[B] Guwahati

[C] Kolkata

[D] Mumbai

Answer: [A] Shimla

‘One Minute Traffic Light Plan’ will be introduced in Shimla to ease traffic woes during the tourist season. It is expected to minimize the time taken by a vehicle driver to cross Shimla during peakbhours from the current 60 to 90 minutes to 15 to 25 minutes.

11. Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon are the four moons of which planet?

[A] Jupiter

[B] Saturn

[C] Uranus

[D] Venus

Answer: [C] Uranus

A new study by NASA scientists revealed the possibility of there being deep oceans beneath the ice capped surfaces of four large moons of Uranus. These moons are Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon. This is the first study is the first to delve into the evolution of these moons’ interior structures and compositions.

12. ‘Stable Auroral Red (SAR) Arc’ has been observed recently in which state/UT?

[A] West Bengal

[B] Ladakh

[C] Assam

[D] Goa

Answer: [B] Ladakh

A stable auroral red (SAR) arc is a band of reddish light that appears static and monochromatic unlike auroras, where various colours appear in moving patterns. In a rare event, it was witnessed recently in Ladakh. Indian Institute of Astrophysics tweeted a timelapse clip from Ladakh’s Hanle observatory of “aurora lights’.

13. Tagin language is prevalently spoken in which state/UT?

[A] Assam

[B] Sikkim

[C] Arunachal Pradesh

[D] Meghalaya

Answer: [C] Arunachal Pradesh

The trailer for the feature film ‘Love in 90s’ was released recently by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. It is the first movie based on the Tagin community of Arunachal Pradesh. As per the Union Minister, ‘Love in 90s” shall be tax-free and that he will ask State Government to promote it through other means.

14. ‘Kh-47 Kinzhal’ is the hypersonic missile unveiled by which country?

[A] Israel

[B] UAE

[C] Russia

[D] Ukraine

Answer: [C] Russia

Kh-47 Kinzhal is a hypersonic Russian missile unveiled by President Vladimir Putin in 2018. It was successfully shot down recently by the US- made Patriot air defence system outside of Kyiv. Fired by MiG-31, the Kinzhal could reach speeds over Mach 10 and travel distances in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers while carrying a conventional or nuclear payload.

15. Who is the author of the book titled ‘Cyber Encounters’?

[A] Ashok Kumar

[B] Arun Kumar

[C] Alok Kumar

[D] Allwyn Kumar

Answer: [A] Ashok Kumar

A book titled “Cyber Encounters” was released recently by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. It was written by DGP Uttarakhand Ashok Kumar and former DRDO scientist OP Manocha. This book has been written after analyzing cyber-crimes and based on true incidents, it will help readers a lot to avoid cyber- crimes.

16. Which Sailing vessel is undergoing transoceanic intercontinental expedition?

[A] INSV Tarini

[B] INSV Taman

[C] INSV Tarang

[D] INSV Tara

Answer: [A] INSV Tarini

After a 6-month long trans-oceanic intercontinental expedition, the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini has started the return passage to India. The vessel will complete 17000 nautical miles of passage once it reaches Goa. The expedition commenced at Goa on 17 Nov 2022.

17. Which Chief Minister conferred with the ‘Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award’ of Buddhanjali Research Foundation?

[A] Yogi Adityanath

[B] Naveen Patnaik

[C] Pinarayi Vijayan

[D] M K Stalin

Answer: [A] Yogi Adityanath

Former Indian President Ram Nath Kovind recently conferred the Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The award recognized the Chief Minister’s role in making Uttar Pradesh a fear- free state. Buddhanjali Research Foundation organized the award ceremony.

18. Which country launched the ‘Naykap Gokab’ platform?

[A] Nepal

[B] Bhutan

[C] Myanmar

[D] Bangladesh

Answer: [B] Bhutan

Naykap Gokab is an online platform that was launched recently in Bhutan to promote local innovative ideas and solutions. This platform will connect innovators, policymakers, and investors to ease their collaborations and increase investment opportunities.

19. ‘Khumjung Khunde Waste Water Management Project’ is being constructed in which country, with the aid from India?

[A] Nepal

[B] Bangladesh

[C] Sri Lanka

[D] Myanmar

Answer: [A] Nepal

The foundation stone for the Khumjung Khunde Waste Water Management Project was laid recently in Solukhumbu District of Nepal by the Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava. The project is implemented with grant-in assistance from India under the India- Nepal Development cooperation.

20. Centre for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (C-i2 RE) has been inaugurated in which state/UT?

[A] Tamil Nadu

[B] Telangana

[C] Gujarat

[D] Kerala

Answer: [B] Telangana

Centre for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (C-i2 RE) has been recently inaugurated in Telangana. The main objective of the Innovation Centre is to face the latest Engineering, technological and entrepreneurship challenges in the 21st Century and to adopt advanced technologies.