World Current Affairs MCQs January 2022

The new COVID variant named IHU (B.1.640.2) has been discovered at the IHU Mediterranee Infection institute in France. The new variant is said to have 46 mutations more than Omicron. The first case was reported from a person who had come from the African country of Cameroon. As per the Scientists, the new strain carries E484K mutation making it vaccine-resistant.

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf originally (and still colloquially) known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is a regional, intergovernmental political and economic union that consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The council main headquarter is in the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The Charter of the GCC was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution. The current Secretary-General is Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf of Kuwait.

The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries will be conducting a 12-day maritime exercise in the Mediterranean Sea from January 24, 2022. The name of the maritime exercise is “Neptune Strike ’22”. The naval drill will end on February 04, 2022. The main purpose of this exercise will be to demonstrate and test NATO’s wide range of maritime capabilities.

The world’s most travel-friendly passports for 2022 have now been reveal. And, once again, Japan and Singapore have topped the list in the annual Henley & Partner Henley Passport Index of 199 countries. Germany and South Korea follow closely behind at the second place with their respective passports granting visa-free, visa on arrival, visitor’s permit, or ETA travel to 190 destinations.

Western diplomats have told the Taliban that humanitarian aid to Afghanistan will be tied to an improvement in human rights, according to reports emerging as meetings with a Taliban delegation wound up in Oslo, Norway. Closed-door meetings were held during the Taliban’s first official trip to Europe since returning to power in August. The Taliban is seeking international recognition and release of billions of dollars in Afghan central bank assets frozen by the US following the group’s return to power on August 15, 2021.

A coup d’état was launched in Burkina Faso on 23 January 2022. Gunfire erupted in front of the presidential residence in the Burkinabé capital Ouagadougou and several military barracks around the city. Soldiers were report to have seized control of the military base in the capital. However, the government denied there was an ongoing coup in the country. Several hours later, President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was reported to have been detained by the soldiers at the military camp in the capital. On 24 January, the military announced on television that Kaboré had been deposed from his position as President. After the announcement, the military declare that the parliament, government, and constitution had been dissolved. The coup d’état was led by military officer Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan became the youngest ever World Rapid Chess champion, at 17 years three months. Magnus Carlsen had won the 2009 World Blitz Title at the age of 18. He also defeated the Ace player Magnus Carlsen to win the World Rapid Championship in Warsaw, Poland. France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave won the World Blitz title.

J-10C is a 4.5 generation multirole fighter jets. An upgraded version of J-10B, it is equipped with an indigenous Active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire-control radar and is equipped with imaging infrared seeker (IIR) PL-10 and new long-range dual pulse rocket motor PL-15 air-to-air missile (AAM).J-10CE: Export version of J-10C. It May also be known as FC-20E, a Pakistani-specific variant that will be called J-10CP or F-10P.

Late Hollywood actress and fashion icon Anna May Wong is set to become the first Asian American to feature on US currency. A quarter-dollar coin featuring a close-up image of Wong’s face and chin resting on her hand will be circulated as the fifth coin in the American Women Quarter (AWQ) Program. In 1960, she was the first Asian American actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Prominent scholar and intellectuals on January 6, 2022, welcomed the decision of the United Kingdom College of Arms for granting the first-ever official “Coat of Arms” featuring the Green Dome of the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him’s mosque in Madina. The British government has set an example of religious tolerance at the official level, which will further strengthen religious tolerance in the world, Renowned intellectual and Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Dr. Qibla Ayaz said.

The 2022 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup was the 10th edition of the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup, the quadrennial international women’s field hockey championship of Asia organized by the Asian Hockey Federation. It was held from 21 to 28 January 2022 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman. Japan won its third title after a final win over South Korea.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The 15 member countries account for about 30% of the world’s populations (2.2 billion people) and 30% of global GDP ($26.2 trillion), making it the largest trade bloc in history. It is the first free trade agreement among the East Asian countries of China, Japan, and South Korea, three of the four largest economies in Asia.

Khoisans’ are the first people to inhabit South Africa. King Khoisan, the leader of the Khoisans, was arrest for growing cannabis near South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s office in Pretoria. The Khoisans have been protesting near the president’s office for the past three years for recognition of the community and their language ‘Khoekhoe’ among other things. The community has been demanding land rights.

Every year January 4 is observe as World Braille Day to raise the importance of Braille, which serves as a communication medium for blind and partially sighted people. The day was first initiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 and January is observed as Braille Literacy month. French Educator, who innovated the Braille system Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809.