UPSC International Relations Quiz: Essential Current Affairs for Prelims 2026
As UPSC Prelims 2026 approaches, daily subject-wise quizzes become crucial for effective revision. Today's International Relations quiz covers significant global developments that every civil services aspirant should master.
FAO's 2025 State of Food and Agriculture Report
The 2025 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture presents critical findings on global land degradation and its impact on agricultural productivity. This year's report focuses on the theme "Addressing land degradation across landholding scales", making it particularly relevant for environmental and agricultural policy discussions.
The research reveals how human-induced land degradation significantly affects agricultural production worldwide. It provides fresh evidence demonstrating how cropland degradation contributes to the global yield gap, while also examining broader degradation processes affecting other land cover types, including land abandonment.
Using the most recent data on farm distribution, farm sizes, and crop production, the report highlights how the scale of land management influences both the challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable land use practices. It emphasizes the importance of developing tailored policy approaches that include both regulatory measures and incentive-based systems suited to diverse land use conditions and scales.
Sudan: Africa's Crisis-Stricken Nation
The ongoing conflict in Sudan represents one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent memory. Sudan holds historical significance as one of the earliest African nations to gain independence from colonial rule. The country participated in the landmark Bandung Conference in 1955 alongside 28 other Asian and African nations, including India, and remained Africa's largest country until South Sudan's secession in 2011.
The current crisis erupted on April 15, 2023, when violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Two years into the conflict, the humanitarian situation has reached catastrophic proportions with over 150,000 reported deaths and thousands of children succumbing to malnutrition.
The displacement crisis has affected approximately 13 million people, representing one in three Sudanese citizens. Among these, 8.8 million are internally displaced while 3.5 million have fled across international borders. Egypt hosts the largest refugee population at 1.5 million, followed by Chad with over 770,000, and significant numbers in South Sudan, Libya, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
Global Current Affairs: Typhoons and Strategic Airbases
The Philippines recently experienced devastating impacts from Typhoon Kalmaegi, which caused over 200 fatalities. As the country dealt with this disaster, it simultaneously prepared for another approaching super typhoon named Fung-wong. Philippine authorities evacuated more than 100,000 residents from eastern and northern regions and issued the highest-level storm alert (Signal No. 5) over southeastern Luzon, including Catanduanes and coastal areas of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.
In strategic developments, India has begun withdrawing military personnel and equipment from the Ayni airbase in Tajikistan. This airbase held significant strategic importance due to its proximity to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, located approximately 20 kilometers away. The Wakhan Corridor shares boundaries with both Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and China's Xinjiang province.
The Ayni airbase, originally constructed during the Soviet era, had fallen into disrepair following the Soviet Union's dissolution. India invested approximately $80 million in renovating the facility under a 2002 bilateral agreement with Tajikistan. The renovation included extending the runway to 3,200 meters to accommodate combat jets and heavy transport aircraft, along with constructing hangars, fuel depots, and air traffic control facilities. The Border Roads Organisation played a significant role in these upgrades.
The airbase served multiple strategic purposes, including supporting the Northern Alliance during the Taliban's previous rule and facilitating the evacuation of Indian nationals after the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021.
Understanding Afrikaners in South African Context
The term Afrikaners refers to white South Africans descended primarily from mid-17th century Dutch settlers, with additional ancestry from French and German immigrants. They speak Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch, and historically have held significant rural landholdings across South Africa.
Recent international attention focused on Afrikaners when former US President Donald Trump announced that no US government officials would attend the G20 Summit in South Africa, citing alleged human rights abuses against this community. This political statement highlighted the ongoing complex social and land ownership dynamics in post-apartheid South Africa.
This comprehensive International Relations quiz covers essential topics that frequently appear in UPSC examinations. Regular practice with such current affairs questions helps aspirants develop the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to excel in the civil services preliminary examination.
