Current Affairs 12 August 2026 — Part 2

Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.

1. Q1.The 'Mecca Pact', a mutual defence agreement signed on 7 August 2026, involves Saudi Arabia, Turkey and which other country?

   • A.Pakistan✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Iran
   • C.Egypt
   • D.UAE

   Explanation: The pact formalises Pakistan's nuclear deterrence within a multilateral West Asian security framework, significant given India's large GCC diaspora.

2. Q2.India presented five peacocks to which international body in Geneva in August 2026, as a gesture of cultural diplomacy?

   • A.United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)✓ Correct Answer
   • B.World Health Organization
   • C.World Trade Organization
   • D.International Labour Organization

   Explanation: The gift of four blue peafowl and one white-feathered male was presented through India's Permanent Mission led by Ambassador Arindam Bagchi.

3. Q3.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar plans to visit Kathmandu in late August 2026 to invite Nepal's PM to which summit, as India holds its 2026 chairship?

   • A.BRICS Summit✓ Correct Answer
   • B.G20 Summit
   • C.SCO Summit
   • D.ASEAN Summit

   Explanation: Jaishankar is expected to personally invite PM Balendra Shah ('Balen') to the BRICS Summit under India's 2026 chairship.

4. Q4.China's BESIII experiment confirmed the X(2370) particle as the first experimentally verified example of which type of particle?

   • A.Glueball✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Quark
   • C.Neutrino
   • D.Boson

   Explanation: A glueball is made entirely of gluons with no quarks; the discovery closed a nearly 50-year search predicted by quantum chromodynamics.

5. Q5.NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base programme following the 9th India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting hosted at which city?

   • A.Bengaluru✓ Correct Answer
   • B.New Delhi
   • C.Chennai
   • D.Thiruvananthapuram

   Explanation: The meeting was hosted at ISRO's Bengaluru headquarters, building on the Artemis Accords partnership.

6. Q6.DRDO completed military field trials of a fibre-based system in 2026 designed to secure India's strategic communications against quantum-computing threats — this system is called:

   • A.Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)✓ Correct Answer
   • B.5G Secure Network
   • C.Blockchain Defence Grid
   • D.Optical Fibre Cable Network

   Explanation: The scalable, fibre-based QKD system aims to future-proof India's strategic communication networks.

7. Q7.India's Strategic Forces Command conducted a user trial of which nuclear-capable ballistic missile on 6 August 2026 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island?

   • A.Agni-IV✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Agni-V
   • C.Prithvi-II
   • D.BrahMos

   Explanation: This was the tenth (sixth user) trial of the intermediate-range Agni-IV, demonstrating operational combat readiness.

8. Q8.As of 5 August 2026, a joint proposal by SAFRAN and GTRE to co-develop an engine reportedly reached the Cabinet Committee on Security — this engine is for which Indian aircraft programme?

   • A.Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Tejas Mk2
   • C.HAL Dhruv
   • D.Saras Mk-2

   Explanation: The roughly 10-12 year programme is expected to enable AMCA engine production by the mid-2030s.

9. Q9.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the Defence Framework Policy 2026 (DFP-2026), aimed at deepening industry-academia collaboration to reinforce which vision?

   • A.Aatmanirbhar Bharat✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Make in India 2.0
   • C.Digital India
   • D.Skill India

   Explanation: DRDO says DFP-2026 will foster stronger collaboration with industry and academia to reinforce Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence manufacturing.

10. Q10.The Jal Shakti Ministry's August 2026 amendment to the River Ganga Authorities Order 2016 redefined the active floodplain and dropped which term?

    • A.Construction-free zone✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Eco-sensitive zone
    • C.No-development zone
    • D.Buffer zone

    Explanation: The floodplain is now defined by flood-return periods; the ban on permanent/temporary structures under the 2016 order remains unchanged.

11. Q11.The 'State of India's Environment 2026' report flagged slowing glaciers in the Zanskar region, threatening water supplies to which river basin?

    • A.Indus basin✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Ganga basin
    • C.Brahmaputra basin
    • D.Godavari basin

    Explanation: Zanskar is in Ladakh; the report also found seven of nine planetary boundaries have now been breached.

12. Q12.The IMD's warning around 11-12 August 2026 forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall over which state, alongside a yellow alert for Delhi-NCR?

    • A.Odisha✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Kerala
    • C.Gujarat
    • D.Punjab

    Explanation: The IMD forecast isolated extremely heavy rain over Odisha, plus moderate-to-heavy showers across Delhi-NCR over the following three days.

13. Q13.At the Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria, India's combined medal tally reached 29 by the end of Day 3. How many were gold?

    • A.8✓ Correct Answer
    • B.5
    • C.10
    • D.12

    Explanation: India's tally stood at 8 gold, 7 silver and 14 bronze (29 total) across U-23 and senior events.

14. Q14.Karan Singh won gold in the senior men's sabre final at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2026, coming back from 7-11 down to beat which country's fencer?

    • A.Australia✓ Correct Answer
    • B.South Africa
    • C.England
    • D.Canada

    Explanation: Karan Singh beat Australia's Yoongi Shim 15-12 in the final.

15. Q15.Which Indian fencer won gold in the senior women's epee event at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2026?

    • A.Tanishka Khatri✓ Correct Answer
    • B.Sakshi Choudhary
    • C.Jaismine Lamboria
    • D.Manpreet Kaur

    Explanation: Tanishka Khatri claimed gold in the senior women's epee, while Sherjin Shanthimol won the men's epee gold beating South Africa's Pieter Kruger 15-6.