• Successful Coups There have been several military coups in these countries in recent years - Chad (2021) - Guinea (2021) - Mali (2020, 2021) - Sudan (2019) 

• Military coups often lead to political instability, international concern about human rights, and potential disruption to trade and regional security.

Sahara

Pair 1 is Incorrect: Donbas is a historical and industrial region in eastern Ukraine, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. It has been a primary theater of conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists/Russian forces.

Pair 2 is Incorrect: Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar. It has been the site of long-standing conflict between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) seeking ethnic autonomy.

Pair 3 is Incorrect: Tigray is the northernmost region of Ethiopia. Since 2020, it has been the center of a major civil conflict involving the Ethiopian federal government, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and neighboring Eritrea.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: So far only 163 countries have adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), the United States, Hungary, Israel, Czech Republic and Poland are some of the countries that voted against the compact.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: The GCM is not legally binding on UN member countries. It's a non-legally binding framework for cooperation. 

• Statement 3 is incorrect: The GCM primarily focuses on international migration, not internal displacement.

• Somalia has been experiencing civil war and instability since the early 1990s. This ongoing conflict has severely disrupted agricultural production, trade, and basic services, leading to food insecurity.

• Somalia is one of the countries most vulnerable to food insecurity due to a combination of factors like drought, conflict, and poverty.

• Somalia has faced several severe famines in recent decades, with the most recent one occurring in 2020-2021. The UN warned it was on the brink of "famine of unparalleled proportions" due to a perfect storm of drought, locust infestations, and economic hardship.

• The Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) is an agreement, among all of the 27 member states of the European Union, to facilitate and maintain the economic stability of the EU countries.The European Commission and the Council of the European Union, monitors the fiscal condition of EU member countries from time to time to ensure their fiscal stability. 

• Statement 1 is correct: It is true that SGP aims to level the budget deficits of European countries. The corrective arm of the Stability and Growth Pact ensures that Member States adopt appropriate policy responses to correct excessive deficits (and/or debts) by implementing the Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP). Also the SGP requires the EU Member States to lay out their fiscal plans for the next three years to limit their budget deficits. 

• Statement 2 and 3 are incorrect: The SGP treaty does not require its members to share their infrastructure facilities nor their technologies with other countries. The purpose of the SGP was to ensure that fiscal discipline would be maintained and enforced in the European Union.

• Both statements about the G-20 are correct 

• Statement 1 is correct: The G-20 originated as a forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to address global economic and financial issues. It has since expanded its focus to other areas of international cooperation. 

• Statement 2 is correct: India, as the chair of the G-20 in 2023, prioritised digital public infrastructure as one of its key areas of focus. This included discussions on promoting responsible use of artificial intelligence, bridging the digital divide, and fostering inclusive growth through digitalization.

None of the pairs (1, 2, or 3) are correctly matched. Let's break it down: 

1. North Kivu and Ituri: This region in the Democratic Republic of Congo experiences conflict, but is not related to the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

2. Nagorno-Karabakh: This enclave is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but the insurgency is happening in Mozambique. 

3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia: These are currently under heavy fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, not a dispute between Israel and Lebanon.

Places In News

Statement 1 is Correct: Affordable housing is one of the three primary focus areas of the UNOPS S3i initiative, aimed at addressing the global shortage of high-quality, sustainable housing.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: Mass rapid transport is not included in the specific investment mandate of the S3i initiative, which focuses exclusively on housing, energy, and health infrastructure.

Statement 3 is Correct: Health care (specifically health infrastructure) is a core focus area for S3i to improve access to essential medical services in underserved regions.

Statement 4 is Correct: Renewable energy is a key focus area for S3i, supporting the global transition to clean energy and climate-resilient infrastructure.

SK Tip: The UNOPS S3i initiative has a strictly defined mandate focusing on only three sectors: Affordable Housing, Renewable Energy, and Health Infrastructure. While other sectors like transport are vital for the SDGs, they do not fall under the S3i investment umbrella.

• Statement I is correct: Several Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, have established diplomatic relations with Israel.

• Statement II is incorrect: The Arab Peace Initiative, mediated by Saudi Arabia, was endorsed by the Arab League but not signed by Israel. It outlines a path towards peace in exchange for Israeli concessions, but Israel has not formally accepted all its terms.

The Assertion is Correct: The 'Trade and Technology Council' (TTC) was launched by the United States and the European Union during the EU-US Summit in Brussels on June 15, 2021. The Reason is Incorrect: The USA and EU do not aim to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control; instead, the TTC aims to foster cooperation on digital transformation, supply chain resilience, and shared democratic values. Since the Reason is incorrect, it does not serve as an explanation for the Assertion.