Current Affairs April 2011

1. Who has been crowned Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2011 ?

Kanishtha Dhankhar
2. Name of the new revised income tax return form to be introduced for small tax papers?
‘Sugam’
3. Minimum Alternate Tax which is payable by companies has been Hiked in budget 2011-12. The tax is hiked to?
18%
4. Rs.500 Crores have been given to NGRBA in Central Budget for the financial year 2011-12. What is NGBRA?
National Ganga River Basin Authority.
5. Who has been selected by the International Magicians Society(IMS) of the US for the International Merlin Award,2011

- Illusionist Gopinath Muthukad

He is the second Indian Magician, after P.C Sorcar Jr of west Bengal, to receive the award.
Magician Franz Harary who is one of the Board of Directors of IMS. The Merlin Award to magic is what Oscar is to Cinema. The Jury selected Mr Muthukad for his contributions to the development and popularization of magical art and science over the last 35 years

6. According to the Union Budget, economy of India is expected to grow in 2012 at?
9%
7. As per Union Budget how much amount is to be provided during 2011-12 to enable public sector banks to maintain a minimum of Tier I CRAR of 8 per cent?
Rs.6,000 crore.
8. Veteran Malayalam film producer and director who has been selected for JC Daniel award -2011 of the state government for his overall contribution to cinema?
MC Punnoose (Navodaya Appachan).
9. Which club has won the Carling Cup after beating Arsenal 2-1 in the final at Wembley?
Birmingham.
10. Who has won 2011 Sony world photography award ?

- Amit Madheshiya

Indian photographer Amit Madheshiya has been named ‘Arts and Culture Photographer of the Year’ at the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards 2011. Mumbai-based Madheshiya was one of 13 professional category winners presented with an award held at the ceremony at the Odeon in Leicester Square, London

11. Indian Defence budget increased by how much percentage for 2011 – 2012?
- 11.6%
12. Who has been appointed as new BSNL chief ?

-Rakesh Kumar Upadhyay as the Chairman and Managing Director of telecom giant BSNL
13. Bangladeshi Nobel laureate who has been ousted from Grameen Bank by Bangladesh Government on the grounds that he had stayed on past the legal retirement age of 60?
Muhammad Yunus.
Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, set up Grameen, which means village in Bengali, and has been its managing director since 2000.
14. Who claimed the first hat-trick of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against Netherlands on 28 February, 2011 with a bowling figure of 6/27 at Delhi?
Kemar Roach.

This West Indies pace bowler removed Pieter Seelaar, Bernard Loots and Berend Westdijk off the last three deliveries of the match to lead West Indies to a 215-run victory.

15. Who became the youngest player to make a debut in World Cup cricket?
Nitish Kumar (Canada)
When he played against Zimbabwe on 28 February 2011 at Nagpur, India, he was 16 years and 283 days.
16. Who was the first bowler to take 2 hat-tricks in Cricket World Cup?
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka).

He took six wickets for 38 runs, as Sri Lanka thrashed Kenya by nine wickets in a Cricket World Cup Group A match in Colombo in 2011.His first hat-trick is against South Africa in the 2007 Cricket World Cup He is the only bowler in cricketing history to take four wickets in four consecutive balls in international cricket (vs. South Africa).

17. Who has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010 ?

-K. Balachander

K. Balachander, the veteran film maker, has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010. The award is conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. The award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of Rs.10 lakhs and a shawl.

18. Egyptian Prime Minister who submitted his resignation from his post on March 3,2011amid ongoing protests in the North African nation?
Ahmed Shafiq.
Shafiq will be replaced by former Transport Minister Essam Sharaf.
19. Indian scientist from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research who has helped NASA to predict Solar Flare?
Dibyendu Nandi

He and his colleagues have unraveled the mystery behind an occurrence that has intrigued scientists across the world – the disappearance for nearly two years of sun spots on the surface of the sun. There was a huge solar flare in 1859. It was so large that it could be seen with the naked eye. In 1989, a solar storm wiped out Canada’s northern electric grid. Canada was out of power for almost three days.

20. Who has been appointed as chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G spectrum allocation issue:?
P.C.Chacko.
The JPC, having 20-members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
21. Union Minister of Human Resource Development in the Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004 to 2009 who died on 4 March 2011 due to a heart attack?
Arjun Singh

Arjun Singh was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh when the deadly gas leak from the Union Carbide factory occurred. It is widely alleged that on the fateful night between December 2, 1984 and December 3, 1984, when the gas leak occurred.

22. Name the $424 million satellite launched by NASA on March 4, 2011 intended to study how radiation from the sun impacts the Earth’s climate which failed to achieve orbit?
Glory
23. Which country becomes the first European country to enforce burqa ban?
France.
Burqa ban enforced in France from April 11, 2011.
24. The last surviving founding leader of Nepali Congress (NC) and former Prime Minister of Nepal died recently at the Norvic International Hospital?
Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

Bhattarai was twice the Prime Minister of Nepal, once heading the Interim Government from 19 April 1990 to 26 May 1991, and then as elected Prime Minister from 31 May 1999 to 22 March 2000.Bhattarai was the officiating President of the Nepali Congress for nearly 26 years from February 12, 1976, and was elected to the post of president of party in 1992 till 1996.

25. The last Maharaja of Jaipur, who died recently on 16 April at the age of 80 years?

The last titular Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Bhawani Singh, died at a private hospital in Gurgaon on 16 April night after prolonged illness

26. An Egyptian criminal court began the first hearing in the case against former Interior Minister of Egypt, on 05-03-2011 charged with money laundering and profiteering. Name of that minister?
Habib al-Adli.
27. The friend and companion of the guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara in his youth on a motorcycle trip around South America, who died in Havana at the age of 88?
Alberto Granado.

He was an Argentine-Cuban biochemistry doctor, writer, and scientist. He founded the Santiago School of Medicine in Cuba and wrote the book “Travelling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary”.

28. Name of the two surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, which were successfully test-fired by India on March 11, 2011?
Prithvi II and Dhanush.

The two missiles, products of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were test-fired within five days of the successful demonstration of the Ballistic Air Defence Missile System on March 6 by DRDO. Prithvi II surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 350 km was launched from Chandipur, some 230 km from Orissa capital Bhubaneswar. Dhanush, the naval version of Prithvi with the same range, was launched from Indian Naval Ship INS Suvarna off the Puri coast.

29. Who becomes first women to “unfurl” the national tricolor at a depth of 30 metres under the sea?
Archana Sardana.

She has created history of by scuba diving at Neil Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and “unfurling” the national tricolour at a depth of 30 metres under the sea.

30. Name of the Minister of the Interior of Egypt who was appointed by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on 5 March 2011?
General Mansour el Essawy
31. Who has become the first Indian-American to be elected to the Chicago City Council?
Ameya Pawar.
32. The 2011 edition of the 10th Imagineindia International Film Festival will take place in?
Madrid(Spain) from May 17-31.
33. Name of the American unmanned vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing (VTHL) space plane which was launched on 5 March 2011 with the mission designation USA-226?
X-37 B.

This is the second X-37B space plane used by the Air Force. It is called the Orbital Test Vehicle 2, or OTV-2. The first X-37B space plane, appropriately named “Orbital Test Vehicle 1, was launched on April 22, 2010. USA-226 is the first flight of the second Boeing X-37B.

34. The Supreme Court of India has rejected the mercy killing of a nurse from Haldipur, Karnataka after she had been in a vegetative state for 37 years. Name of that nurse?

Aruna Shanbaug .

While working at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, she was sexually assaulted and has been in a vegetative state since the assault. On 24th January 2011, the Supreme Court of India responded to the plea for euthanasia filed by Aruna’s friend journalist Pinki Virani, by setting up a medical panel to examine her. The court turned down the mercy killing petition on 7 March, 2011. However in its landmark judgment, it allowed passive euthanasia in India.

35. Former Prime Minister of Fiji was denied travel to the United States of America by the High Court in Suva. Name of that former Prime Minister?
Mahendra Chuadhry.
Chaudhry is charged on 12 counts of money laundering, tax evasion and giving false information to the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority.
36. Who is the new Foreign Minister of Japan?
Takeaki Matsumoto.

Mr. Matsumoto replaces Seiji Maehara who stepped down after just six months in the job, after he acknowledged accepting political donations from a foreign national – illegal in Japan if done intentionally.

37. Which team has lifted the Deodhar Trophy title(2011) after defeating West Zone by 5 wickets in the final match at in Jaipur?
North Zone.
38. Name the man who owes India a whopping Rs. 70,000 crore in taxes, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?
Hasan Ali Khan.
39. A US court has issued an arrest warrant against an elderly Hindu religious leader recently, convicted of molesting two young girls, after he failed to appear before it on the day of his sentencing. Name of that Hindu leader?
Prakashanand Saraswati.
He, known to his devotees as Shree Swamiji, is the head of the 200-acre Hindu ashram in Texas.
40. Mexican billionaire who remained the richest person in the world with USD 74 billion in assets according to the US magazine Forbes annual list of world’s top billionaires?
Carlos Slim.
41. A bronze statue by French sculptor, “Naked Balzac with folded arms”, was stolen from Israel Museum in Jerusalem during the Museum’s recently completed renovation. Which sculpture’s statue was stole?
Auguste Rodin.
The sculpture, one meter and 60 centimeter tall, was cast between 1892 and 1893.
42. Which country has frozen the assets of the Libyan Central Bank and other state-run agencies in an attempt to cut off funding to Moammar Gadhafi’s embattled regime?
Germany.
43. Name the Space shuttle of U.S.A which ended its career on March 9, 2011 as the world’s most flown spaceship, returning from orbit for the last time and taking off in a new direction as a museum piece?
Discovery.
44. Which University has been ranked as the top university in the world for the sixth consecutive year according to the latest edition of The Times Higher Education, world reputation ranking report?
Harvard University.
United States dominates the rankings of 200 world class universities. None of the Indian institutes of higher education figure in that list.
45. Japan experienced the worst ever earthquake disaster in its modern history followed by a deadly tsunami leading to massive destruction in the northern part of the country. On which day the Powerful quake, tsunami hit Japan?
March 11,2011.
46. Who is appointed as the new American ambassador to China?
Gary Locke.
47. On which day of 2011, the moon made its closest approach to Earth in almost 20 years?
March 19.

The phenomenon called lunar perigee Supermoon happens when the moon reaches its absolute closest point to Earth. On March 19, the natural satellite will be only 221,567 miles away from our planet.

48. Which country has surpassed China to become the world’s largest importer of conventional weapons during the 2006 to 2010 period according to statistics released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)?
India.
49. U.S. State Department spokesman who resigned from his position on March 13, 2011 as a result of comments he made over the treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley E. Manning?
Philip J Crowley.
50. Which country declared a three-month state of emergency as a second contingent of forces from Gulf States arrived in the kingdom to support its government following persistent protests?
Bahrain
51. American working for the Central Intelligence Agency who was released in Pakistan after compensating the families of people he killed in self-defense?
Raymond Allen Davis.
52. Which country has recalled its ambassador from Bahrain in protest against the killing of Shi’ite Muslim demonstrators in the island state?
Iran.
53. Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Korean firm SsangYong Motor Company?
Pawan Goenka

He is currently the President of Automotive & Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd acquired the Korean automobile manufacturer SsangYong in August 2010.

54. Which country declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2011 after a massacre at an anti-government rally?
Yemen.
55. Noted Bollywood actor, who appeared in over 100 feature films, passed away on March 19,2011 after a massive heart attack?
Navin Nischol.

He made his debut with the Hindi film Sawan Bhadon in 1970. He was the first gold medalist from the Film and Television Institute of India. At one time, he was popularly known as the “poor man’s Rajesh Khanna” – an allusion to his being an inferior copy of the much-more-in-demand Rajesh Khanna.

56. Who won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold trophy with a straight-game victory in the summit clash against Ji Hyun Sung of Korea in Switzerland?
Saina Nehwal(India).
57. Which city becomes the first capital city in the world to be entirely covered with a fibre optic network ?

Abu Dhabi
58. Who won the Association of Tennis Player (ATP) Indian Wells title by beating world number one Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in final?
Novac Djokovic.
59. The double Oscar-winning actress and one of the 20th Century’s biggest movie stars who has died in Los Angeles at the age of 79?
Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for BUtterfield 8 (1960), played the title role in Cleopatra (1963). She won a second Academy Award for the film “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? “(1966),

60. U.S Name of the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations resolution to prevent Colonel Gadhafi’s forces attacking civilians?
Operation Odyssey Dawn.
Operation ELLAMY is the name given to UK military action in Libya.
Operation Harmattan is the name given to French military action in Libya.
Operation MOBILE is the name given to military action by Canada in Libya.

Current affairs 2011 for All Competitive exams | Current Affairs April 2011 quiz |  gk questions | current affairs for civil services | General knowledge|

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Current affairs April- 2010

1. A controversial bronze statue of an American President as a 10-year-old boy has been removed recently by Indonesian authorities from a park in the capital Jakarta due to a public backlash when it was erected. Who is that president?
Barack Obama
The statue moved to a nearby elementary school that Obama once attended.

2. Indian businessman who bought the formerly British-owned East India Company recently?
Sanjiv Mehta.

3. Bangladesh’s Zia International Airport is to be renamed after 13th century Sufi saint after deleting the name of former president Ziaur Rahman. What is the name of that Sufi Saint?
Hazarat Shah Jalal.

4. Who became the 35th batsmen in the history of Test Matches to accumulate 7000 career runs in Test Matches?
V.V.S.Laxman

5. The Afghan Taliban leader, who was captured by U.S. and Pakistani forces in Pakistan on February 8, 2010, in the southern port city of Karachi?
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
He is a co-founder of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

6. Which country has recently stopped issuing visas to citizens of 25 European nations?
Lybia.
Britain was exempted from the ban.

7. Who is appointed as the special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference by US President Obama?
Rashad Hussain.
Obama has appointed a deputy White House counsel Rashad Hussain to be his representative to the Muslim world. Organization of the Islamic Conference is an intergovernmental group with 57 member countries from the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Southeast Asia and South Asia .

8. According to a recent Commonwealth report, presidential polls in an Asian country did not ‘fully meet’ key benchmarks for democratic elections. Which is that country?
Sri Lanka.

9. Which district in Kerala is all set to be declared the first fully electrified district in India?
Palakkad

10. The Operation launched by Afghan and NATO forces in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province on February 13, 2010, aiming at eradicating Taliban militants in Marjah district of this region?
Operation Moshtarak (“Operation Together”)

11. The celebrated Egyptian pharaoh, who ruled from around 1351-1334 BC, died of malaria and had a club foot, according to a new study that used the latest genetic testing to try and find out more about his life, and death?
Tutankhamun
He is often referred to as King Tut , died just nine years into his reign, which lasted from 1333-1324 BC.

12. Who is appointed as the Chairman of the high level Empowered Committee to go into all aspects (except legal and constitutional issues) of the Maullaiperiyar dam dispute between the States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala?
A. S. Anand.
He is the former Chief Justice of India.

13. The government of Kerala recently decided to constitute a Pay Commission to recommend revision of scales for government employees and teachers in the state. The pay commission is headed by?
Justice Rajendra Babu.

14. The second tiger reserve in Kerala after the Periyar Tiger Reserve which will be integrated ecologically with the 960 sq km Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu situated at?
Parambikulam.
The proposed 460.30 sq km Parambikulam tiger reserve inaugurated on February 17, 2010.

15. Name of the military junta that seized power in a military coup in the African country Niger?
Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (SCRD).
They captured President Mamadou Tandja and his ministers in a four-hour gun battle
Salou Djibo is the leader of CSRD.
Junta means the ruling council of a military dictatorship.

16. India’s premier international airline, which recently announced that it will commence daily non-stop flights from Mumbai to Johannesburg from April 14,2010?
Jet Airways.

17. The United Nations’ (UN) top climate official, unexpectedly announced that he will resign in July – after December’s failed summit in Copenhagen dealt a blow to his climate change ambitions?
Bonn – Yvo de Boer.

18. Who won the first British female Winter Olympic gold in 30 years with victory in women’s skeleton?
Amy Williams

19. Name of the Buddhist monk who was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in Myanmar for violating immigration laws in relation to a trip he took to Taiwan, unlawful association, and for failing to declare foreign currency?
Gaw Thita.
He was arrested at Yangon International Airport in August along with seven other monks who were later released without charge.

20. Who was elected unopposed as the working chairman of NDA(National Democratic Alliance) till incumbent Atal Bihari Vajpayee recovers from ill-health?
L K Advani
Sharad Yadav has been elected as the convenor.

21. Which film won the 2010 Writers Guilds Award for original screen play?
The Hurt Locker

Awards List:
Original Screen Play: Mark Boal (Film:The Hurt Locker)
Adapted Screen Play: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn(Film:Up in the Air)
Documentary film: The cove (Written by Mark Monroe)

Actor, comedian and singer Jason Alexander, who is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series “Seinfeld”, presented the 2010 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television to writer/actor/producer Larry David.

22. Who won Silver Bear for best director for the film ‘Ghost Writer’ at 60th Berlin film festival?
Roman Polanski.

23. Which film won the Golden Bear for best picture at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival?
“Bal” (Honey)
The film is a Turkish-German production directed by Semih Kaplanoglus

24. Who won the Morgan Keegan Tennis Championships in Memphis beating Sharapova former Memphis champion Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 6-1 in final?
Maria Sharapova

25. Who won the WTA Dubai Tennis title defeating Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-3 7-5 in the final?
Venus Williams.

26. Which film won six BAFTA Awards in London including the award of best film?
Hurt Locker.
BAFTA AWARDS:
Best Film – The Hurt Locker
Leading Actor – Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Leading Actress – Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Supporting Actress – Mo’Nique (Precious)
Outstanding British Film – Fish Tank
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer – Duncan Jones (director – Moon)
Director – Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Original Screenplay – The Hurt Locker (Mark Boal)
Adapted Screenplay – Up In The Air (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)
Film not in the English language – A Prophet
Animated Film – Up
Music – Up (Michael Giacchino)
Cinematography – The Hurt Locker
Editing – The Hurt Locker
Production design – Avatar
Costume Design – The Young Victoria
Sound – The Hurt Locker
Special visual effects – Avatar
Make-up & hair – The Young Victoria
Short animation – Mother Of Many
Short film – I Do Air
The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public) – Kristen Stewart

27. Who becomes the first woman to win ‘Best Director’ award in BAFTA awards?
Kathryn Bigelow
She is the director of the film “Hurt Locker “.

28. Name of the New Unmanned Aircraft that can remain in the air for over 24 hours which has been added to Israeli Air Force family?
‘Eitan’
The drone named ‘Eitan’ meaning ‘Strong’ in Hebrew is said to be 24 meters long and 26 meters wide wingspan. The drone which weighs about 4.5 tones and it can fly to and from Persian Gulf.
Drone means a pilotless aircraft operated by remote control.

29. The leader of the Sunni Muslim militant group “Jundullah” arrested recently by Iran authorities?
Abdolmalek Rigi.

30. Leaders of 32 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, meeting in Mexico, decided to exclude two countries from membership of a new organization for countries on the American continents. Name of that countries?
United States of America (U.S.A) and Canada.

31. Indian-origin woman who has became the first woman Leader of the Opposition in the Trinidad and Tobago parliament, ousting former premier Basdeo Panday from the post?
Kamla Persad-Bissessar

32. Which country has swept the Commonwealth Shooting Championship with a whopping 49 medals?
India.
India won 23 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze medals. England finished a distant second with 31 medals and badges, while Wales ended third on the table after winning 13 medals and badges.

33. A prominent Indian hotelier who has been presented the Community Award in recognition of his outstanding philanthropic work in the UK?
Joginder Sangar

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Current Affairs March 2011

1. which team has won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 ?

- India

Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord’s in 1983, and this time they did it in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain’s innings since Ricky Ponting at Johannesburg eight years ago, as Mahendra Singh Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

2. Who has been appointed new chief of Film Certification Tribunal ?


- Lalit Bhasin

Noted lawyer Lalit Bhasin has been appointed Chairperson of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. “The appointment is for a period of three years.” Mr. Bhasin is also the Vice-President of the Bar Association of India and the Chairman of the Services Export Promotion Council established by the Ministry of Commerce and a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. 

3. Who hits fastest century in Cricket World Cup History ?


- Kevin O’Brien
Kevin O’Brien shocked the mighty England with fastest century in World Cup history ( 50 balls) which helped Ireland to chase the huge total of 327.
4. Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Union Minister , who died recently on March 04 ?
- Arjun Singh

Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Arjun Singh, who had served in various capacities including as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, died here on March 04. He was 81.

5. Who has been appointed Singapore’s first army chief ?
Ravider Singh——–-——- Chan Chun Sing
Singapore has appointed Brigadier General Ravider Singh as its next Army chief, the first Sikh in 30 years to be given the force’s baton. Singh, 41, takes over from Major-General Chan Chun Sing on March 25.
6. Who has been appointed as new President & CEO of Telecom Company MTS ?
- Andrei Dubovskov appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company.
7. Who is the richest person in the U.S. magazine Forbes annual list ?


- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu remained the richest person in the world with $ 74 billion in assets

8. Recently Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile, what is the name of that missile ?
- Hataf 2
surface-to-surface missile has a range of 111 miles (180 kilometers).
9. who has been elected as Chairman of AMCO.


- Jayshree Venkatraman
10. which city host consumer rights conference 2011 ?
-Delhi
A Two day Conference organised by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Delhi on 14 march.
11. who has been appointed as Secretary of NCSC ?
- Ashok Thakur
12. Who becomes the first Indian Officer to be inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ of US Army War College, Carlisle, USA ?
-
- General VK Singh
13. Who won the title of Swiss Open 2011 ?


- Saina Nehwal

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal notched up her first title of the year, clinching the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold trophy with a straight-game victory in the summit clash against Ji Hyun Sung of Korea in Switzerland on March 20.

14. Who won doubles’ title in Indian Wells ?


Sania Mirza and her American partner Elena Vesnina clinched their first title in just their third WTA event as a team, lifting the BNP Paribas Open women’s double trophy after upstaging Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy here. Sania and Vesnina beat eighth seeds Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy 6-0 7-5.
15. Who clinches Guinness Record in spelling ?
-
- Shishir Hathwar
16. Who has been awarded with Abel Prize 2011 ?
- John Willard Milnor

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has chosen one of the living legends of mathematics, John Willard Milnor of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences in the University of Stony Brook, U.S.A, for the award of its prestigious Abel Prize for the year 2011.

17. which Bank named best retail bank in India?
- HDFC
Country’s second largest private lender HDFC bank has won the Asian Banker’s ‘Best Retail Bank in India’ award this year.
18. Who has been appointed Head of CII Southern Region ?
T.T. Ashok
19. Name of the one man committee appointed by the Indian government to look into the 2G spectrum allocation procedures who submitted its report to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on 31 January 2011?
- Justice Shivraj Patil.

The one-man committee of Justice Shivraj Patil, looking into the 2G spectrum scam has named former telecom minister A Raja for procedural lapses. Former Department of Telecom secretary Sidhartha Behura has also been named in the report along with RK Chandolia, former personal secretary to Raja.

20. Which Indian multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Mumbai announced the acquisition of US-based Columbian Chemicals Company (CCC) recently, the world’s third-largest carbon black entity, for $875 million?
The Aditya Birla Group.

A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses together into one corporate structure, usually involving a parent company and several (or many) subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company. Conglomerates are often large and multinational.

21. Which teams won the men’s and women’s titles of the sixth edition of the United Phosphorous-sponsored Savio Cup basketball tournament held in Mumbai?
Indian Railways (Men)
Southern Railway (Women)
Shooting for Success, the team from USA, lost 79-91 to Indian Railway in the men’s final. Southern Railway beat Chhattisgarh in the Women’s final. (76-66)
22. One of Indonesia’s hottest pop stars who was given a 3 ½ jail sentence after his homemade sex tapes found their way in the internet and mobile phones?
Nazril Irham.
Nazril Irham is the lead singer of a popular band named ‘Peterpan’ and he is well-known to his fans by the pet name “Ariel”.
23. Five-time Oscar-winning composer who wrote the music for 12 James Bond movies, died recently in New York after a heart attack at the age of 77?
John Barry.

He won Oscars for his compositions for the movies “Born Free” (1966), “The Lion in the Winter” (1968), “Out of Africa” (1985) and “Dances with Wolves” (1990).
He won two Oscars for Born Free (1966), for best score and best song.

24. The Central Bureau of Investigation on February 2, 2011 arrested the former Union Communications and Information Technology Minister and two officers who had worked under him, for their role in the grant of licenses and allocation of 2G spectrum during 2008 in violation of established guidelines and procedures. Name of that minister?
A. Raja.

Mr. Raja, as well as Siddhartha Behura, former Secretary in the Department of Telecommunications, and R.K. Chandolia, who was Private Secretary to the Minister, were arrested by CBI.

25. One of the founders of Infosys Technologies who will take charge as the new CEO of Infosys some time in April, 2011 as part of a regular reshuffle of the top deck?
S.D. Shibulal.
Sibulal will replace the current CEO S Kris Gopalakrishnan.
26. Which Asian country has got 216.6 million US dollars from the International Monetary Fund for strengthening the economy and macro-economic management?
Sri Lanka
27. Who has been appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs of India?
D K Mittal.
28. Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament -2011 will be held in?
New Delhi.
From December 1 to December 11.
29. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) recently has accused former Pakistan President of assassinating the country’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Who is that former president?
Pervez Musharraf.
30. Which state will host the 35th National Games of India?
Kerala, It will be held in 2012.
31. Which country surpassed Japan as the world’s second-largest economy last quarter, capping the nation’s three- decade rise from Communist isolation to emerging superpower?
China.

Japan’s economy was worth $5.474 trillion (£3.414 trillion) at the end of 2010. China’s economy was closer to $5.8 trillion in the same period. According to IMF (International Monetary Fund), World’s 10 biggest economies are USA, China, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Brazil, Canada and Russia.

32. Who will be the second Judge in independent India to face impeachment for alleged misconduct in misappropriating Rs 42 lakh when he, as a lawyer, had been appointed a receiver by a court of law?
Judge Soumitra Sen, Calcutta High Court judge.

Former Supreme Court Judge Justice V Ramaswami was the first sitting Judge who was impeached. But the impeachment motion had failed in Lok Sabha on May 10, 1993 because of 205 abstentions by then ruling Congress and its allies as against 196 members who voted for impeachment.

33. Former Deputy Editor of Mathrubhumi daily, (a leading news paper of Kerala) who has been chosen for the first Swadeshabhimani-Kesari award instituted by the Kerala government?
T. Venugopal.

The award, instituted in memory of legends in Malayalam journalism Kesari Balakrishna Pillai and Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, is to recognise outstanding contributions in political, cultural, developmental and journalistic fields.

34. Which country has suspended its annual Antarctic whale hunt following protests from an environmental group?
Japan.
35. Pakistani singer who was fined Rs.15 lakh by India’s Customs department for the restoration of undeclared foreign currency from them on the IGI airport in Delhi?

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

He and his 16-member group were arrested for allegedly carrying $ 1.24 lakh (around RS 60 lakh) of black foreign currencies in New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport.

36. Who has been re-elected as Uganda’s president for a fourth consecutive five-year term, according to the results of the February 18 presidential election announced by the country’s election commission?
Yoweri Museveni.
37. Who were arrested by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 107 crore deals inked with a Swiss timing firm on February 22, 2011?
Lalit Bhanot, Former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Secretary General
V. K. Verma, former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee director general.
38. Which country will set a price on carbon emissions (Tax on carbon emission) in 2012 in preparation for a trading program that could begin as early as 2015 aimed at curbing greenhouse gases?
Australia.
39. The creator and founder of Amar Chitra and Tinkle comics who passed away at the age of 81?
Anant Pai.

Pai launched the Amar Chitra Katha series of Indian comics in 1967 which was an instant hit. In 1980, he launched Tinkle, a children’s anthology, which was started under Rang Rekha Features, India’s first comic and cartoon syndicate that lasted till 1998.

40. According to the Economic Survey which country has the fourth largest foreign exchange reserves?
India.
India had the fourth largest foreign exchange reserves at $297.3 billion at the end of December 2010.
41. First Coast Guard Academy of India would be set up at?
Azheekkal near Kannur in Kerala.
42. Tunisian prime minister who has resigned after renewed violent protests calling for him to step down?
Mohamed Ghannouchi.
43. A member of the Central Water Commission (CWC) who had been appointed as chairman of the coordination committee of the Supreme Court on technical matters in the Mullaperiyar case?
A.K Ganju.

However his inclusion in the committee was opposed by Kerala and hence he was removed from the committee. C D Thatte, will be the new chairman of the coordination committee of technical teams while former chief engineer of the CWC (Central Water Commission)D K Mehta will be the deputy chairman. M K Parameswaran, of the Mullaperiyar Cell, has been included in the coordination committee as Kerala’s representative.

44. The top secret recipe of one of the world’s most popular beverages, Coca Cola, has been revealed by a popular public radio program on February 11, 2011. Name of that program?
“This American Life”.

This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio and hosted by Ira Glass. For 125 years, Coke’s secret recipe has remained one of the most heavily guarded trade secrets in the world.
The drink was created by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886.

45. List of FICCI Frames Awards 2011
- FICCI-Frames is an annual global convention on the business aspects of the entertainment and media industry. It was organised from March 23-25.

FICCI Frames Excellence International Honour - Jackman (‘X Men’ series)
Decade of Global Achievement Honour - Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan
Best Film of the year - Dabangg
Best Actor award – Shahrukh Khan (`My Name is Khan’)
Best Actress award – Vidya Balan ( Ishqiya )
Best Debutant Award (Male) – Ranveer Singh (Band Baaja Baarat)
Best Debutant (Female) - Sonakshi Sinha (Dabangg)
Best Debut Director trophy - Maneesh Sharma (Band Baaja Baarat)
Television
Best Actor Award (Male) for serial `Pavitra Rishta’ - Sushant Singh Rajput
Best Actor Award (Female) for `Uttaran’ - Rashmi Desai
Most successful non-fiction show of the year - Sony TV’s `Indian Idol 5′
Best General Entertainment Channel Award - Star Plus
Best Radio Channel Award - Radio Mirchi

46. Who has been  chosen as next censor board chief ?

- Leela Samson
47. Who has been appointed as head of Microsoft India ?

- Bhaskar Pramanik
48. How many tigers in India as per latest tiger census 2010 ?


-The Tiger population is estimated at 1706.
49.  Who has been appointed Australia’s New Cricket Captain of Test & ODI team after after embattled Ricky Ponting stepped down after the team’s unceremonious exit from the World Cup 2011 ?



- Michael Clarke

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Sports Current Affairs 2011

Current Affairs [March 2011]
ICC WC 2011 off to spectacular start

• The ICC cricket world cup is on in full swing. The fourteen teams have all played their group stages and 8 teams qualified to the knockout stages. The teams that played in quarterfinals were West Indies, India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Among these only four teams made it to the Semis where Pakistan and India played each other at Mohali and Srilanka and New Zealand played against each other in Colombo. The semi final match between India and Pakistan created unprecedented hype as the two teams have not faced off against each other since Mumbai 26/11 attacks. There was a never before seen rush to get the tickets for the match and people were selling their tickets in black market at astronomical amounts. India and Sri Lanka went on to win their semi finals respectively and face each other in the final on April 02 , 2011.

Levon Aronian wins Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Championship

• Levon Aronian has won the 20th and final edition of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Championship held at Monaco. He had earlier also won in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The Armenian grandmaster tied his last round game against Sergey Karjakin and still maintained a one point lead over runner up Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Indian chess grandmaster and World Champion Vishwanath Anand came in at third position. With the 2011 edition the 20 year run of one the Worlds favourite chess events comes to an end and Aronian having won three of the last four editions does come across as a significant achievement.

Saina clinches Swiss Open Grand Prix

• India’s badminton ace Saina Nehwal won her first title of 2011 with a 21-13, 21-14 victory over South Korean Sung Ji Hyun in the Wilson Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton at Basil on 20/3/2011. It was her second win against the Korean in as many meetings whom she earlier defeated in the Indonesia Open Super Series as well. She reached the quarters of the All England Championship also held earlier this month where she lost to Eriko Hirose of Japan. Riding on her Swiss Open triumph Saina has regained her number three ranking with 69721.2637 points. At first place and second place are Shixian Wang (83506.4) and Yihan Wang (73988.9106) of China respectively.

Djokovic beats Nadal to win Indian Wells title

• Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the BNP Paribas Open title at Calirfonia on 20/3/2011. The Serbian remains undefeated this year whose victories include Australian and Dubai open, has struck a purple patch notching up an impressive 18-0 record in 2011. He now jumps to number two in the ATP rankings pushing Roger Federer to the third place while Rafael Nadal is still at number one with a 14-3 record. Djokovic said “It definitely says good things. I am playing with a lot of confidence. I’m feeling the ball well on the court. I’m very dedicated. I have a big will to win each match. I want to keep on going and keep on playing good tennis.”

Sebastian Vettel wins Australian GP

• Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel drove a flawless race to win the season opening Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne on 27/3/2011. Starting from pole position Sebastian drove superbly to open more than a two second gap over runner up Lewis Hamilton of Mclaren following the first lap. At third place was Renaults Vitaly Petrov who made his first ever podium finish. Fernando Alonso came in fourth with Australian Mark Webber finishing fifth at the race. They used three stops strategies which was one more than the podium finishers. It was not a good start to the year for Mercedes with both their drivers Michael Shumacher and Nicco Roseberg being forced to retire.

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International Current Affairs 2011

Current Affairs [March 2011]
Earthquake and Tsunami strike Japan

• A powerful earthquake of 8.9 magnitude struck Japan on its north eastern coast on 11/3/2011. The earthquake resulted in a massive tsunami that caused wide scale destruction and loss of thousands of lives. Cars, ships and buildings were all swept away by the rampaging waters of the Tsunami which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. The port city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture was one of the worst affected. Ten metre waves struck the city deluging everything that was part of it-farmlands, cars, buildings, houses etc. Fires broke out in the city following the deluge. A cluster of two to three hundred bodies were found in one part of this city alone. This is the most powerful natural disaster to have struck Japan in its recorded history and is considered 8000 times more powerful than what struck Christchurch in New Zealand earlier this year.
  As of March 30th 2011 according to official estimates the death toll now stands at 11,257 while another 16,344 people are still missing. Many of the survivors who have been displaced have lost all their property to the Tsunami. More than 173,200 people are living in the 2000 evacuation centres in the 17 prefectures mostly in the northern side of the country. Among the worst affected prefectures which are Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate 146,628 displaced people have been housed in close to 1,245 evacuation centres.

Nuclear Crisis

• The massive earthquake that struck the north east coast of Japan has resulted in a catastrophic situation at the Fukushima Nuclear power plant. When the earthquake struck they switched off the reactor and where about to use the onsite diesel back up power. The tsunami then struck and the back up power also failed. Hence after losing electric power, that system could not be used. Instead the operators are dumping seawater into the vessel and letting it cool the fuel by boiling. But as it boils, pressure rises too high to pump in more water, so they have to vent the vessel to the atmosphere, and feed in more water, a procedure known as “feed and bleed.” Thousands of people residing in areas close to the plant were evacuated. Over the following days there have been many instance of radiation exposure traced in the vicinity. Radioactive water found in and outside reactor buildings is delaying work to restore cooling functions of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Libyan Uprising

• Having received inspiration from the revolutions of Egypt and Tunisia the next country to vehemently protest against government autocracy is the North African country of Libya. The public are fighting to bring down Muammar Gaddafi’s 41-year rule and are demanding new leadership and democratic elections. What actually began as a series of peaceful demonstrations took ugly turns when Gaddafi’s army tried to crush protests by using force eventually turning into an all out civil war in the days to come. In a matter of days the uprising had spread to other parts of Libya and Gaddafi was having trouble retaining control over many parts of the country. Gaddafi a harder nut to crack than Mubarak has continued to be on the offensive and refuses to give up power in spite of all the diplomatic pressure, much to the chagrin of his own country men. On 19/3/2011 a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to the uprising in Libya. The military operations began, with US and British forces firing over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles, the French Air Force and British Royal Air Force[ undertaking sorties across Libya and a naval blockade by the Royal Navy. Air strikes against Libyan Army tanks and vehicles by French jets have since been confirmed. The situation is far from peaceful and remains to be seen what would be the outcome of the situation in the days to come.

Elizabeth Taylor passes away

• One of Hollywood’s greatest icons Dame Elizabeth Taylor breathed her last on 23/3/2011 due to congestive heart failure. The 79 year old actress has been in the public eye for six decades having won three academy awards and has acted in over 50 films. The Cleopatra star's stunning looks, including her famed violet eyes, earned her fans around the globe and her stormy personal life that included eight marriages received as much press interest as some of her best works. She won two Oscars for her performances in “Butterfield 8”(1960) and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966) and a third Oscar for her humanitarian work in 1993. The actress has also battled many health ailments undergoing as much as 20 surgeries during the course of her life. In her later years she was a spokeswoman for several causes, most notably AIDS research.

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Current Affairs Quiz February 2011

1. Who appointed as PM’s Advisor on skill development ?

- S Ramadorai, former chief of IT giant firm TCS, has been appointed as an Advisor to Prime Minister on Skill Development Read More
2. Who has been elected as President of Karnataka State Cricket Association(KSCA)?
- Anil Kumble
3. who won Australian Open woman’s Single 2011 ?

- Kim Clijsters won her second straight Grand Slam title and the fourth of her career, struggling early before beating Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Australian Open final. The result ended the outstanding run of Li, who became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final.
4. who won Australian Open mens Single 2011 ?

-Novak Djokovic claimed his second title at the Australian Open in dominating style on when he hammered Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
5. 72-year-old woman who’s on a mission to eradicate illiteracy ?
-Paravati Mohanty Read more
6. Who has been appointed as the new PM of Jordan?
- Marouf Bakhit King Abdullah has dismissed his cabinet and appointed a new Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit. Read more
7. which south Korean steel company gets approval in Orissa ?
- POSCO

The south Korean firm Pohang Steel Company (POSCO) got the conditional clearence from the Environmental Ministry to start $12 billion steel mill project in Orissa. It is considered as the single biggest foreign direct investment (FDI) in India.

8. which department has been given the responsibility to deliver UID cards in india ?
- Department of Posts

More than 1 billion Indians will get their unique identification numbers from the ubiquitous post office. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), responsible for creating and distributing first of its kind unique identification numbers to Indian residents, signed an agreement with department of posts to this effect on 4 February.

9. Who has elected as new President for Myanmar ?

-General Thein Sein

Thein Sein, a military general-turned-civilian leader, was on 4 February elected Myanmar’s first President under its 2008 Constitution, which came into force earlier this week. His election was officially portrayed as a key step along the final lap of the military government’s roadmap towards democracy. Read more

10. Who is elected as the new PM of Nepal ?

- Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), Jhalanath Khanal become the 34th Prime Minister. read more
11. Eighth Aero India International Seminar was held in ?
- Bangalore

The eighth Aero India 2011 – International Seminar conducted was held at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) Convention Centre here from February 7 to 9, as a prelude to the ‘Aero India 2011 Exposition’.
The seminar, organized by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in association with the Aeronautical Society of India

12. Where was held 17th Commonwealth Law Conference ?
- Hyderabad

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference at Hyderabad on 5 February.
The theme of this conference “Emerging Economies – Rule of Law: Challenges and Opportunities” is specially relevant today when a new global architecture is taking place and there is restlessness in the air in many developing countries. The ability of emerging economies to be a partner in shaping the new international order in the 21st century will be determined to a large extent by the choices they make with respect to their systems of governance as well as the legal and institutional structures they devise for enforcing the rule of law.

13. Recently govt. decided to Ban on use of plastics for packaging of which products ?

- The Environment Ministry issued a notification banning the use of plastics for packaging gutka and other tobacco products. Read more
14. Former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka who passes away on 9th February 2011 ?
- M.P. Prakash

M.P. Prakash (71), former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away in a private hospital here on 9 February 2011.
He was battling cancer for over a year.
A respected political leader who was part of the Janata Parivar since its formation in 1977, Mr. Prakash crossed over to the Congress in April 2008 after falling out with the Janata Dal (Secular) leadership over the transfer of power to the BJP at the end of the first 20-month term of the coalition government.
He served as Deputy Chief Minister in the first coalition government in the State headed by N. Dharam Singh between August 2005 and January 2006.

15. The fourteenth National Conference on e-Governance was held at ?
- Aurangabad
The fourteenth National Conference on e-Governance is to begin on February 10th at Aurangabad. Governor of Maharahstra Shri K. Sankaranarayanan, has inaugurating the two-day annual event.
16. The Regional Aviation Security Conference was held at ?
- India is set to host the Regional Aviation Security Conference at New Delhi from 14-18 February, 2011 under the aegis of International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) to review the compliance of Security Declaration made in 37th Assembly of ICAO and also to have the risk overview of the recent developments in aviation security. The Conference is being organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.
17. When will be started Health insurance policy portability ?
- 1st July 2011

In a big relief to dissatisfied health insurance policy holders, sectoral regulator IRDA has allowed them portability — shifting policies from one insurer to another on same terms – from 1st July.The portability facility will allow policy holders to switch over to another insurance company with the same conditions.
The new facility will also help those policy holders who stick to one insurer throughout life for fear of losing the cover for Pre Existing Diseases (PED). Read more

18. which mobile company has maximum active customers ?

-Bharti Airtel

The Trai report said Bharti Airtel had about 92% active customers, while Idea Cellular had a little over 90% followed by Vodafone Essar at 76%, compared to 47-50 % for Tata (GSM and CDMA) and 66-68 % for Reliance Communications .

19. Who inaugurates World Philatelic Exhibition ‘INDIPEX 2011′ ?
- President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 12-02-2011 inaugurated the World Philatelic Exhibition ‘INDIPEX 2011′ in the national capital.
20. 53rd annual Grammy Awards was held at ?
- The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

List of 53rd annual Grammy Awards

Album of the Year
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Record of the Year
Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
Best New Artist
Esperanza Spalding
Song of the Year
Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Train – “Hey, Soul Sister (Live)
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck and Oumou Sangare – “Imagine”
Best Dance Recording
Rihanna – “Only Girl (In the World)”
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”
Best Hard Rock Performance
Them Crooked Vultures – “New Fang”
Best Rock Song
Neil Young – “Angry World”
Best Alternative Music Album
The Black Keys – Brothers
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Sade – “Soldier of Love”
Best Contemporary R&B Album
Usher – Raymond v. Raymond
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
Best Rap Song
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
Best Rap Album
Eminem – Recovery
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson – “As She’s Walking Away”
Best Country Song
Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
Best Country Album
Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
Best Americana Album
Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
Best Traditional Blues Album
Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith – Joined at the Hip

21. Who launches ‘CARINGS’ & what is it?

-Mrs. Krishna Tirath

Minister of State for Women and Child Development Mrs. Krishna Tirath, launched a Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System CARINGS in New Delhi February 14. It is a web based management information system that offers a child centric approach for the child, parents and agencies.

22. winners’ list for 2011 BAFTA Awards.
- BAFTA Awards 2011

Best Film: The King’s Speech
Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Outstanding British Film: The King’s Speech
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
Best Original Screenplay: The King’s Speech
Outstanding British Contribution: The Harry Potter franchise
Best Original Music: Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech
Best Short Film: Until The River Runs Red, Paul Wright, Paul Kondeatis
Best Short Animation: The Eagleman Stag, Michael Please
Best Sound: Inception, Lee Smith
Best Editing: The Social Network, Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
Best Make-up and Hair: Alice In Wonderland, Vali O’Reilly, Paul Gooch
Best Film Not In The English Language: Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Best Costume Design: Alice In Wonderland, Coleen Attwood
Best Production Design: Inception, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat
Best Special Visual Effects: Inception, Chris Courbold, Paul Franklin
Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Orange Wednesday’s Rising Star: Tom Hardy
Best Screenplay: The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin
Best Cinematography: True Grit

23. Who inaugurate International Conference on Community Mental Health?
- The Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad will inaugurate international conference cum workshop on Asia Pacific Community Mental Health on 17 February, 2011
24. which country has joined BRIC ?
- South Africa

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 19 February welcomed South Africa in the BRIC forum of fastest growing economies Brazil,Russia, India and China.
“South Africa has joined this meeting. We welcome South Africa. Now BRIC is no longer BRIC but it is BRICS. One ‘S’ has been added to it,”

25. The National Conference on Storage of Food Grains was held on ?
- February19, 2011 in New Delhi. Read more
26. who is the man of the match in world cup 2011 opening match held at Mirpur ?
- Virender Sehwag unleashed a stunning display of strokeplay to smash a blistering 175 as India launched their cricket World Cup campaign with an emphatic 87-runs victory over Bangladesh in their opening World Cup group-B match at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium in Mirpur on 19 February.
27. The next BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in ?
- China in April.
28. Overseas Employers Conference was held in which city?
- Hyderabad

A two-day “Overseas Employers’ Conference” were held at Hyderabad February 21, to understand the concerns of the Foreign Employers in the Middle East and South-East Asia employing Indian workers. The conference was provide a forum for the overseas employers to interact with the Government of India and the State Government representatives and put forward their point of view and raise issues related to recruitment of Indian workers for overseas employment.

Current affairs 2011 for bank exams | Current Affairs March 2011 quiz | objective questions | gk questions | current affairs for civil services | General knowledge|

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International Current Affairs 2011

Current Affairs [February 2011]

Mubarak resigns, Egypt celebrates

• The people of Egypt went wild with celebrations after President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military on 11th February. For eighteen days thousands of people had taken to the streets all over Egypt demanding the ouster of their autocratic President who had been in power for the past thirty years. One of the key reasons for such public outrage has been widespread poverty, inflation and rampant corruption in the government for many years. Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the anti-government protests burst with joy when the announcement was made. This has been a hard fought struggle for the people of Egypt after many episodes of violence having been reported between the public and Mubaraks forces.

China overtakes Japan as world’s second-biggest economy

• China has now overtaken Japan as the world’s second-biggest economy. Japan’s economy was worth $5.474 trillion (£3.414 trillion) at the end of 2010, figures from Tokyo have shown while that of China’s economy is closer to $5.8 trillion for the same period. China has been enjoying a manufacturing boom for quite a few years now and it is expected that at its current rate of growth, analysts see China replacing the US as the world’s top economy in about a decade. The US economy is currently almost three times the size of the Chinese economy in dollar terms.

New Zealand earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing at least 148 people

• A massive earthquake on 22nd Feb has caused massive destruction in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake was the second in five months for the city and the death toll continues to increase with the police having confirmed 148 deaths with 200 still missing. The damage caused has been said to be much worse than the 7.1-magnitude quake on 4 September, which left two people seriously injured but no fatalities. The city’s historic cathedral was one of the many buildings that got significantly damaged, while cars lay in a mangled heap under a pile of rubble and roads cracked open with fissures as a result of the tremors. Dazed, bleeding residents could be seen wandering through streets strewn with debris and piles of concrete.

Libyan people take to the streets in their demand for freedom

• Inspired by the outcomes of Tunisia and Egypt over the past few weeks the people of Libya have also taken out to the streets in their cries for freedom against their autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi. Thousands of people have joined the struggle and there have been continuous reports of frequent clashes with the Muammars loyalists and the protesting public. Scores of people have been reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protests against Muammar Gaddafi’s 40-year rule across the North African nation. With each passing day the leader seems to be losing support from people working in his own government and is also under increasing pressure from International powers to step down.

The Kings Speech Wins Best Picture at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards

• ‘The Kings Speech’ had a great outing at this years Oscars winning four awards. The film won in the best picture category and its director Tom Hooper received Best Director. Colin Firth received the award for best actor for his central role in Kings Speech while best female actor went to Natalie Portman for Black Swan. ‘The Best Supporting Actor’ and The Best Supporting Actress’ awards were bagged by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for their performances in film, ‘The Fighter’. Indian musician AR Rahman missed out on his two nominations for his score in ‘127 hours.’

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Current Affairs January 2011

1. Bharat Ratna Classical Singer who died recently at the age of 88 ?

- Pandit Bhinsen Joshi 
2. Italian Film director ,screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all’Italiana (Comedy Italian style) who died on November 29, 2010 at the age of 95, after comitting suicide by jumping from a window of the San Giovanni hospital in Rome, where he was admitted a few days earlier for prostate cancer?
- Mario Monicelli.
3. who has been selected for the National Communal Harmony Award ?

- Acharya Lokesh Muni

4. The 26th sub-junior and junior National athletics championships held in?
Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore.

5. which Indian honoured with the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WEF)

A.R. Rahman

Internationally renowned music composer A.R. Rahman was on 26-01-2011 honoured with the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the opening ceremony of its annual meet here being attended by 2,500 global leaders from the fields of business, government, art, culture and religion.

Mr. Rahman, 44, received the award, given to outstanding artists who use their talent for social and charitable work.

The WEF took note of his work for the welfare of children. He said he got motivation from social work.

6. Who has taken charge as the fourth deputy governor at the Reserve Bank

Anand Sinha

7. Who won the Player of the series award in the ODI cricket series between India and New Zealand held in India in 2010?
- Gautam Gambhir. (India).
8. List of Padma Awardees 2011


9. who has appointed as the SEBI’s next Chairman ?
- Mr U.K. Sinha

10. Who is appointed as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for two years succeeding Ashwani Kumar?
Amar Pratap Singh.
He is a 1974 batch IPS officer from Jharkhand cadre.

11. Former President of which Asian country who wanted to visit India for attending a seminar on December 4, 2010, was denied a visa on December 2, 2010?
Pakistan
India has decided not to grant a visa to former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf who had expressed his wish to visit India to attend a seminar. The decision was taken after the home ministry expressed reservations over the visit of the former Pakistani military ruler due to his recent anti-India statements.
12. The 290-km range supersonic cruise missile successfully test-fired by India on December 2, 2010 from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Orissa coast?
BrahMos
13. Which country will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup Football?
Russia
Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup Football.
14. Who has been appointed as an Advisor to Prime Minister on Skill Development ?
S Ramadorai, former chief of IT giant firm TCS     
15. Who has been voted women’s tennis Player of the Year -2010?
Kim Clijsters.

She earned her the Player of the Year award of WTA for the second time in her career (the first time she won it in 2005) Clijsters was also given the Player Service award, which recognizes the player who has done the most to support her fellow players through the WTA Players’ Council or other initiatives.
Other award winners:
Newcomer of the Year – Petra Kvitova
Comeback Player of the Year – Justine Henin
Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award – Elena Dementieva
Humanitarian of the Year – Maria Sharapova
Most Improved Player – Francesca Schiavone
The doubles award went to Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy.

16. Information Technology Minister of Karnataka who resigned on December 3, 2010, following a police complaint against him in a multicrore land deal?
Katta Subramanya Naidu.
17. Regulators in which country have okayed the agreement between Yahoo Japan and Google Inc.), which enables the former to use Google technology to power its search services in the country?
Japan.
18. Which Indian Sportsperson has signed a 26-crore deal with world’s 3rd largest and India’s largest spirit maker UB group?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Sachin Tendulkar has refused an endorsement deal offer to promote an alcohol brand of UB group which was worth 20 crore. Earlier, Tendulkar also refused Vijay Mallya when he came to Tendulkar for Kingfisher advertisement during IPL time in which many cricket players took part.
19. Who is appointed as Director General of Civil Aviation?
E. K. Bharat Bhushan.
He is an IAS officer of the 1979 batch from Kerala cadre.
20. On Every year January 25 will be celebrated as the which day?
- National Voters Day
21. Who has been crowned Miss Earth 2010 in Vietnam?
Nicole Faria. (India).
The 10th edition of the Miss Earth beauty pageant was held in Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang, Vietnam on December 11, 2010.
22. Which countries signed seven agreements including five in the area of nuclear energy, to pave the way for more intensive cooperation in this sector on 6th December, 2010?
India and France.
23. Which country won the Davis Cup tennis for the first time in its history beating France in the final on December 5, 2010?
Serbia.
Serbia won its first Davis Cup title, rallying for a 3-2 victory over France when Viktor Troicki beat Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in the final singles match.
24. Which American airline was convicted for the crash of Air France Concorde in 2000 occurred when the plane took off from Charles de Gaulle airport?
Continental Airlines.
On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed in Gonesse, France, killing all 100 passengers and nine crew members on board the flight, and four people on the ground. It was the only fatal incident involving Concorde. The tragedy of Air France Flight AF4590 which covered Paris-New York, was the beginning of the end of the legendary Concorde, which in 2003 stopped working definitely.
25. According to the nuclear pact signed between France and India on December 5, 2010, France will construct two 1650 MW nuclear power reactors in India. The nuclear reactors are to be constructed in which Indian state?
Jaitapur in Maharashtra
France became the first country to sign agreements to set up nuclear reactors in India. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and French company Areva signed an agreement for building two European pressure reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Ncolas Sarkozy.
26. The world’s most expensive illustrated book, which has been sold for a record price of 7.3 million pounds ($11.5 million) at an auction in London?
“Birds of America”.
A rare copy of John James Audubon’s Birds of America, billed as the world’s most expensive book, has sold for more than £7 million (Rs 50 crore) at auction. Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
27. The Confucius Peace Prize which was created in 2010 by an organization in the People’s Republic of China as a move to counter the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to?
Lien Chan. Former Taiwanese Vice President.
China deemed Nobel Committee’s decision to honour the imprisoned “criminal” Liu Xiaobo as an attack on its political and legal system.
28. An upgraded version of nuclear-capable intermediate- range ballistic missile of India failed in its maiden test from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast on December 10, 2010. Name of that missile?
Agni II Plus.
29. Which country is leading the list of corrupt countries according to survey report of Transparency International, a global body that works as a civil society organization?
Somalia.
The Transparency International has released its survey 2010 called CPI (Corruption Perception Index) in which Somalia is leading the list of corrupt countries followed by Afghanistan, Myanmar and Iraq.
The main objective of Transparency International is to identify the corrupt sectors in the world through the world wide survey and to do the efforts in making a change towards a corruption free world.
30. Facebook founder who has joined the league of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in pledging to give away a majority of their fortune for charitable causes?
Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg, one of the world’s youngest billionaires with an estimated wealth of over $6 billion.
Warren Buffett is an American investor, industrialist and philanthropist. He is currently the third wealthiest person in the world as of 2010.
Bill Gates is an American business magnate, philanthropist, author and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen.
31. Who won gold in the over 81kg weight category of the Monnet 11th senior women’s boxing championship at the Lulu International Convention Centre?
K.C. Lekha.
Haryana won the overall title with 32 points. Kerala and Delhi shared the second spot with 17 points each.
32. Indian who has been chosen for the Laureus Media International Selection Panel for 11th consecutive term?
V Rajagopal. Deputy Editor of Mathrubhumi, a leading newspaper in Malayalam.
He would be among panelists elected from across 150 countries to decide who should be the winners of the coveted Laureus sports awards in 2011.
33. Which country has been awarded the rights to host the 2012 Asia Cup Cricket?
Bangladesh.
Asia Cup-2012 will be held at the Shere Bangla National stadium in Mirpur from March 1 to March 12. The last time Bangladesh hosted the Asia Cup was in 2000.
34. U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan who died on December 13, 2010 at the age of 69 after undergoing heart surgery?
Richard Holbrooke.
He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world (Asia from 1977 to 1981 and Europe from 1994 to 1996). Later, Holbrooke was the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under the Obama administration.
35. Who has become the second youngest person ever to win Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2010?
Mark Zuckerberg.
He is an American computer scientist, software developer and philanthropist best known for creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is CEO and president.
36. Who is appointed as the head of planning for military operations of Al-Qaeda against the West?
Ilyas Kashmiri.
Al-Qaeda has made jihadi commander Ilyas Kashmiri as its chief military strategist for the region to plan and spearhead terrorist attacks against the West.
37. Corporate lobbyist who was questioned by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on 21-12-2010 for her firm’s alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation case?
Nira Radia.
38. Which PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) has been conferred with the MOU Excellence Award to facilitate the PSU’s performance during 2008-09?
Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
39. Who was crowned the winner of The Biggest Loser Asia 2, a popular weight-loss reality TV series which was conducted in an IOI Resort City mansion in Malaysia’s Putrajaya?
Viveganandam Deveraj.
The 24-year-old walked away with the prize money of US$100,000 after losing 67kg from his starting weight of 144kg – making him the contestant with the highest percentage of weight loss (46.53%) over a six-month period.
40. Who has won the London Chess Classic for the second time after a smooth victory over Nigel Short in the seventh and last round?
Magnus Carlsen.
41. Which countries signed six agreements on December 16, 2010 in the fields of green technology, hydrological data of common rivers, media exchanges, cultural exchanges, banking sectors?
India and China.
42. Which Bank is India’s most popular bank for 2010 ?
HDFC Bank click here for detail
43. Noted Malayalam writer who has won Kendra Sahithya Academy Award-2010 for his travelogue book ‘Haimavathabhoovil’?
M.P. Veerendrakumar.
He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi. . He got the award for his book ` Haimavathabhoovil ‘, which narrates his travels to the Himalayas. The award comprises of Rs 1 lakh and a certificate.
44. Man of the Match Winners of test Cricket series between South Africa and India held in South Africa in December 2010:
First test played from December 16, 2010 at SuperSport Park, Centurion:
Man of the Match: Jacques Kallis (South Africa).
He scored unbeaten 201 runs in first innings and took 2 wickets.
Result: South Africa beat India by an innings and 25 runs
Second test played from December 26, 2010 at Kingsmead, Durban:
Man of the Match: VVS Laxman (India).
He scored 38 runs in first innings and 96 runs in second innings.
Result: India beat South Africa by 87 runs.
45. Which countries signed 30 agreements on December 21, 2010, including on oil and gas sector and pacts on nuclear energy, defence and space cooperation?
India and Russia.
46. Which country recently banned newspapers, publishers and website-owners from using foreign words – particularly English ones?
China.
47. Noted Iranian filmmaker who has been sentenced for six years in jail and barred from directing and producing movies for the next 20-years?
Jafar Panahi.
The filmmaker was convicted of colluding in gathering and making propaganda against the regime. He is the director of films such as “Crimson Gold” ,”The White Balloon” and ‘The Mirror”,
Another Iranian film-maker, Mohammad Rasulov, also received a six-year sentence on similar charges.
48. Which country conducted successful experiment of fastest Train of World on 4 December, 2010?
China.
The train traveled from Beijing to Shingai in 5 hrs at the speed of 486 Km per hour. China already has the world fastest railway track which it intends to double by 2020.
49. Which day is observed as International Widows Day?
June 23.
In order to address the plight of widows worldwide, the United Nations General Assembly has declared June 23 as International Widows Day.
50. Which country trained an elite police force in Bangladesh accused of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations, according to the latest diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks?
Britain
51. Who are the three Indians to figure in the all-time ODI dream team chosen by fans in a poll conducted by the International Cricket Council (ICC)?
Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Kapil Dev.
Other Members:
Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Glen McGrath (Australia)
Brian Lara, Viv Richards (West Indies)
Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Allan Donald (South Africa)
Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
Michael Bevan – 12th Man
52. Thirteen year old boy who made a history in school cricket on December 22, 2010 when he scored mammoth 498 runs in Harris Shield tournament in Mumbai?
Arman Jaffer.
He is the nephew of Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer. Arman took 490 balls, hit 77 boundaries before getting out in the slips. He bettered his teammate Sarfaraz Khan’s record of 439 runs in Harris Shield tournament in 2009.
53. Who is named African player of the year-2010?
Samuel Eto.
The 29-year-old Cameroon and Inter Milan striker won this award for a record fourth time
54. Which film has won the Golden Crow Pheasant Award at the 15th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK)?
“Portraits in a Sea of Lies”. It is a Colombian film directed by Carlos Gaviria and the award carries a cash prize of Rs.15 lakh.
Other Awards:
The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the best director was awarded to Argentinean director Julia Solomonoff for her film “The Last Summer of La Boyita”. The Silver Crow Pheasant Award and a cash prize of Rs.3 lakhs for the best debut film went to Belma Bas, director of the film “Zephire” from Turkey.
Veettilekkulla Vazhi (The Way to Home), directed by Dr. Biju, was adjudged the best Malayalam film at the festival. Tunisian film “Buried Secrets”, directed by Raja Amari, won the award instituted by the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for the best film in the competition. The FIPRESCI award for the best Malayalam film went to “Makaramanju”, directed by Lenin Rajendran. The Hassankutty Award for the best Indian Debut Film, instituted by filmmaker Meera Nair, was bagged by “Chithra Suthram” directed by Vipin Vijay.
55. Former Chief Minister of Kerala and Veteran Congress leader died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram recently?
K.Karunakaran.
Karunakaran has been the Chief Minister of Kerala four times .He took charge as Chief Minister of Kerala for the first time on March 25, 1977. He was the home minister of Kerala during the emergency period. He was also served as Minister for Industries of Government of India.
56. Human Rights activist who was sentenced to life imprisonment on December 24, 2010 after being held guilty of sedition and conspiracy by a Chhattisgarh court for his alleged links with Maoists?
Binayak Sen.
57. Mobs of which Caribbean country killed more than 45 Voodoo priests, accusing them for using “black magic” to spread cholera?
Haiti.
58. Who was the lone Indian to win a title in the Tata Open India International badminton challenge held at the Cricket Club of India on December 25, 2010?
PC Thulasi.
This is her first ever senior international title.
59. who has been elected as new party leader of Vietnam?

Nguyen Phu Trong

60. Who is named as the new coach of European and Italian champions Inter Milan?
Leonardo.
The 41-year-old Leonardo, who played in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup winning squad, was the coach of AC Milan from 2009-2010.
61. Former Venezuelan president, who nationalised the oil industry and then survived a coup attempt by future leader Hugo Chavez, died recently in Miami?
Carlos Andres Perez.
62. The launch of which advanced communication satellite failed as the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) exploded mid-air moments after it took off from the Sriharikota rocket launch centre on December 25,2010?
GSAT-5P.
63. Who became the first cricketer, other than wicket-keepers, to take 200 catches in Test cricket?
Rahul Dravid.
He became the first cricketer to take 200 Catches in Test cricket during the 2nd India-South Africa Test at Durban when he took a stunning catch at slip of Dale Steyn.
64. Name of the new species of gummy shark which was found 500mts deep off the Mangalore coast recently?
Mustelus manglorensis.
Only 19 such gummy sharks are known worldwide, and this is the second gummy shark spotted in the Indian Ocean.
65. Which committee has submitted its report on Telangana separate state issue to the Home Minister P. Chidambaram on December 30, 2010?
The SriKrishna Committee.
The SriKrishna Committee consisting of five members and headed by retired Judge B. N. Krishna was formed on 5 February, 2010 and the committee’s term was to end on December 31, 2010.
66. Who is appointed as the first woman secretary general of SAARC?
Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed.
She will be appointed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) secretary general on March 1, 2011.
67. Former Israel President who was convicted on December 30, 2010 for raping an employee when he was a Cabinet minister, the most serious criminal charges ever brought against a high-ranking official and a case that shocked the nation?
Moshe Katsav.
68. Who has been awarded the prestigious Bharat Jyoti Award ?

K.V. Raman

Agricultural scientist K.V. Raman has been awarded the prestigious Bharat Jyoti Award of the India International Friendship Society for his contributions to science, technology and development.

A former Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. Raman was also Director of the B.V. Rao Centre for Sustainable Food Security at the Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

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International Current Affairs 2011

Current Affairs [January 2011]

• Salman Taseer Killed in Islamabad
  Punjab Governor Salman Tasser was shot dead by one of his own body guards at the Khosar market in Islamabad. Taseer was a member of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) and was vocal on a various issues including Pakistans Blasphemy Law. The assassin was Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, a member of Punjab Elite Force who shot the Governor with his weapon and surrendered to the security forces moments after shooting the governor dead. Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters that the killer admitted to killing the Governor over his statement when he called the Blasphemy Law as a “black law”.
• Iranian plane crash kills 77
  The IranAir Boeing 727 was flying from Tehran with 106 passengers when it came down and crashed near the city of Orumiyeh. With 77 casualties at least 35 people have said to have been injured. According to official reports plane had taken off an hour later than scheduled, and came down because of bad weather conditions. This is the second major crash since 2009 when a plane caught fire mid are resulting 168 deaths. The country has been under international sanctions for years, preventing it from buying new aircrafts or spare parts from the West. Hence as a result the countries civil fleet of aircrafts are in poor condition due to their old age and lack of maintenance.
• 35 dead at Moscow Airport Blast.
  A suicide bomber carrying a suitcase walked into Moscow’s busy Domodedovo airport and set off a huge explosion Monday, killing at least 35 people and wounding 180. The air was engulfed in a cloud of smoke with body parts and shrapnel strewn all over the place. Hundreds of people were in the loosely guarded area at the time. The blast was the worst terrorist attack since two female suicide bombers from the troubled Dagestan region blew themselves up on Moscow’s subway last March, killing 40 people.
• Whistleblower Elmer hands over bank data to Wikileaks
  Swiss whistle-blower and former banker Rudolf Elmer has given WikiLeaks information about bank accounts of more than 2,000 prominent individuals who have parked money offshore. Rudolf Elmer once worked in the office of Julius Baer in the Cayman Islands until he was fired by the bank in 2002. The Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer handed over two CDs containing the data to the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, in London on 16/1/2011. However Julian Assange has said the information was unlikely to be published soon and may take a few weeks to process and confirm them.
• Brisbane Faces Worst Flood Since 1893
  Brisbane faces its worst floods since 1893 as overflowing rivers have begun to engulf the city. Overnight, emergency workers went from door to door in Brisbane helping residents flee to higher ground, with hundreds relocating to evacuation centres. About 2500 businesses are said to be fully affected and another 2500 partially affected. Close to 3000 people are in evacuation centres across the state and 60 schools and almost 90 kindergartens and childcare centres have been severely damaged or are inaccessible. The death toll from the floods disaster has risen to 15 and the many parts of the city have been affected by massive power cuts.
• Massive Protests Rock Egypt
  Egypt has been rocked by violent protests by demonstrators who have been demanding the ouster of the country’s longtime autocratic president, Hosni Mubarak. Tens and thousandths of people have taken out to streets raising slogans with protests turning violent in many parts of the country. The tension increased today when Mohammed ElBaradei, a former top official at the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency and a high-profile Mubarak opponent was placed under house arrest when he returned to Cairo in his bid to provide a leader for the mass movement.

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