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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Current affairs January 2010

Current affairs January 2010

1. Now which is the tallest Building in the world?

Answer:- Burj tower (828 m) Dubai.
Burj Khalifa formerly known as Burj Dubai is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. Total cost for the Burj Khalifa project was about US$1.5 billion.
Height:
Antenna or spire: 828m (2,717 ft).
Floor Count: 160 habitable floors plus 46 maintenance levels in the spire and 2 parking levels in the basement.
Floor area: 464,511 m2 (5,000,000 sq ft)
2. Name the Indian who was awarded “honoris causa” by the University of Talca, in Chile ?
Answer:- MS Swaminathan
3. Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar” becomes the fastest movie ever to rake in $1 billion, faster than any other movie in the history. Who is the director of this blockbuster movie?

Answer:- James Cameron
4. Who has been declared as the worst-behaved player to play for the Australia in the last 20 years by The Sunday Telegraph?
Answer:-Ricky Ponting
5. Isaac Schwartz, famous Russian personality who has expired at the age of 86 was associated with?
Answer:-Music
6. Who has been awarded “IBN Indian of the Year Award” in New Delhi recently?
Answer:- Saina Nehwal
7. Which country has resumed wolf hunting after a gap of 45 years?
Answer:- Sweden
8. Who has been appointed as the new CEO of the I-League?
Answer:- Mr.Sunando Dhar
All India Football Federation officially declared that Mr.Sunando Dhar has been appointed as the new CEO of the I-League and he will join from the month of January.
9. Who has been appointed as “Director-Media to the Prime Minister of India” recently ?
Answer:- Binoy Job

10. Who was named as the Player of the Decade by Goal.com?

Answer:- Bhaichung Bhutia

11. Which country won the seventh World Team Chess Championship held at the Merinos Congress Centre in Bursa, Turkey from January 3rd till 14th, 2010?

Answer:- Russia.
Russia won gold, USA won Silver and India got the Bronze medal.
12. One of the most successful R&B(Rhythm and Blue) singers of the 1970s and ’80s, passed away recently at the age of 59 after a battle with colon cancer?

Teddy Pendergrass

The five-time Grammy-nominated singer had chart-topping hits in three different decades with 1978’s “Close the Door,” 1988’s “Joy” and 1991’s “It Should’ve Been You,” plus well-known songs like “Love TKO,” “Two Hearts” with Stephanie Mills and “Hold Me,” a duet with Whitney Houston that featured on Houston’s 1985 debut album.
13. Which car has selected as the Car of the Year at ICICI Bank-CNBC-TV18 Overdrive Awards 2010?

Tata Nano.
14. Who has been appointed as one of 13 faith advisers by U.K. Communities Secretary John Denham?
Arjan Vekaria, president of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
He has been involved in voluntary work with the Hindu Community in the UK for over 35 years. Born in Uganda, Arjan spent part of his childhood in India before migrating to the UK in the 1970s.

15. British hostage who has been released alive after more than two-and-a-half years in captivity in Iraq by Islamic Shia Resistance, a terrorist organization?

Peter Moore
He was an IT consultant from Lincoln, who was captured in Baghdad in May 2007. Four bodyguards were seized with Mr. Moore. Three were shot dead; the fourth is also thought to have been killed.
16. South Korean steel major which has got final clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests recently for acquiring forest land in Orissa for its $12 billion steel plant project?
POSCO
POSCO signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Orissa in June 2005 for the 12 million-tone-capacity steel plant to be built in three phases by 2016, with production scheduled to begin by the end of 2011 at the completion of the first phase.

17. The well known Indian expatriate businessman from Abu Dhabi who has purchased the entire 100th floor of Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower?

B R Shetty. He is the founder and managing director of the New Medical Centre (NMC) group of hospitals.
18. The country which officially removed a 22 year old entry ban on foreigners living with HIV/Aids recently?
United States of America (USA).
The change came following a US decision in November, removing HIV infection from the definition of communicable disease of public health significance.
19. Which country recently issued an orange alert for heavy fog and snowstorm?
China.

20. The 97th Indian Science Congress is held at?

University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, from January 3 to 7, 2010. This is the first time that the Indian Science Congress is being held at Thiruvananthapuram.
21. Legendary Wildlife conservationist and author who passed away on 1 January 2010, at his home ‘Tiger Haven’ in the vicinity of the famous Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh at the age of 92.?
Billy Arjan Singh
Singh, regarded as the godfather of the “Save the Tiger” campaign in India was instrumental in establishing the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in 1988.He was decorated with several national and international awards including Padma Shri in 1995 and Padma Bhusan in 2006 and J Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Award. The Uttar Pradesh government had also conferred the Yash Bharti award on him.
22. Who has been named as chairman of International Pepper Community (IPC) for 2009 – 2010?
V.J. Kurian, Chairman of Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce of the Government of India took over from Mr. Odilson Luiz Ribeiro e Silva as Chairman of IPC at the 37th Session of IPC on 3rd December 2009.
23. The alleged drug lord who was arrested by Mexican police, two weeks after his even more powerful brother was killed in a shootout with troops?
Carlos Beltran Leyva
Two weeks ago, his brother Arturo, reputed chief of the Beltran Leyva cartel, was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines in the central city of Cuernavaca.
24. Who has won Sri Lanka’s first post-war national presidential election defeating former army chief Sarath Fonseka with 57.9% of the popular vote, according to the country’s elections commissioner?
Mahinda Rajapakse
He has won Sri Lanka’s first election since Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated after 25 years of civil war and this is his second term in office.
25. On January 28 2010, an International Conference on Afghanistan was held where members of the international community discussed the further progress on the Petersburg agreement from 2001 on the democratization of Afghanistan after the ousting of the Taliban regime. Where was that conference held?
Lancaster House in London.
The one-day conference, hosted by the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the Afghan government, meant to chart a new course for the future of Afghanistan and brought together foreign ministers and senior representatives from more than 70 countries and international organizations.
26. Which company has been named the ‘Technology Pioneer-2010′ by the World Economic Forum for developing solar-powered mobile phone base stations, becoming the first Indian telecom infrastructure firm to win the laurel?
Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL), a Shyam Group company.

27. Which team won their sixth Federation Cup title with a 3-0 triumph over Lajong via penalties in an evenly contested final?

East Bengal.
28. Who is appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kerala?

Ramachandran Thekkedath.

He is presently working in the Technology Commercialisation office of the University of Utah at Salt Lake city in the US.

29. Winners of “Man of the match award” in the Tri nation ODI series (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh).

Ist ODI held at Dhaka between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Jan 4, 2010: Tilakaratne Dilshan (104 runs). Lanka beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets.
2nd ODI held at Dhaka between India and Sri Lanka on Jan 5, 2010: Thilan Samaraweera, (105 not out off 106 balls). Lanka won the match by 5 wickets.
3rd ODI held at Dhaka between India and Bangladesh on Jan 7, 2010: M.S.Dhoni, (101 not out off 107 balls). India won the match by 6 wickets.
4th ODI held at Dhaka between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Jan 8, 2010: Upul Tharanga, ((118 not out)). Lanka won the match by 9 wickets.
5th ODI held at Dhaka between India and Sri Lanka on Jan 10, 2010: Zaheer Khan, (3wickets for 38 runs). India won the match by 8 wickets.
6th ODI held at Dhaka between India and Bangladesh on Jan 11, 2010: Virat Kohli, (102 not out off 95 balls). India won the match by 6 wickets.
7th ODI(Final of the Tri Nation series) held at Dhaka between India and Sri Lanka on Jan 13, 2010: Nuvan Kulasekhara, (4 wickets for 48 runs). Sri Lanka won the match by 4 wickets.
30. Who won the man of the series award in the Tri nation Tournament (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) held in Dhaka, Bangladesh?
Kumar Sangakkara
31. Name of the new party formed by the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh on his birthday(05-01-2010)?
Jan Kranti Party

32. Who became the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole?

Reena Kaushal.
She made the historic ski-run as part of an eight-woman Commonwealth team that crossed a 900 km Antarctic ice trek to reach the South Pole to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth.

33. Who won the man of the match award in the second test between Australia and Pakistan played at the Sidney Cricket Ground?

Michael Hussey (Australia). Australia won by 36 runs.
34. India’s first ‘Eclipse Cruise’ which left from Kochi port, with about 750 ‘astro tourists’ to view the longest annular solar eclipse of the third millennium from Male in Maldives on January 15. Which cruise ship is used for this eclipse cruise?
MV Aquamarine.
MV Aquamarine is a cruise ship owned and operated by Louis Cruise Lines is the fifth largest cruise operator in the world and the first international cruise line to operate from India.A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship’s amenities are part of the experience.

35. Delhi Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna recently gave the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the go-ahead to prosecute a former Congress M.P in murder and communal rioting cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh carnage. Name of that Former parliamentarian?

Sajjan Kumar
He is accused of instigating mobs that went on the rampage killing Sikhs across Delhi in 1984 in the wake of the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
36. A 103 feet high Christmas star designed by Kerala based firm has been adjudged the “world’s largest Christmas ornamental star” by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Name of that firm?
‘Apple A Day’ properties.
37. The scientist of Indian origin who has been given Canada’s highest civilian award – the Order of Canada recently?
Shrawan Kumar
He was honoured for his three decades of pioneering research on workplace injury and the spine at the University of Alberta.
38. Who won the men’s and women’s title in the 74th Senior National Badminton Championship at Karmavir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Complex in Guwahati?
Chetan Anand(Men’s title)
Trupti Murgunde(women’s title)
Men’s doubles title was won by Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas while the pair of Ashwini Ponnapa and Jwala Gutta bagged the women’s doubles.
39. Which High court of India will uphold its bench order that includes the office of the Chief Justice of India within the scope of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and requires judges to declare their assets?
The Delhi High Court
40. Name of the only official survivor of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings at the end of World War II, died on 6th January in Nagasaki, Japan at the age of 93?
Tsutomu Yamaguchi
41. Who has been appointed as Finance Minister of Japan, replacing Hirohisa Fujii who will step down for health related reasons?

Naoto Kan. He is the deputy prime minister of Japan.
42. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake triggered landslides and a tsunami that struck a country on January 4, 2010, leaving more than 1,000 people homeless. Name of that country?
Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands.
43. Scientists of which country are developing an electronic device (e-dog) that will sniff out explosives like RDX which remain undetected by existing security equipments?
India.
44. PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARDEES (PBSA)-2010
1 Mr. Mohinder Singh Bhullar Brunei( Darussalam)
2 Mr. Yanktesh Permal Reddy (Fiji)
3 Mr. Ryuko Hira (Japan)
4 (Mrs) Dr. Ruby Umesh Pawankar (Japan)
5 Mr. Suresh Kumar Virmani (Oman)
6 Mr. Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan (South Africa)
7 Dr. Tholisiah Perumal Naidoo (South Africa)
8 Dr. Rajni Kanabar (Tanzania)
9 Mr. Deepak Mittal (Thailand)
10 Dr. Lenny Krishendath Saith (Trinidad & Tobago)
11 Dr. Azad Moopen (U.A.E)
12 Mr. Mani Lal Bhaumik (U.S.A)
13.Mr. Ashok Kumar Mago (U.S.A)
14 Mr. Upendra J. Chivukula (U.S.A)
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is an award constituted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in conjunction with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, to honor exceptional and meritorious contribution in their chosen field/profession. The award is given by the President of India.
45. Who has been nominated as the Chairman from India of Asian Print Congress?
R.Suresh. He is the Chief Executive of S.T.Reddiar&Sons.
46. Which country limited United States military presence in their country recently?
Yemen.
Yemen warns US military intervention, however welcomes U.S. and foreign troops for training, intelligence and logistical support.
47. Which Russian Website suggested a Conspiracy theory for YSR’s Death which involving Ambani brothers?
http://exiledonline.com.
The Russian website is a magazine which is run by Mark Ames, a journalist and a writer, Ames published an article titled ‘Enemy of Larry Summers Ex-boss Dies in Mysterious Helicopter Crash’. The article, which was published on December 31, 2009, unveils a conspiracy against YSR engineered by the loyal partners of Ambani brothers.
48. Which country recently formulated a strict new law under which women who wear full-length veils (burqa) in public places will have to pay a fine of over 750 Euro?
France.
Muslim women who wear the full Islamic veil in France will face a possible 750 euros fine, according to a draft bill unveiled by the leader of the parliamentary majority.
49. Who have been selected for Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak for their “conspicuous courage in saving life under circumstances of very great danger to the life of the rescuer”?
Rukhsana Kosser
Narender Kaushik (posthumously)
Rukhsana, a Jammu girl who braved the bullets of Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and killed one of them to save her family.
Narender Kaushik, a resident of Delhi who died while saving people trapped in a fire on March 13 last year.
Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in saving the life of a person. The award is given in three categories – Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak.
Names of the seven persons who won the Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak Award:
Syed Areef Sujauddin (Andhra Pradesh) (posthumously)
Umman Antony (Kerala) (posthumously)
Rajan Kamble (Maharashtra)( posthumously)
Mushtaq Ahmed and Ajaz Ahmed (Jammu and Kashmir)
Karambir Singh Kang (Maharashtra)
Prachi Santosh Sen (Madhya Pradesh)
Jeevan Raksha Padak award is given to 44 persons.
50. Who won the Brisbane International Tennis title beating Justine Henin in the final?
Kim Clijsters
51. Which country has become the world’s third-largest economy, surpassing Germany and closing rapidly on Japan, according to government and World Bank figures?
China
52. Who has been appointed as the new bowling coach of India?
Eric Simons, former South African fast bowler.
53. Recipients of the 16th Annual Star Screen Awards : The film “3 Idiots won 8 awards and film “Paa” won five awards.
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Paa)
Best Actress: Vidya Balan (Paa)
Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani (3 Idiots)
Best Music Director – A R Rahman ( Delhi 6 )
Best Film: 3 Idiots
Lifetime Achievement Award: Javed Akhtar
Best Screenplay – Abhijat Joshi, Raju Hirani (3 Idiots)
Best Story – Imtiaz Ali ( Love Aaj Kal)
Best Dialogues – AbhijatJoshi, Raju hirani (3 Idiots)
Best Lyricist – Irshad Kamil For Choor Bazari ( Love Aaj Kal)
Best Playback Singer ( Female ) – Kavita Seth For Ore Manva ( Wake up Sid )
Best Playback Singer (Male ) Rahat Fateh Ali Khan For Aaj Din Chaya ( Love Aaj Kal)
Best Cinematographer – Rajiv Ravi ( Dev D)
Best Choreographer – Bosco Ceaser (3 Idiots)
Best Entertainer of the year: Katrina Kaif
Best Editing Results – Raju Hirani (3 Idiots)
Best Special Effects – Aladin
Best Action – Vijayan (Wanted )
Best Child Artist – Pratik Katari ( Paa)
Best Cast- Luck By Chance
Best Jodi of the decade: Shahrukh Khan and Kajol
Ramnath Goenka memorial award: Nandita Das for ‘Firaaq’
Most Promising Newcomer (Female) Mahi Gill (Dev D)
Most Promising Newcomer (Male): Omi Vaidya (Aka Silencer) ( 3 Idiots )
Most Promising Debutante Director: Nandita Das (Firaaq)
Best Supporting Actress: Arundhati Nag (Paa)
Best Supporting Actor: Rishi Kapoor (Love Aaj Kal)
Star plus jodi award: Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan
Best Actor in a negative role:Boman Irani (3 Idiots)
Best Actress Most Popular Category- Kareena Kapoor ( 3 Idiots )
Best Actor for Most Popular Category: Shahid Kapoor (Kaminey)
Best Actor in a comic role: Omi Vaidya (3 Idiots)
54. Which player won the ATP Chennai Open titles with his first-ever win over Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the final?
Marin Cilic of Croatia.
The second-seeded Cilic became the first player after Spanish veteran Carlos Moya’s victories in 2004 and 2005 to win back-to-back crowns in South Asia’s only ATP event.
55. Who won Qatar Open Tennis title beating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final held in Doha?
Nikolay Davydenko(Russia)
He defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain 0-6, 7-6 (8) and 6-4 to win the Qatar Open tennis tournament.
56. Who has been selected for this year’s Prof. S. Guptan Nair Puraskaram. an award which is instituted for exceptional teachers who make significant contributions to the cultural scene?
B. Hridayakumari
57. Name of the leading Iranian nuclear scientist, who has been killed in a bomb blast in Tehran?
Massoud Ali-Mohammadi
58. The French film maker who was one of the main figures of the post-war New Wave cinema movement passed away recently in Paris at the age of 89?
Eric Rohmer
He was the director of the critically acclaimed “Tales of Four Seasons” His main works include the cycle of films Six Moral Tales. The third, My Night at Maud’s, released in 1969, brought him international recognition.
59. Name of Indian-origin man and his two accomplices who have been given long jail sentences for their involvement in a 33 million pounds drug deal which is considered to be UK’s largest ever heroin seizure.?
Harminder Chana, 32, was sentenced to 17 years,
Abdul Rob, 30, was sentenced to 23 years
Atif Khan, 34, was sentenced to 15 and half years.
60. Which country has successfully intercepted a missile defense system, in a test of its advanced air defense capabilities?
China
61. Who won the Man of the series award in the Commonwealth Bank ODI cricket series between Australia and Pakistan?
Ryan Harris (Australia)
62. Which country’s military forces decided to protect the banks in earth quake-hit Haiti?
India
Para-military Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been guarding banks and other vital centres in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, to prevent looting, besides providing security to Indians in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
63. Scientist, whose groundbreaking work untangling fundamental genetic processes earned him a Nobel Prize, died at the age of 82?

Marshall Nirenberg.
64. Name of the Indian-origin Australian researcher who has been named western Australia’s Australian of the Year?
Professor Ralph Martins. He has been conducting research on Alzheimer’s disease.
65. Indo-Canadian who was appointed vice president of the University of Toronto, Canada’s biggest university?
Hargurdeep Saini
66. The Afghan government recently banned the key ingredient of roadside bombs that have emerged as the deadliest weapon used by Taliban fighters against NATO troops in Afghanistan. Name of that fertilizer chemical?
Ammonium Nitrate
67. Which Caribbean country has been hit by a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010, killing about 200,000 people?
Haiti.
68. Only batsman in world cricket who scored 7000 ODI runs with a strike rate of over 100?
Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag, the seventh Indian to reach 7000 ODI runs, is the only batsman in world cricket to achieve the milestone with a strike rate of over 100.
69. Who has been chosen as the “ESPN Cricinfo Player of the Decade for the 2000s” by a 38-strong panel of experts, including current and former players?
Ricky Ponting, captain of Australia
70. Which state has won the Ranji Trophy for a record 39th time by beating Karnataka in a nail-biter of a final at Mysore?
Mumbai.
The hosts Karnataka were chasing a target of 338 for a win, but were bowled out for 331 to give Mumbai a six-run victory on the fourth day of the game.
71. Australia has recently condemned as “deeply offensive” an Indian newspaper cartoon depicting the police as members of the racist Ku Klux Klan over their investigations into the murder of a young Indian man in Australia. Which newspaper published that cartoon?
Mail Today, Delhi based news paper.
cartoon appeared in the 5 January edition of Delhi’s Mail Today
72. Which country took over the mantle of the world’s top merchandise exporter from Germany in 2009, according to the latest figures, aided by a global economic crisis that has taken a greater toll on other trading powers?
China
73. Which Central Minister’s recent remarks on Pandit Nehru’s foreign policy became controversial?
Shashi Tharoor.
He said that while Nehru’s foreign policy had taken India to a new level in the international arena, he agreed with criticism that it amounted to a “moralistic running commentary on other countries’ behaviour. Later he blamed the media for his “misreported” remarks on the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s foreign policy.
74. The century’s longest solar eclipse, having totality duration of 11 minutes, 8 seconds (visible in India for 10 minutes, 24 seconds) occurred on which day of January?
15th January, 2010.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes directly between the Sun and the Earth, producing a shadow on the Earth’s surface where the Sun is completely or partially obscured.
75. Who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 for his outstanding contributions and achievements in Banking Sector during the Bharat Samman – Pravasi Awards?
Mr. R. Seetharaman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Doha Bank.
76. Who unveiled the Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup Football Trophy 2010 at a glittering function in Kolkata, making Kolkata the only Indian city to showcase the prized trophy?
Lothar Matthaus, German football legend.
The trophy made of 18-carat gold- 36.8 cm high tall and weighing 6,175 grams.
77. Who is appointed as the new Captain of Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2010?
Kumar Sangakkara. The Sri Lankan player replaces Yuvraj Singh who had led the team for the last two seasons
78. Who won the Sydney Medibank International Tennis Women’s Title defeating Serena Williams 6-3, 6-2 in the final?
Elena Dementieva
79. Who won the Sydney Medibank International Tennis men’s Title defeating Richard Gasquet in the final?
Marcos Baghdatis
80. Ex-Soldier of China who was elected as governor of Tibet by the regional parliament recently?
Padma Choling
Choling, a Tibetan who served in the People’s Liberation Army from 1969 to 1986 has replaced Qiangba Puncog, whose resignation was endorsed by the regional People’s Congress.
81. Who has resigned as president of Hockey India due to the allegations made against him during the recent hockey crisis?
A.K. Mattoo
82. FBI had recently used the photo of a Spanish leader for a digitally-altered image showing how Osama Bin Laden might look. Name of that Spanish leader?
Gaspar Llamazares

A photo of Bin Laden from 1998 (left) was digitally altered using elements from an image of Gaspar Llamazares (right)
He rejected the United States’ apology for the FBI’s using a photo of him to create a poster showing what Osama bin Laden might look like today.
83. The Turk, who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, was released from prison recently after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed that he was a messenger of God and that the world would end in this century. Name of that Turkish man?
Mehmet Ali Agca
84. The top military chief of al-Qaida in Yemen who was killed by Yemeni warplanes near a desert village bordering Saudi Arabia?
Qassim al-Raimi.
He is considered the No. 3 leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
85. The Argentina player who reached the 100-goal mark for Barcelona?
Lionel Messi. The Argentina ace, who is still only 22, achieved the landmark in just 188 games for the Catalan club.
86. Who is appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra?
K. Sankaranarayanan
87. India Government has decided to withdraw the “deemed” status of how many universities in the country?
44
Centre told the Supreme Court that it has decided to withdraw the deemed status to 44 universities in the country alleging these were being run as family fiefdoms rather than on academic considerations.
88. The winners of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards,
BEST DRAMA: Avatar
DIRECTOR: James Cameron – Avatar
ACTOR (DRAMA): Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
ACTRESS (DRAMA): Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY: The Hangover
ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY): Robert Downey, Jr. – Sherlock Holmes
ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY): Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: The White Ribbon
ANIMATED FILM: Up
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo’Nique – Precious
SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air
ORIGINAL SCORE: Michael Giacchino – Up
ORIGINAL SONG: “The Weary Kind” – Crazy Heart
CECIL B. DEMILLE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Martin Scorsese
89. Who is the new president of Hockey India?
Vidya Stokes
90. Who won the man of the match award in the third test between Australia and Pakistan played at Bellerive Oval, Hobart?
Ricky Ponting (Australia). Australia won by 231 runs.
91. Who won the man of the series award in the three test series between Australia and Pakistan held in Australia?
Shane Watson
Australia won the 3-match series 3-0
92. National Security Adviser who has been appointed Governor of West Bengal?
M.K. Narayanan
93. Which playback singer won the Swaralaya-Kairali Yesudas award ?
Sujatha. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a citation and a statuette designed by Kanayi Kunhiraman.
Malayalam Music director M.K Arjunan has been selected for the lifetime achievement award for his contribution in the field of music
94. Name of the eco-friendly vehicle launched by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd during the auto Expo 2010 held in Delhi?
Eeco
95. Veteran Communist leader whose unbroken 23-year stewardship of West Bengal’s Left Front government made him the longest reigning chief minister of an Indian state died recently after a prolonged illness?
Jyoti Basu
96. Who won the Man of the Match award in the fourth test match between South Africa and England held in Johannesburg?
Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn
South Africa won the fourth test by an innings and 74 runs and leveled the series 1-1.
97. Who won the Man of the series award in the four test match series between South Africa and England held in South Africa?
South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher and England off-spinner Graeme Swann shared the man of the series award.
98. Who was elected president of Chile, after a runoff election against former president Eduardo Frei?

Sebastian Pinera
99. Name of the software developed by the students of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras which won a business plan competition in New York?
‘XEstor’
The software uses algorithms to store various battery parameters and interfaces with the grid to control the amount of energy supplied and stored in the network. Midhun Saleem, Kaushik Anand, Ashish Dattani, Sriram Kalyanaraman and Vinay Shankar B.K. shared the $20,000 prize.
100. Name of the former Chinese Supreme Court judge who was sentenced to life in prison recently following his conviction for embezzlement and receiving more than half a million dollars in bribes?
Huang Songyou
101. Name of Asia’s biggest air carrier, which has filed for bankruptcy protection recently, in one of Japan’s biggest corporate failures?
Japan Airlines Corp.

 

Read More

 December 2009

791. Fugitive former Thailand Prime minister who was appointed as economic advisor to the Cambodian government, in a move that adds to tensions between the countries?
Thaksin Shinawatra
792. Name the U.S. Army psychiatrist who has killed 13 people and wounded 30 others in a bloody rampage at the Fort Hood military base in Texas?
Major Nidal Malik Hasan
793. Eminent public health expert of Kerala who passed away recently at the age of 71?
Dr. C.R. Soman
794. Renowned scientist and former Director of UGC who has been selected for the prestigious Kalinga Prize 2009.?
Professor Yash Pal. The award is given by UNESCO for popularisation of science.
795. Which country won gold medal in men’s kabbadi, in the third Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam?
India
796. Who is appointed as the new captain of Kolkatta Knight Rider’s Team for IPL-3?
Saurav Ganguly
Coach: David Whatmore
Wasim Akram selected as mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
797. A never-seen-before Charlie Chaplin film was recently found in a nitrate film tin by a man who bought it on eBay for £3.20. Name of that previously unseen Charlie Chaplin movie which could be worth up to £40,000?
‘Charlie Chaplin in Zepped’
798. Which team claims the 2009 AFC Champions League title with a 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad at the National Stadium in Tokyo?
Pohang Steelers of South Korea. The title was Pohang’s third continental triumph (following Asian Club Championship wins in 1997 and 1998) and means they become the most successful team in Asian football history.
799. Coach of triple Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Usain Bolt and president of the Racers Track Club, who has resigned after 22 years as head of the Jamaican national track and field team?
Glen Mills
800. Who won the Man of the Match award in the second ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan held in Abudabi?
Brendan McCullum. He scored 131 runs (His second ODI century) and New Zealand beat Pakistan by 64 runs.
801. Name of the online reservation system of Kerala Road Transport Corporation inaugurated by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan recently?
Sarathy
802. Who won the Man of the series award of recently concluded ODI series between India and Australia?
Shane Watson. Australia won the seven match series by 4-2. The last match abandoned due to rain.
Man of the Match of Sixth ODI: – Doug Bollinger. Australia won that match in Guwahati
803. Which country won the Asia Cup hockey championship-2009 for women held in Bangkok?
China.
China inflicted a 5-3 defeat on India to regain the trophy. China had won the trophy last in 1989 at Hong Kong.
804. Which country won the Fed Cup women’s tennis title with a comfortable 4-0 win over the United States in Reggio Calabria.?
Italy
805. India’s National Academy of Letters, Sahitya Akademi, recently signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with a digital technology leader to institute the ‘Tagore Literature Awards ‘ named after the legendary Shri Rabindranath Tagore. Name that electronics giant?
Samsung. The award will recognize the best of literary contributions by writers in 8 Indian languages – Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Telugu and Bodo
806. Who is re-elected unopposed as the president of Asian Athletic Association (AAA) in Guangzhou, China, to serve his third consecutive term at the office?
Suresh Kalmadi, Indian Olympic Association chief. He was elected for another four-year term (2009-13)
807. Who won the Charlottesville Challenger ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger tournament?
Kevin Kim (U.S.A). He beat Somdev Devvarman in the final.
808. Who is the new Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala?
T.R. Chidambaram
809. Who won the Swiss Indoors Tennis title beating Roger Federer in the final?
Novak Djokovic. He beat Roger Federer in his own backyard to win the Swiss Indoors final 6-4 4-6 6-2 in Basle.
810. Which state won the South Zone inter-state badminton championship held in Andra Pradesh?
Andra Pradesh
Guru Sai Dutt (Andra Pradesh) beat Ram C. Vijay (Kerala) in the boys’ final
Sikki Reddy, Girl’s Champion
811. Who was chosen for the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2008-2009 by BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India)?
Mohinder Amarnath
812. 124 people have been killed by floods and mudslides in El Salvador after the Central American nation was battered by a Hurricane. Name of that storm?
Hurricane Ida
813. Who won the Man of the Match award in the first ODI between South Africa and Zimbabwe held at the Willowmoore Park, Benoni, South Africa, 8th of November 2009?
Tatenda Taibu. He remains unbeaten on 103 runs. South Africa won the match by 45 runs
814. On the first day of the new Maharashtra assembly, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) legislators roughed up a member of Samajwadi Party for taking the oath of office in Hindi. Name of that SP member?
Abu Asim Azmi. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly suspended four Maharashtra Navnirman Sena members for four years on charges of assaulting Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi. The suspended MLA’s are Shishir Shinde, Ram Kadam, Ramesh Wanzale and Vasant Gite
815. First Muslim lady who will serve as minister in the Maharashtra government?
Fauzia Khan

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Current Affairs

November 2009

750. Who becomes the first Indian to make a fifty while batting at No.9 against Australia?
Praveenkumar. He became the first batsman from India to post a fifty on Indian soil while batting at No.9 position
751. The Income Tax department recently conducted nationwide raids at 70 addresses linked to former Jharkhand Chief Minister who has possessing assets worth Rs 2000 crores. Name of that former Jharkhand CM who is now a MP?
Madhu Koda
752. Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan of Kerala laid foundation for States first Border Security Force (BSF) unit in which place?
Kainur village in Thrissur district.
753. A modern space science complex of international standards is to be set up by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in South India. Where is it?
Ponmudi hills in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala
754. Who has been inducted as SP of the prestigious National Investigation Agency (NIA)?
T.K. Rajmohan
755. Who won the Man of the Match award in the third One Day International Cricket between India and Australia held in Delhi?
Yuvraj Singh. India beat Aussies by 6 wickets
756. Who has claimed the top slot as the highest tax payer in the country for the current fiscal?
Lalit Modi, the Indian Premier League chief.
757. China’s keystone space scientist, widely acclaimed as the country’s “father of space technology” and “king of rocketry”, died of illness recently at the age of 98?
Tsien Hsue-shen.
He has also gone by the name of Qian Xuesen
758. The massive fire at which depot of Indian Oil Corporation destroys Rs 1000 crore, ruins several lives?
Jaipur’s Indian Oil Corporation depot
759. Which documentaries have been recently nominated for the prestigious 5th CMS VATAVARAN, environment and wildlife film festival, held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi?
‘My Purple Sunbird’ directed by Sunil Raj
‘Kaanam – Life Story of a Midland Hill’ by Babu Kambrath
760. Indian who was elected as member of the Italian Democratic Party National assembly?
Sibi Kumaramangalam
761. Who is appointed as the chief justice of Himachal Pradesh?
Justice Kurian Joseph. He is the senior most judge of the Kerala High Court
762. Who has been appointed first Goodwill Ambassador of the ‘Smile Train,’ an international charity that provides free cleft lip and palate surgery to children in need?
Aishwarya Rai Bachan
763. The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan has dropped the name of Karnataka High Court Justice from the list of those recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court. Name of that justice?
Justice PD Dinakaran
764. Name of the typhoon, the fourth in a month, which has hit Manila in the Philippines bringing with it heavy rain, flooding and a tropical storm?
Typhoon Mirinae.
Typhoon Ketsana was the first to hit this region at the end of September. About 420 people died in that storm and tens of thousands of people are still living in shelters after their homes washed away. This was followed up by Typhoon Parma that killed over 430 people and destroyed 55,000 houses. Typhoon Lupit was the third typhoon to hit the area last week.
765. Who emerged as the winner of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in the male category?
Deriba Merga of Ethiopia.
Marry Kitney succeeded in winning the title in women category. Around 30,000 people participated in the Airtel Delhi half Marathon 2009.
766. Name the Jammu Kashmir ‘braveheart’ who killed a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist has been appointed as the Special Police Officer (SPO) in the Jammu Kashmir police force recently ?
Rukhsana Kausar.
Rukhsana, who hails from Kalsi village in upper Shahdhara area of Rajouri district, 180 km north of Jammu, had grappled with LeT terrorists who entered her home, grabbed an AK-47 from one and shot him dead. The terrorist killed was Abu Osama, LeT commander.
767. Kerala High Court Judge who resigned from his post on 2nd November 2009 citing personal reasons?
Justice V Giri.
He was the first permanent judge of Kerala High court who resigned from his post. Justice K P Dandapani is the only judge of the Kerala High Court to have resigned before him. But he was not permanent at that time.
768. Which public sector company has won “SCOPE AWARD” for Excellence and Outstanding contribution to Public Sector Management – Special Institutional (Turnaround) Category 2007-08?
Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd, Ranchi
769. Who won the Man of the Match award in the fourth One Day international Cricket match between India and Australia held in Mohali?
Shane Watson. He scored 49 runs and took 3 wickets.
Australia won the match by 24 runs.
770. American company which is a major lender to hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses, filed for bankruptcy recently, as the global financial crisis left it unable to fund itself and the recession clobbered its loans?
CIT Group Inc
Bankruptcy is also a blow for the U.S. government, which invested $2.33 billion in CIT in December through the Troubled Asset Relief Program and will likely lose most of it.
771. Who won the WTA championship-2009 held in Doha?
Serena Williams. She defeated her sister and defending champion Venus 6-2 7-6(4) in the WTA Championships final in Doha.
772. Who is the winner of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2009 Race?
Sebastian Vettel
773. Who is the Chairman of the International Jury of 33rd International Film Festival held at Cairo?
Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
774. Which Indian film won the Silver Award at the just concluded 33rd Cairo International Film Festival?
“Mudhal Mudhal Mudhal Varai” (Tamil Film) directed by Krishnan Seshadri Gomatam
775. The legendary French anthropologist and philosopher who passed away recently in his Paris home at the age of 100?
Claude Levi-Strauss. One of his more influential fields of study involved the observation of tribes in Brazil and North America.
776. Who has been conferred the Fellow Membership of the Kolkata-based National Institute of Personnel Management?
Dr George Sleeba, Chairman and Managing Director of FACT, Kerala
777. Who was re-elected president of the United Arab Emirates for a second five-year term?
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan
778. Who won the Man of the Series Award in the ODI Cricket Series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe?
Abdur Razzak (Bangladesh). Bangladesh won the 5 match series 4-1
779. Which country’s central bank bought 200 metric tons of gold from the International Monetary Fund last month, in the first major move by a major central bank to diversify its foreign-exchange reserves?
India.
Reserve Bank of India bought 200 metric tons of gold to manage its foreign-exchange reserves.
780. Which team was banned by BCCI from this year’s Ranji Trophy cricket Season for skipping a match against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar citing security reasons?
Services.
The Services cricket team is a domestic cricket team in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, the main domestic competition in India.
781. Which country made the fifth lowest total in one-day cricket by making only 44 runs to their account?
Zimbabwe.
Bangladesh bowlers demolished Zimbabwe for 44 runs in the fourth ODI match, the fifth lowest total in one-dayers. Nazmul Hossain, who started the slide with his 2 wickets for 10 runs and took a brilliant catch, was adjudged the man of the match
782. Who has won the World Junior girls chess championship at Puerto Madryn in Argentina on November 3, 2009?
Soumya Swaminathan. She is from Pune, India.
783. Who won the Man of the Match award in the first ODI of the Cool & Cool Cup at Abu Dhabi between New Zealand and Pakistan?
Shahid Afridi. He won this award for his 70runs and 2 wickets for 46.Pakistan won the match by a whooping margin of 138 runs.
784. The tropical Storm which slammed Vietnam’s central coast on November-2, 2009, unleashing heavy rains and winds and forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate?
Mirinae. The death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae in central Vietnam has risen to 109.
785. Which African country establishes satellite medical link with India recently?
Sierra Leone. Officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa has launched a satellite link-up known as telemedicine so that doctors in this country can seek advice from their colleagues in India.
786. A British-German scientist’s team recently has identified the old ancestor of the world’s most infamous predator, Tyrannosaurus rex which is a dinosaur. Name of that 165-million-year-old dinosaur lived during the middle Jurassic Period?
Proceratosaurus, the two-legged meat-eater would have measured about 3m long and weighed up to 60kg.
787. Which state won Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award-07 for the best contribution in tree planting activities and Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award-08 for increasing forest & tree cover in the State?
Kerala
789. Twelve-year-old boy who made a World record in inter-school cricket by smacking a mammoth 439 in the prestigious Harris Shield tournament at the MB Union Cricket Club grounds, Cross Maidan?
Sarfaraz Khan..
Harris Shield is the tournament in which Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli piled up a world record 664 runs for the third wicket in February 1988, helping their school, Shardashram Vidyamandir, to score 748 for 2 in 122 overs against St Xavier’s School at Azad Maidan.
790. Who won the Man of the Match award in the fifth ODI cricket match between India and Australia held on 5th November, 2009 at Uppal, Hyderabad?
Sachin Tendulkar. He scored 175 runs and that was his 45 th ODI century. Australia won the match by 3 runs.

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General Knowledge in India

October 2009

612. In which place of Kerala, one of the worst boat tragedies in its history occurred, after Kerala Tourism Development Corporation’s new double-decker boat ‘Jalakanyaka’ carrying 74 tourists capsized that claimed 45 lives on September 30,2009?
Periyar Reservoir at Thekkady
613. Name the place where a powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake spawned towering tsunami waves which hit on September 29 that killing more than 113 people and leaving dozens of workers missing?
Samoa Islands in the central South Pacific
614. Name of the Tropical Storm that hits Philippines on September 26, 2009 killing 246 people and causing massive flooding in the region?
Ketsana
615. Name the top American official at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan who has been ordered out of the country after he disagreed with superiors over how to deal with widespread fraud charges from the presidential election in Afghanistan?
Peter Galbraith
616. Former Haryana chief minister (from March to November 1967), who was also a former cabinet minister in 1980-84 and held various portfolios including agriculture, rural development as well as food and supplies died recently ?
Rao Birender Singh
617. Former 100 meter world champion who has announced his retirement recently from international competition.
Kim Collins
618. Eminent singer who has been selected for the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2007 which carries a Cash Prize of Rs. 10 lakh, a Swaran Kamal and a Shawl?
Shri Manna Dey
619. Which company has agreed to arrange 2.2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year that NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) Ltd will use to fuel its southern India plant at Kayamkulam, Kerala which is currently running on naphtha?
Petronet LNG
620. A rare 507 carat white diamond, considered being among the top 20 largest high quality rough diamonds ever found worldwide was discovered recently from which place?
The Cullinan Mine near Pretoria in South Africa. The diamond is discovered by the Mining group Petra Diamond, London-listed Company.
621. Which country celebrated 60years of Communist rule with a spectacular military and civilian parade through the centre of its capital city?
China
622. In which place of India, geologists recently have found a cluster of dinosaur eggs, said to be about 65 million years old?
A village in Ariyalur District of Tamil Nadu.
623. Nick name of the oldest known fossil skeleton of a human ancestor—a female Ardipithecus ramidus specimen which has been found recently?
“Ardi”
Picture courtesy J. H. Matternes via Science/AAAS
624. Turkish journalist who threw a shoe at IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Istanbul ahead of key meetings on the economic crisis, as rallies set to bring thousands into the streets got underway?
Selcuk Ozbek
625. Legendary Film director who was arrested in Switzerland for the rape of then 13-year-old Samantha Geimer on a 31-year-old international arrest warrant as he arrived to attend the Zurich Film Festival?
Roman Polanski
626. Who became the third batsman to reach 12,000 one-day international (ODI) runs?
Ricky Ponting
Other two are Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.
627. Who won Pan Pacific Open tennis title-2009?
Maria Sharapova
She won the Toray Pan Pacific Open title when Jelena Jankovic retired because of an arm injury in the first set.
628. Marking the International Day of Non-Violence, which organization has recently released a stamp of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 140th birth anniversary?
The United Nations
629. Which country will host the 2016 Olympics?
Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Brazil will also host the World Cup Football-2014
630. The last surviving leader of the ill-fated 1943 Warsaw ghetto revolt against the Nazis, died at the age of 90?

Photo by Kubik- Marek Edelman
During the World War II, he co-founded the Jewish Combat Organization. He took part in the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, becoming its leader after the death of Mordechaj Anielewicz. He also took part in the city-wide 1944 Warsaw Uprising.
631 Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh is leading a non-BJP, non-Congress group of MPs in Parliament, which seeks to play the role of a “critical opposition”. Name that group of Independent MPs who have come together due to ‘commonality of issues’.
The Lok Morcha
632. The doyen of Indian rationalist movement, a vocal atheist, skeptic and caustic critic of Sathya Sai Baba, died on October 4th 2009 at the Abhirami Hospital in Coimbatore?
Basava Premanand
633. Who has won Formula One’s Japanese Grand Prix 2009 title?
Sebastian Vettel
634. Who has won the European Golden Shoe for the second time after scoring 32 goals for Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league this season?
Diego Forlan
635. Who won Nobel Prize for physics in 2009?
The Nobel Prize in physics will be awarded to Americans.
1. Charles K. Kao,
2. Willard S. Boyle and
3. George E. Smith.
Kao was honored for discovering how to transmit light signals long distance through hair-thin glass fibers.
Boyle and Smith received the prize for opening the door to digital cameras by inventing a sensor that turns light into electrical signals
636. Who was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Greece after his party PASOK won recent Parliamentary Elections?
George Papandreou. His party, i.e. the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) has won 160 out of 300 seats
637. Which country won the Champions Trophy Cricket title-2009 held in South Africa?
Australia. They beat New Zealand in the final by 6 wickets
Man of the Match in the Final: Shane Watson (For his match-winning innings of unbeaten 105 of 129 balls)
Man of the Series: Ricky Ponting
638. List the name of scientists who are selected for 2009 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Science and Technology which is given to scientists below 45 years of age, for their outstanding scientific contributions made primarily in India during the last 5 years proceeding the year of the Prize?
Biological Sciences:
1. Dr Amitabh Joshi, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Banglore and
2. Dr Bhaskar Saha, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune.
Chemical Sciences:
3. Dr Charusita chakravarty, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi and 4.Dr Narayanaswamy Jayaraman, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean & Planetary Sciences:
5. Dr S K Satheesh, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Engineering Sciences:
6. Dr Giridhar Madras, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and
7.Dr Jayant Ramaswamy Haritsa, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Mathematical Sciences:
8. Dr Venapally Suresh, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Medical Sciences:
9. Dr Santosh Gajanan Honavar, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad
Physical Sciences:
10. Dr Rajesh Gopakumar, Harish-Chandra research Institute, Allahabad and
11. Dr Abhishek Dhar, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore
Shri Prithviraj Chavan also gave away CSIR Young Scientist Award 2009
639. One of the main orchestrators of the Rwandan 1994 genocide who has been arrested in Kampala, the Ugandan capita?
Idelphonse Nizeyimana
Known as the Butcher of Butare, Nizeyimana is accused of being one of the “top four” men who directed the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. He is believed to have ordered the execution of Rosalie Gicanda, the Queen of Rwanda and the head of the Tutsi tribe.
640. Who has been appointed as the Advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Infrastructure, Innovation and Information?
Sam Pitroda. He is now the Chairman National Knowledge Commission.
641. Who won Nobel Prize for Chemistry-2009?
1. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (USA)
2. Thomas Steitz (USA)
3. Ada Yonath (Israel)
Ada is the first woman to receive it since 1964
Award is given for creating detailed blueprints of ribosomes, the protein-making machinery within cells, research that’s being used to develop new antibiotics.
642. Who won Man Booker Prize Award-2009?
Hilary Mantel. This British novelist won the award for her gripping 16th century tale titled “Wolf Hall”
643. Name the French Tourism Company which bought Mahatma Gandhi’s house in South Africa for an amount of $377,029 outbidding other bidders including Indians?
Voyageurs du Monde. The company plans to turn the property into a Gandhi museum in line with its philosophy of investing in heritage properties worldwide and Gandhiji lived in the house from 1908 to 1910.
644. Which animal has been declared as ‘National Aquatic Animal’ by Government of India?
‘Dolphin
GANGA DOLPHIN, locally known as ‘Sauns’ has been declared as ‘National Aquatic Animal’. In India, they live more in Ganga River.
645. The former head of Interpol and South Africa’s national police chief who went on trial accused of corruption.
Photo:AFP
Jackie Selebi
Mr Selebi is accused of taking money and gifts from a notorious alleged gangster, Glenn Agliotti,
646. Who won National Snooker Championship title-2009?
Pankaj Adwani. He defeated Saurabh Kothari in final.
Pankaj Adwani also won the National Billiards Title-2009 defeating Geet Sethi in a nerve-wracking final.
647. National women’s billiards title-2009 is won by?
Meenal Thakur. She defeated her younger sister Anuja Chandra in the final.
648. Who won Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine -2009?
1. Elizabeth H. Blackburn (U.S.A)
2. Carol W. Greider (U.S.A)
3. Jack W. Szostak (U.S.A)
They got this award for discovering how chromosomes protect themselves as cells divide, work that has inspired experimental cancer therapies and may offer insights into aging.
649. Which team won the Irani Trophy Cricket title for 2009-10?
Rest of India. They won the title on the basis of their first innings lead against Renji Trophy Champions Mumbai as a wet outfield ruled out any play on the last day of the match
650. Who has been selected for the 24th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2008?
Balraj Puri.He is a leading political commentator and eminent journalist.
651. Which country tops the list of the countries with the highest quality of life according to the annual Human Development Index, unveiled by the U. N. Development Program?
Norway. According to this index, Norway is the best country in the world in which to live.
Niger comes in last position and India ranks 134th out of 182 countries in the world.
652. Who won Nobel Prize-in literature of this year?
The award is given to Germany’s Herta Mueller, a Romanian-born writer honored for work that “with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.”
653. Which state won IBN 7 Diamond state award for “India’s best big state” for their overall performance and significant contribution to the development of the state?
Kerala.
“India’s best small state award” is won by Goa.
The award is given by IBN 7 network in partnership with Outlook magazine.
654. Winner of The Wisden Cricketer magazine’s World Test Player of the Year 2009 award?
Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh all rounder
655. The tropical storm that hits Japan on October 8 killing two people and shuttering factories, closing schools and stranding commuters and travelers at airports and train stations?
Typhoon Melor
656. According to the QS/Times Higher Education rankings, which university retained the top position among the top 100 varsities of the world?
Harvard University (U.S.A).
None of the Indian universities figure among the top 100 varsities of the world
Second spot-Cambridge University (Britain)
657. Which team won the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy of 2009?
India Red
India Red, under the captaincy of S Badrinath defeated Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India Blues by 7 wickets in the final.
658. One of the greatest writers of Gothic fiction who has given funeral 160 years after his mysterious death?
Edgar Allan Poe He has been honoured with a second funeral service on October 10, 2009.
659. Boyzone singer, who has been found dead at the age of 33 while on holiday with his partner Andrew in Mallorca.
Stephen Gately
660. Indian sound engineer who was recently inducted into the Motion pictures Academy, the members of which can cast their votes for the list of Oscar nominees?
Rasool Pookutty
661. Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints on 11th of October-2009. Name the five saints.
1. Jozef De Veuster, better known as Father Damien was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and he won recognition for his ministry to people with leprosy
2. Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski, a Polish bishop who kept championing Catholicism after Russia shut down Polish churches in retaliation for the Polish uprising against Russia in Warsaw in 1861.
3. Jeanne Jugan, a French nun who set up an order that runs homes for destitute around the world.
4. Francisco Coll y Guitart, a Spaniard who founded an order of Dominicans in the 19th century.
5. Rafael Arnaiz Baron, a Spaniard, who wrote extensively about spirituality before his death at age 27.
662. Countries which have signed a historic peace agreement recently ending a century of hostility – hostility that stemmed from the World War One mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces?
Turkey and Armenia
663. A former TV crime show host and state legislator accused of commissioning killings to boost ratings turned him in to authorities and was jailed on homicide and drug trafficking charges?
Wallace Souza
664. Who has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize?
Barack Obama, US President.
665. Canada’s first space tourist and also the world’s first Space Clown who returned from International Space station on October 11, 2009?
Guy Laliberte
666. Who is the new President of International Academy of Astronautics?
G Madhavan Nair. (Former ISRO Chairman)
667. Who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences?
Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson for their work in economic governance.
Ostrom was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences since it was founded in 1968.
668. The Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal?
Sujata Koirala
669. Name of the previously unreleased song by Michael Jackson which was unveiled to the world almost four months after the star’s death?
“This Is It”
670. Sweden striker who announced his retirement from International Football recently?
Henrik Larsson. Larsson retired in 2002 but returned to international action two years later.
671. Who are the co-winners of the 2009 Right Livelihood Award, known as “Alternative Nobel”, for their work in campaigning against nuclear weapons, protecting the rain forests of Congo and raising awareness about climate change?
1. Alyn Ware of New Zealand
2. Rene Ngongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
3. David Suzuki of Canada
4. Catherine Hamlin of Australia who won the award for treating women in Ethiopia suffering from obstetric fistula.
672. Who has received the 2009 Golden Foot award?
Ronaldinho, Brazilian Striker
673. New Zealand all-rounder who retired from Test cricket to prolong his career in the shorter formats of the game?
Jacob Oram
674. Who is the new director of National Cricket Academy of India?
Sandeep Patel
675. Indian footballer who was a part of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics squad that finished fourth, which is India’s best finish in Olympic football, died recently?
Keshto Pal
676. India has signed a civil nuclear pact with which country that encourages and support scientific technical and commercial co-operation for mutual benefit in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy?
Argentina. Argentina has become the seventh country, following US, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Namibia and Mongolia, with which India has signed a civil nuclear agreement.
677. Argentina qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa following a 1-0 away victory over arch rival Uruguay in Montevideo. Who scored that goal for Argentina?
Mario Bolatti.He scored the goal in the 84th minute.
678. Who is appointed as the new member of the Supreme Court Collegium after retirement of the second senior most apex court judge Justice B N Agarwal?
Justice R V Raveendran.
Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, has Justices H S Kapadia, Tarun Chatterjee and Altamas Kabir as the members.
679. India recently signed the Military Technical Cooperation Agreement with which country?
Russia.
India and Russia signed two defence deals at the conclusion of the Sixth Meeting of the India – Russia Inter Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC). The first agreement would be on extending the military technical cooperation for ten years from 2011 to 2020 and the second relates to after-sales product support for defence equipment of Russian origin.
680. Countries which are qualified for World Cup-Football 2010 as the 20th and 21st nations for the 32-team World Cup, scheduled for next June in South Africa?
Switzerland and Slovakia.
This is Slovakia’s first World Cup. They achieved the landmark by beating Poland 1-0
681. Who has been appointed as the captain of the Australia Twenty20 team?
Michael Clark
Vice Captain: Cameron White
682. Indian-American billionaire who has been featured in Forbes annual list of America’s 200 Best Small Companies among “eight self-made stars who have built tidy empires in an array of industries”?
Bharat Desai
683. The Country which decided to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope and the U.N.-designated International Year of Astronomy recently?
Vatican
684. The first African country to win the under-20 World Cup Football after beating four-time champions Brazil 4-3 in a penalty shoot out in the final held in Cairo ?
Ghana
685. Veteran Journalist, publisher social activist and a pioneer in bringing out evening dailies in Malayalam died at a private hospital in Kozhikode in Kerala?
Theruvath Raman
686. Who has been named as the AIFF (All India Football Federation) Player of the Year-2009?
Subrata Paul. Paul has thus become the first goalkeeper to win this award which started in 1992.
687. Who is elected as the new president of the All India Football Federation?
Prafool Patel
General Secretary of AIFF: Alberto Colaco
688. Who is the new world champion in Formula One?
Jenson Button
689. Russian gymnast, who won a bronze medal at world championships in London, died y in a car crash recently?
Yury Ryazanov
690. Who becomes the youngest ever recipient of the Order of Jamaica, one of the country’s highest honours, at a ceremony in the capital Kingston?
Usain Bolt
691. Who was re-elected as President of Indonesia securing nearly 61 per cent of the vote, ahead of his nearest rival and ex-president Megawati Sukarnoputri?
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
692. Who is the Vice President of Indonesia?
Boediono
693. A man who worked for years as a nurse’s aide in Maryland and Pennsylvania who has been crowned as a king in Uganda recently?
Charles Wesley Mumbere
694. Which trains collided in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura city killing 23 people on October 23, 2009?
Goa Express and Mewar Express,
695. Who was confirmed as the next Lucasian Professor of Mathematics on 19 October 2009, to succeed Stephen Hawking on 1 November 2009?
Michael Boris Green. He is a British physicist and one of the pioneers of string theory.
696. Which country has begun operating an earthquake monitoring station at the foot of Mount Everest in a bid to learn more about the world’s highest peak?
China
697. Recipients of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Madanjeet Singh Prize-2009 for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence?
Franois Houtart of Belgium and Abdul Sattar Edhi of Pakistan
Franois Houtart won this award for his life-long commitment to world peace, human rights and the promotion of tolerance. Abdul Sattar won this award for his life-long efforts to ameliorate the conditions of the most disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and South Asia. The prize money comprises of $100,000 which is to be shared equally between them.
698. The broadcaster which has bagged the broadcast rights for cricket to be played in India over the next four years starting April 2010?
Nimbus Communications Ltd. They own the Neo Sports and Neo Cricket channels. Nimbus will pay the BCCI well over Rs 2,000 core for airing all the matches organized by the board in India from 2010 to 2014.
699. American scientist who had worked for the White House and NASA was arrested by the United States authorities recently, charged with attempted spying for Israel?
Stewart David Nozette.
700. Who is the Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir?
Raja Farooq Haider Khan
701. Indian American philanthropist brothers who won the Northern Virginia Community Foundation’s community leader award for 2009?
Sudhakar V. Shenoy and Suresh V. Shenoy
702. Who bagged the PSPB Sports Person of the Year award for 2008-09?
Saina Nehwal
World billiards champion Pankaj Advani and cricketer Virender Sehwag shared the Sports Person of the Year award for 2007-08.
703. The Director of National Institute for Ocean Technology (NIOT)?
Dr. M.A.Atmanand
704. Who was named New Zealand cricketer of the year-2009?
Daniel Vettori. He was also honoured with all-rounder and most successful first class bowler award.
705. Which party emerged victorious in all assembly elections held in the three states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh?
Indian National Congress
706. Who has denied having written a foreword attributed to him in the autobiography by Congo Republic President Denis Sassou-Nguesso?
Nelson Mandela
707. Which team clinches Champions League T20 Cricket title-2009?
New South Wales Blues. They beat Trinidad and Tobago in the final by 41 runs
708. Which state won the National Interstate Athletic championship-2009?
Kerala
709. Coach of New Zealand Cricket Team who has resigned from his position following a review of the performance of the side after their return from the Champions Trophy?
Andy Moles
710. The only Indian film which is included in the competition section of the 54th Valladolid International Film Festival which began on October 23?
Rithu (Malayalam Film) which is directed by National Award winner Syamaprasad,
Valladolid, one of Europe’s oldest film festivals.
711. The only Indian Film Director who is included in the judges’ panel of 11th International Film Festival at Mumbai which starts from October-29?
Shaji N Karun.
712. New name of Orissa?
Orissa will soon be known as Odisha and the name Oriya language too will be changed from Oriya to Odia.
713. Who won the Kremlin Cup Women’s tennis title-2009?
Francesca Schiavone of Italy. She beat Olga Govortsova of Belarus in the final.
714. Who won the Kremlin Cup Men’s tennis title-2009?
Mikhail Youzhny(Russia). He beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the final.
715. Who won the Moto Grant Pix World Championship-2009?
Valentino Rossi (Italy)
716. Which country won the seven-match hockey Test series against Canada in Canada?
India. India won the series 6-0.
717. Fifteenth ASEAN summit which ends With Pledge to Build Flexible Community held in?
15th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during October 23-25 in two well-known adjoining beach resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin in Thailand.
Association of Southeast Nations has 10 members – Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – which met with dialogue partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea for an East Asia Summit.
718. Former Cuban President Fidel Castro’s younger sister who has just revealed that she was for years a spy for the CIA.?
Juanita Castro.
The revelations come in a new memoir, “Fidel and Raúl, My Brothers: The Secret History”
719. Who won Stockholm Open Tennis title -2009?
Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. He captured his first title of 2009 with a straight set victory over Belgium’s Olivier Rochus.
720. Mongolian Prime Minister who tenders resignation citing health reasons?
Bayar Sanjaa
723. Which country has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens amid rising tensions between the two governments?
Libya
724. Who has been appointed the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra for the third time?
Chhagan Bhujbal
725. 21-year-old women’s 100-meter sprint champion who has been banned from competition for life after testing positive for banned drugs at the China National Games?
Wang Jing
726. Who has been appointed as chairman and managing director (MD) of Punjab National Bank?
K R Kamath
727. Which footballer has won the award for the best player of Spanish league 2008-2009?
Lionel Messi
728. A Taliban car bomb killed 89 Pakistanis and wounded hundreds more at a bazaar in Pakistan took place hours after the US Secretary of State touched down for a diplomatic visit in Islamabad. Venue of that car bomb attack?
Meena Bazaar, in Peshawar
729. The former England umpire, who has died at the age of 68 after a long battle with cancer?
David Shepherd
730. Name of the controversial book written by Andre Agassi in which he admits that he used the drug crystal meth or ice in the middle of his highly lucrative tennis career?
“Open”
731. Man of the Match of first ODI between India and Australia held in Baroda?
Michael Hussey
732. Man of the Match of second ODI between India and Australia held in Nagpur?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
734. Who will be the new deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India?
Subir Gokarn
735. Name of the last work of Michael Jackson ,a documentary which released recently ?
“This is it”
736. Who has been elected as the first Asian American woman president of the 75-year-old American College of Chest Physicians?
Dr Kalpalatha K Guntupalli
737. Which country takes the lead in this year’s ranking of the world’s most prosperous countries announced by the UK-based economic think-tank the Legatum Institute on 27 October?
Finland.
The top three includes two other small liberal democracies, Switzerland and Sweden.
Zimbabwe is in the last spot.
738. Toronto-based folk singer who died after coyotes pounced on her during a solo hike in Cape Breton national park in Canada?
Taylor Mitchell
Coyote is a member of the dog family found in low deserts and valleys.
739. Name of NASA’s first rocket since 1981, which has launched successfully on 28th of October 2009?
Ares 1-X
740. United Nations torture investigator who was barred from Zimbabwe and sent back to South Africa after a night in Harare airport?
Manfred Nowak
741. India’s second-largest public sector lender which plans to buy a majority stake in Dana Bank, bank in Kazakhstan, for an estimated $24 million, which would be its first overseas acquisition?
Punjab National Bank
742. Name of the world’s largest and most expensive cruise ship which has set sail recently for Miami from the Finnish shipyard where it was built?
“Oasis of the Seas”
743. The Malayalam Superstar who is elected as the goodwill ambassador of Kerala athletics?
Mohan Lal
Superstar Mammootty had been hailed as the brand ambassador of volleyball in Kerala.
744. Eminent scientist who took over as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)?
K Radhakrishnan
745. Who is the new Director of Vikram Sarabahi Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram?
P.S. Veeraraghavan, a rocket technologist.
746. Due to security reasons, India has recently issued an order to ban all pre-paid mobile phones in a state. Which is that state?
Jammu and Kashmir.
747. A collection of letters from British poet sold at auction for $459,110.67, exceeding the highest pre-sale estimates by more than $160,000 and selling for more than any other letters or manuscript by a British Romantic poet. Name of that Poet?
Lord George Byron
748. Haiti — Prime Minister who was removed from office by the Haitian Senate?
Michele Pierre-Louis
749. An Indian-American who has been appointed as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service in the US Department of Commerce?
Suresh Kumar

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