Current affairs January – February 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?

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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.

102. Which players emerged as the most expensive cricketers of the high-profile player’s auction of the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL)?

Kieron Pollard, West Indies all-rounder

Shane Bond, New Zealand pacer.

103. Who is the new Director General of the CRPF(Central Reserve Police Force), world’s largest para military force ?

Vikram Srivastava

104. Who is the new Director General of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)?

R. L. Bhatia

105. Which country has overtaken U.S.A to become the biggest car market in the world as government policy initiatives spur demand?

China

106. Which country stopped Military Exchanges with U.S.A in response to Washington’s plan to sell a package of arms worth about 6.4 billion U.S. dollars to Taiwan?

China

107. Name of the first State-funded Hindu school in Britain which has started its operation in a new building where meditation and yoga will form part of the lessons?

The Krishna Avanti Primary School. The school founded in 2008 is the first voluntary aided Hindu faith school in the country and is recognized as the most eco-friendly. It is also Britain’s first vegetarian State school.

108. Six decades after his death, some of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes have been scattered off the coast of a country on 31-01-2010. Which is that country?

South Africa.

109. Which country won the under-19 World Cup Cricket held in New Zealand?

Australia.

Australia beat Pakistan by 25 runs in the final.

Man of the Match: Josh Hazelwood(Australia). He took 4 wickets for 30 runs.

110. Who won the Australian Open women’s Tennis title-2010?

Serena Williams

She defeated Belgian Justine Henin in the Women’s singles final at Australian Open Championship 2010 at Melbourne

111. Who won the 2010 Australian Open Men’s title-2010?

Roger Federer.

He beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) to win the 2010 Australian Open Men’s title on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

112. Who won the Australian Open men’s doubles Tennis title-2010?

Bob Bryan (USA) and Mike Bryan (USA).

They won their fourth Australian Open doubles title, defeating Daniel Nestor of Canada and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the final.

113. Who won the Australian Open 2010 mixed doubles title?

Leander Paes(India) and Cara Black(Zimbabwe)

They beat 10th seeds Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jaroslav Levinsky of Czechoslovakia 7-5, 6-3 in the final.

114. A member of the victorious US 4x400m women’s relay squad at the 2004 Athens Olympics is suspended for four years and all her competitive results since 2001 were disqualified because she used banned anabolic agents and hormones between 2001 and 2004, according to U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Name of that American sprinter?

Crystal Cox

115. Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 2,000-year-old temple dedicated to a cat goddess. In which place it is located?

Alexandria.

The temple was filled with statues of Bastet, a once fearsome lion-headed goddess whose image changed over time to a domesticated cat.The temple is the first trace of the royal quarters of the Ptolemaic dynasty to be revealed in Alexandria.

116. The ban on pre-paid phones in an Indian state has been withdrawn recently. Which is that state?

Jammu and Kashmir

The ban was imposed last year after the government cited security reasons in the state.

117. Which country leads the world in addressing pollution control and natural resource management challenges, according to the latest Environmental Performance Index (EPI)?

Iceland.

China and India rank 121 and 123 respectively in Environmental Performance Index.

118. Who is the new president of Honduras?

Porfirio Lobo Sosa.

He is better known as Pepe Lobo.

119. Name of the five ex-army officers, who were hanged at the central jail in Bangladesh for the assassination of Bangladesh’s founder president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 35 years ago?

Mohiuddin Ahmed (Ex-Lieutenant Colonel)

Bazlul Huda (Former Major)

Syed Faruq Rahman (Ex-Lieutenant Colonel)

Shahriar Rashid Khan(Ex-Lieutenant Colonel)

AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed(Ex-Lieutenant Colonel)

120. Name of the teenage girl who became the latest miracle story of the Haitian earthquake after she was pulled alive from rubble 15 days after the disaster?

Darlene Etienne

121. The army chief of India recently ordered disciplinary action leading to court martial against his aide and military secretary for his involvement in a land scam in West Bengal’s Sukna cantonment. Name of that senior most three-star officer?

Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash.

He is the first three-star general of Indian army to face such a situation.

122. The enigmatic, reclusive author of the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, who has died at the age of 91?

J.D. Salinger (Jerome David Salinger). He was an American author , released his novel The Catcher in the Rye in 1951 which remains widely read and controversial, selling around 250,000 copies a year.

123. Who is reelected for a second four- year term as head of the U.S. central bank” Federal Reserve”?

Ben Bernanke.

124. Who won the Australian Open women’s doubles Tennis title-2010 defeating Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-3 in the final?

Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

125. Who won the Man of the match award in the first test between India and Sri Lanka held in Chittagong, Bangladesh?

Sachin Tendulkar

India clinched the first Test against Bangladesh with an emphatic 113-run victory. Tendulkar scored 105 runs in the first innings.

126. Which country will become the biggest economy by 2020 according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Report?

China

127. Which country will overtake Japan as the world’s third largest economy by purchasing power Parity (PPP) by 2012 according to a report by global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC)?

India

128. Which Hollywood film has been banned from cinema theatres in China to “protect” the country’s film industry?

Avatar

129. Name of the Indian Weightlifters who have been given a life ban by the international weightlifting body after a second doping offence last year?

Shailaja Pujari and Vicky Butta

Four other lifters, Harbhajan Singh (Delhi), Rajesh Singh (Madhya Pradesh), Sunita Rani (Punjab) and A Vijayadevi (Jharkhand), were banned for four years and fined USD 5,000 each for failing the out-of-competition tests conducted last year.

130. The author of the hugely popular novel “Love Story,” has died of a heart attack at the age of 72. ?

Erich Segal.

He was an American author, screenwriter, and educator. His novel The Class (1985), a saga based on the Harvard Class of 1958, was also a bestseller, and won literary honour in France and Italy.

131. Nearly 300 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in three days of clashes between Christians and Muslims in a country in West Africa. Which is that country?

Nigeria.

132. Who became the fourth batsman and the first Indian in the world to score five consecutive Test hundreds?

Gautham Gambhir

Australian legend Don Bradman leads the pack with six consecutive Tests tons while South African Jacques Kallis and Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf have also scored five hundreds in five consecutive matches.

133. Former Australian women’s cricket captain, who has announced her retirement from international cricket after a 14-year career?

Karen Rolton. She played over 141 one-day internationals, scored 4,844 one-day international runs, eight Test centuries.

134. Which country has the largest number of illiterate adults in the world according to the Education for All-Global Monitoring Report by UNESCO?

India

135. Which Indian Freedom fighter’s Rs 1 lakh promissory note unearthed by an octogenarian (a person whose age is in the eighties) residing in Madhya Pradesh’s Bina town in Sagar district?

Subhash Chandra Bose

136. Winners of “Man of the match award” in the 5 ODI series between Australia and Pakistan held in Australia.

Ist ODI held at Brisbane on Jan 22, 2010: Cameron White (105 runs).

Australia won by 5 wickets

2nd ODI held at Sydney on Jan 24, 2010: Shane Watson (scored 69 runs and took 1 wicket). Australia won by 140 runs

3rd ODI held at Adelaide on Jan 26, 2010: Ryan Harris, (5 wickets for 43 runs). Australia won by 40 runs

4th ODI held in Perth on Jan 29, 2010: Ryan Harris (5 wickets for 19 runs) Australia beat Pakistan by 135 runs

5th ODI held in Perth on Jan 31, 2010: Clint McKay (Australia) for his 4 for 35. Australia won by 2 wickets

Australia won the common wealth bank series 5-0.

137. Which countries demanded U.S. A to cross out Cuba from the list of terror-sponsor countries.?

Russia and Spain

138. Who is appointed as the Governor of Andrapradesh?

ES Lakshmi Narasimhan

139. Veteran socialist leader and Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member who died of heart attack in Allahabad at the age of 77?

Janeshwar Mishra.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1977 from Allahabad and became Petroleum Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government in 1990-91.

140. NATIONAL FILM AWARDS.

Click the below link to know the recipients of 56th National Film Awards for 2008.

http://theonlinegk.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/winners-of-56th-national-film-awards-for-2008-feature-films/

141. Which country has agreed to pay the United Nations around $10m in compensation for damage caused to UN buildings in Gaza during last year’s war?

Israel

142. Who won the International Plato Award by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England?

Dr.K.C.Abraham.

He is the managing director of Kunnath Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Musli Power Extra.

143. Who is appointed as the chairperson of Prasar Bharathi?

Mrinal Pande

She is a renowned journalist who is appointed as the Prasar Bharati chairperson, a month after previous chairman Arun Bhatnagar’s resignation was accepted by the I&B ministry.

144. Who has been presented the prestigious Hotelier of the Century award of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH and RA) at a glittering ceremony held in Belgrade?

C.P. Krishnan Nair. Chairman of Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.

145. Name of India’s largest solid fuel booster for launching heavier satellites using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-Mk III), successfully tested on January 24, 2010?

S200

The successful test makes S200 the third largest solid booster in the world.

146. Who has been appointed as the second chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), succeeding RV Raju who retired in Janurary,2010?

Sharad Chandra Sinha

147. WINNERS OF PADMA AWARDS.

Click the below link to know the winners of Padma Awards-2010

http://theonlinegk.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/list-of-padma-awardees-2010/

148. Which High Court of India recently has ruled that Hindi is not our National Language?

Gujarat

149. Which is the fastest wind gust ever recorded on Earth according to a review of climate data by the World Meteorological Organization?

Cyclone Olivia.

The World Meteorological Organization says a review of climate data turned up a 253 mph gust recorded in 1996 on Barrow Island in Australia during Cyclone Olivia. That tops the 231 mph record set atop Mount Washington in 1934.

150. Name of the district in Huston, in Texas State, USA which is named after father of Indian Nation Mahatma Gandhi?

Hill Craft district.

The district is officially named as Mahatma Gandhi district. Huston city Mayor Annis Parker has officially announced this on 26-01-2010 in the presence of Indian Consulate General in Huston Sanjay Arora and many Indians.

151. Who was named as the next Indian Army chief and will take over his new post after incumbent Gen Deepak Kapoor retires on March 31.2010?

Lt-General Vijay Kumar Singh

.