current affairs april-may 2011

Current affairs 2011 for All Competitive exams | Current Affairs April 2011 quiz |  gk questions | current affairs for civil services | General knowledge|  Bank po|RRB|SSC|State PSC|Railway exams. So enjoy reading… 

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

Kanishtha Dhankhar
2. Name of the new revised income tax return form to be introduced for small tax papers?

‘Sugam’

3. Minimum Alternate Tax which is payable by companies has been Hiked in budget 2011-12. The tax is hiked to?

18%

4. Rs.500 Crores have been given to NGRBA in Central Budget for the financial year 2011-12. What is NGBRA?

National Ganga River Basin Authority.

5. Who has been selected by the International Magicians Society(IMS) of the US for the International Merlin Award,2011

- Illusionist Gopinath Muthukad

He is the second Indian Magician, after P.C Sorcar Jr of west Bengal, to receive the award.

Magician Franz Harary who is one of the Board of Directors of IMS. The Merlin Award to magic is what Oscar is to Cinema. The Jury selected Mr Muthukad for his contributions to the development and popularization of magical art and science over the last 35 years.

6. According to the Union Budget, economy of India is expected to grow in 2012 at?

9%

7. As per Union Budget how much amount is to be provided during 2011-12 to enable public sector banks to maintain a minimum of Tier I CRAR of 8 per cent?

Rs.6,000 crore.

8. Veteran Malayalam film producer and director who has been selected for JC Daniel award -2011 of the state government for his overall contribution to cinema?

MC Punnoose (Navodaya Appachan).

9. Which club has won the Carling Cup after beating Arsenal 2-1 in the final at Wembley?

Birmingham.

10. Who has won 2011 Sony world photography award ?

- Amit Madheshiya

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

11. Indian Defence budget increased by how much percentage for 2011 – 2012?

- 11.6%

12. Who has been appointed as new BSNL chief ?

-Rakesh Kumar Upadhyay as the Chairman and Managing Director of telecom giant BSNL

13. Bangladeshi Nobel laureate who has been ousted from Grameen Bank by Bangladesh Government on the grounds that he had stayed on past the legal retirement age of 60?

Muhammad Yunus.

Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, set up Grameen, which means village in Bengali, and has been its managing director since 2000.

14. Who claimed the first hat-trick of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 against Netherlands on 28 February, 2011 with a bowling figure of 6/27 at Delhi?

Kemar Roach.

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

15. Who became the youngest player to make a debut in World Cup cricket?

Nitish Kumar (Canada)

When he played against Zimbabwe on 28 February 2011 at Nagpur, India, he was 16 years and 283 days.

16. Who was the first bowler to take 2 hat-tricks in Cricket World Cup?

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka).

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

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

-K. Balachander

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

18. Egyptian Prime Minister who submitted his resignation from his post on March 3,2011amid ongoing protests in the North African nation?

Ahmed Shafiq.

Shafiq will be replaced by former Transport Minister Essam Sharaf.

19. Indian scientist from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research who has helped NASA to predict Solar Flare?

Dibyendu Nandi

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

20. Who has been appointed as chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G spectrum allocation issue:?

P.C.Chacko.

The JPC, having 20-members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

21. Union Minister of Human Resource Development in the Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004 to 2009 who died on 4 March 2011 due to a heart attack?

Arjun Singh

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

22. Name the $424 million satellite launched by NASA on March 4, 2011 intended to study how radiation from the sun impacts the Earth’s climate which failed to achieve orbit?

Glory

23. Which country becomes the first European country to enforce burqa ban?

France.

Burqa ban enforced in France from April 11, 2011.

24. The last surviving founding leader of Nepali Congress (NC) and former Prime Minister of Nepal died recently at the Norvic International Hospital?

Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

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

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

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

26. An Egyptian criminal court began the first hearing in the case against former Interior Minister of Egypt, on 05-03-2011 charged with money laundering and profiteering. Name of that minister?

Habib al-Adli.

27. The friend and companion of the guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara in his youth on a motorcycle trip around South America, who died in Havana at the age of 88?

Alberto Granado.

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

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

Prithvi II and Dhanush.

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

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

Archana Sardana.

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

30. Name of the Minister of the Interior of Egypt who was appointed by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on 5 March 2011?

General Mansour el Essawy

31. Who has become the first Indian-American to be elected to the Chicago City Council?

Ameya Pawar.

32. The 2011 edition of the 10th Imagineindia International Film Festival will take place in?

Madrid(Spain) from May 17-31.

33. Name of the American unmanned vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing (VTHL) space plane which was launched on 5 March 2011 with the mission designation USA-226?

X-37 B.

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

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

Aruna Shanbaug .

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

35. Former Prime Minister of Fiji was denied travel to the United States of America by the High Court in Suva. Name of that former Prime Minister?

Mahendra Chuadhry.

Chaudhry is charged on 12 counts of money laundering, tax evasion and giving false information to the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority.

36. Who is the new Foreign Minister of Japan?

Takeaki Matsumoto.

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

37. Which team has lifted the Deodhar Trophy title(2011) after defeating West Zone by 5 wickets in the final match at in Jaipur?

North Zone.

38. Name the man who owes India a whopping Rs. 70,000 crore in taxes, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?

Hasan Ali Khan.

39. A US court has issued an arrest warrant against an elderly Hindu religious leader recently, convicted of molesting two young girls, after he failed to appear before it on the day of his sentencing. Name of that Hindu leader?

Prakashanand Saraswati.

He, known to his devotees as Shree Swamiji, is the head of the 200-acre Hindu ashram in Texas.

40. Mexican billionaire who remained the richest person in the world with USD 74 billion in assets according to the US magazine Forbes annual list of world’s top billionaires?

Carlos Slim.

41. A bronze statue by French sculptor, “Naked Balzac with folded arms”, was stolen from Israel Museum in Jerusalem during the Museum’s recently completed renovation. Which sculpture’s statue was stole?

Auguste Rodin.

The sculpture, one meter and 60 centimeter tall, was cast between 1892 and 1893.

42. Which country has frozen the assets of the Libyan Central Bank and other state-run agencies in an attempt to cut off funding to Moammar Gadhafi’s embattled regime?

Germany.

43. Name the Space shuttle of U.S.A which ended its career on March 9, 2011 as the world’s most flown spaceship, returning from orbit for the last time and taking off in a new direction as a museum piece?

Discovery.

44. Which University has been ranked as the top university in the world for the sixth consecutive year according to the latest edition of The Times Higher Education, world reputation ranking report?

Harvard University.

United States dominates the rankings of 200 world class universities. None of the Indian institutes of higher education figure in that list.

45. Japan experienced the worst ever earthquake disaster in its modern history followed by a deadly tsunami leading to massive destruction in the northern part of the country. On which day the Powerful quake, tsunami hit Japan?

March 11,2011.

46. Who is appointed as the new American ambassador to China?

Gary Locke.

47. On which day of 2011, the moon made its closest approach to Earth in almost 20 years?

March 19.

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

48. Which country has surpassed China to become the world’s largest importer of conventional weapons during the 2006 to 2010 period according to statistics released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)?

India.

49. U.S. State Department spokesman who resigned from his position on March 13, 2011 as a result of comments he made over the treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley E. Manning?

Philip J Crowley.

50. Which country declared a three-month state of emergency as a second contingent of forces from Gulf States arrived in the kingdom to support its government following persistent protests?

Bahrain

51. American working for the Central Intelligence Agency who was released in Pakistan after compensating the families of people he killed in self-defense?

Raymond Allen Davis.

52. Which country has recalled its ambassador from Bahrain in protest against the killing of Shi’ite Muslim demonstrators in the island state?

Iran.

53. Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Korean firm SsangYong Motor Company?

Pawan Goenka

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

54. Which country declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2011 after a massacre at an anti-government rally?

Yemen.

55. Noted Bollywood actor, who appeared in over 100 feature films, passed away on March 19,2011 after a massive heart attack?

Navin Nischol.

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

56. Who won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold trophy with a straight-game victory in the summit clash against Ji Hyun Sung of Korea in Switzerland?

Saina Nehwal(India).

57. Which city becomes the first capital city in the world to be entirely covered with a fibre optic network ?

Abu Dhabi 

58. Who won the Association of Tennis Player (ATP) Indian Wells title by beating world number one Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in final?

Novac Djokovic.

59. The double Oscar-winning actress and one of the 20th Century’s biggest movie stars who has died in Los Angeles at the age of 79?

Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

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

60. U.S Name of the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations resolution to prevent Colonel Gadhafi’s forces attacking civilians?

Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Operation ELLAMY is the name given to UK military action in Libya.

Operation Harmattan is the name given to French military action in Libya.

Operation MOBILE is the name given to military action by Canada in Libya.

61. Google’s e-mail service “Gmail” has been intermittently blocked or crippled in an Asian country recently? Which is that country?

China.

62. The Indian utility major which has started working on its seventh tractor plant at Zaheerabad in Andhra Pradesh?

Mahindra & Mahindra

The company would invest Rs 300 crore in the facility spread over 100 acres, and expects to commence production in 2012.

63. The England all-rounder who has been withdrawn from England’s World Cup squad after suffering from depression?

Michael Yardy.

64. General Secretary of the All India Progressive Writers Association who died at the age of 74 in Delhi?

Kamla Prasad.

65. Earth Hour 2011 took place on which day?

March 26, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. Earth Hour was conceived by WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007.

66. Which public sector undertaking has signed a Rs 14,000-crore contract with the Indian Army for the production of Akash, the surface-to-air (SAM) missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?

Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL).

BDL, recently received an order for the Air Force version of Akash for over Rs 1,000 crore. BDL founded in 1970 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, is the nodal agency for the production of ammunitions developed by India. The first such missile that entered production with BDL was the Prithvi missile.

67. Name of the committee appointed by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to probe into charges of corruption in various projects related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG), which will submit three more reports by March 29?

The V K Shunglu Committee.

68. Classical dance of Kerala which rubbed shoulders with the famous Cuban dance form Rumba at the famed Savannah Music Festival in U.S.A on March 31?

Mohiniattam.

Vijayalakshmi ,daughter and disciple of eminent Mohiniattam dancer Bharati Shivaji, is the only solo dancer invited to this festival.

69. Who won the Australian Grand Prix-2011 motor racing competition?

Sebastian Vettal (Germany).

70. A group of NRIs, inspired by the historic Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi in India’s fight for freedom from foreign rule, have organised a 240-mile walk(named as Dandi March II) in a country against corruption in India. Which is that country?

U.S.A.

Starting at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, San Diego, California March 12, “Dandi March II” goes through Los Angeles and ends March 26 at Gandhi Statue, San Francisco. The dates coincide with the dates Gandhi did his historic march in 1930.

71. Which has become the first team to qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations?

Botswana

72. The Gujarat government banned the controversial book ‘Great Soul; Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India’ after reviews saying it hints that the father of India’s independence had a homosexual relationship. Who is the author of this book?

Joseph Lelyveld.

73. US President Barack Obama has recently nominated two Indian American women to key posts in his administration. Who are they?

Deepa Gupta and Nisha Desai Biswal..

Deepa Gupta was nominated as member of National Council on the Arts, while Nisha Desai Biswal has been named as member, Congressional-Executive Commission on the People’s Republic of China.

74. Bollywood actor who is sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by a fast track sessions court of Mumbai for raping his maid despite the victim turning hostile during the trial?

Shiney Ahuja.

75. Who first all-India president of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and editor of the Chintha Publishers of the CPI(M) in Kerala, who died recently on 9 April 2011 ?

- C. Bhaskaran

76.New name of Orissa?

Odisha.

The Oriya language will be known as ‘Odia’.

77. Name of the world’s highest hotel opened in Hong Kong on March 29, 2011?

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

78. Who has been elected new President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2011-12 ?

- Tata Steel Vice-Chairman B. Muthuraman has been elected new President of CII

79. Target of Fiscal Deficit in 2011-12 as proposed by Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Central Budget is?

- 4.6%

80. Who scored 185 runs from 96 balls, including a record 15 sixes ?

- Shane Watson

He also set a mark for most runs from boundaries in a one-day match

81. Nominal GDP growth of how much per cent has been projected in Budget 2011-12?

- 14%