13 Aug
1. ______ has won the gold medal in discus throw at 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Ans. Vikas Gowda
BACKGROUND:
Vikas Gowda of Karnataka on 31 July 2014 won a gold medal in discus throw in Men’s Track events at 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, Scotland.With this Gowda became the first person to win a gold medal for India in 56 years in Men’s Athletics after Milkha Singh. He won Gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games by throwing discus at a distance of 63.64 meters while his best was 66.90 meters.Milkha Singh was the only man to win a gold medal for India in 1958 in Commonwealth Games in track events prior to this tournament.
About Vikas Gowda
• Vikas Gowda is from Mysore (Karnataka) and was born on 5 July 1983 is an Indian discus thrower and Shot putter.
• Vikas’s father, Shive has coached Indian Olympic Track Team in 1988.
• In 2006, Vikas won US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship in Discus.
• He is an alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2. Legendary musician Dick Wagner died at the age of 71; which instrument did he play? A. Guitar B. Piano C. Drum D. Taiko
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
Dick Wagner, the famous rock guitarist of Alice Cooper died on 30 July 2014 due to respiratory failure at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Centre in Arizona. He was 71.He suffered from the respiratory failure, two weeks after undergoing a cardiac procedure. He was also a songwriter and an author.
About Dick Wagner
• He is well known as guitarist, for playing on seminal recordings by Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Aerosmith and Kiss
• In 2004, he moved to Arizona and started living in the Fountain Hills
• He began his career as a rock guitarist in the 1960s with the formation of Detroit-area band called the Bossmen
3. RBI has recently canceled the licence of a Hyderabad based bank. Name the Bank.
Ans. The Vasavi Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Hyderabad
BACKGROUND:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 14 July 2014 cancelled the licence of The Vasai Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Hyderabad (Telangana). The order came into effect with the notification.The order was issued in view that the bank has ceased to be solvent and all its efforts to revive the bank have also failed and the depositors were being inconvenienced by continued uncertainty. Apart from this, RBI has also requested Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Telangana State to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator.On liquidation, each depositor in the bank will be entitled for repayment of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of one lakh rupees from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) under the usual terms and conditions. With cancellation of licence and commencement of liquidation proceedings, the process of paying the depositors of The Vasavi Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Hyderabad, the amount insured as per the DICGC Act, 1961 will be set in motion subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Insurance Scheme. The Vasavi Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Hyderabad (Telangana) was granted the licence on 13 July 1982.
4. Who has been recently chosen for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award 2014? A. Javed Akhtar B. Muzaffar Ali C. Amitabh Bacchan D. Salman Khan
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
Muzaffar Ali, a noted filmmaker of India was selected for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award on 31 July 2014. His name was selected for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of Communal harmony, peace and goodwill. The decision of selecting Ali for the award was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Committee of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award. This will be the 22nd edition of the Sadbhawna award and will be presented at Jawahar Bhawan on 20 August 2014 at a special ceremony.
About Muzaffar Ali
• He had directed several movies like Bollywood classic Umrao Jaan, Gaman and Khizan
• 69-year-old, Ali is also a social worker and a Sufi poet
• In 2005, he became the recipient of Padma Shri
• He was born on 21 October 1944 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
• His Vinod Khanna-Dimple Kapadia starrer Zooni is still unreleased
• He belongs to a royal Muslim Rajput family of Kotwara
About Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award (Rajiv Gandhi National Communal Harmony Award) is an award of India that is given for outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, national integration, peace and fight against violence. It was constituted in 1992.It is given away on 20 August, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, which is also celebrated as the Sadbhavna Diwas (Harmony Day). The award carries a citation and cash award of 5 lakh rupees. Since constitution, the award is given away by Sonia Gandhi wife of late Rajiv Gandhi and at present President of Congress.Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was recipient of the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award.He won the award in 2013.
5. Who has been recently conferred Bharat Gaurav by East Bengal Club? A. Amal Dutta B. Saurav Ganguly C. Bachendri Pal D. Manoj Tiwari
Ans. C
BACKGROUND:
Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman mountaineer to scale Mount Everest was conferred with Bharat Gaurav, the highest honour of merit of East Bengal Club. The 60-year-old, Pal was honoured at a function held at the Khudiram Indoor hall at East Bengal’s to celebrate the 95th foundation day celebrations.She was given a cheque of 2 lakh rupees.
Other awards given by the club are
• Lifetime Achievement award – former players Amal Dutta and Parimal Dey for their contribution to football
• Player of the Year award – current defender Arnab Mondal
About Bachendri Pal
• In 1984, she became the first Indian women to reach the summit of Mt Everest in
• At present she heads the Tata Steel’s Adventure Foundation
• She is an instructor at the National Adventure Foundation
• She was born on 24 May 1954
Awards and accolades conferred won by Bachendri are
• In 1984, she got Gold Medal for Excellence in Mountaineering by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation
• In 1984, she also received Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India
• In 1985, she got Gold Medal by the Department of Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh, India
• In 1986, she received Arjuna Award by the Government of India
• In 1990 got listed in Guinness Book of World Records
6. SC has allowed the Chief of Sahara Group to use a conference room in Tihar Jail for asset sale talks. Who is the Sahara Chief?
Ans. Subrata Roy
BACKGROUND:
Supreme Court of India on 1 August 2014 allowed Sahara Chief Subrata Roy to use the conference room of Tihar jail to negotiate the sale his offshore and domestic properties with prospective buyers. The negotiations include three luxury hotels in New York and London. Roy can use the room for 10 days from 5 August 2015 between 6 am to 8 pm and these negotiations will allow him to raise 10000 crore rupees (100 billion rupees) of bond money for his interim bail.The permission was granted by three-judge Bench of Supreme Court that was headed by Justice TS Thakur and comprised of Justice Anil Dave and Justice AK Sikri.
7. The Deputy National Security Adviser of India resigned recently. Name him. A. Nehchal Sandhu B. Rajiv Mathur C. Syed Asif Ibrahim D. Ajit Doval
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
Deputy National Security Adviser Nehchal Sandhu resigned on 30 July 2014. His resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 July 2014. Sandhu was appointed Deputy NSA in March 2013 for a fixed three year term. He was the Director of the Intelligence Bureau between 2010 and 2012. He is a 1973 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre.
About National Security Adviser
The National Security Advisor is the chief executive of the National Security Council (NSC). National Security Adviser is also the primary advisor to the Prime Minister of India on national and international security. It is the National Security Advisor to whom intelligence agencies such as the Research and Analysis Wing and Intelligence Bureau report, rather than directly to the prime minister. Due to such vested powers NSA is a prominent and powerful office in the bureaucracy.
8. Who has become the first Indian woman gymnast to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games? A. Dipa Karmakar B. Aditi Sharma C. Archana Bhargav D. Deepika Maheshwari
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
Dipa Karmakar on 31 July 2014 became the first Indian woman gymnast and second person of the country to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. She bagged a bronze in the vault event and scripted history for and in India. Karmakar, 20-year-old from Tripura collected 14.366 points to finish third in the women’s vault final at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
Gold and silver winners of the event
• Gold went to England’s Claudia Fragapane who got 14.633 points
• Silver went to Canadian Elsabeth Black was second with 14.433 points
The First Indian male gymnast to win a medal at CWG was Ashish Kumar. He won a silver in vault and bronze in floor events in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. In the 2014 Glasgow CWG, he finished at the sixth position in the men’s final in which he got Bronze in 2010.
9. “One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography” has been written by ______.A. Natwar Singh B. Salman Khurshid C. Kapil Sibal D. Jaswant Singh
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography written by Kunwar Natwar Singh was published on 1 August 2014. The book is an autobiography of the former External Affairs Minister and senior Congress Party leader Natwar Singh. This autobiography has been in news and debate since past few days because it reveals much information about Sonia Gandhi, the President of the Congress Party. The book has been published by Rupa.In the autobiography, Natwar Singh has shared his experiences on several events in the political corridors of Delhi. He has also described his early years as a diplomat, his proximity to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, but more pertinently, say sources, to events post-Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.
10. Who among the following recently took charge as the fourth Deputy Governor of RBI? A. SS Mundra B. J N Sharma C. Kapil Sarin D. Madhuri Jain
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
Subhash Sheoratan Mundra on 31 July 2014 took charge as the fourth Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Government of India vide its notification on 30 July 2014 appointed Mundra as the Deputy Governor of RBI for three years from the date of assuming charge of the office.With this appointment, Mundra will look after banking supervision, currency management, financial stability, rural credit, customer service and also the Reserve Bank’s human resources & security. He was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the KC Chakrabarty who in April 2014 took voluntary retirement. Chakrabarty resigned from the Deputy Governor post two months before his five-year tenure. Before being appointed as Deputy Governor of RBI, S S Mundra was the Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Baroda, the second largest bank in the country.
About Subhash Sheoratan Mundra
• In March 1977, he started his career as a Probationary Officer in Bank of Baroda
• In his long career of 37 years, he held several positions that included
a) Head of Bank of Baroda’s European operations (UK)
b) Executive Director of Union Bank of India
c) Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Baroda since January 2013
• He has served on Boards of several multi-dimensional companies like
a) The Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL)
b) Central Depository Services (India) Ltd. (CDSL)
c) India Infrastructure Finance Corporation (UK) Ltd. (IIFCL)
d) National Payments Corporation of India Ltd
• He was the Chairman of Committee on Financial Inclusion that was constituted by the Indian Banks Association (IBA)
11. Which among the following countries has declared Ebola a public health emergency? A. Guinea B. Sierra Leone C. Liberia D. Uganda
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma on 30 July 2014 declared a public health emergency in Sierra Leone to curb the deadly Ebola outbreak. Almost 233 have died in Sierra Leone because of Ebola. As per the UN estimates 729 people in West Africa have died of Ebola since February 2014. The outbreak is now the largest recorded in world history, and has infected three African capitals of Monrovia (Liberia), Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Conakry (Guinea) with international airports. Ebola cases first emerged in the nation of Guinea back in March 2014. It spread across the borders to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization and leaders of West African nations affected by the Ebola outbreak decided to announce a new 100million US dollar response plan. The scale of the Ebola outbreak and the persistent threat it poses, required WHO and Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to take the response to a new level. This will require increased resources, in-country medical expertise, regional preparedness and coordination.
Ebola – The Virus
• Ebola is spread through human contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.
• Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas like eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can lead to organ failure.
• Fatality rate can reach 90%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats are considered to be virus’ natural host
12. Which commission has been appointed to probe the 2006 Meerut fire tragedy?
Ans. SB Sinha commission
BACKGROUND:
The Supreme Court of India on 31 July 2014 appointed a one-member commission headed by former Justice SB Sinha (of apex court) to probe the 2006 Meerut Fire tragedy. The SC bench was headed by Justice Dipak Misra and included Justice V Gopala Gowda has asked the commission to submit its report by 31 January 2015. Apart from this, the Court also ordered the state government of Uttar Pradesh to pay an interim compensation of five lakh and two lakh rupees to family members of the deceased and seriously injured respectively. It also has ordered to pay 75000 rupees to every person who suffered minor injuries. In its order, the apex court has given two month time to the state government to deposit the compensation amount to the district judge of Meerut. Then the district judge can nominate an Additional District Judge, on making summary inquiry, shall pay the amount to the legal representatives and the victims within one month from the date of deposit. This order of the apex court came on a petition of Sanjay Gupta, who lost five members of his family including three children in the accident. He moved to the apex court seeking a CBI inquiry into the incident.
About the 2006 Meerut Fire tragedy
The 2006 Meerut Fire tragedy occurred on an evening of 10 April 2006 in which around 60 people were killed. Fire spread through a consumer fair in Victoria Park in the city, allegedly after a short circuit. At the time, when the fire broke out about 2000 people was at the site of the incident. The incident also lead to stampede-like situation which ended in tragedy. After the accident the organizers of the fair were booked by the police but they failed to appear before the court and were declared as absconders.
13. Sabine Lisicki has recently set the record for the fastest serve in women’s tennis. She belongs to which country? A. France B. England C. US D. Germany
Ans. D
BACKGROUND:
German Sabine Lisicki on 30 June 2014 created a record of fastest serve in the women’s tennis. The world No29 Lisicki set the record by serving at 131 miles per hour during the first-round loss in the Bank of the West Classic Stanford, USA. However, she lost the game played against Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (7-2) 6-1. The previous record of fastest serve in women’s tennis was held by Venus Williams achieved at the 2007 US Open, at a speed of 129 miles per hour.Apart from this, the fastest serve record in the men’s side is held by Australian Sam Groth at a pace of 163.4 miles per hour. This record was created at a Challenger event in South Korea in 2012.
14. ______, the last airman in US bombing of Hiroshima died recently. A. Claude Robert Eatherly B. Theodore Van Kirk C. James H. Doolittle D. Noel Wien
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
Theodore Van Kirk, the last surviving crewman of the US plane that dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan during the World War II died on 28 July 2014. He was 93. Kirk also known as Dutch died due to natural causes at the Park Springs Retirement Community in Stone Mountain, Georgia.The Hiroshima attack on 6 August 1945 was first atomic bomb attack in the history of combat. The nuclear bomb was dropped by a US plane that carried 12 airmen as the crew of the Enola Gay – the B29 Superfortress. They dropped Little Boy (9000-pound bomb) on Hiroshima in which about one lakh forty thousand people were killed. After Hiroshima bombing, the second nuclear bomb named Fat Man was dropped in Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. About 60 to 70 thousand people were killed in the incident. These explosions and killing of more than 2 lakh people forced Japan to surrender. Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, bringing an end to World War II. Since then, the survivors of atomic bomb attack known as Hibakusha has always opposed both nuclear and civilian use of nuclear power.
15. ______ has recently taken over as the Chief of Army Staff.
Ans. Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag
BACKGROUND:
Lt. General Dalbir Singh Suhag took over as Chief of Army Staff on 31 July 2014. He succeeded General Bikram Singh to become the 28th Army Chief and will serve as Army chief for 29 months till 31 December 2016. 59-year-old Lt. Gen. Suhag was designated as Army chief in May 2014 by the outgoing United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
About Lt. Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag
• He is an alumnus of Sainik School, Chittorgarh who joined National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla in Pune in 1970.
• He was commissioned in 4/5 Gorkha Rifles in June 1974.
• He is the second Gorkha Rifles officer to become the Army chief after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
• He had participated in the 1987 Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operation named Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka
• He holds the distinction of commanding 8 Mountain Division in Kargil from October 2007 to December 2008
• He took over as the Eastern Army Commander on 16 June 2012
• He became Vice Chief of Army Staff in December 2013
16. Which famous South African cricketer recently announced his retirement from all formats of International cricket? A. Hashim Amla B. Jacques Kallis C. Garry Kirsten D. Wayne Parnell
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
Jacques Kallis, the South African all-rounder on 30 July 2014 announced his retirement from all-formats of International cricket, viz., One Day Internationals and T20s. In December 2013, he had announced his retirement from Test cricket after playing the Test series against India. But he would continue to play further for clubs like Sydney Thunder and Kolkata Knight Riders.
About Jacques Kallis
• He is considered one of the greatest all-rounder of all time as a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler
• He played 166 Tests (scored 13289 runs), 328 ODIs (scored 11579 runs) and 25 T20s (scored 666 runs) in career spanning 19 years
• He is the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 11000 runs and take 250 wickets in both one-day and Test match cricket
• With this 40th Test century in January 2011, he became the second highest Test century maker after Sachin Tendulkar who has 51 Test centuries to his name.
• He made his ODI debut against England on 9 January 1996 at Cape Town
17. ______ has taken took over as the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee
Ans. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha
BACKGROUND:
About Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha
- He graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune with the President’s Gold Medal in 1973 and was commissioned in the flying Branch of Indian Air Force in December 1974.
- He is an experienced fighter pilot, a qualified Flying Instructor and a Fight Combat Leader with nearly 3400 hours of flying experience to his credit, primarily on fighter aircraft.
- The Air Chief Marshal has the rare distinction of being the Air Officer Comamnding in Chief of two Operational Air Commands i.e. Central Air Command and the Western Air Command.
- He also is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College, Delhi
- For his distinguished service, he has been awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal
- He was appointed as Honorary Aide De Camp (Air) to the Hon’ble President of India with effect from 1 December 2012
About Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC)
- The Chiefs of Staff Committee is a forum for service chiefs to discuss matters having a bearing on the activities of services and to advise the ministry.
- Its members include Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (a non-voting member).
- The position of chairman devolves on the longest serving Chief of Staff and rotates amongst the chiefs of services
- The function of the COSC is advising the Defence Minister and normally through him the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on all military matters which require ministerial consideration.
18. Which Eminent Hindi litterateur died recently at the age of 87? A. Kumar Vimal B. Madhukar Singh C. Rajender Yadav D. Jai Singh Shastri
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
Madhukar Singh, an eminent Hindi litterateur died at his residence in village Dharahara of Bhojpur district on 21 July 2014. He was 87. He was bedridden since many years after a paralytic attack and is now survived by three daughters and three sons.
About Madhukar Singh
• In 1970s Madhukar Singh led Samantar Kahani Andolan in story writing along with Kamleshwar, a noted writer and others
• He extensively wrote about rural downtrodden workers and farmers
• Singh wrote about 35 books and it included 17 collections of stories and 13 novels
• His story titled Dushman is considered as a milestone in Hindi story writing and was played in 1980s in Hindi belt by different drama groups
• Some other novel works of Singh were Arjun Zinda Hai,Sonbhadra Ki Radha and Mere Gaon Ke Log
• In late 1960s, he was deeply influenced by Naxal movement
• Awards and honours given to Madhukar singh included
a) Soviet Land Nehru Award
b) Bihar government’s prestigious Jannayak Karpoori Thakur Sahitya Puraskar
c) Udayraj Puraskar
19. Union government has decided to appoint which Committee to review the gas pricing formula? A. R K Jain Committee B. Suresh Prabhu Committee C. Pratap Mehta Committee D. Jayankar Reddy Committee
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
Union government on 24 July 2014 decided to appoint Suresh Prabhu Committee to review the gas pricing formula. Suresh Prabhu is a former Union Power Minister under National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The other members of the Committee will be Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President and Chief Executive of Centre for Policy Research and Bibek Debroy of the same institute. The decision to appoint Suresh Prabhu Committee comes one month after the Union government decided to put on hold the revision of natural gas price. The Union Cabinet on 25 June 2014 had deferred the implementation of the C Rangarajan Committee’s pricing formula till 30 September 2014 for conducting a comprehensive review of the whole issue.
20. Sushilarani Patel, who died recently at the age of 96, was a ____.
Ans. Classical Singer
BACKGROUND:
Sushilarani Patel, the renowned classical singer of India died at her Bandra home on 24 July 2014 due to heart attack. She was 96. She in 2002 became a Sangeet Natak Academy laureate.Patel, a widow of Baburao Patel was living alone in her Bandra home since his death in 1982 and was cared by her disciplines as she had no close relatives. Baburao Patel was the person, who ran India’s first Bollywood trade journal FilmIndia.
About Sushilarani Patel
• She bagged a recording assignment with the HMV music company in 1942 by the help of Patel, to whom she married later
• Patel, in 1946 produced two movies namely Gwalan and Draupadi with Sushilarani as the heroine and singer
• She continued her singing career under gurus that included legendary Mogubai Kurdikar and Sundarabai Jadhav
• To encourage classical music among the masses and also discover new talent, the couple founded Shiv Sangeetanjali in 1961
• Some of the prestigious honours and awards bagged by her included
a) Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award
b) Sangeet Natak Akademi
c) Maharashtra Rajya Sanskritik Puraskar
21. _______, a White tigress has recently given birth to a black cub. A. Madhuri B. Sneha C. Deepa D. Reshma
Ans. B
BACKGROUND:
A white tigress named Sneha on 27 July 2014 gave birth to a melanistic (dark skinned) cub along with other three white cubs in Nandankanan Biological Park in Odisha. This is the first incident in the country in which a white tigress has given birth to a black cub that too in captivity. Black tigers are usually seen in Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Five-year-old Sneha gave birth to these cubs including one black two days before the International Tiger Day that is observed across the world on 29 July 2014. Eight-year-old Royal Bengal tiger Manish is the father of these cubs.
Tiger Population in the Nandankanan Biological Park
Total number of tigers in the park has gone up to 27 including the latest births. The zoo has eight white tigers of which five are females. Before the birth of these four cubs, the park witnessed birth of three tigers on 13 January 2012. These three tigers were born to tigress Sara and Rishi, a white tiger.
Nandankanan Biological Park
The Nandankanan Biological Park lies in the vicinity of Kanjia Lake and is adjacent to Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary. Birth of white tiger from normal coloured tigers has given a special place to Nandankanan over the world as one of the major host zoo for the white tigers. White tigers were born to normal coloured parents in 1980, a unique event in the world. It is the first zoo in the country where endangered Gharials were born in captivity in 1980. Nandankanan has largest enclosures for housing Gharials and Hippoptamus.
22. Who has recently become the 7th President of Iraq? A. Jalal Talabani B. Ahmed Hassan C. Abdul Salam D. Muhammad Fuad Masum
Ans. D
BACKGROUND:
Muhammad Fuad Masum of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party was elected as the seventh President of Iraq on 24 July 2014. He was elected with overwhelming majority by the Council of Representatives of Iraq (Iraqi Parliament) in Baghdad. He won 211 votes as against 17 votes won by Judge Hussein al-Musawi in the second round of voting.Masum is the second non-Arab President of Iraq after Jalal Talabani who founded the PUK party and is the incumbent President of Iraq. In the first round of voting, out of four presidential candidates Fuad had won 175 votes. But it was short of the 218 absolute-majority required for the president in the first vote. The other presidential candidates Hanan al-Fatlawi, Faiq al-Sheikh Ali and Hussein al-Musawi shared the remaining seats. As a result, the other two presidential candidates Hanan al-Fatlawi and Faiq al-Sheikh Ali withdrew from the elections leaving the second round of voting a ceremonial contest between Fuad Masum and Hussein al-Musawi who had challenged the incumbent President Talabani in 2010.
23. _____ has recently cancelled the Certificate of Registration of six NBFCs.
Ans. RBI
BACKGROUND:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 28 July 2014 cancelled the certificate of registration of six non-banking financial company (NBFCs). With this cancellation, these six NBFCs based in Delhi would not be able to conduct business of non banking financial institution. The six NBFCs are as follows:
• GE Strategic Investments India (GESII)
• Profound Exports Private Limited
• Two Brothers Holding Limited
• Swank Services Private Limited
• Praxis Consulting and Information Services Private Limited
• Credible Microfinance Ltd. (formerly known as “Credible Securities & Finance Pvt. Ltd.”)
The registration certificate of a non-banking financial company can be cancelled by RBI under the powers conferred under Section 45-IA(6) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The business of a non-banking financial institution is defined in clause (a) of Section 45-I of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
24. When is the International Tiger Day observed? A. July 28 B. July 31 C. Aug 2 D. July 29
Ans. D
BACKGROUND:
The World on 29 July 2014 observed the International Tiger Day. The day is celebrated as an awareness day. The goal of the Tiger Day is to promote protection and expansion of the wild tiger habitats and also to gain support awareness for tiger conservation.At present the number of wild tigers is at its lowest. In last 100 years, around 97 percent of the total tigers population have been lost. In 1913, the world has about 1 lakh wild tigers, which has dropped to 3000 in 2014. As per estimates, India in 2010 had 1706 wild tigers that increased from 1411 in 2006. Among the 13 tiger-range countries, India has the maximum tiger population. The largest number of tigers are found in Sundarbans (a large mangrove forest area shared by India and Bangladesh) located on northern coast of Indian Ocean.
Decrease of their population
• 1913 – About 1 lakh tigers were available
• 2013 (in 100 years) – The population went down to 3724 tigers
• 2014 – The population has gone down to 3000
It is estimated that if the rate of extinction continues at this rate then all living tigers in the wild could become extinct in 5 years.
Species of Tigers
Tigers are categorised by the colour of their fur and includes White tigers (rarely occurs once in about 10000 births). Mainly there are six species of tigers that lives in the wild at present and they are
• Siberian tigers
• Bengal tigers
• Indochinese tigers
• Malayan tigers
• Sumatran tigers
• South China tigers
Apart from this, several subspecies of tigers had already extinct which includes Bali Tigers and Javan Tigers.
About International Tiger Day
The decision to observe 29 July as World Tiger Day was taken in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit because at that moment wild tigers were too close to extinction. In the summit, the governments from 13 tiger-range countries committed to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.
25. Who has been named Maharashtra’s horticulture ambassador? A. Amitabh Bachchan B. Shah Rukh Khan C. Salman Khan D. Aamir Khan
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian Megastar on 28 July 2014 was appointed as the horticulture ambassador of Maharashtra. With this appointment, he will start promoting the horticulture sector in Maharashtra.Maharashtra, the western Indian state is India’s largest fruit producing state with around two million hectares area covered in fruit orchards. The 71-year old actor is also the face of Gujarat tourism as well as the polio eradication campaign.
26. Sushma Swaraj recently visited Nepal where she met the PM. Name the PM of Nepal.
Ans. Sushil Koirala
BACKGROUND:
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Nepal from 25 July to 27 July 2014. She was on a three-day visit to Nepal at the invitation of Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Nepal.She co-chaired the meeting of the Indo-Nepal Joint Commission that was held on 26 July 2014. This Joint Commission meet was held after a gap of 23 years. India and Nepal agreed to review and adjust the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 to reflect the current realities. The two countries also agreed to finalise the text of power trade deal.During the visit, Swaraj also prepared a ground for two-day official visit of Narendra Modi to Nepal from 3 August 2014. Modi’s visit to Nepal will be the first visit of an Indian Premier in over 17 years. The last Indian Premier to visit Nepal was late Prime Minister IK Gujral in 1997.During her visit, she met Nepal’s top leaders namely President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. Apart from them, she also met UCPN-Maoist chief and Leader of the Opposition Prachanda. Apart from this, during the visit, she led an Indian delegation that included Sujatha Singh (Foreign Secretary), Sujata Mehta (the Secretary ER&DPA) and other senior officials of the Government of India. After returning back to India, she termed the visit as successful and productive.
27. World Hepatitis Day is observed on A. July 28 B. Aug 1 C. July 31 D. July 30
Ans. A
BACKGROUND:
World Hepatitis Day was observed across the world on 28 July 2014. The year’s theme Think Again, acknowledges that ‘we do not know nearly enough about viral hepatitis as a health threat in much of the world. The day s observed to raise awareness and influence real change in disease prevention and access to testing and treatment.
About World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day is an annual event that is observed on the 28 July. For the first time, it was launched in 2008 by the World Hepatitis Alliance in concern of chronic viral hepatitis. In May 2010 the World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA63.18 on viral hepatitis which provides official endorsement of World Hepatitis Day. Since 2010 World Hepatitis Day has been coordinated by the World Hepatitis Alliance in collaboration with the WHO. 28 July was chosen as a date for observing the World Hepatitis Day to mark the birthday of Professor Baruch Blumberg, the person who discovered hepatitis B virus. For his work on hepatitis B virus, Blumberg was awarded with the Nobel Prize.Hepatitis is a disease (medical condition) that leads to inflammation of the liver and it is characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. Viral Hepatitis is a disease that annually claims about 1.4 million deaths. The most common types of Hepatitis are A, B, C, D and E.
28. Who has recently won the 101st edition of Tour de France?
Ans. Vincenzo Nibali
BACKGROUND:
Vincenzo Nibali of Italy on 27 July 2014 won the 101st edition of the Tour de France in cycling. To win the cycling championship, he finished the final stage in Paris. Nibali led the race for eighteen days out of twenty-one.Nibali is the first Italian in 16 years to accomplish cycling’s greatest race. The last Italian to win the Tour de France was Marco Pantani in 1998. With this win, Nibali became the sixth man to win all three Grand Tours, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Tour de France 2014
The 101st Tour de France 2014 started on 5 July 2014 and ended on 27 July 2014. The 101st edition was conducted in 21 stages and covered a total distance of 3664 kilometers. The stages were:
• 9 flat stages
• 5 hill stages
• 6 mountain stages with 5 altitude finishes
• 1 individual time-trial stage
• 2 rest days
The tour saw 9 new stage cities and they were Leeds, Harrogate, York, Sheffield, Cambridge, Ypres, Oyonnax, Risoul, Maubourguet Pays du Val d’Adour.
29. Which web platform has been launched by the Prime Minister to get citizens’ ideas for governance?
Ans. MyGov
BACKGROUND:
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 26 July 2014 launched a web platform –MyGov.nic.in. The platform has been created to facilitate Citizen Engagement in Good Governance. MyGov will enable the citizens especially the youth to volunteer for specific tasks and projects at grassroots level. It will allow the common people to reach the government with ideas and suggestions. To be a participant in development of the country through this platform, a citizen will have to register him/herself on the portal. After which the participants can discuss the key challenges being faced by the country. To enable more focused participation, the platform has been split into two halves – Discuss and Do. The platform – MyGov will be implemented and managed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).The platform has been divided into various groups with an objective to bring about a qualitative change in that sphere through people’s participation. The groups are:
• Clean Ganga
• Girl Child Education
• Clean India
• Skilled India
• Digital India
• Job Creation
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