1. Which pair won the Australian Open mixed doubles title-2014?
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis.
They defeated Daniel
Nestor (Canada) and Kristina Mladenovic (France).
This is the 15th Grand
Slam title of Leander Paes.
2. Who won the Australian Open Men’s title -2015?
Novak Djokovic. He
defeated Andy Murray in the final.This is his eighth Grand slam title.
3. Which country won the tri-nation Carlton Mid Series (Tri
nation cricket series) defeating England in the final?
Australia.
The tri-series tournament
was played between Australia, India and England from 16 January 1 February
2015.
4. Which country successfully launched a backup spy satellite on
February 1, 2015?
Japan.
The launch, Japan’s first
of 2015, took place at Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center using a Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries H-IIA carrier rocket. The spy satellite will be operated by
Japan’s Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center.
5. Which state hosted the 2015 National Games of India (35th
National Games of India)?
Kerala.
The 35th National Games
of India, is being held from 31 January 2015 to 14 February 2015 across seven
districts in Kerala, India. It is the second time that Kerala is hosting the
national games after it hosted the 27th National Games in 1987. The opening
ceremony of 35th National games Kerala was hosted at Green field stadium
Karyavattam, Trivandrum on 31 January 2015 at 6.00 PM. Union minister of urban
development Shri Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the opening ceremony of national
games 2015. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was selected as the goodwill
ambassador for the games.
There are 33 sports disciplines in 2015 Kerala Games.
Yachting is newly included event. Aquatics (50 disciplines) and Athletics (44
disciplines) are the biggest and most popular events in Kerala Games 2015,
Shooting (38 disciplines) is another big event.
6. Which is the mascot of the 35th National Games?
Ammu.
Ammu is the Great Indian
Hornbill, the State bird of Kerala.
7. Who is sworn in as the 186th Prime Minister of Greece?
Alexis Tsipras.
He is the youngest Prime
Minister in Greek history since 1865.
8. The army officer and winner of a gallantry medal during the
recently-concluded Republic Day celebrations who was killed in a fierce gun
battle in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwana district on February 3, 2015?
Colonel Munindra Nath
Rai.
He was awarded the Yudh
Seva medal for his role in a gunfight with militants in south Kashmir last
year. Just a day after being named on Republic Day for the Yudh Seva Medal,
Colonel ‘Munna’ Roy was leading his troops against heavily armed militants in
Jammu and Kashmir killed in gun battle.
9. Who has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary of India?
S Jaishankar.
S Jaishankar has been
appointed new Foreign Secretary of the country replacing Sujatha Singh.
10. Eminent singer and theatre director who has
been appointed the new chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the country's
premier institution for the performing arts?
Shekhar Sen.
11. Former Dutch national coach who has been
appointed as the new coach of the Indian men's hockey team?
Paul van Ass.
Anthony Thornton of New
Zealand was made the coach of the women's hockey team.
12. Who has been appointed as the new Director
General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)?
Krishna Chaudhary.
13. Union Home Secretary of India who was made
to resign due to his admittance of talking to the CBI to favour the arrested
former Minister Matang Sinh in the Saradha Scam case?
Anil Goswami.
Goswami held the post of Union Home Secretary
of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs till February 2015. He succeeded Raj
Kumar Singh.
14. Which player won the Player of the Series
award in the 5 ODI cricket matches played between New Zealand and Pakistan held
in UAE in 2015?
Kane Williamson (New
Zealand).
Series Result - New
Zealand won the 5-match series 3-2.
15. Eminent Marathi litterateur who has been
selected for 2014 Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour in India?
Bhalchandra Nemade.
Nemade is a Marathi
writer from Maharashtra. Famous for his books "Hindu" &
"Kosala". Also he is known for his novel "Hindu jagnyachi
samrudhha adgal".
16. Name the spacecraft launched by NASA which
recently released the first images from Pluto?
New Horizon.
New Horizons is an
interplanetary space probe that was launched as part of NASA's New Frontiers
program.
17. Iconic Bollywood movie which has been
finally released in the theatres in Pakistan after 40 years when the film was
first released in India?
Sholay.
The blockbuster Bollywood
movie “Sholay” which was directed by Ramesh Sippy, starring lead star actors
Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, was released in India in 1975.
18. The Chairperson of the Motion Pictures
Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) who has resigned following a
debilitating cyber attack that revealed her private emails?
Amy Pascal.
She was the Co-Chairperson
of SPE, including Sony Pictures Television from 2006.
19. Name the hotel in Japan which is the first
in the world, almost completely staffed by human-looking robots?
"Henn-na
Hotel".
20. Who won the Malaysian Open golf
tournament-2015?
Anirban Lahiri.
21. Which country won the Africa cup of
Nations-2015 defeating Ghana in the penalty shootout(9-8)?
Ivory Coast.
22. COMPLETE
LIST OF WINNERS OF 57TH GRAMMY AWARDS:
The 57th Annual Grammy
Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles,
California. Sam Smith won four awards, including Best New Artist, Record of the
Year, Song of the Year for "Stay with Me" and Best Pop Vocal Album
for In the Lonely Hour. Beck's album Morning Phase was named Album of the Year. Lifetime Achievement awards were given to the
Bee Gees, George Harrison, Pierre Boulez, Buddy Guy, and Flaco Jimenez. In all,
83 Grammy Awards were presented, one more than in 2014.
.
Record of the Year: Sam
Smith, Stay With Me
Song of the Year:
"Stay With Me," Sam Smith
Album of the Year: Beck,
Morning Phase
Best Country Album:
Miranda Lambert, Platinum
Best R&B Performance:
"Drunk in Love," Beyonce feat. Jay Z
Best Rock Album: Beck,
Morning Phase
Best Pop Vocal Album: Sam
Smith, In the Lonely Hour
Best Pop Solo
Performance: “Happy,” Pharrell Williams
Best New Artist: Sam
Smith
Producer of the Year,
Non-Classical: Max Martin for “Bang Bang,” “Break Free,” “Dark Horse,”
“Problem,” “Shake It Off,” “Unconditionally”
Best Folk Album: Old Crow
Medicine Show, Remedy
Best Americana Album:
Rosanne Cash, The River and the Thread
Best American Roots Song:
“A Feather’s Not a Bird,” Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal
Best American Roots
Performance: “A Feather’s Not a Bird,” Rosanne Cash
Best R&B Album: Toni
Braxton & Babyface, Love Marriage Divorce
Best Urban Contemparry
Album: Pharrell Williams, Girl
Best R&B Song: “Drunk
in Love,” Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé
Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters
(Beyoncé feat. Jay Z)
Best Traditional R&B
Performance: “Jesus Children,” Robert Glasper Experiment feat. Malcolm Jamal
Warner & Lalah Hathaway
Best Rap Album: Eminem,
Marshall Mathers LP2
Best Rap Song: “I,” K.
Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration: "The Monster," Eminem feat. Rihanna
Best Rap Performance:
“I,” Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration: "The Monster," Eminem feat. Rihanna
Best Rap Performance:
“I,” Kendrick Lamar
Best Comedy Album: Weird
Al Yankovich, Mandatory Fun
Best Spoken Word Album:
Joan Rivers, Diary of a Mad Diva
Best Blues Album: Johnny
Winter, Step Back
Best Alternative Music
Album: St. Vincent, St. Vincent
Best Rock Song:
"Ain’t It Fun," Hayley Williams and Taylor York
Best Metal Performance:
"Last in Line," Tenacious D
Best Rock Performance:
"Lazaretto,” Jack White
Best Contemporary
Instrumental Album: Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer, Bass and Mandolin
Best Traditional Pop
Vocal Album: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek
Best Pop Duo/Group
Performance: “Say Something,” Great Big World & Christina Aguilera
Best Bluegrass Album: The
Earls of Leicester, The Earls of Leicester
Best Country Song:
"I'm Not Going to Miss You," Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond,
songwriters (Glen Campbell)
Best Country Duo/Group
Performance: “Gentle on My Mind,” The Band Perry
Best Country Solo
Performance: “Something in the Water,” Carrie Underwood
Best Music Film: 20 Feet
From Stardom, Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill
Best Music video:
"Happy," Pharrell Williams
Best Song Written for
Visual Media: "Let It Go," Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez,
songwriters (Idina Menzel)
Best Score Soundtrack for
Visual Media: Grand Budapest Hotel, Alexandre Desplat, composer
Best compilation
Soundtrack for Visual Media: Frozen, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Tom
MacDougall & Chris Montan, compilation producers
Best Musical Theater
Album: Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, Jessie Mueller, principal soloist;
Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell & Billy Jay Stein, producers (Carole King,
composer & lyricist)
Best Latin Jazz Album:
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, The Offense of the Drum
Best Large Jazz Ensemble
Album: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Life in the Bubble
Best Jazz Instrumental:
“Trilogy,” Chick Corea Trio
Best Jazz Vocal Album:
Dianne Reeves, Beautiful Life
Best Improvised Jazz
Solo:: “Fingerprints,” Chick Corea
Best Dance/Electronic
Album: “Syro,” Aphex Twin
Best Dance Recording:
“Rather Be,” Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
Best Tropical Latin
Album: Carlos Vives, Mas + Corazon Profundo
Best Regional Mexican
Music Album: Vicente Fernandez, Mano a Mano
Best Latin Rock, Urban or
Alternative: Calle 13, Multiviral
Best Latin Pop Album:
Ruben Blades, Tangos
Best Roots Gospel Album:
Mike Farris, Shine For All the People
Best Contemporary
Christian Music Album: For King and Country, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong
Best Gospel Album: Erica
Campbell, Help
Best Contemporary
Christian Music Performance/Song: “Messengers,” Lecrae feat. For King and
Country
Best Gospel
Performance/Song: “No Greater Love,” Smokie Norful & Aaron W. Lindsey,
songwriters (Smokie Norful)
Best Contemporary
Classical Composition: John Luther Adams, Adams, John Luther: Become Ocean
(Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)
Best Classical
Compendium: Partch, Partch: Plectra & Percussion Dances
Best Classical Solo Vocal
Album Anne Sofie Von Otter, Douce France (Carl Bagge, Margareta Bengston, Mats
Bergström, Per Ekdahl, Bengan Janson, Olle Linder & Antoine Tamestit)
Best Classical
Instrumental Solo: Jason Vieaux, Play
Best Chamber Music/Small
Ensemble Performance: Hilary Hahn & Cory Smythe, In 27 Pieces - The Hilary
Hahn Encores
Best Choral Performance:
Craig Hella Johnson, The Sacred Spirit of Russia(Conspirare)
Best Opera Recording:
Charpentier: La Descente D'Orphée Aux Enfers
Best Orchestral
Performance: John Adams (City Noir)
Producer of the Year,
Classical: Judith Sherman
Best Surround Sound
Album: Beyonce, Beyonce
Best Remixed Recording
Non-Classical: “All of Me (Tiesto’s Birthday Treatment Remix,” Tijs Michiel
Verwest, remixer (John Legend)
Best Engineered Album
Non-Classical: Beck, Morning Phase
Best Historical Album:
Hank Williams, The Garden Spot Programs, 1950
Best Album Notes: John
Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University
Best Boxed or Special
Limited Edition Package: Jack White, Susan Archie & Dean Blackwood, The
Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Vol. One (1917-27)
Best Recording Package:
Pearl Jam, Lighting Bolt
Best Instrumental
Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) : “New York Tendaberry,” Billy Childs
feat. Renee Fleming & Yo-Yo Ma
Best Arrangement,
Instrumental or a Capella: “Daft Punk,” Pentatonix
Best Instrumental
Composition: “The Book Thief,” John Williams
Best Children's Album: I
Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
Best World Music Album:
Angelique Kidjo, Eve
Best Reggae Album: Ziggy
Marley, Fly Rasta
Best Regional Music
Album: Jo-El Sonnier, The Legacy
Best New Age Album: Ricky
Kej & Wouter Kellerman, Winds of Samsara.
23. Which party secured absolute majority in
the Delhi Legislative Assembly election-2015 , winning 67 of the 70 seats?
Aam Aadmi Party
A Delhi Legislative
Assembly election was held on 7 February 2015 to elect 70 members of the Sixth
Legislative Assembly of Delhi. The results were announced on 10 February 2015.
Aam Aadmi Party came into existence following differences between the activists
Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare regarding whether or not to politicise the
popular India against Corruption movement that had been demanding a Jan Lokpal
Bill since 2011.
24. Project director of nuclear-capable Agni-V
missile programme who has been moved out from the post recently by the Defence
Ministry of India?
R.K. Gupta.
25. Who has been elected as the new president
of Italy?
Sergio Mattarella.
He was a Member of Parliament
from 1983 to 2008, serving as Minister of Education from 1989 to 1990 and as
Minister of Defence from 1999 to 2001. In 2011, he became an elected judge on
the Constitutional Court. On 31 January 2015, he was elected by parliament to
be the 12th President of the Italian Republic. He is the first Sicilian to have
held the post.
26. Who has been appointed as the new Director
General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)?
M.O. Garg.
He will replace PS Ahuja.
CSIR was established in 1942 and the default Chairman of CSIR is Prime Minister
of India.
27. The opposition leader of Malaysia who has
been sentenced to five years in jail on sodomy charges?
Anwar Ibrahim.
28. The 35th National Games: Main Points to
remember:
The 2015 National Games
of India, also known as the 35th National Games of India, is being held from 31
January 2015 to 14 February 2015 across seven districts in Kerala, India. It is
the second time that Kerala is hosting the national games after it hosted the
27th National Games in 1987. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was selected as
the goodwill ambassador for the games. ”Ammu”, the Great Indian Hornbill (the
State bird of Kerala) is the official mascot of the 2015 National Games.
There are 33 sports
disciplines in 2015 Kerala Games. Yachting is newly included event. Aquatics
(50 disciplines) and Athletics (44 disciplines) are the biggest and most
popular events in Kerala Games 2015, Shooting (38 disciplines) is another big
event.
In the 2015 National
Games of India, Services (Services Sports Control Board), the Indian Army team,
emerged victorious with a tally of 91 gold, 33 silver and 35 bronze medals.
Kerala came second with a total of 162 medals (54 gold, 48 silver and 60
bronze), followed by Haryana and Maharashtra with 107 (40 gold, 40 silver and
27 bronze) and 123 medals (30 gold, 43 silver and 50 bronze) respectively.
Swimmers Sajan Prakash
(Kerala) and Aakansha Vora (Maharashtra) were adjudged best performers in the
men’s and women’s sections.
29. Which state will host the 36th National
Games to be held in 2016?
Goa.
30. Name the fighter aircraft which is handed
over to BrahMos Aerospace by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on 19 February
2015 during the second day of Aero India show at Yelahanka, Bengaluru?
Su-30MKI .
31. The Iranian film director who won the
Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival -2015 for his Tehran road movie “Taxi”?
Jafar Panahi.
Panahi, who is banned
from making films by the Iranian authorities and forbidden from travelling
abroad, stars in his own film as a taxi driver talking to his passengers as he
drives them through the streets of Tehran.
The Silver Bear for best
direction was one of the double prizes, picked up by Romanian director Radu
Jude for “Aferim!” and Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska for “Body.”
32. The former deputy health commission chief
in the Chinese city of Shanghai who has been sentenced to 19 years in prison
after being found guilty of taking bribes, corruption and embezzlement?
Huang Fengping.
Huang Fengping, formerly
second-in-command of the city's Commission of Health and Family Planning, was
arrested in December 2013 amid a government crackdown on corruption in the
health service.
33. Veteran cartoonist, columnist and political
activist who passed away on February 16, 2015?
Rajinder Puri
He drew cartoons for The
Statesman in 1956-57, after which he went to London, where he drew cartoons
briefly for The Guardian and The Glasgow Herald (1958–59). He returned to India
to become cartoonist for the Hindustan Times from 1959 to 1967. He was the
founding General Secretary of the Janata Party in 1977.
34. Which cricketer set up a new record by
scoring first century for India against Pakistan in a World Cup Match?
Virat Kohli.
He bettered former
batsman Sachin Tendulkar's score of 98 posted at Centurion in South Africa in
2003. He also eclipsed Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (101) as the highest individual
run scorer in a India-Pakistan match in the World Cup. Kohli was dismissed for
107.
35. Former ‘James Bond’ villain who was best
known for playing Bond villain Kamal Khan in the 1983 film ‘Octopussy’, passed
away on February 14, 2015?
Louis Jourdan.
He was known for his
suave roles in several Hollywood films, including The Paradine Case (1947),
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gigi (1958), The Best of Everything
(1959), The V.I.P.s (1963) and Octopussy (1983). He played Dracula in the 1977
BBC television production Count Dracula.
36. Which countries on signed bilateral
agreements on civil nuclear cooperation, cultural cooperation and cooperation
in the field of Agriculture on 16 February 2015?
India and Sri Lanka.
The agreement will
facilitate cooperation in the transfer and exchange of knowledge and expertise,
sharing of resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful
application of nuclear energy - including the use of radioisotopes - nuclear
safety, radiation safety and nuclear security.
37. 21 Egyptian Christians who had been
kidnapped by Islamic State (IS) militants were beheaded recently .The beheading
took place in which country?
Lybia.
38. Which cricketer emerged as the costliest
ever buy in the Indian Premier League by going for a whopping Rs 16 crore to
Delhi Daredevils in the eighth players’ auction?
Yuvraj Singh.
39. Former Indian captain who has been awarded
the honorary life membership of the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Sourav Ganguly .
Ganguly, who has also
been a member of the MCC World Cricket committee since July 2014, averaged over
40 in Tests and One Day Internationals for India and took 132 wickets across
424 matches.
40. Name the Five Britons who have been
shortlisted for a one-way trip to Mars as they hope to become the first humans
to step foot on the Red Planet?
Hannah Earnshaw, Maggie
Lieu, Ryan MacDonald, Alison Rigby and Clare Weedon.
41. The First World Ocean Science Congress was
held in?
Kochi, Kerala.
The Congress was held
from 5 February 2015 to 8 February 2015. The focal themes of the WOSC 2015 were
Protect Oceans for Posterity and Blue Economy. WOSC -2015 was organised jointly
by the Swadeshi Science Movement, Vijnana Bharati, Kerala chapter and the
Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi.
42. Which Panchayat has won the award for the
best Panchayat of Kerala in 2015?
Nadapuram grama Panchayat (Kozhikode
District).
43. Which district Panchayat has bagged the
Swaraj Trophy, State (Kerala) government’s best district Panchayat award, for
the year 2013-2014?
Kollam district
Panchayat.
44. Who became the first England bowler to take
a World Cup hat-trick?
Steven Finn.
He achieved this feat
against Australia in the World Cup 2015 by removing Brad Haddin, Glenn Maxwell
and Mitchell Johnson.
45. Renowned Telugu producer who holds the
record of producing films in the maximum number of Indian languages, passed
away on February 18, 2015?
D. Ramanaidu.
He was the founder of
Suresh Productions and has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for
the most films produced by an individual, having produced more than 150 films
in 13 Indian languages. He also served as a member of parliament for the
Bapatala constituency of Guntur District in the 13th Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2004.
In 2012, Ramanaidu was
conferred with the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, the
Padma Bhushan, in recognition for his contribution to Telugu cinema. In 2009,
he was conferred with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest award for films
in Indian cinema. Ramanaidu contributed a substantial part of his earnings to
numerous philanthropic purposes under the "Ramanaidu Charitable
Trust" that was founded in 1991.
46. Who emerged as the winner of the 2015
Zurich Chess Challenge after beating GM Viswanathan Anand?
Hikaru Nakamura.
47. Which cricketer has blasted the
fastest-ever half-century in a Cricket World Cup match?
Brendon Mccullum
Brendon McCullum hit the
fastest half-century in World Cups in 18 balls against England, beating his own
record of 50 off 20 balls against Canada in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
48. Who is the present Leader of the Opposition
in the Rajya sabha?
Ghulam Nabi Azad.
49. COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF OSCAR
AWARDS-2015/ COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF 87TH ACADEMY AWARDS:
The 87th Academy Awards
ceremony, honoured the best films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015,
at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards (commonly
referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories.
Best Picture
Birdman — Alejandro G.
Inarritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Best Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu
— Birdman
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne — The
Theory of Everything
Best Actress
Julianne Moore — Still
Alice
Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons — Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette —
Boyhood
Achievement in Costume
Design
Milena Canonero — The
Grand Budapest Hotel
Achievement in Makeup and
Hairstyling
Frances Hannon and Mark
Coulier — The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Foreign Language
Film
Ida – Pawel Pawlikowski
Best Live Action Short
Film
The Phone Call — Matt
Kirkby and James Lucas
Best Documentary Short
Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans
Press 1 — Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Original Screenplay
Birdman – Alejandro G.
Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo
Achievement in Sound
Mixing
Whiplash — Craig Mann,
Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley
Achievement in Sound
Editing
American Sniper — Alan Robert Murray Bub Asman
Achievement in Visual
Effects
Interstellar — Ian
Hunter, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley and Paul Franklin
Best Animated Short
Feast — Patrick Osborne
and Kristina Reed
Best Animated Movie
Big Hero Six — Don Hall,
Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Achievement in Production
Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
— Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock
Achievement in
Cinematography
Birdman — Emannuel
Lubezki
Achievement in Film
Editing
Whipalsh — Tom Cross
Best Documentary Feature
Citizen Four — Laura
Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Best Original Song
Glory — John Stephens and
Lonnie Lynn
Best Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel
— Alexandre Desplat
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Imitation Game –
Graham Moore
50. Who has stepped down as Chairperson of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) after being faced with sexual
harassment allegations?
Dr Rajendra K Pachauri.
He held the post from
2002 until his resignation in 2015, during which time the organisation was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He resigned from IPCC following allegations of
sexual abuse of a junior colleague at his New Delhi based organization.
51. Who became the first batsman to score a
double century in a World Cup match?
Chris Gayle.
Chris Gayle hit 215 off
just 147 balls against Zimbabwe. The master blaster opener slogged 16 sixes —
equalling the ODI record — as well as 10 fours in the 147-ball innings. He
reached the 200 mark in 138 balls.
52. Egyptian blogger, software developer and a
political activist who has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating
a law banning unauthorised protests in what rights groups describe as an
ongoing clampdown on dissent?
Alaa Abd El Fattah.
He has been active in
developing Arabic-language versions of important software and platforms. He was
imprisoned in Egypt for allegedly organising a political protest without
requesting authorization, though he was released on bail on 23 March 2014. He
was ordered released on bail again on 15 September 2014.
53. Indian cinematographer and director of
Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films, passed away on February 25, 2015?
A.Vincent.
From the mid-1960s on he
directed some 30 movies including the landmark Malayalam films Bhargavi Nilayam
and Murappennu. He also won the Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award for Prem
Nagar (1974). His last Malayalam movie was the 1985 3D film “Pournami Ravil”.
Former Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa’s 100th movie
“Thirumangalyam” (Tamil, 1974) was directed by him.
54. Name the Governor of Madhyapradesh who was
asked by the home ministry on February
25, 2015 to resign following his name being probed in the Vyapam scam?
Ram Naresh Yadav.
He was the Chief Minister
of Uttar Pradesh from 1977 to 1979. He was appointed Governor of Madhya Pradesh
on 26 August 2011 by former Indian President Pratibha Patil and was sworn into
office on 8 September 2011.
55. British former pop star who was sentenced
to 16 years in prison for child sex abuse offenses he committed more than three
decades ago?
Gary Glitter.
Glitter was known as a
"glam rocker" in the 1970s for his flamboyant clothes and performing
style. He sold 18 million records with hits such as "I'm the Leader of the
Gang (I Am!)," "I Love You Love Me Love" and "Rock 'n'
Roll."
56. US actor who played the legendary character
in the original Star Trek television series, died of pulmonary disease on
February 27, 2015?
Leonard Nimoy.
57. KEY POINTS/ HIGHLIGHTS OF UNION
BUDGET-2015:
1. Abolition of Wealth
Tax: wealth tax is replaced with additional 2% surcharge on super rich with
annual income of over 1 crore rupees.
2. Direct transfer of
subsidy to LPG consumers.
3. Corporate tax reduced
from 30% to 25% over next four years.
4. Quoting PAN made
mandatory for any sale exceeding Rs 1 lakh.
5. Benami Property
Transaction Bill to tackle Black money transaction in Real Estate.
6. To support agricultural sector, propose to
allocate 25000 crore in 2015 to rural development fund.
7. PM Suraksha Bima
Yojana for accidental/ death insurance. Premium Rs 12 per year, Rs 2 lakh
cover.
8. Number of Social
Security Schemes launched:
MUDRA bank with corpus of
20000 cr.
‘PM MUDRA Yojana’ – to
prioritize SC, ST and OBC.
Atal Pension Yojana will
provide a defined pension to the people, which will start at the age of 60.
‘Nayi Manzil’ scheme for
the youth minorities.
9. Govt to raise
visa-on-arrival facilities to 150 countries from 43.
10. AIIMS-like institutes
to be set up in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and
Assam.
11. All investment
payments in 'Sukanya Scheme' to be fully tax exempted.
12. Service tax increased
to14 per cent.
13. IIT in Karnataka;
Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad to be upgraded to IIT.
14. Kerala to have
University of Disability Studies.
15. Centre of film
production, animation and gaming to come up in Arunachal Pradesh.
58. Name the
leading Russian opposition politician and former Deputy Prime Minister
who has been shot dead in Moscow on February 27, 2015:
Boris Nemtsov.
Nemtsov was one of the
most important figures in the introduction of capitalism into the Russian
post-Soviet economy. He had a successful political career in the 1990s under
President Boris Yeltsin, and since 2000 had been an outspoken critic of
Vladimir Putin. Nemtsov was assassinated on 27 February 2015 on a bridge near
the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow. He was shot four times in the back.