CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS- DECEMBER 2015

1.    Who was sworn in as the new president of Burkina Faso?
Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
He is the second civilian to become president since the West African country won independence in 1960.

2.    Who has been crowned the Spanish La Liga's best player for 2014-15 at the gala LFP Awards ceremony in Barcelona?
Lionel Messi.
    LA LIGA 2014-15 AWARDS
    Best Player: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
    Best Coach: Luis Enrique (Barcelona)
    Best Goalkeeper: Claudio Bravo (Barcelona)
    Best Defender: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
    Best midfielder: James Rodríguez (Real Madrid)
    Best Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
    Best American Player: Neymar (Barcelona)
    Best African Player: Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia)
    Jugador Cinco Estrellas de la Aficion: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 

3.    Senior Janata Dal (United) leader who was unanimously elected as new Speaker of the Bihar Assembly on December 2, 2015?
Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.

4.    In which country, YouTube opens first video production studio?
India.
YouTube, in collaboration with Subhash Ghai-owned film school Whistling Woods International, has opened its 8th (one of a kind) YouTube Space in Mumbai's Film City. It is the first video production studio in the country.

5.    Noted scriptwriter and director of Malayalam Film industry who passed away on December 2, 2015?
Alleppey Sheriff.
The films for which he had written screenplays include Eetta , Utsavam , Oonjaal , Thuramukham , Sbhodanam , Veedu , Paalam , Ezham Kadalinnakkare , Itha Ithuvare . Many of the films directed by I.V.Sasi had their scripts written by Alleppey Sheriff.

6.    Name the Yemeni prisoner who has spent 13 years in the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba who appears to have been the victim of mistaken identity, suspected of being a significant member of al Qaeda and not just a low-level Islamic fighter, released from jail on December 1, 2015?
Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri.

7.    Name the world’s first washable mobile phone which is all set to be released in Japan by tech company Kyocera Telecom?
Digno Rafre.
Digno Rafre has the Snapdragon 410 processor and it is a 5-inch android phone. There’s no risk of water entering the device because it’s entirely sealed to keep water and bubbles from getting in. It doesn’t even have a speaker, relying instead on a Smart Sonic receiver that transmits sound through vibrations on the phone’s screen. The built-in 13MP camera is also waterproof.

8.    Which country recently started a Military base in Qatar?
Turkey.

9.    Who won the Player of the Series award in the 4 test cricket matches (Freedom Trophy) between South Africa and India held in India in Nov-Dec 2015?
Ravichandra Ashwin (India).
Series - India won the 4-match series 3-0.

10.    Name the Norwegian newspaper which has apologised to its readers after publishing a death notice for "Father Christmas"?
Aftenposten.

11.    Jeddah-based NRI businessman and Managing Director of Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Group who has been named the 2015 Person of the Year by the London-based Asian Lite newspaper?
Dr. K.T. Mohammed Rabeeh Rabeeullah.

12.    The governor of Yemen's city Aden, who has been killed in a car bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group?
Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad.

13.    Name the 11-year-old Indian-origin girl who has entered the ranks of Mensa, the largest high IQ society in the world, after scoring the highest possible score in an IQ test?

Anushka Binoy.
Anushka scored 162 to gain membership of the society that comprises Britain’s brainiest people.

14.    Noted poet, scholar and teacher who has been selected for the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for 2015?
Puthussery Ramachandran.
The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram was instituted by the State government of Kerala in 1993 to honour eminent scholars in recognition to their contributions to Malayalam language and literature. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs.1.5 lakh, a citation and plaque.
        Puthussery Ramachandran was the general secretary of the First World     Conference on Malayalam Language and Kerala Culture organised by the university     in 1977. His most important scholarly work is Kerala Charithrathinte Adisthana     Rekhakal (The basic documents of the history of Kerala). He is credited with     publishing the complete text of Kannassa Ramayanam, the first complete Ramayana in Malayalam.

15.    Kerala’s most famous Koodiyattom and Nangiarkoothu artiste who passed away on December 1, 2015?
Margi Sathi.
Margi Sathi was an exponent of Nangiar Kuthu which is a form of performing art derived from Koodiyattam and which is traditionally performed by the female members of the Chakkyar community of Kerala. She was also an accomplished expert in enacting the female characters in Koodiyattam Sathi had written the attaprakaram (performance manuals) for several Nangiǎr Kūthu performance

16.    An Indian-American, considered an authority on head and neck imaging who has been named chair of the prestigious Radiological Society of North America or RSNA Board of Directors?
Vijay. M. Rao.

17.    Which country won the Hero Hockey World League 2015 defeating Belgium (2-1) in the final held in Raipur, India?
Australia.

18.    Name the two new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), replacing the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for a period of two years?
Pune and Rajkot.
The Pune franchise was bought by Kolkata-based business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka's company New Rising, while the Rajkot bid was won by Intex Mobiles.

19.    Karnataka Lokayukta who has resigned from his post of Lokayukta on December 8, 2015?
Y. Bhaskar Rao.
    Former Karnataka Chief Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao's elevation to the post of anti-    corruption ombudsman came amidst allegations of corruption against him. Mr.     Bhaskar Rao was on leave from July 27 and is holed up in Hyderabad after his son Y.     Ashwin was arrested for running an extortion ring in the Lokayukta, threatening     officers with raids if they failed to pay up.

20.    Which country has placed 3rd position globally with an estimated $94.76 billion black money outflow in 2012 according to the latest report on black money outflow by Global Financial Integrity?
India.
Russia is on the top with USD 122.86 billion, followed by China at the second position (USD 249.57 billion) in terms of the quantum of black money moving out of a country for 2012.

21.    Who has been named this year’s highest-earning female musician by Forbes magazine, more than tripling her earnings from last year?

Katy Perry.
According to the Forbes, Perry made £87m ($135m) between June 2014 and June 2015.

22.    A dengue fever vaccine developed by the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has been approved for use by a North American country, the first approval in the world for any vaccine for the disease. Which is that country?
Mexico.
Dengue afflicts tens of millions of people around the world and is becoming an increasing threat.  An estimated 50 million to 100 million people a year are sickened by the disease.

23.      India signed an agreement with which country on December 12, 2015 for introduction of a bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai?
Japan.
The proposed 500-kilometer railway will link Mumbai in western India and Ahmadabad to the north. The journey would take about two hours. Construction, which is estimated to cost 980 billion rupees ($14.68 billion), will begin in 2017, with the aim of starting railway operations in 2023.

24.    Which pair put together the highest fourth wicket partnership in test cricket with a combined 449 runs on the second day of the first test against West Indies in Hobart?
Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh. (Australia).
Voges had made 269 not out when Australia captain Steve Smith declared on 583-4 during the lunch break and Marsh was dismissed for 182. The partnership, the sixth highest for any wicket in any test, bettered the 437 that Sri Lankans Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera combined to score for the fourth wicket against Pakistan in Karachi in 2009. It was the second highest partnership for any Australian pair, falling just two runs short of the record set by Bill Ponsford and the great Donald Bradman for the second wicket against England at The Oval in 1934.

25.    Which film won the Golden Crow Pheasant for the Best Film in the 20th International Film Festival of Kerala?
Ottal (The Trap).
    Malayalam film Ottal (The Trap), directed by R. Jayaraj, also won the Silver Crow Pheasant for the Best Film chosen by an audience poll. Ottal, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s short story Vanka, tells the story of a young boy and his relationship with his grandfather, his only living relative in the world.
     Filipino film Shadow behind    the Moon, directed by Jun Robles Lana, won the Silver Crow Pheasant for the Best Director. Bangladeshi film Jalal’s Story, directed by Abu Shahed Emon, won the Silver Crow Pheasant award for the Best Debut Director.
    Ozhivudivasathe Kali (An off-day game), directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, won the FIPRESCI award for the Best Malayalam Film. Israeli film Yona , directed by Nir     Bergman, won the NETPAC award for the Best Asian Film.

26.    Name the surface-to-surface ballistic missile successfully test fired by Pakistan on December 11, 2015 which can carry nuclear warheads within a range of 2,750?
Shaheen-III.

27.    Which actor has been named the richest Indian celebrity by the Forbes magazine in December 2015?
Shah Rukh Khan.
Forbes ranked him as India’s No. 1 celebrity making the most amount of money, a staggering Rs 257 crore while Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan were placed at number two and three positions respectively.

28.    Which countries signed a $15 billion high-speed rail agreement and a raft of other accords to strengthen ties on December 12, 2015?
India and Japan.

29.    Economist, agriculturist, prolific journalist and stalwart farmer leader who founded the Shetkari Sanghatana, passed away on December 12, 2015?
Sharad Joshi.

30.    Which footballer has been awarded BBC African Footballer of the year 2015?
Yaya Toure.
Toure, England midfielder is now the third player, after Nigerian living legends, Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha, to receive the honour twice.

31.    How many countries signed the historic first universal Climate agreement on December 12, 2015 held in Paris?
196.
The agreement binds together pledges by individual nations to cut or limit emissions from fossil-fuel burning, within a framework of rules that provide for monitoring and verification as well as financial and technical assistance for developing countries.

32.    Indian-origin who has been declared the winner of prestigious South East Asia Write Award-2015?
Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali.
Better known as J.M. Sali, the author has written 57 books, 80 plays and more than 400 short stories including Vellai Kodugal (White Lines) Alaigal Pesuginrana (The Sound of the Waves) that are now studied by Tamil literature students in Singapore and Indian universities.

33.    Olympic champion who defeated former kick-boxer Dillian Whyte to take the British heavyweight title-2015?
Anthony Joshua.

34.    Which country has banned a wide variety of tobacco products including gutka, khaini and zarda in December 2015?
Singapore.

35.    Who becomes the first Saudi woman to win a seat of Makkah’s municipal council in historic polls?
Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi.
Following the historic local bodies polls in Saudi Arabia where women not only voted but also contested for the first time, Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi has appeared as a winning candidate on a seat of Makkah’s municipal council.

36.    Veteran Indian-origin politician who has been appointed South Africa's new Finance Minister by President Jacob Zuma?
Pravin Gordhan.

37.    Kazakhstan's former Prime Minister Who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on corruption charges?
Serik Akhmetov.
The Qaraghandy Regional Court sentenced Akhmetov on December 11 after finding him guilty of embezzlement and misusing the state budget in significant amounts.

38.    Japanese shuttlers who emerged champions in the men's and women's singles categories, respectively, in the BWF Superseries Finals-2015?
Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara.
Momota beat Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the final and Okuhara overcame world No. 3 Yihan Wang. The BWF Super Series Finals is an annual badminton tournament held at the end of the year where the players with the most points from that calendar year's twelve events of the BWF Super Series compete for total prize money of at least US$500,000.

39.    Which team won the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series championship title?
    The Wave, Muscat.
    The Extreme Sailing Series (formerly the iShares Cup) is an annual global racing     series, raced in Extreme 40 catamarans and organised by OC Sport.

40.    Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired India's annual conference of top military commanders which was held onboard aircraft carrier on December 15, 2015. Which is that aircraft carrier?

INS Vikramaditya.
The annual apex meeting of military leaders from the three armed forces has traditionally been held in South Block (Delhi) but for the first time is scheduled to take place in the naval town of Kochi (Kerala) — a move initiated with PM Narendra Modi's personal intervention. India's annual conference of top military commanders, where national defence policy, doctrine and operational challenges are discussed, was held for the first time outside New Delhi.

41.    The north-eastern state of India which leads in tobacco consumption with 67.2 percent of its population consuming/smoking various tobacco products?
Mizoram.

42.    Senior revenue service officer who was appointed Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body of Income Tax department?
A K Jain.

43.    Who succeeded Doug Baillie as the global CHRO of Unilever on 15 December 2015?
Leena Nair.
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company co-headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and London, United Kingdom. Its products include food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. It is the world's third-largest consumer goods company measured by 2012 revenue, after Procter & Gamble and Nestle.

44.    Who won the seventh London Chess Classic (2015)?
Magnus Carlsen.
He won the London Chess Classic defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

45.    Mumbai Police Commissioner who has been appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which has a 2.8 million-strong Indian community?
Ahmed Javed.

46.    Which country has declared the formation of a global “Islamic Alliance” of 34 countries to combat terrorism, following months of pressure for Gulf States to do more to tackle militancy within the Middle East?
Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, the coalition will include Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, the Palestinians, Comoros, Qatar, Cote d'Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen.

47.    Which country on December 16, 2015 made public names of over 2,600 individuals having unclaimed bank accounts including at least six from India?
Switzerland.
    The total holding in these accounts is estimated at about 44 million Swiss franc (about     Rs 300 crore), but the specific figure for the accounts of people from India was not     disclosed.

48.    Name the nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of 900 kilometres which is successfully test-fired by Pakistan on December 15, 2015?
Shaheen-1A.
Shaheen-1A is tested days after testing a similar missile capable of hitting targets as far as 2,750 kilometres away,, bringing many Indian cities under its range.

49.    Which country on December 16, 2015successfully put six Singapore satellites into orbit after a perfect launch its landmark 50th space mission?
India.
The Singaporean satellites that would help the city-state gather information on disaster monitoring and urban planning were launched by ISRO's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV-C29) coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and India this year.

50.    Former India all-rounder who has been named Afghanistan's bowling coach until the end of the World T20 in India next year?
Manoj Prabhakar.

51.    Who is the most searched sports person on Google in India in 2015, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
Virat Kohli.
    Sachin Tendulkar was ranked third while MS Dhoni was fourth in     India's most searched sports personalities on Google in 2015. Messi is in fact second after Kohli while Ronaldo ranks fifth.

52.    Who was awarded the high honor of becoming Sports Illustrated's 2015 Sportsperson of the Year?
Serena Williams.

53.    Which country recently has cleared the purchase of Russian advance S-400 Trium Air Defence Missile Systems at an estimated cost of 40,000 crore rupees?
India.
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting chaired by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi has cleared the purchase of Russian advance S-400 Trium Air Defence Missile Systems.

54.    Who has been named captain of Shane Warne's greatest Indian Test XI?
Sourav Ganguly.
Warne's Greatest India Test XI: Virender Sehwag, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath (VVS Laxman 12th).

55.    The UN declared 2016 as the International Year of?
Pulses.
Pulses are edible grain legumes – think pinto, kidney, garbanzo, lentils, and peas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) want the public to recognize tasty and nutritious pulses “as a primary source of protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients.

56.    Russia’s Rostech State Corporation has signed one billion US dollar deal with an Indian state-owned aerospace and Defence Company to manufacture 200 Kamov 226T light helicopters. Which is that company?
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

57.    YSR Congress legislator and actress who was suspended from the Andhra Pradesh assembly for one year for her unparliamentarily behaviour in the house?
Roja.

58.    A Delhi court on December 19, 2015 granted unconditional bail to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case of cheating and misappropriation. What is the National Herald case?
The National Herald scam is an ongoing case in a Delhi court filed by Indian economist and politician Subramanian Swamy against politicians Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons.  As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, Indian National Congress granted an interest-free loan of 90.25 crore (US$13 million) to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper which was established by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938. It was alleged that the loan was either not repaid or repaid in cash, which is in violation of Section 269T of the Income Tax Act, 1961. A closely held company, Young Indian, was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of 5 lakh (US$7,500) and it acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth 5000 crore (US$750 million)). Swamy alleged criminal misappropriation by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The courts have determined that a prima facie case has been established in the matter. While rejecting the plea by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others against summons in the National Herald case, the Delhi High Court has made some scathing remarks saying that the conduct of Congress office-bearers “smacks of criminality”.

59.    Which country lifted a 40-year-old ban on export of oil on December 19, 2015, thus paving the way for energy deficient countries like India?
U.S.A.
The ban was lifted as President Barack Obama signed into law the USD 1.8 trillion spending package and tax bill for the current fiscal ending on September 30, 2016.

60.    Which state in India banned the use of polythene bags across the state from December 2015?
Uthar Pradesh

61.    Who became the first ever batsman in the history of T20 cricket to accomplish the double distinction of hitting 600 or more fours and 600 or more sixes?
Chris Gayle.

62.    Former Indian spinner who has been appointed as the Oman's spin-bowling coach ahead of the middle-eastern country's maiden World Twenty20 campaign in India next year?
Sunil Joshi.

63.    Who won the All India Football Federation (AIFF) men's Player of the Year-2015?
 Eugeneson Lyngdoh.

64.    Who won the All India Football Federation (AIFF) women's Player of the Year-2015?
 Bala Devi.
Pritam Kotal was declared the '2015 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year.' Pyari Xaxa was declared the '2015 AIFF emerging Woman Footballer of the Year'.

65.    For the first time in more than 40 years, Iraq has crowned a Miss Iraq beauty pageant winner. Who is that Miss Iraq?
Shaima Qassim.

66.    Soccer’s world governing body, FIFA issued eight-year bans for alleged ethical violations to two of the most powerful men in the game: FIFA President and his former heir-apparent.  Who are they?
Sepp Blatter (FIFA President) and Michel Platini. (Uefa president.)

67.    Who won the Player of the series award in the two test cricket matches between New Zealand and Sri Lanka held in New Zealand in December 2015?
Kane Williamson (New Zealand).
Series - New Zealand won the 2-match series 2-0.

68.    Israeli Deputy Prime Minister who has resigned from his post on December 21, 2015 over accusations from several women that he sexually molested them?
Silvan Shalom.

69.    Filipina-German actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2015?

Pia Wurtzbach.
Wurtzbach represented the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2015 held on December 20, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. At the end of the show, host Steve Harvey announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner. However, after Gutierrez’s crowning, Harvey stated that he had misread the results and that Wurtzbach was the actual Miss Universe 2015. Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vega then removed the crown from Gutierrez’s head and placed it on Wurtzbach's head.

70.    Which team won the International Premier Tennis League-2015 (ITPL-2) defeating Indian aces in the final?
Singapore Slammers.
The Slammers, coached by India’s double specialist Purav Raja, claimed a prize pursed of USD one million while Indian Aces got USD 500,000.

71.    Name the rocket which successfully landed upright on solid ground at Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 21, 2015, after travelling into space and back?
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
On December 21, 2015, SpaceX successfully returned a first stage booster back to the
ground at Cape Canaveral, the first such accomplishment by an orbit-capable rocket. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company with its headquarters in Hawthorne, California, USA. It was founded in 2002 by former PayPal entrepreneur and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk with the goal of creating the technologies to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars. It has developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles, both of which were designed from conception to eventually become reusable, and the Dragon spacecraft which is flown into orbit by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle to supply the International Space Station (ISS) with cargo.

72.    Parliament has passed a bill which has provision that allows trying of juveniles between the ages of 16 and 18 years as adults for heinous offences. What is the name of that bill?
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015.
 It aims to replace the existing Indian juvenile delinquency law, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, so that juveniles in conflict with Law in the age group of 16–18, involved in Heinous Offences, can be tried as adults. The Act came into force from 15 January 2016. It was passed on 7 May 2015 by the Lok Sabha amid intense protest by several Members of Parliament. It was passed on 22 December 2015 by the Rajya Sabha.

73.    Name the Indian pair who won the Mexican open Badminton title 2015?
Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy.
They won their maiden Grand Prix title by beating Bodin and Nipitphon in the final.

74.    Who were named as women’s doubles World champions by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in recognition of their stupendous success in season 2015?
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis.
Serena Williams of the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia are the 2015 ITF World Champions. Williams is named Women’s World Champion for the sixth time, while this is the fifth occasion that Djokovic has received the honour.

75.    Who is named Miss World 2015?
 Mireia Lalaguna Royo.
Royo is a Spanish actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World Spain 2015 and in December the same year won Miss World 2015 in Sanya. She is the first Miss World from Spain. Miss World 2015, the 65th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 19 December 2015 at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China.

76.    Which club won the FIFA Club World Cup -2015 after a 3-0 win over River Plate?
Barcelona.
The FIFA Club World Cup, formerly known as the FIFA Club World Championship, is an international men's association football competition organised by the FIFA. The current champions are Spain's Barcelona, who defeated Argentina's River Plate 3–0 in the final of the 2015 edition, to win a record third title in the competition.

77.    Which team won the second edition of the India Super League (ISL)?
Chennaiyin FC.
Chennaiyin FC defeated FC Goa (3-2) in the final. The Chennaiyin FC franchise is owned by Vita Dani, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan and Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

78.    Former Defence Secretary who has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)?

R.K. Mathur.
Mathur who will hold the key position for three years from December 18, 2015. According to the RTI Act, a person can hold the office of CIC for not more than five years or till the age of 65.

79.    Australian cricketer who has been named cricketer of the year (2015) by the International Cricket Council, winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy?
Steven Smith.
    Australia captain Steven Smith has won the top ICC awards for 2014-15, being named Cricketer of the Year as well as Test Cricketer of the Year. Smith became the seventh player after Rahul Dravid (2004), Jacques Kallis (2005), Ricky Ponting (2006), Kumar Sangakkara (2012), Michael Clarke (2013) and Mitchell Johnson (2014) to bag both awards in the same year. South Africa's ODI captain AB de Villiers was named ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second successive year, while his compatriot Faf du Plessis won the T20 Performance of the Year award for his 56-ball 119 against West Indies in January.
 Awards list
    Test Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith
    ODI Cricketer of the Year - AB de Villiers
    Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year - Meg Lanning
    Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year - Stafanie Taylor
    T20I Performance of the Year - Faf du Plessis
    Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Josh Hazlewood
    Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year - Khurram Khan
    Spirit of Cricket Award - Brendon McCullum
    Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) - Richard Kettleborough.

80.    The governments of three countries have banned Christmas celebrations this year (2015), with punishments ranging up to a five-year jail term.  Name the three countries?
Somalia, Tajikistan and Brunei.
Somalia issued a ban on Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in the Muslim country on Wednesday, saying the festivities “have nothing to do with Islam”. The oil-rich sultanate of Brunei has also banned Christmas celebrations, under a shift towards hard line Islamic law.

81.    Who has been appointed as the Batting coach of Indian Cricket Team?
W.V.Raman.
Former Test cricketers W V Raman, Narendra Hirwani and T. A. Sekar have been appointed on the coaching panel of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). TA Sekar is the fast bowling coach and Hirwani is the spin bowling coach.

82.    The Russian government is providing a major boost to the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ programme by choosing Reliance Defence & Aerospace (RDA) for a joint venture enterprise to build 197 units of Russian utility helicopters in India. What is the name of that helicopter?
The Kamov 226T.

83.    Indian-American doctor who has been named the first Poet Laureate by the U.S state of Ohio for showcasing a variety of styles in his poetry?
Amit Majmudar.
Majmudar, a diagnostic nuclear radiologist, was named to the two-year honorary position by Governor John Kasich who created the honour.

84.    Former India wicketkeeper-batsman who has been chosen for the CK Nayudu lifetime achievement award for 2015?
Syed Kirmani.
One of India's finest keepers, Kirmani effected 198 dismissals in 88 Tests. Kirmani played 49 ODIs for India, making 373 runs, the highlight being the 126-run rearguard partnership he shared with Kapil Dev in the World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Turnbridge Wells.

85.    The Pakistan leg-spinner who has been provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council after testing positive for a banned diuretic during the one-day series with England in the United Arab Emirates last month?
Yasir Shah.

86.    Which country has recently passed controversial new anti-terrorism laws, saying they are needed to combat growing threats?
China.
The new laws, passed on December27, 2015 by China's legislature, create a new anti-terror agency and security forces with significant powers.

87.     Bollywood actress who was one of the top actresses in the 1960s and the early-1970s, a period regarded as Bollywood's "golden era", passed away on December 25, 2015?

Sadhana Shivdasani.
Shivdasani appeared in a Sindhi language film Abaana and entered Hindi film industry through 1960's romantic film Love in Simla. Her fringe haircut became popular during the 1960s and came to be known as "Sadhana cut". She also became famous as Mystery Girl with her three suspense thriller films namely Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), Mera Saaya (1966) and Anita (1967), all directed by Raj Khosla.  Shivdasani was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for films Woh Kaun Thi? and Waqt in 1965 and 1966 respectively.

88.    Which country has decided to end its decades-long one-child policy?
China.
China on December 27, 2015 officially passed historic legislation that allows all couples to have two children. The country will allow two children for every couple starting Jan. 1

89.    Star football player who won the best player of the seventh edition of the Globe Soccer Awards?
Lionel Messi.
Barcelona won the award for best club. Belgian coach Marc Wilmots was named best coach while Italy's Andrea Pirlo and England's Frank Lampard were honoured with player career award.

90.    Name the former El Salvador national football team player who has been shot and killed by gunmen at a petrol station?
Alfredo Pacheco.
Alfredo Pacheco, a football player who played for the Salvadoran national side before being banned from the sport for life for his involvement in match fixing, was murdered on December 27, 2015.

91.    International UWW Referee from India who has been qualified for officiating in the 2016 RIO Olympic Games scheduled to be held at Rio-de-Janeiro Brazil from 5th to 21st August 2016?
Mr. Ashok Kumar.
It is first time in the Indian wrestling history that an Indian Referee will be officiating in the Olympic Games. Mr. Ashok Kumar has participated in more than 50 International tournaments as Referee.

92.    Name the world’s fattest man who once weighed 450 kilos, passed away in Mexico City due to heart attack?

 Andres Moreno.
Andres Moreno, 38, died of a heart attack and peritonitis.

93.    Eminent Gujarati novelist, poet and critic who has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2015?

Raghuveer Chaudhary.
A novelist, poet and critic, Chaudhary is a recipient of Sahitya Academi Award for his novel, "Trilogy Uparvaas" in 1977. His popular novels include "Amrita", "Venu Vatsala", "Purvarang", "Laagni Samjyaa Vinaa Chuuta Padvanu" and others. While his most-known novel "Amrita" (1965) explores the concept of existentialism, other works like "Rudramahalaya" (1978) and "Somtirth" (1996) are historical fiction.

94.    Who inaugurated the newly-built Afghan parliament building in Kabul?
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.
Prime Minister Narendra on December 25, 2015 inaugurated the parliament building in Kabul, which was built by India.

95.    Name Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's favourite dog who became a national celebrity, died at the age of 17?
Tongdaeng.
The king adopted Tongdaeng in 1998 as a puppy and wrote a book praising her loyalty and obedience. Last month, a man was charged with insulting Tongdaeng on social media and could face up to 37 years in jail under Thailand's lese-majeste laws.

96.    Which cricketer was declared the winner of the Polly Umrigar Award for Best Cricketer for 2014-15 by the BCCI?
Virat Kohli.

97.    Name the Indo-Israeli jointly built Long Range Surface to Air Missile which was test fired Dec. 30 crossing a significant milestone in enhancing its anti-air warfare capability.
Barak-8.
Barak-8 designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as cruise missiles and combat jets out to a maximum range of 70 km.

98.    The founder of the Debian Linux operating system and the creator of apt-get who passed away on 28 December 2015?

Ian Murdock 
Ian Murdock was a German-born American software engineer, known for being the founder of the Debian project and Progeny Linux Systems, a commercial Linux company.

99.    Pakistani singer who will be granted Indian citizenship from January 1, 2016?
Adnan Sami.
 He has spent more than a decade living in Mumbai. Sami, who has been living in India since 2001, will be given Indian citizenship under Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955.