CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS DECEMBER 2013

1.    The founder of Tehelka who has been arrested on charges of raping a junior colleague after a court in Goa rejected his anticipatory bail plea?

Tarun Tejpal.
Tehelka is an Indian news organisation mainly known for its investigative journalism, which involved sting operations. It was founded by Tarun Tejpal along with Bahal in 2000 as a website.

2.    Man of the Match winners of ODI cricket series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in UAE in December-2013:
First ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Sharja on December 18, 2013:
Man of the Match: Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan). He scored 122 runs.
Result: Pakistan won by 11 runs.

Second ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Dubai on December 20, 2013:
Man of the Match: Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)). He scored 47 runs.
Result: Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets.

Third ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Sharja on December 22, 2013:
Man of the Match: Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan). He scored 140 runs and took 2 wickets.
Result: Pakistan won by 113 runs.

Fourth ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Abu Dhabi on December 25, 2013:
Man of the Match: Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan). He scored 113 runs.
Result: Pakistan won by 8 wickets.

Fifth ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Abu Dhabi on December 25, 2013:
Man of the Match: Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka). He scored unbeaten 64 runs.
Result: Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets.
Series Result: Pakistan won the 5-match series 3-2.

3.    Who won the Player of the series award in the ODI cricket series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in UAE in December-2013?
Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan).

4.    Which film won the prestigious Golden Peacock award at the 44th international Film Festival of India held in Goa?
"Beatriz's War".
Beatriz's War, a Portuguese film set in East Timor, is directed by Luigi Acquisto and Bety Reis. The film deals with intimate relationships between men and women against the continuous violence in East Timor. The award carries a Golden Peacock statuette, a certificate and Rs 40 lakh.
Other Awards:
Bengali film 'Meghe Dhaka Tara', directed by Kamaleswar Mukherjee won the Silver Peacock award.

       The best director award was given to Kaushik Ganguly for his film 'Apur Panchali', a smart tribute to the Oscar award-winning Indian director Satyajit Ray.
Alon Moni Aboutboul won the Best Actor (male) award for her performance in the film 'A Place in Heaven'. The Best Actor (female) award was won by Magdalena Boczarska for her intense, strong portrayal of a victim who subtly turns an oppressor.

5.    American actor and the star of the ‘Fast and Furious” movie series who died in a car crash on November13, 2013?
Paul Walker.
In 2001, Walker gained international fame for playing Brian O'Conner, one of the lead protagonists in the street racing action film The Fast and the Furious, and would reprise the role in its additional sequels.

6.    Indian shuttler who won the women’s singles title at the $120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold by defeating Canada’s Li Michelle in the final?
P.V.Sindhu.

7.    29th National Junior Athletics Championships was held at?
Bangalore

8.    Which state won the overall champion title of 29th National Junior Athletics Championships held in Bangalore?
Kerala.

9.    What is the name of the lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), incorporating a robotic lander and China's first lunar rover?
Chang'e 3.
 It was launched in December 2013 as part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The spacecraft was named after Chang'e, the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology, and is a follow-up to the Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 lunar orbiters. The rover was named Yutu (literally "Jade Rabbit") following an online poll, after the mythological rabbit that lives on the Moon as a pet of the Moon goddess.
Chang'e 3 achieved lunar orbit on 6 December 2013 and landed on 14 December 2013, becoming the first probe to soft-land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.

10.    Which country has banned Same-sex marriage after passing of a referendum to amend the constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman?
Croatia.

11.    Man of the Match winners of 3 Test cricket series between New Zealand and West Indies held in New Zealand in December-2013:
First Test between New Zealand and West Indies held in Dunedin from December 3 to 7, 2013:
Man of the Match: Rose Taylor (New Zealand). He scored unbeaten 217 runs in first innings.
Result: Match drawn.

Second Test between New Zealand and West Indies held in Wellington from December 11 to 13, 2013:
Man of the Match: Trent Boult (New Zealand). He took 6 wickets in first innings and 4 wickets in second innings.
Result: New Zealand won by an innings and 73 runs.

Third Test between New Zealand and West Indies held in Wellington from December 19 to 22, 2013:
Man of the Match: Rose Taylor (New Zealand). He scored 131 runs in first innings.
Result: New Zealand won by 8 wickets.
Series Result: New Zealand won the 3-match series 2-0.

12.    The 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup will be held in?
India.
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be the 17th tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. This will be the first time India will host an international football competition at world level.

13.    South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon who led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, died on December 5, 2013?

Nelson Mandela.
Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999. He was the president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. (May 10 1994- June 14, 1999)
   
    Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. He received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Order of Lenin. He is often described as "the father of the nation" of South Africa.

14.    Who becomes the highest scoring captain of India in ODI cricket?
M.S.Dhoni.
Dhoni reached 5278 runs in his 152nd ODI, leaving behind former captain Mohammad Azharuddin's tally of 5239 in 174 matches. Dhoni is the third player to amass 5000 runs as captain for India in ODIs - the other two being Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly (5082). He also is the quickest to this feat, having taken 127 innings as against 136 by Ganguly and 151 by Azharuddin.

15.    Man of the Match winners of ODI cricket series between India and South Africa held in South Africa held  in December-2013:
First ODI between India and South Africa held in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013:
Man of the Match: Quinton de Kock (South Africa) He scored 135 runs.
Result: South Africa won by 141 runs.

Second ODI between India and South Africa held in Durban on December 8, 2013:
Man of the Match: Quinton de Kock (South Africa) He scored 106 runs.
Result: South Africa won by 134 runs.

Third ODI: No Result.
Series South Africa won the 3-match series 2-0.

16.    Who won the Player of the series in the 3 ODI cricket matches between India and South Africa held in South Africa held in December-2013?
Quinton de Kock (South Africa).

17.    Man of the match winners of Ashes Test (Australia Vs England) held in Australia in December 2013?
Second Ashes Test held in Adelaide Oval from December 5-9, 2013:
Man of the Match: Mitchell Johnson (Australia). He took 7 wickets in first innings and one wicket in second innings.
Result: Australia won by 218 runs.

Third Ashes Test held in Perth from December 13-17, 2013:
Man of the Match: Steven Smith (Australia). He scored 111 runs in first innings.
Result: Australia won by 150 runs.

Fourth Ashes Test held in Melbourne from December 26-29, 2013:
Man of the Match: Mitchell Johnson (Australia). He took 5 wickets in first innings and 3 wickets in second innings.
Result: Australia won by 8 wickets.

18.    The Ninth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference was held in?
Bali, Indonesia.
The conference was held from 3 to 7 December 2013. The conference was chaired by the Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan. In this conference, 159 members of World Trade Organization agreed to the Bali Package which aims to ease barriers to international trade.

19.    What is the name given to the trade agreement resulting from the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization held in Bali, Indonesia?
Bali Package.
It is aimed at lowering global trade barriers and is the first agreement reached through the WTO that is approved by all its members. The package forms part of the Doha Development Round, which started in 2001.

20.    Art form of Manipur which has entered Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity?
The Manipuri Nat-Sankirtana.
The Manipuri Nat-Sankirtana was conceived by the famous Manipur king Bhagyachandra Singh in the 18th century. Sankirtana - the ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur - has been selected for inscription on the Representative List of the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was taken on December 4 at the ongoing eighth session of the Unesco Intergovernmental Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan. The committee consists of representatives from 24 countries.

21.    Who became the fastest batsman to surpass 4,000 ODI runs (81 innings)?
Hashim Amla. (South Africa).
He achieved this feat against the ODI match against India.
Playing his 83rd match, Amla took 81 innings to get to the milestone beating Sir Vivian Richards who got to the landmark in 88 innings in 96 matches. Amla was also the quickest batsman to reach the 2000 (41 matches, 40 innings) and the 3000-run landmark (59 matches, 57 innings) in ODIs.

22.    Who was awarded the Indian cricket side’s ‘Team Sponsorship’ rights for the period January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2017?
Star India (The television network).

23.    Results of Legislative assembly elections held in Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh ,Rajasthan and Mizoram in November/December 2013:

The Elections in Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were conducted in December while the counting that took place on 8 December showed a clear majority for BJP in the states of Madya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, while Congress retained the state of Mizoram and Delhi got a hung assembly, with no single party getting a clear majority.

Chhattisgarh: The Chhattisgarh State Assembly elections of 2013 has been held in two phases, first on 11 November 2013 and second on 19 November 2013 and counting was done on 8 December 2013. The main contest between incumbent Bhartiya Janta Party and main opposition party Indian National Congress.
Total seats: 90.
BJP-49
Congress-39
BSP-1
Independents-1

Delhi:
The Delhi State Assembly elections of 2013 were held on 4 December 2013. Counting of votes was done on 8 December 2013. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party, closely followed by the debutant Aam Aadmi Party. The Indian National Congress party, which governed the state for the last three consecutive terms, finished third.
Total Seats: 70
BJP-31
Aam Aadmi Party-28
Congress-8
Janata Dal (United) -1
Shiromani Akali Dal-1
Independents-1

Madhya Pradesh:

The Madhya Pradesh State Assembly elections of 2013 were held on 25 November 2013 and counting was done on 8 December 2013. The main contest was between incumbent Bhartiya Janta Party and main opposition party Indian National Congress. However, BJP was the winner with more than 70% of majority in the assembly elections.
Total seats: 230.
BJP-165
Congress-58
BSP-4
Independents-3

Rajasthan:
The Rajasthan State Assembly elections of 2013 were held on 1 December 2013 and the counting was done on 8 December 2013. The main contest is between incumbent Indian National Congress and main opposition party Bhartiya Janta Party.
Total seats: 200.
BJP-163
Congress-21
BSP-3
National People's Party-4
National Unionist Zamindara Party-2.
Independents-7

Mizoram:
The Mizoram State Assembly Elections 2013 has been held on 25 November 2013 and the counting was done on 9 December 2013.
Total seats: 40.
Congress-34
Mizo National Front-5
Mizoram People's Conference-1.

24.    Who was named French Player of the Year (2013) by France Football magazine?
 Franck Ribery.

25.    The prince of Mysore Kingdom and head of the Wadiyar dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore between 1399 and 1950 who passed away on December 10, 2013?
Srikanta Wadiyar.
Wadiyar was also a member of Indian Parliament from the Mysore constituency. He was a fashion designer and a promoter of Mysore silk saris under his Royal Silk of Mysore brand name. In the second half of the 20th century, silk industry in South India revived, and Mysore State became the top multivoltine silk producer in India.

26.    Who has been named as the new Finance Secretary of India?
Sumit Bose.

27.    Who has been appointed as the chief information commissioner of India?

Sushma Singh.
She is the second woman to be appointed to the post after Deepak Sandhu, whose term ended on December 20, 2013.

28.    Who has been appointed as UNICEF's first brand ambassador for South Asia?
Sachin Tendulkar.

29.    Cricket team of which country became the highest run scoring team in ODI history?
India.
Ahead of the first ODI between India and South African, India and Australia were levelled on 1,82,881 runs from 841 (a world record) and 825 matches respectively. But India broke the record the moment Shikhar Dhawan got off the mark with that boundary.

30.    Who has become the first wicket-keeper and only the fifth player in one-day international history, to score centuries in three consecutive matches?
Quinton de Kock. (South Africa).
He scored three consecutive centuries against India in the ODI s played in December 2013.

31.    Who has been named as Times Magazine’s Person of the Year -2013?
Pope Francis.
Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, in which capacity he is Bishop of Rome and absolute Sovereign of the Vatican City State. In December 2013, both Time and The Advocate magazines named the Pontiff as their Person of the Year in praise and hopes of reforming the Roman Curia while hoping to change the Catholic Church's doctrine on various controversial issues.

32.    Who has been named the regional brand ambassador by the UNICEF to promote its Total Sanitation Campaign in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal?
Sachin Tendulkar.

33.    Bangladeshi Islamist leader and politician of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who was hanged for war crimes on 12 December 2013?
Abdul Quader Molla.
He was tried, sentenced to death by the Domestic International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh. He was convicted on five of six counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes at his trial at the Bangladeshi International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), on 5 February 2013. A member of the Al-Badar militia during the liberation war, Molla was convicted of killing 344 civilians and other crimes.

34.    Winners of ICC Cricket Awards-2013:
Cricketer of the Year: Michael Clarke (Australia).
Test player of the year: Michael Clarke (Australia).
ODI player of the year: Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka).
ICC Emerging player of the year: Cheteshwar Pujara (India).
Best T20 performance of the year: Umar Gul (Pakistan).
Spirit of Cricket award: Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka).
ICC Associate player of the year: Kevin O'Brien (Ireland).
Umpire of the year: Richard Kettleborough (England).
Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year: Suzie Bates (New Zealand).
T20I Women's Cricketer of the Year: Sarah Taylor (England).
LG people's choice award: MS Dhoni (India).

35.    Top Indian diplomat who was arrested in New York on December 12, 2013 for human rights violations and visa fraud?
Devyani Khobragade.
She was India's Deputy Consul General at its diplomatic mission in New York City at the time of arrest. She has been involved in a number of controversies, including the Adarsh Housing Society scam, criminal charges of US visa fraud and making false statements to the US State Department with regard to her domestic worker, and manipulation of Indian Foreign Service rules to get the foreign language of her choice.

       Khobragade, was accused of not paying minimum wage to her domestic help, Sangeeta Richard, and making a false declaration in the visa application that she filed to employ Richard.

36.    Iranian film which won the Golden Crow Pheasant Award at the 18th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) which concluded in Thiruvananthapuram?
‘Parviz’
The film is directed by Majid Barzegar.

37.    Who won the Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the best director at the 18th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) which concluded in Thiruvananthapuram?
Kamaleswar Mukherjee.
He won the award for the Bengali film ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’.
‘Errata’ directed by Ivan Vescovo won the Silver Crow Pheasant for the best debut film. ‘101 Chodyangal’ directed by Sidhartha Siva won the audience poll award for the best film.

38.    Man of the Match winners of two T20 cricket matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in UAE in December-2013:
First T20 between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Dubai on December 11, 2013:
Man of the Match:  Shahid Afridi (Pakistan). He scored 39 runs.
Result: Pakistan won by 3 wickets .

Second T20 between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in Dubai on December 13, 2013:
Man of the Match:  Kusal Perera (Sri Lanka). He scored 84 runs.
Result: Sri Lanka won by 24 runs.

39.    Who won the Player of the series award in the T20 cricket series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka held in UAE in December-2013?
     Shahid Afridi (Pakistan).

40.    Who has been awarded the World Soccer's Player of the Year 2013?
Cristiano Ronaldo.

41.    Which country won the Men’s 4th Kabaddi World Cup defeating Pakistan in the final?
India.
Defending champion India retained the title fourth consecutive term defeating Pakistan with a margin of nine points.

42.    Name the bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013 which provides for creation of an anti-corruption ombudsman?
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill.
The bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on 22 December 2011 and was passed by the house on 27 December 2011 as The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011. The bill was subsequently tabled in the Rajya Sabha on 29 December 2011. On 21 May 2012, the bill was referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha for consideration. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013 after making certain amendments to the earlier Bill and in the Lok Sabha on 18 December 2013

43.    Who has sworn in for third term as German chancellor?
Angela Merkel.

44.    What is the name of Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Coast Guard, which was commissioned on December 13, 2013?
Aadesh.
Aadesh is the first of the series of 20 Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV) designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Coast Guard.

45.    Former India captain who has been nominated for the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award (2013) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India?
Kapil Dev.
The CK Nayudu Award is the highest-revered award for captaincy and lifetime achievement in Indian cricket.

46.    British criminal who took part in the 1963 Great Train Robbery, died on December 18, 2013?
Ronnie Biggs.
The Great Train Robbery was the robbery of a Royal Mail train heading between Glasgow and London in the early hours of Thursday 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. After tampering with line signals, a 15-strong gang of robbers led by Bruce Reynolds attacked the train. Biggs was part of the gang which escaped with £2.6m from the Glasgow to London mail train on 8 August 1963. He was given a 30-year sentence but escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965. In 2001, he returned to the UK seeking medical help but was sent to prison. He was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after contracting pneumonia.

47.    Career diplomat who has been appointed as Pakistan’s new high commissioner to India?
Abdul Basit.
 He will replace Salman Bashir.

48.    British rock singer who was jailed for 35 years on Wednesday for the attempted rape of a baby and several other "incomprehensible" child sex offences?
Ian Watkins.
Ian Watkins is a Welsh musician who achieved prominence as a founding member, lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Lostprophets. Lostprophets disbanded in 2013 after Watkins was charged with sexual offences in late 2012.

49.    Man of the Match winners of Test cricket series between India and South Africa held in South Africa held  in December-2013:
First Test between India and South Africa held in Johannesburg on December 18-22, 2013:
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli (India). He scored 119 runs in first innings and 96 in second innings.
Result: Match drawn.

Second Test between India and South Africa held in Durban on December 26-30, 2013:
Man of the Match: Dale Steyn (South Africa). He took 6 wickets in first innings and scored 44 runs. He also took 3 wickets in second innings.
Result: South Africa won by 10 wickets.
Series Result: South Africa won the 2-match series 1-0.

50.    Who won the Player of the series award in the two test matches played between India and South Africa held in South Africa held in December-2013?
AB de Villiers (South Africa).

51.    Head of the royal family of the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore (Kerala) who passed away on December 16, 2013?
Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma.
He was the titular Maharaja of Travancore. He was the younger brother of the last ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Travancore, Maharajah Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.

52.    West Indies off-spinner who has been suspended from bowling in international cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in December 2013?
Shane Shillingford.
Shillingford and team-mate Marlon Samuels were both reported to the ICC for suspected illegal actions during the recent Test series in India.

53.    World's 1st self-regulating artificial heart transplanted in?
France.
The heart, was produced by the French company Carmat, is completely artificial, self-regulating and mimics the human heart in ways other devices could only dream of. The self-contained artificial unit weighs about 900 grams (three times the weight of the human heart) and is completely lithium-battery powered. It is made from soft “biomaterials” and functions with the aid of a multitude of sensors designed to mimic every little detail of a real beating heart. The chief engineers of the project are Alain Carpentier and Philippe Pouletty.

54.     New Zealand-based ultra marathoner who has broken the women's world record for the longest run without sleeping?
Kim Allan.
In December 2013 Allan ran for 86 hours, 11 minutes and 9 seconds without sleeping, according to event co-manager Mark Stone.

55.    Which club became the first German club to win the FIFA Club World Cup(2013) after defeating Raja Casablanca 2-0 in the final?
FC Bayern Munich.

56.    The England offspinner who has retired from all international cricket and first-class cricket on December 21, 2013?
Graeme Swann.
 In December 2009, he became the first English spinner to take 50 wickets in a calendar year. In March 2010, Swann became the first English off-spinner since Jim Laker to take 10 wickets in a match when he achieved the feat in England's victory in the first Test in Bangladesh. In May, he was named ECB Cricketer of the Year. He is also a part-time musician with his band, Dr Comfort and the Lurid Revelations.

57.    Who became the fourth Indian bowler and only the second pacer to take 300 wickets in Test matches?
Saheer Khan.
He achieved the milestone against the test match against South Africa. Jacques Kallis was his 300th victim.

58.    Who has been appointed Head Coach of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. with a contract to the end of the 2014/15 season?
Tim Sherwood.

59.    Egypt's military-backed interim government has declared Islamic political organization as a terrorist group. What is the name of that organization?
Muslim Brotherhood.
The Society of the Muslim Brothers shortened to, the Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamic political organization which is considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Egypt, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

60.    Who won the women’s and Men’s titles of the 78th Senior National Badminton championship held in New Delhi?
P.V.Sindhu (Women’s Title).
K.Srikanth(Men’s Title).

61.    The South African all rounder who retired from Test and first-class cricket after playing in the second Test against India at Durban in December 2013?
Jacques Kallis.
Kallis played 166 Test matches and had a batting average of over 55 runs per innings. As of 2013 he was the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 11,000 runs and take 250 wickets in both one-day and Test match cricket.
With his century in the second innings of the third test against India in January 2011, his 40th in all, he moved past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest scorer of Test centuries, behind only Sachin Tendulkar's 51. Kallis was named Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2008 Wisden for his performances in 2007 in addition to being the "ICC Test Player of the Year" and ICC Player of the Year in 2005.

        Kallis became the fourth player and first South African to score 13,000 Test runs on an eventful opening day of the first Test against New Zealand on 2 January 2013. Kallis, who had also taken 292 Test wickets, lies third behind Indian player Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) and Australian Ricky Ponting (13,378) on the list of all-time run scorers in test cricket. He was named one of the Wisden cricketers of the year in 2013. Kallis scored his 45th Test hundred in his final test match, making him one of the few batsmen to score a century in his final Test.

62.    Who is appointed as the first woman director of the Hyderabad-based National Police Academy?
Aruna Bahuguna.

63.    The Russian gun designer whose AK-47 rifle became the weapon of choice for many national armies and guerrillas around the world, who died on December 23, 2013?
Mikhail Kalashnikov.
Kalashnikov designed his first machine gun in 1942 after suffering injuries as a tank commander for the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, but it wasn't until 1947 -- after years of tweaks -- that the AK-47 was introduced for Soviet military service. He was decorated with numerous honours, including the Hero of Socialist Labour and Order of Lenin and Stalin Prize. But because his invention was never patented, he didn’t get rich off royalties.

64.    Former civil servant who sworn in as the 7th Chief Minister of Delhi?
Arvind Kejriwal.
He is the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Kejriwal is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and worked for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) as a Joint Commissioner in the Income Tax Department. He is known for his efforts to enact and implement the Right to Information Act (RTI) at the grassroots level and his role in drafting a proposed Jan Lokpal Bill.
    In 2012, he launched the Aam Aadmi Party, and defeated Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the 2013 Delhi Legislative Assembly election. Following the election, he took office as the Chief Minister of Delhi on 28 December 2013.

65.    Who has taken charge as the Consul General of India in Dubai and Northern Emirates in the UAE?
Anurag Bhushan.
Before joining as the Dubai consul general of India he was serving as head of the Regional passport office in New Delhi. He is going to replace Sanjay Sharma who is now working as the ambassador of India to Ethiopia. Anurah Sharma is the 14 consul general of India.

66.    Which country has banned its officials from smoking in public places in December 2013, according to an official government circular?
China.

67.    Labour and employment minister of India who passed away on December 15, 2013?
Sis Ram Ola.
     He was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Jhunjhunu constituency of Rajasthan and was a member of the Indian National Congress. He was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 1957 to 1990, and from 1980 to 1990. He was a cabinet minister in the Government of Rajasthan. From 1993 to 1996, he was again a Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. In 1996, he was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha; he was Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers (Independent Charge) from 1996 to 1997 and Union Minister of State for Water Resources (Independent Charge) from 1997 to 1998. He was re-elected to the12th Lok Sabha in 1998, the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999, the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004, and the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009. In the first UPA  Government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he served as Labour Minister and Cabinet Minister of Mines.
Sis Ram Ola was the recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1968 for social work.

68.    Bollywood actor and a popular television presenter who won the 2010 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for “Lahore”, died on December 27, 2013?
Farooq Sheikh.
 He was best known for his work in Hindi films from 1977 to 1989 and for his work in television between 1988 and 2002. He had acted in many serials and shows on television and performed on stage in famous productions such as Tumhari Amrita (1992), alongside Shabana Azmi, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, and presented the TV show, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (Season 1).

69.    Who took over as the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) on 30 December 2013?
Army chief General Bikram Singh.
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.

70.    Which university won Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee all-India inter-university football tournament held on December 31, 2013?
University of Calicut. (Kerala)
University of Calicut defeated Mahatma Gandhi University 4-3 in the final.

71.    Man of the Match winners of 2 ODI matches played between New Zealand and West Indies held in New Zealand in December-2013:
First ODI between New Zealand and West Indies held in Auckland on December 26, 2013:
Man of the Match: Sammy (West Indies). He scored unbeaten 43runs.
Result: West Indies won by 2 wickets.

Second ODI between New Zealand and West Indies held in Napier on December 29, 2013:
Match abandoned without a ball bowled.

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS- NOVEMBER 2013

1.    Who became the fastest batsman to score 5000 runs in one-day internationals when he scored 86 against West Indies?
Virat Kohli.
Kohli achieved the feat in just 120 matches and 114 innings. He has so far amassed 5005 runs, which included 17 centuries and 27 fifties in his short career.

2.    Who became the fastest batsman in the history of ODI Cricket to score 17 one-day international hundreds?
Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli has taken 112 innings to hit 17 hundreds in ODIs, 58 fewer than Sourav Ganguly who was the fastest to 17 ODI hundreds before him.

3.    Name the planet similar in size and composition to Earth which has been discovered by astronomers outside of our solar-system?
Kepler-78b.
Kepler-78b is an exoplanet orbiting around the star Kepler-78. The planet, Kepler-78b, spins around its host star in 8.5 hours this is the length of its 'year'. Kepler-78b is much hotter than Earth and inhabitable.  At the time of its discovery, it was the known exoplanet most similar to Earth in terms of mass, radius and mean density.

4.    Ace basketball player who has been selected for the 25th Jimmy George Foundation award for the best sportsperson of Kerala?
Geethu Anna Jose

5.    Writer, critic and biographer who has been chosen for Ezhuthachan Puraskaram-2013, the highest literary honour given by the Kerala government?
Prof M K Sanu.

6.    Who becomes only the third batsman in the history of one-day cricket to score a double hundred?
Rohit Sharma.
Sharma's 209-run knock is the second highest total by an individual in ODIs and it came off only 158 balls. It was Sachin Tendulkar (200) who touched the milestone first time against South Africa in 2010 and then Virender Sehwag (219) bettered that by making 219 against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.

7.    Which cricketer has created cricket history by hitting most number of sixes (16 sixes) in an ODI innings?
Rohit Sharma. (India).
Shane Watson(Australia) had recorded 15 sixes during his innings of 185 not out off 96 balls vs Bangladesh at Dhaka on April 11, 2011.

8.    Man of the match winner of  4 ODI Cricket matches played between South Africa and Pakistan held in UAE held in November -2013:
Second ODI cricket between South Africa and Pakistan held in Dubai on November 1, 2013:
Man of the match: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan).
He scored 26 runs and took 3 wickets.
Result: Pakistan won by 66 runs.

Third ODI cricket between South Africa and Pakistan held in Abu Dhabi on November 6, 2013:
Man of the match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
He scored 55 runs.
Result: South Africa won by 68 runs.

Fourth ODI cricket between South Africa and Pakistan held in Abu Dhabi on November 8, 2013:
Man of the match: Dale Steyn (South Africa)
He took 5 wickets.
Result: South Africa won by 28 runs.

Fifth ODI cricket between South Africa and Pakistan held in Sharja on November 11, 2013:
Man of the match: AB de Villiers (South Africa).
He scored unbeaten 115 runs.
Result: South Africa won by 117 runs.
Series South Africa won the 5-match series 4-1.

9.    Who won the Player of the series award in the 5 ODI cricket matches played between South Africa and Pakistan held in UAE held in 2013?
Ryan McLaren (South Africa).

10.     Who is named as the new leader of Pakistan Taliban, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack?
Mullah Fazlullah.

11.    Who won the Player of the Match award in the seventh ODI cricket played between India and Australia held in Bangalore on November 2, 2013?
Rohit Sharma (India).
He scored 209 runs from 158 balls which include 16 sixes and 12 fours.
Result: India won by 57 runs.
India won the 7-match series 3-2.

12.    Who won the Player of the series award in the 7 ODI cricket matches between India and Australia held in India in 2013?
Rohit Sharma (India).

13.    Who won the Man of the match award in the third ODI cricket match between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Fatullah on November 3, 2013?
Shamsur Rahman (Bangladesh).
He scored 96 runs.
Bangladesh won by 4 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
Series Bangladesh won the 3-match series 3-0.

14.    Who won the Player of the series award in the 3 ODI cricket matches between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Bangladesh in 2013?
Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh).

15.    Pakistan legendary folk singer who died on 3 November 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan, after suffering from throat cancer for several years?

Reshma.
Some of her famous songs are "Dama Dam Mast Kalandar", "Hai O Rabba nahion lagda dil mera", "Sun charkhe di mithi mithi cook mahiya meinu yaad aunda", "Wey main chori chori", and "Ankhiyan no rehen de ankhyan de kol kol". She won “Sitara-i-Imtiaz”‎, also spelled as Sitara-e-Imtiaz (English: Star of Excellence), the third highest honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan.

16.    Who won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix-2013?
Sebastian Vettel
The 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on 23 November.
   
17.    Which pair won the Paris Masters doubles title 2013 defeating Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil in the final?
 Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

18.    Who becomes the first Indian to win the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title?
Gaurav Gill.

19.    Who won the Paris Masters Men’s tennis title-2013 defeating David Ferrer in the final?
Novak Djokovic.

20.    Who won the Sofia open women's singles tennis title-2013?
Simona Halep.
She defeated Sam Stosur in the final.

21.    Which country won the 2013 Fed Cup tennis title defeating the fourth-seeded Russia?
Italy.
The 2013 Fed Cup is the 51st edition of the most important tournament between national teams in women’s tennis.

22.    What s the name given to the Mars orbiter launched into Earth orbit on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)?
Mangalyaan.
Mangalyaan, India’s spacecraft bound for Planet Mars is launched from Sriharikota. This is India’s first interplanetary project. It took 500 scientists and 15 months of hard work to ensure the smooth liftoff of the Mars Orbiter. It is expected to enter orbit around Mars on 24 September 2014.

23.    Who becomes New York's first Democrat-elected mayor since 1989?
Bill de Blasio.
Bill de Blasio won a landslide victory over his Republican rival Joe Lhota after promising higher taxes for the rich.
Christopher J. Christie elected as the state government governor of New Jersey.

24.    Man of the match winners of  2 Test Cricket matches played between India and West Indies held in India in November -2013:
First test cricket between India and West Indies held in Eden Gardens, Kolkata from November 6-8, 2013:
Man of the match:  Rohit Sharma (India). He scored 177 runs in first innings.
Result: India won by an innings and 51 runs.

Second test cricket between India and West Indies held in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from November 14-16, 2013:
Man of the match: Pragyan Ojha (India). He took 5 wickets each in both innings.
Result: India won by an innings and 126 runs.

25.    Who won the Player of the series award in the 2 Test Cricket matches played between India and West Indies held in India in November -2013?
Rohit Sharma (India).

26.    Who won the man of the match award in the only T20 cricket played between Bangladesh and New Zealand held in Dhaka on November 6, 2013?
Colin Munro (New Zealand).

27.    Which country will host the 2018 men's hockey World Cup?
India.

28.    Which country will host the 2018 women's hockey World Cup?
England.

29.    Which country have won the Fifa Under-17 World Cup for a record fourth time after beating Mexico 3-0 in the Final?
Nigeria.

30.     Name the powerful tropical cyclone which hit Philippines on November 8, 2013 killing at least 6,201 people?
Typhoon Haiyan.
Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines

31.    Who won the Miss Universe-2013?

Gabriela Isler. (Miss. Venezuela)
Miss Universe 2013 was the 62nd Miss Universe pageant. It was held on November 9, 2013 at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia.

32.    Which countries have signed 5 agreements on November 8, 2013, including one on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons?
India and Kuwait.
The two sides signed five documents including an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, cooperation in the field of sports and youth affairs and exchange of cultural and information programmes, besides cooperation in the field of education. After the agreement on transfer of sentenced persons, the convicts of both countries can serve their remaining sentences of imprisonment or any other form of punishment in their own country.

33.    Who has been listed as the world's most powerful, influential and contemporary Sikh, according to the first edition of the annual 'Sikh 100' published?
Manmohan Singh.
Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia ranks as the second most powerful Sikh on the list.

34.    Iran's deputy minister of industry, trade and mines who has been shot dead in his car in Tehran on November 10, 2013?
Safdar Rahmatabadi.

35.    The Islamist Hamas group has recently appointed its first spokeswoman, a 23-year-old who used to live in Britain and speaks with a Yorkshire accent. Who is she?
Isra Al-Modallal.

36.    Name the 2,000-pound European satellite which is burned up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere in November 2013?
GOCE.
 ESA's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer or GOCE (pronounced as Go-chay), had run out of propellant on October 21, and was hurling towards the Earth with a speed of 2.5 miles a day. The 5-meter (16-foot) satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in the Earth's gravity in 3-D, provide ocean circulation patterns and make other measurements.

37.    Who won the ATP World Tour Finals title-2013 with a convincing win over Rafael Nadal?
Novak Djokovic.

38.    Which was the most-used word on the web in 2013 according to an annual survey by US-based Global Language Monitor?
404.
It is the name of the error code that appears on an unavailable website. Then came 'fail', 'hashtag' and '@pontifex' which is the Pope's Twitter handle.

39.    Francis Bacon's three-paneled painting which became the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction on November 12, 2013 when it soared to $142.4 million at Christie's?

( Francis Bacon, “Three Studies of Lucian Freud,” 1969/courtesy Portland Art Museum)

"Three Studies of Lucian Freud".

40.    Which country has been ranked the worst country in the Arab League states for women’s rights, according to a recent poll conducted by Thomson Reuters conduct a poll on women’s rights?
Egypt.
Comoros has been ranked as the best country in the Arab League states for women’s rights.

41.    The 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in?
 Colombo, Sri Lanka.
CHOGM was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15 to 17 November 2013.  This was the first time in 40 years that the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, was not present at the CHOGM. Sri Lanka, which was originally slated to host the summit in 2011, was accused of committing atrocities during the Sri Lankan civil war and the summit was instead held in Perth, Australia.

42.    Who has become the fastest Indian bowler to complete hundred Test wickets during the second match against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai?
Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin completed 100 wickets in 18 tests, surpassing Erapalli Prasanna who achieved the feat in 20 tests.

43.    Union Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) on 18 October 2013 approved a proposal for Western Ghats development. The proposal prepared by the panel is headed by?
K.Kasturirangan
Kasturirangan Panel has recommended a ban on development activities in 60000 sq km ecologically sensitive area spread over six states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

44.    Name of the diamond auctioned by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 13, 2013 which is sold for a World record price of USD 83,187,381?
The Pink Star.
The Pink Star, formerly known as the Steinmetz Pink, is a diamond weighing 59.60 carat (11.92 g), rated in color as Fancy Vivid Pink by the Gemological Institute of America. The Pink Star was mined by De Beers in 1999 in South Africa, and weighed 132.5 carat in the rough. The diamond is sold for a world record for a diamond of any colour and, indeed, for any gemstone. Prior to the sale the record had been held by the Graff Pink. It was bought by New York diamond cutter Isaac Wolf who renamed it The Pink Dream.

45.    Which stadium has been selected as the venue for Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test (200th test) against the West Indies?
Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

46.    Who are named for the Bharat Ratna for the year 2014?
C.N.R. Rao (scientist) and Sachin Tendulkar (Cricketer).
Sachin is the first sportsperson chosen for the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. Prof. Rao is a well recognised international authority in solid state and materials chemistry, who has published hundreds of research papers. He is the third scientist, after C. V. Raman and the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, to be awarded the Bharat Ratna.

47.    Indian-American physician, who has been nominated by President Barack Obama as Surgeon General of the US?
Vivek Murthy.

48.    Name the Project 11430 modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013?
INS Vikramaditya.
The ship has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BC emperor of Ujjain, India. Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet (until the dissolution of the Soviet Union) and Russian Navies before being decommissioned in 1996 as she was too expensive to operate on a post-Cold War budget. The carrier was purchased by India on 20 January 2004 after years of negotiations at a final price of $2.35 billion. The ship successfully completed her sea trials in July 2013 and aviation trials in September 2013. She was formally commissioned on 16 November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia.

49.    Who is elected as the new president of Maldives?
Abdulla Yameen
He is the 6th and current President of the Republic of Maldives. Yameen won the Maldivian presidential election, 2013.

50.    India’s first women’s bank, the Bharatiya Mahila Bank has been inaugurated in?
Mumbai.
 Bharatiya Mahila Bank is India's first all women Bank created particularly to cater the needs of the women.

51.    Who won the United States Grand Prix-2013?
Sebastian Vettel.
Sebastian Vettel won a record eighth successive race when he triumphed United States Grand Prix.
The German Red Bull driver beat Michael Schumacher's previous record of seven wins in a row in the same season set in 2004.

52.    Which country won the Davis Cup Tennis title -2013?
Czech Republic.
Czech Republic beat Serbia in Belgrade to retain Davis Cup title.

53.    Who won the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2013?
Angela Merkel.
 Angela Merkel, the first woman to be elected to the highest German office, was selected for this year's prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for her role in global affairs and especially the crises confronting the global economy and European Union since the 2008 economic meltdown.

54.    Which country bagged the first rank of 2nd South Asian Federation (SAF) Junior Athletics Championships with 20 gold, 20 silver and 12 bronze medals?
India.
Sri Lanka managed the second position with 10 gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze medals, the third position was taken by Bangladesh with only three bronze medals.

55.    British biochemist who won two Nobel Prizes for his work on DNA and protein sequencing, died on November 19, 2013?

Frederick Sanger.
Sanger won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry twice, one of only two people to have done so in the same category (the other is John Bardeen in Physics), the fourth person overall with two Nobel Prizes, and the third person overall with two Nobel Prizes in the sciences. In 1958, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in chemistry "for his work on the structure of proteins, especially that of insulin". In 1980, Walter Gilbert and Sanger shared half of the chemistry prize "for their contributions concerning the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids". The other half was awarded to Paul Berg "for his fundamental studies of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, with particular regard to recombinant DNA".

56.    The Sikh man in the USA who will receive $50,000 as compensation to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit against a car dealership in New Jersey for denying him a job for maintaining a beard?
Gurpreet Kherha.
Gurpreet Kherha had filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a lawsuit in 2009 against Tri-County Lexus, where he had applied for a position as a sales associate and was qualified for the job. The car dealership requested Kherha to shave his beard; he refused to comply due to his religious beliefs.

57.    Who became the first schoolboy cricketer to hit a 500 plus score in an official inter-school match?
Prithvi Shaw.
He created a national record by amassing 546 runs, studded with 85 boundaries and five sixes in the inter Harris Shield tournament. Prithvi eclipsed his senior schoolmate and former India opener Wasim Jaffer's nephew Arman's score of 498, which he scored a few years back.

58.    Man of the match winners of  3 ODI Cricket matches played between India and West Indies held in India in November -2013:
First ODI between India and West Indies held in Kochi, Kerala on November 21, 2013:
Man of the match:  Virat Kohli (India). He scored 86 runs.
Result: India won by 6 wickets.

Second ODI between India and West Indies held in Visakhapatnam on November 24, 2013:
Man of the match: Darren Sammy (West Indies). He scored unbeaten 63 runs and took one wicket.
Result: West Indies won by 2 wickets.

Third ODI between India and West Indies held in Kanpur on November 27, 2013:
Man of the match:  Shikhar Dhawan (India). He scored 119 runs.
Result: India won by 5 wickets.

59.    Who won the Player of the series award in the 3 ODI Cricket matches played between India and West Indies held in India in November -2013?
Virat Kohli (India).

60.     Who has taken over as the new Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India?
Shri Justice Ajit Prakash Shah.

61.    Who is the winner of the World Chess Championship 2013 held from 9 to 22 November 2013 in Chennai, India?
Magnus Carlsen.
Carlsen defeated Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2013.

62.    Who won the man of the match award in the first Ashes Test (Australia Vs England) held in Brisbane from November 21-24, 2013?
Mitchell Johnson (Australia). He scored 64 runs and unbeaten 39 runs in second innings. He also took 4 wickets in first innings and 5 wickets in second innings.
Result: Australia won by 381 runs.

63.    Name the Chinese jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) conducted its maiden flight on 20 November, 2013?
The Sharp Sword (Lijian)
China successfully flew a stealth drone called "Sharp Sword" for the first time

64.    What is the name given to the new predatory dinosaur that lived in Utah around 100 million years ago?
Siats meekerorum.
Researchers of The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago announced the discovery of Siats meekerorum. Siats meekerorum was over 9 meters long and weighed more than 4 tons. Despite its large size, the dinosaur is not a close relative of Tyrannosaurus rexand other tyrannosaurs. Rather, it belongs to the carcharodontosaurian group of theropods, whose more famous members include giants like the ArgentineanGiganotosaurus.

65.    Who has been retained national coach of the men’s boxing team of India till the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro?
Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu.

66.    Which state won the overall championship in the 67th National swimming championships?
Karnataka.
Railways won the Men’s title and Maharashtra won Women’s title.

67.     Name the space probe which is successfully launched by NASA from Cape Canaveral in Florida on November 18, 2013?
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN).
MAVEN was successfully launched aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle at the beginning of the first launch window.

68.     Who is the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army?
General Raheel Sharif.
On 27 November 2013, Sharif was appointed as the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

69.    Prime Minister of Latvia who has resigned after accepting political responsibility for the collapse of a supermarket roof in the capital that killed 54 people?
Valdis Dombrovskis.

70.    Who was named the greatest Spanish sports star in history by readers of Spanish sports daily?
Rafael Nadal.
The winner of 13 Grand Slam’s and the current number 1 in the ATP world ranking, received the award at the Gala for the 75th anniversary of the Spanish sports paper Diario Marca.

71.    Which book became the world’s most expensive book late after it fetched a staggering $14 million at a US auction?

"The Bay Psalm Book”.
The Bay Psalm Book" is a tiny book of psalms from 1640. The book is a translation of Biblical psalms and was printed by Puritan settlers in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Only 11 of the original 1,700 copies have survived.

72.    Who has topped a list of the 101 most powerful British Asians and Asians resident in the UK?
Malala Yousafzai.

73.    Managing editor of Tehelka who resigned on November 27, a week after its editor Tarun Tejpal was exposed as having allegedly sexually assaulting a woman journalist colleague?
Shoma Chaudhury.

74.    India’s 350 km range Surface-to-Surface ballistic missile which was successfully launched on November 27, 2013 from a naval ship off the coast of Balasore?
Dhanush.
Dhanush, developed by DRDO, is India’s short range (350 km range) strategic ballistic missile capable of being launched from naval ships. It is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads with pay-load capacity of 500 kg.

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS –OCTOBER 2013

1.    Name the two popes who will be declared saints on April 27, 2014?
Popes John Paul II and John XXIII.
It will be the first time two popes will be canonized at the same time.

2.     Bollywood superstar who has been appointed as the good will ambassador of South Korea?
Shah Rukh Khan.

3.    Name the unmanned resupply spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences which reentered Earth's atmosphere, marking the end of the highly successful cargo resupply demonstration mission Orbital conducted with its NASA partner?
Cygnus spacecraft.

4.    Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader who has sentenced to death after he was found guilty of torture, rape and genocide during the war for independence from Pakistan in 1971?
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

5.    Government of which country began a partial shutdown on October 1, 2013 for the first time in 17 years, potentially putting up to 1 million workers on unpaid leave, closing national parks and stalling medical research projects?
U.S.A.

6.    NASA's Mars rover which has found that surface soil on the Red Planet contains about 2 percent water by weight?
Curiosity.
Curiosity is a car-sized robotic rover exploring Gale Crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL). Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011

7.    On 3 October 2013, the Union Cabinet approved the creation of a new state by bifurcating the existing state of Andhra Pradesh. What is the name given to the 29th state of the Indian union?
Telangana.
Telangana was once part of Hyderabad State (Medak and Warangal divisions) which was ruled by the Nizams. Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north-west, Karnataka to the west, Chhattisgarh to the north-east and Odisha to the east. Telangana comprises of 10 districts: Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy, and Warangal.  The city of Hyderabad would serve as the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for ten years.

8.    Former central minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader who was sentenced to five years imprisonment in a 17-year-old fodder scam case by a special CBI court after he was convicted on corruption and other charges?
Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The sentencing by special CBI judge Pravas Kumar Singh disqualifies Prasad from Parliament and renders him ineligible for contesting elections for 11 years.

9.    Award-winning photojournalist who made his most enduring mark with a historic image of a mortally wounded Senator Robert F. Kennedy lying on the floor of a Los Angeles hotel in June 1968, died on October 3, 2013?
Bill Eppridge.
Eppridge was an American photographer and photojournalist for Life magazine, known for his photography of the dying Robert F. Kennedy, taken in June 1968.

10.    The brilliant and ruthless commander of Vietnam who led a ragtag army of guerrillas to victory in Vietnam over first the French and then the Americans, died on October 4, 2013?

General. Vo Nguyen Giap.
Giap was a General in the Vietnam People's Army and a politician. He first grew to prominence during World War II, where he served as the military leader of the Viet Minh resistance against the Japanese occupation of Vietnam. Giap was a principal commander in two wars: the First Indochina War (1946–54) and the Vietnam War (1960–1975).

11.    Who has won the 37th Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Literary Award for 2013?
Prabha Varma. (Malayalam Poet).
His “Shyama Madhavam”, a collection of poems, has won the coveted prize which comprises Rs.25,000, a statuette designed by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, and a citation.

12.    Which pair won the China Open women's doubles tennis title -2013?
Sania Mirza (India) and Cara Black (Zimbabwe).

13.     Former Indian defence minister who has been posthumously honoured by the Bangladesh government with the Friends of Liberation War' award?

V.K. Krishna Menon.
He was India's first envoy to England before he became defence minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet.

14.    Which cricketer became the 16th batsman to complete 50,000 runs across all the three formats of the game?
 Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar now has 50009 runs in 953 competitive matches, which includes 551 List A matches, 307 First-class matches and 95 T20 games. He is the first Indian cricketer to complete 50,000 runs across all the three formats of the game.


15.  Who has won the China Open Men’s title-2013 defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final?
    Novak Djokovic.

16.    Who has won the China Open Women’s title-2013 defeating Maria Sharapova in the final?
    Victoria Azarenka.

17.    Which team won the Champions League Twenty20 title-2013?
    Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai Indians beat the Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs at the Ferozeshah Kotla to lift the Champions  League Twenty20 title.

18.    Which pair won the Japan Open men's doubles tennis title -2013?
    Rohan Bopanna (India) and  Edouard Roger-Vasselin(France).
   They have beaten Britain's Jamie Murray and Australia's John Peers in the final.

19. Name the indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile of India which is successfully test fired on October 7, 2013, with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur?
 Prithvi-II.

20.    Who becomes the first woman chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI)?
     Arundhati Bhattacharya.
    She succeeds Pratip Chaudhuri who retired on September 30, 2013. She becomes the first woman chair of the 206-year-oldState Bank of India.

21.    Who is worn in as the first elected Tamil Chief Minister of Sri Lanka?
 C.V. Wigneswaran.
He is the former Supreme Court judge of Sri Lanka. He was on 7 October 2013 sworn in the first Tamil chief minister of Northern Province.

22.    COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF NOBEL PRIZES-2013:
   
NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE:  Alice Munro (Canada).
    She is often called "Canada's Chekhov" and her famous works are "The Moons     of Jupiter," 'The Progress of Love" and "Runaway."

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical     Weapons wins the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY: Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh     Warshel. The chemistry prize was given to the above three U.S.based     scientists for developing computer models that predict complex chemical     reactions that can be used for tasks like creating new drugs.

NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS: Peter Higgs (Britain) and Francois Englert (Belgium). The physics Nobel Prize was awarded for a theory about how     subatomic particles get their mass. The theory made headlines last year when  it was  confirmed at the CERN laboratory in Geneva by the discovery of the     elusive Higgs particle. The two men proposed the theory independently of  each other in 1964.

NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE: James E. Rothman, Randy     W. Schekman and Dr.Thomas C. Sudhof. The medicine prize, honored     breakthroughs in understanding how key substances are moved around within  a cell.

23.    The 11th India-ASEAN Summit and 8th East Asia Summit were held in ?
 Brunei.

24.    Former Foreign Secretary of India who is appointed as the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom?
Ranjan Mathai.

25.    Who has been sworn in as the new head of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States of America?
 Janet Yellen. 
 She was sworn in as the first female head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, succeeding Ben Bernanke.

26.    Former Bangladesh minister who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a war tribunal on October 9, 2013, after he was found guilty of war crimes?
Abdul Alim.

27.     Eminent agricultural scientist who has been selected for the28th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2012?

Dr M S Swaminathan.
   Dr M S Swaminathan, known as the father of India’s Green Revolution, contributed to the agricultural renaissance in the country and led the nation to achieve green revolution. The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration is a prestigious award accorded by the Indian National Congress, after former Prime    Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.

28.    Ex-Sri Lanka captain who announced his retirement from test cricket on October 10, 2013?
    Tillakaratne Dilshan.
    Dilshan played 87 test matches during a 14-year career, and his 5,492 runs included 16 centuries at an      average of almost 41. Dilshan led Sri Lanka in 11 tests, with one win, five draws and five losses.

29.    Name the second-strongest tropical cyclone ever to make landfall in India which hit Coastal Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on October 12, 2013?
Cyclone Phailin.

30.    Renowned medical scientist and cardiac surgeon who has been chosen for Kerala Sasthra Puraskaram-2013, the highest science award of Kerala?
Dr M S Valiathan.

31.    Young innovator from India who has been selected for a prestigious United Nations award in recognition of his 'Open Curriculum', an online platform for local educational material for standard, primary and secondary schooling?
Varun Arora.
He is among 10 people from around the world selected for a prestigious United Nations award in recognition of their work as entrepreneurs and use of technology to change the world.

32.    Which countries signed six Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in Jakarta on 11 October 2013 in various fields to strengthen the cooperation between the two nations?
India and Indonesia.
The agreements are in the fields of 1.Health and family welfare, 2.Cooperation on Combating Corruption, 3.Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotics, Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors, 4.Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management, 5.Training administrators and 6.Promoting friendly, cooperative and collaborative institutional relations.

33.    Olympians who have been picked for the 2012 G.V. Raja award — .the highest sporting honour of the State instituted by the Kerala State Sports Council?
V. Diju (badminton) and Tintu Luka (athletics).

34.    Man of the Match winners of 6 ODI cricket series between India and Australia held in India in October 2013:
First ODI between India and Australia held in Pune on October 13, 2013:
Man of the Match: George Bailey (Australia). He scored 85 runs.
Result: Australia won by 72 runs.

Second ODI between India and Australia held in Jaipur on October 16, 2013:
Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma (India). He scored unbeaten 141 runs.
Result: India won by 9 wickets.

Third ODI between India and Australia held in Chandigarh on October 19, 2013:
Man of the Match: James Faulkner (Australia). He scored 64 runs.
Result: Australia won by 4 wickets.

Fourth ODI between India and Australia held in Ranchi on October 23, 2013:
No result.
Fifth ODI between India and Australia: Match abandoned without a ball bowled.

Sixth ODI between India and Australia held in Nagpur on October 30, 2013:
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli (India). He scored unbeaten 115 runs.
Result: India won by 6 wickets.

35.    Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test match was played against which country?
West Indies.
The venue of Sachin’s 200th Test cricket match was Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

36.    Name the deadly typhoon that made landfall in the Philippines and Vietnam in October 2013?
Typhoon Nari.
Typhoon Nari was a deadly tropical cyclone that first struck Luzon before striking Vietnam. The storm was the 41st depression and the 8th typhoon in the 2013 typhoon season.

37.    At least 115 people have been killed and several injured in a stampede at a Temple in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh on October 13 2013. Which is that temple?
Ratangarh Temple.
The Ratangarh Mata temple is a popular Durga temple.

38.    Platform of which railway station of India has entered into the Limca Book of Records as the longest rail platform in the world?
Gorakhpur railway station. (Uttar Pradesh)
Gorakhpur railway station’s platform number one has a length is 1355.40 meters which was inaugurated in 6 October 2013. Till now, the record was held by the railway platform at Kharagpur in West Bengal. The platform is 1,072.5 metre long.

39.    Former Union Minister and deputy chairman of Planning Commission who passed away on October 14, 2013?
Mohan Dharia.
 Dharia was an environmentalist and ran a non-government organisation Vanrai. He was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Pune Lok Sabha constituency, first in 1971 as an Indian National Congress (INC) member and became a Minister of State, and later in 1977 as a Bharatiya Lok Dal member, and joined the Morarji Desai Ministry as Union Minister of Commerce. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour in 2005, by Government of India for his contribution in social work.

40.    Name the debut novel of Fatima Bhutto, the granddaughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto?
The Shadow of the Crescent Moon.
The Shadow of the Crescent Moon, is an exploration of Pakistan’s own ‘war on terror’ and a critique of the devastating consequences experienced by a younger generation wrecked by seeping fundamentalism.

41.    Who is the first ever recipient of the $1 million Genesis Prize, an award popularly dubbed the “Jewish Nobel Prize.”?
Michael Bloomberg.
He is the mayor of New York. He was honoured for his long record of public service and philanthropy.

42.    Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, who announced his resignation from the newspaper on Twitter on October 18, 2013?
SiddharthVaradarajan.
He joined The Hindu in 2004 as Deputy Editor and took over the reins from N Ram as the first professional editor of The Hindu in May 2011. It was decided that N Ram will become the Chairman and Publisher of The Hindu while N Murali will be the Co-Chairman.  N Ravi and Malini Parthasarathy will become the Editor-in-Chief and Editor of The Hindu respectively.

43.    Man of the match winners of two test cricket matches played between South Africa and Pakistan held in UAE in October 2013:
First test between South Africa and Pakistan held in Abu Dhabi from October 14-17:
Man of the match: Khurram Manzoor (Pakistan).
He scored 146 runs in the first innings.
Result: Pakistan won by 7 wickets.

Second  test between South Africa and Pakistan held in Abu Dhabi from October 23-26:
Man of the match: Graeme Smith (South Africa).    He scored 234 runs in the first innings.
Result: South Africa won by an innings and 92 runs.
Series 2-match series drawn 1-1.

44.    Who won the Player of the series award in the two test cricket matches played between South Africa and Pakistan held in UAE in October 2013?
AB de Villiers (South Africa).

45.     The former India seamer who has announced his retirement from all competitive cricket on October 16, 2013?
Ajit Agarkar
Agarkar featured in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four Twenty20 internationals.  He helped India complete a historic win - their first Test match victory in Australia in 23 years - in Adelaide in 2003, with a second-innings six-wicket haul. He scored a fifty off 21 balls in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Rajkot in 2000, which remains the fastest one-day fifty by an Indian. He scored an unbeaten Test century at Lord's in 2002, batting at number eight. He is currently the 3rd highest wicket taker (288) for India in ODI's after Javagal Srinath (315) and Anil Kumble (337).He played for the Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and captained Mumbai to its 40th Ranji Trophy title in 2013. He took 288 wickets in ODIs and 58 wickets in Tests.Conversely, Agarkar attained the feat of five consecutive innings resulting in ducks (four of them first ball) against Australia, an unfortunate honour.

46.    Who has won the Man Booker prize 2013?
Eleanor Catton.
Eleanor Catton, author from New Zealand has won the Man Booker prize 2013 for her novel, “The Luminaries”, published by Granta.  She becomes the youngest novelist to win the Man Booker prize. She has also set a new record for the longest winning novel. The Luminaries has 852 pages. Catton's 2008 debut novel, The Rehearsal, was written as her Master's thesis and deals with reactions to an affair between a male teacher and a girl at his secondary school.

47.    Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Railway Board (Ministry of Railways)?
Arunendra Kumar.

48.    Singapore-based Pakistani model who was found murdered in the Pakistan capital of Islamabad on October 14, 2013?
Fehmina Chaudhry.

49.    Indian batsman who hit the fastest century by an Indian in one-day internationals surpassing Virender Sehwag's four-year old record in the second one-dayer against Australia in Jaipur on October 16, 2013?
Virat Kohli.
He scored his century in just 52 balls. Sehwag's record stood tall since 2009 when the Delhi dasher blasted his way to a 60-ball ton against New Zealand in Hamilton.

50.    Malayalam music composer who was the pioneer in contributing Malayalam film songs with its own tunes and styles, passed away on October 19, 2013?
K. Raghavan.
Popularly known as Raghavan Master, he had composed around 400 songs in Malayalam Cinema. He set a new trend in Malayalam film music with the release of the 1954 movie Neelakuyil. The song “Kayalarikathu valayerinjappol” went on to become an instant hit.

51.    Which teams were declared joint winners of the Duleep Trophy-2013?
North Zone and South Zone.

52.    Man of the match winners of two test cricket matches played between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in October 2013:
First test between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Chittagong from October 9-13:
Man of the Match: Sohag Gazi (Bangladesh). He scored 101 runs in first innings and took 6 wickets in second innings.
Result: Match drawn.

Second test between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Mirpur from October 21-25:
Man of the Match: Mominul Haque (Bangladesh). He scored 47 runs in first innings and unbeaten 126 runs in second innings.
Result: Match drawn.
Series 2-match series drawn 0-0.

53.    Who won the player of the series award in the two test cricket matches played between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in October 2013?
Mominul Haque (Bangladesh).

54.    Who was appointed the chief coach of Indian men's hockey team?
Terry Walsh. (Australia).
He was appointed as a replacement to his compatriot Michael Nobbs, who was sacked after a string of poor results.

55.    Name the Four Indians who have made to Fortune magazine's global list of top-50 women business leaders of 2013?
ChandaKochhar (ICICI Bank CEO), ChitraRamkrishna (National Stock Exchange chief), Shikha Sharma (Axis Bank) and NainaLalKidwai (HSBC).
 Kochhar has been ranked fourth, followed by National Stock Exchange (NSE) chief ChitraRamkrishna at 17th, Axis Bank's Shikha Sharma at 32nd and HSBC's NainaLalKidwai at 42nd place among the Indians on the international list.
    The international list is topped by Brazilian energy giant Petrobras' CEO Maria Das Gracas Foster, followed by Turkish conglomerate Sabanci Holding's GulerSabanci at the second and Australian banking giant Westpac's CEO Gail Kelly at the third.

56.    Which documentary has won the Best Film Award (for documentary under 45 minutes) at the 11th International Festival Signes de Nuit, Paris?
Vishaparvam (Venomous Folds). The documentary is directed by Vipinvijay.

57.    LokSabha Secretary-General S. BalShekar, issued orders on October 21, 2013 disqualifying two MP’s who represented Saran and Jahanabad respectively, from the LokSabha in view of their conviction in the Chaibasa treasury case. Who are they?
    Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD) and Jagadish Sharma JD (U).
The two cannot contest any election, including those for the Assembly/Council, for six years from the date of their release from jail. The disqualification order will come into effect from September 30 when they were convicted by a special CBI court in Ranchi. While Mr. Prasad was sentenced to five years, Mr. Sharma was given a four-year jail term.

58.    Myanmar militant and parliamentary opposition leader who received Sakharov Prize on 22 October, 23 years after it was awarded by the European Parliament?
Aung San SuuKyi.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honor individuals or organisations who have dedicated their lives to the defense of human rights and freedom of thought.

59.    Which countries have signed an agreement on October 23, 2013 on border defence co-operation after a stand-off between their armies in disputed territory earlier this year?
India and China.

60.    Pope Francis has suspended a German bishop caught in a furor over a $42 million renovation to his residence that features lavish fixtures and artwork and a reported $20,000 bathtub. What is the name of that bishop?
Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (Bishop of Limburg)

61.    Former Italian Prime Minister who has reportedly been banned from holding public office for two years by a court, following his conviction for tax fraud?
Silvio Berlusconi.

62.    Which documentary won the Ram Bahadur Tamang Best Film Trophy at the 9th Film South Asia (FSA) festival in Kathmandu?
Algorithms.
The documentary tells the story of three visually impaired chess players, who compete at championships around the world. Directed by Ian MacDonald, it was completed in three years.

63.    Indian squash player who won he Macau Open title-2013 defeating former World number one Rachael Grinham of Australia ?
Dipika Pallikal.

64.    Name the galaxy discovered in October 2013 which is the oldest and most distant known galaxies at approximately 13.1 giga light-years from Earth?
z8_GND_5296.
The above galaxy has the highest redshift that has been confirmed through the Lyman-alpha emission line of hydrogen. The light reaching Earth from z8_GND_5296 shows its position over 13 billion years ago, having traveled a distance of over 13 billion light-years (13 gigalight-years).

65.    Playback singer who sang more than 3,500 songs in 16 languages, including Kannada, died on October 24, 2013?
Manna Dey.
He debuted in the film Tamanna in 1942, and went on to record more than 4000 songs from 1942 to 2013. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007. His peak period in Hindi playback singing is from 1953-1976.

66.    World Bank economist who derived Lorenzo’s Oil to treat his son, died on October 24, 2013?
Augusto Odone.
Lorenzo’s oil is 4 parts of glyceryl trioleate and 1 part glyceryl trierucate, which are the triacylglycerol forms of oleic acid and erucic acid and are prepared from olive oil and rapeseed oil. It is used in the investigational treatment of asymptomatic patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD is a rare and terrible disease. A faulty X-chromosome lets very-long-chain fatty acids accumulate, and cripple the body. They eat away at the myelin sheath which insulates the nervous system. The victims—mostly boys—become mute, deaf, blind and paralysed. Then they die, often by choking on their own saliva. ALD is incurable, and until it struck Lorenzo Odone.
The oil was formulated by Augusto and Michaela Odone after their son Lorenzo was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, at the age of five. The royalties received by Augusto were paid to the Myelin Project which he and Michaela founded to further research treatments for ALD and similar disorders. The Odones and their invention obtained widespread publicity in 1992 because of the film Lorenzo’s Oil.

67.    Which IPL team has been terminated by the BCCI after they defaulted on the payment of the franchise fee?
Pune Warriors India.

68.    Red Bull driver who won the Indian Grand Prix-2013?
Sebastian Vettel.
After winning the Indian Grand Prix, he becomes youngest to win four straight world drivers' championships. Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher the only other drivers to achieve the feat.

69.    Who is the current Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force?
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.
He previously served as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. He took over the command of the Indian Air Force from Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne.

70.    Facebook founder who was the highest paid CEO in 2012 with a corporate compensation package worth more than $2.278 billion, according to a survey by corporate governance firm GMI Ratings?
Mark Zuckerberg.
71.    Who has the world's longest mustache, 14 feet, according to the Guinness Book of World Records?
Ram Singh Chauhan (India).

72.    Champion swimmer who has been handed a two-year ban by National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel after testing positive for stimulant Methylhexaneamine during the All India Police Aquatics Championships in March, 2013?
ArjunMuralidharan.

73.    Who is the present Director of the Indian Museum?
Dr.B.Venugopal.
The Indian Museum is the largest museum situated in Chowringhee - Kolkata and has rare collections of antiques, amour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings. It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1814. The founder curator was Dr Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist. The museum was closed to the visitors due to massive restoration and upgradation from 1 September 2013 to 3 February 2014

74.    Who has been appointed as the Indian Ambassador to the UAE?
T.P. Seetharam.
Anurag Bhushan has been appointed the Consul- General of India in Dubai.
75.    Who has been posted as the Indian Ambassador to Switzerland?
M.K. Lokesh.

76.    Who has been selected as the world's most powerful person in 2013 by Forbes magazine?
Vladimir Putin (Russian President).
US president Barack Obama has been ousted from the number one spot on Forbes' list of most powerful people by Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

77.    The world's first Bitcoin ATM has opened in?
Vancouver, Canada.
Bitcoin ATM allows users to exchange their credits of the digital currency for cash and vice-versa.

78.    Who won the Player of the match award in the first ODI cricket match played between South Africa and Pakistan held in Sharja on October 30, 2013?
Wayne Parnell (South Africa).
He scored 56 runs and took 3 wickets.
Result: South Africa won by 1 run.

79.    Man of the match winners of two ODI cricket matches played between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Bangladesh in October 2013:
First ODI between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Mirpur on October 29, 2013:
Man of the Match: Rubel Hossain (Bangladesh). He took 6 wickets.
Result: Bangladesh won by 43 runs (D/L method).

Second ODI between New Zealand and Bangladesh held in Mirpur on October 31, 2013:
Man of the Match:  Sohag Gazi (Bangladesh). He took 3 wickets and scored 26 runs.
Result: Bangladesh won by 40 runs.

CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS –SEPTEMBER 2013

1.    Who is the new Vatican secretary of state?
Pietro Parolin.
The Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope, commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. The Secretariat of State performs all the political and diplomatic functions of the Holy See and the Vatican City.

2.    Which football club won the 2013 UEFA Super Cup beating Chelsea on penalties after extra time?
Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich became the first German team to win the UEFA Super Cup and it was also the first time the winner of the Super Cup was determined by a penalty shoot-out.
The 2013 UEFA Super Cup was the 38th UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match featured Bayern Munich, the winners of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, and Chelsea, the winners of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.

3.    Which team won the inaugural Indian Badminton League?
Hyderabad Hotshots.
Saina Nehwal-led Hyderabad Hotshots crowned themselves as the champions of the inaugural Indian Badminton League when they downed P V Sindhu –led Awadhe Warriors 3-1 in the finals.

4.    Name of the bill aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of India's 1.2 billion people which was signed into law on September 12, 2013?
The Indian National Food Security Act, 2013 (also Right to Food Act).
Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free meals. The bill has been highly controversial. It was introduced into India's parliament in December 2012, promulgated as a presidential ordinance in July 2013, and enacted into law in August 2013.

5.    Who has been appointed as chief coach of the Delhi Daredevils for the seventh season of the Indian Premier League (IPL-2014)?
Gary Kirsten.

6.    Man of the match winners of two test cricket series played between Zimbabwe and Pakistan held in Zimbabwe in September 2013:
First test cricket between Zimbabwe and Pakistan held in Harare from September 3-7, 2013:
Man of the match: Younis Khan (Pakistan). He scored unbeaten 200 runs in second innings.
Result: Pakistan won by 221 runs.
Second test cricket between Zimbabwe and Pakistan held in Harare from September 10-14, 2013:
Man of the match: Tendai Chatara (Zimbabwe). He took 5 wickets in second innings.
Result: Zimbabwe won by 24 runs.

7.    Who won the player of the series award in the two test cricket series played between Zimbabwe and Pakistan held in Zimbabwe in September 2013?
 Younis Khan (Pakistan).
Series 2-match series drew 1-1.

8.    The 2013 G-20 summit was held in?
Russia.
The 2013 G-20 Russia summit was the eighth meeting of the G-20 heads of government. The hosting venue was the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, 5–6 September 2013.

9.    Name of the Indian author, who wrote a bestselling memoir about life under the Taliban, has been shot by militants in Afghanistan?

Sushmita Banerjee.
Ms Banerjee wrote bestselling memoir “A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife” It was turned into a Bollywood film in 2003 called “Escape From the Taliban”.

10.    Who became the first Chinese player to reach the U.S. Open Semifinals?
Li Na.

11.Name the world's largest volcano spanning the size of the entire British Isles which has been discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean?
Tamu Massif.
The volcano, located 1,000 miles east of Japan and dubbed the Tamu Massif, is the largest on earth as well as one of the biggest within the solar system. The sprawling structure covers 119,000 square miles, rising around 2.2 miles above the bottom of the sea floor and delving 18 miles into the crust of the earth. The volcano, which is not believed to be active, consists of a vast single rounded dome in the shape of a shield which was believed to have been formed 144 million years ago when it last erupted.

12.Name the bill passed by Rajya Sabha on September 6, 2013 which will help extend pension cover to more citizens of the country through PFRDA's New Pension Scheme (NPS)?
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill. The main objective of the bill is to help extend pension cover to more citizens of the country through PFRDA's New Pension Scheme (NPS). Currently just 12 percent of the workforce in the country has any formal pension or social security plan.

13.    Who has been selected for the Padmaprabha award for the year 2013?
Vijayalakshmi. (Poet).
The award carries Rs.75,000 in cash, besides memento and citation.

14.    Adolf Hitler's most devoted bodyguard, and the last remaining witness to the Nazi leader's final hours, who died on September 5, 2013?

Rochus Misch.
He served as a courier, bodyguard and telephone operator for German leader Adolf Hitler from 1940 to 1945.

15.    Name the rocket carrying spacecraft launched by NASA on September 7, 2013 which is charged with studying the lunar atmosphere and dust?
LADEE.
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer(LADEE) is a NASA lunar exploration mission led by Ames Research Center in collaboration with Goddard Space Flight Center.

16.    Which cricketer won the "South Africa Cricketer of the Year-2013" and "Test Cricketer of the Year-2013" awards?
Hashim Amla.
Other Award Winners:
ODI Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers
T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Dale Steyn
SA Players' Player of the Year: AB de Villiers
SA Fans' Player of the Year: Hashim Amla
Delivery of the Year: Jacques Kallis (dismissed Ricky Ponting on day 1 of second Test match against Australia at Adelaide)
SA Newcomer of the Year: Kyle Abbott
Women's Cricketer of the Year: Marizanne Kapp.

17.    Who became the first woman Chief Information Commissioner of India?

Deepak Sandhu.
She is the former Chief Information Commissioner of the Central Information Commission of India. Sandhu became the first woman Chief Information Commissioner when she succeeded Satyananda Mishra on 5 September 2013.

18.    Which country won the 2013 SAFF Cup defeating India in the final?
Afghanistan.
South Asian Football Federation Championship commonly referred to as 2013 SAFF Championship, was the 10th SAFF Championship for men's national football teams organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament took place from 31 August to 11 September 2013, and was hosted by Nepal for the second time, with the previous being in 1997.It was the first time in history Afghanistan has won the tournament.

19.    Who is elected as the new chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI)?
K N Shanth Kumar.
Mahendra Mohan Gupta is elected as the Vice chairman of PTI. Shanth Kumar is the Editor of the leading Kannada daily "Prajavani" and Director of Printers (Mysore), publishers of "Deccan Herald", "Prajavani", "Sudha" and "Mayura" publications.  He succeeds R Lakshmipathy, publisher of Tamil daily "Dinamalar". Mahendra Mohan Gupta has been President of the INS and the Indian Languages Newspaper Association (ILNA) besides having been Chairman of United News of India (UNI).

20.     Liberian leader who was conferred the coveted Indira Gandhi peace prize-2013?

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Ellen is the 24th and current President of Liberia. She is the first democratically elected woman Head of State of any African country.   The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is the prestigious award accorded annually by India to individuals or organizations in recognition of creative efforts toward promoting international peace, development. The prize carries a cash award of 25 lakh Indian rupees and a citation.

21.    Which city will host the 2020 Summer Olympics?
Tokyo (Japan).
Tokyo was announced as the host city at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 7 September 2013. Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid were the three candidate cities. Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympic Games, and in 2020 will become the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice.

22.    Indian fast bowler who has been banned for life following his part in the Indian Premier League spot-fixing controversy?
Sreesanth.

23.    Which country joined the United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) which outlaws production and use of chemical weapons?
Syria.
Syria is the 190th country to join the convention. The six UN States are not signed the CWC are Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea and South Sudan. The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a multilateral treaty that bans chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a specified period of time.

24.     American Engineer and inventor of the noise reduction system known as Dolby NR who died on September 12, 2013?

Ray Milton Dolby.
He was the founder of Dolby Laboratories. He was also a billionaire. Dolby NR is the name given to a series of noise reduction systems developed by Dolby Laboratories for use in analog magnetic tape recording.

25.    Name the first human-made object to cross out of the Solar System and into interstellar space?
Voyager 1.
Voyager 1 is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977 to study the outer Solar System. At a distance of about 127.21 AU (1.903×1010 km) from the Earth as of 12 January 2014, it is the farthest man-made object from Earth.  On September 12, 2013, NASA announced that Voyager 1 had crossed the heliopause and entered interstellar space on August 25, 2012, making it the first man-made object to do so. The probe is expected to continue its mission until 2025, when it will be no longer supplied with enough power from its generators to operate any of its instruments.

26.    Which countries signed a groundbreaking deal on a framework to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons on September 14, 2013?
Russia and U.S.A.

27.    Name the new cheaper rocket which is successfully launched by Japan on September 14, 2013?
Epsilon.
Epsilon will be a cheaper and more efficient way of sending satellites into space. It is a follow-on project to the larger and more expensive M-V rocket which was retired in 2006.  It is designed to be capable of placing a 1.2 tonne payload into low earth orbit. The development aim is to reduce costs compared to the US$70 million launch cost of an M-V. The Epsilon costs US$38 million (£23m) per launch, which is half the cost of its predecessor.

28.    Who becomes the first Indian American and second Asian American to be chosen as Miss America?
Nina Davuluri.
She was crowned Miss America-2014. Davulrui is also the first to perform a Bollywood dance on the Miss America stage.

29.    Name the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) of India which was successfully test-fired for its full range of 5,000 km on September 15, 2013 from Wheeler Island, Odisha?
Agni-V.

30.    Bangladeshi Islamist leader and Politician of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who was tried, sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh?
Abdul Quader Molla.
He was convicted on five of six counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes at his trial at the Bangladeshi International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), on 5 February 2013. A member of the Al-Badar militia during the liberation war, Molla was convicted of killing 344 civilians and other crimes

31.Who has been elected president of International Olympic Committee (IOC)?
Thomas Bach (Germany).
He will replace Jacques Rogge of Belgium.

32.    Diana is a 2013 biographical drama film, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, about the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.  Name the British-Australian actress who plays the title role of Diana in that film?
Naomi Watts.
The screenplay of the film “Diana” is based on Kate Snell's 2001 book Diana: Her Last Love, and was written by Stephen Jeffreys.

33.    Pakistani schoolgirl and education rights campaigner who was jointly announced as the recipient of Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award presented at a ceremony on 17th September 2013 at the Mansion House, Dublin, Ireland?
Malala Yousafzai.

34.    Man of the match winners of Natwest ODI cricket series played between Australia and England held in England in September 2013:
First ODI cricket between Australia and England held in England on September 6, 2013: Match abandoned.

Second ODI cricket between Australia and England held in Manchester on September 8, 2013:
Man of the match:  Michael Clarke (Australia). He scored 105 runs.
Result: Australia won by 88 runs.
Third ODI cricket between Australia and England held in Birmingham on September 11, 2013: No result.

Fourth ODI cricket between Australia and England held in Cardiff on September 14, 2013:
Man of the match:   Jos Buttler (England). He scored unbeaten 65 runs.
Result: England won by 3 wickets.

Fifth ODI cricket between Australia and England held in Southampton on September 16, 2013:
Man of the match:   Shane Watson (Australia). He scored unbeaten 143 runs.
Result: Australia won by 49 runs.
Series Australia won the 5-match series 2-1.

35.Who won the Player of the series award in the Natwest ODI cricket series between Australia and England held in England in September 2013?
Michael Clarke (Australia).

36.    Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies of Rajasthan who resigned from the cabinet after being accused of raping a woman?
Babulal Nagar.

37.    Which football club won the 2013 Durand cup defeating ONGC in the final?
Mohammedan Sporting Club, Kolkata.
Mohammedan were appearing in their third final and whereas ONGC were appearing in their first final. Mohammedan wins Durand Cup by defeating ONGC 2-1.

38.     Japanese businessman who is credited with transforming Nintendo from a small hanafuda card-making company in Japan to a multi-billion dollar video game company, died on September 19, 2013?
Hiroshi Yamauchi.
                            Hanafuda are playing cards of Japanese origin that are used to play a number of games. The name literally translates as "flower cards." The name also refers to games played with those cards.
Nintendo Co., Ltd is a Japanese multinational consumer Electronics Company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Nintendo is the world's largest video game company by revenue.

39.    The former BCCI Secretary during whose tenure the match-fixing scandal broke out in 2000, died on September 19, 2013?
Jaywant Lele.

40.    The former world heavyweight boxing champion who was the second man to beat Muhammad Ali, breaking Ali's jaw and sending him to the hospital in their 1973 heavyweight fight, died on September 18, 2013?
Ken Norton.

41.    Executive Director (Commercial Vehicles), Tata Motors who has been unanimously elected as Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the year 2013-14?
Ravindra Pisharody.
M Venkatesh of HT Media has been elected as Deputy Chairman of the Bureau.
Hormuzd Masani  is appointed as the Secretary General of ABC.

42.    Which country bagged the first Asian School Track & Field trophy held in Malaysia?
Malaysia.
Malaysia became champions after bagging 12 gold medals, 14 silver and 10 bronze medals. Even though India obtained 12 gold medals, Malaysia attained the first position after getting more silver medals.

43.    Former secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and a former member of the CPC (Central Committee Political Bureau) who was sentenced to life imprisonment on Sunday for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power?
Bo Xilai.

44.    India’s female archer who won the silver medal in the Recurve Women Individual discipline at the Archery World Cup held in Paris?
Deepika Kumari.

45.    Egypt's oldest and most influential Islamist group which was banned in September after President Mohamed Morsi was toppled by the army following mass protests against his government on July?
The Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamic political organization which is considered a terrorist organization by both the Egyptian and Russian governments.

46.    The Indian wrestler who bagged Silver Medal in 55 Kg Free Style category in the 2013 Senior World Wrestling Championship being held at Budapest, Hungary on 16 September 2013?
Amit Kumar.

47.    Television drama which won the 'Outstanding Drama Series' prize at the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards?
"Breaking Bad”.
COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF EMMY AWARDS 2013:
Best Drama: 'Breaking Bad'
Best Comedy: 'Modern Family'
Best Miniseries or Movie: 'Behind the Candelabra'
Best Reality Competition: 'The Voice'
Best Actor in a Drama: Jeff Daniels, 'The Newsroom'
Best Actress in a Drama: Claire Danes, 'Homeland'
Best Actor in a Comedy: Jim Parsons, 'The Big Bang Theory'
Best Actress in a Comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 'Veep'
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Bobby Cannavale, 'Boardwalk Empire'
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Anna Gunn, 'Breaking Bad'
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Tony Hale, 'Veep'
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Meritt Wever, 'Nurse Jackie'
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie: Michael Douglas, 'Behind the Candelabra'
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, 'The Big C: Hereafter'
Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie: James Cromwell, 'American Horror Story: Asylum'
Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie: Ellen Burstyn, 'Political Animals'

48.     Who is re-elected as German chancellor for third term?
Angela Merkel.
Angela Merkel is a German politician and former research scientist, who has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2000. She is the first woman to hold either office.

49.    Who were declared winners of the prestigious ’Clinton Global Citizens Awards’-2013?
Bunker Roy (Indian environmentalist) and Malala Yousufzai (Pakistan’s teenage education activist).
Roy is the founder of the Barefoot College, which has been providing solutions to problems in rural communities for more than 40 years. As a result of Barefoot’s work, one million litres of rainwater have been harvested to provide clean drinking water to school children in more than 1,300 communities worldwide.  Yousafzai, who, after being shot by the Taliban less than a year ago for her outspoken support for girls’ education, has co-founded the Malala Fund to continue advocating for universal access to education.

50.     Former IPL chairman who has been banned by BCCI for life from holding any cricket post?
 Lalit Modi.
Modi was found guilty, among other things, of rigging bids during the franchise auction in 2010, selling media and internet rights without authorisation and secretly trying to create a rebel T20 league in England without the knowledge of the Indian and England boards.

51.    Three new islands emerged from the ocean offshore of a city of Pakistan, after a strong magnitude-7.7 earthquake shook the country on September 24, 2013. Name that city?
Gwadar.
The island near Gwadar is about 600 feet in diameter and has a height of about 30 feet. Moreover, gas was coming out of the island, which primarily consists of stones and soft mud. This island had already been witnessed 60 years ago after another large quake. Two other islands have come up along the Balochistan coast.

52.    UN-backed tribunal in The Hague has recently upheld the conviction of former Liberian president, who was sentenced to 50 years in jail last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in neighbouring Sierra Leone. What is the name of that former president of Liberia?
Charles Taylor.

53.    Which country won the eighth women’s Asia Cup hockey held in September 2013?
Japan.
Japan defeated defending champion Korea 2-1 in the final.

54.    Which country won the bronze medal in the eighth women’s Asia Cup hockey held in September 2013?
India.
Indian women defeated China via the penalty shootout to clinch the bronze medal.

55.    Who was crowned the winner of Miss World-2013?
 Megan Young. (Miss Philippines).
Miss World 2013, the 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on September 28, 2013 at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali, Indonesia. . Yu Wenxia of China PR crowned Megan Young of the Philippines as her successor at the end of the event. This is the first time the Philippines won the title of Miss World.

56.    Which countries signed the first commercial agreement on civilian nuclear power cooperation in September 2013?
India and U.S.A.

57.    Which team won the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2013 defeating Delhi in the final?
India Blue.
India Blue registered a comprehensive win by 50 runs over Delhi in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2013, at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

58.    Which pair won the Pan Pacific Open trophy Tennis title -2013?
Sania Mirza (India) and Cara Black (Zimbabwe).

59.    Which country won the Beach soccer World Cup beating Spain in the final?
Russia.

60.    Who was elected unopposed as the President of BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India)?
N Srinivasan.

61.    China Launches its First Free-Trade Zone (FTZ) in
Shanghai.
The Shanghai free-trade zone has been touted as China's most important attempt at economic reform since the establishment of the country’s first special economic zone in 1980 in Shenzhen.

62.    Name the world's biggest walking robot which was unleashed by electronics maker Zollner Elektronik AG in Zandt, Germany, in September, 2013?
Fanny.
Fanny is an 11-tonne fire-breathing dragon powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine with an incredible 140 horse power.

63.    Indian-American poet who has been selected for Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award-2013 for the collection of his debut poems?
Rafiq Kathwari.
He is the first non-Irish person to win the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award.

64.    Who has been appointed as the chairman of the National Cricket Academy?
    T C Mathew.