Selected Very Imp Current Affairs

India's first indigenous radar imaging satellite, which was launched by PSLV-C19 on April 26,2012

-RISAT-I

_______ The Eurozone finance ministers and the Ini * national Monetary Fund signed a deal on March 16 in Brussels to aid Cyprus with a bailout package worth

10 billion Euros

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has proposed that athletes found guilty of the serious doping felonies will be suspended for_______from 2015

4 years

The Union Budget 2013-14 has pegged the fiscal deficit for the current year at

5.2 per cent

India test-fired Agni-I missile from Wheeler island on July 12, 2012. The range of this missile is

700 km

India has been ranked_______out of 176 countries in Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perception Index (CPI)

94th

This noted Tamil scholar has been conferred the prestigious Saraswati Samman for his work Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalyum

A A Manavalan

The prestigious Saraswati Samman has been conferred on this Tamil writer

A A Manavalan*

This veteran actor passed away in Mumbai on Aug 26 after prolonged illness

A.K. Hangal

Scientists _______ and_______have been selected for the prestigious Aryabhatt Award for the years 2010 and 2011 respectively

AE Muthunayagam, VK Saraswat

SEBI recently allowed this instrument as valid address proof for investors

Aadhaar Card

This computer activist, who co-authored the now widely used RSS 1.0 specification at age 14, committed suicide recently

Aaron H Scwartz

India, on Sept 19, test-fired its nuclear-capable strategic missile_______, with a strike range of about 4,000 km from a test range, off the Odisha coast

Agni-IV

This 1976 batch IPS officer from Haryana cadre has been appointed as the new Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief

AlokJosh:

These two American airlines have confirmed their merger plans in a deal which would result in creation of second largest airline of the world in terms of revenue

American Airlines and US Airways

This California-based Indian-American has become only the third of the community to win Congressional Election in US

Ami Bera

This US major has won $1.051 billion in damages over Samsung as a US jury found the Korean company had copied critical features of the hugely popular iPhone and iPad

Apple Inc.

This 1977 batch IPS officer of Kerala has been appointed the New Director General of National Security Guard (NSG)

Arvind Ranjan

ISRO's first satellite, which was launched in the year 1975 was

Aryabhata

This company recently exported 100 'Falcon' buses to African country Ghana

Ashok Leyland

This State has become the first State in India to produce over 500 million kilogram tea for two years in a row

Assam

The awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in investments and services was finalised between India and ___ on Dec 20

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

US lawmakers have presented this democracy leader of Myanmar with Congress' highest civilian honour

Aung San Suu Kyi

Four strong batting partnerships, backed up with a combined bowling effort, saw this favourite team beat West Indies by a massive 114 runs to clinch their sixth ICC Women's World Cup crown at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Australia

This country has created the world's largest network of marine reserves, protecting more than 2.3 million square km of ocean environment

Australia

This country won its fifth consecutive Champions Trophy 2012, defeating Netherlands 2-1 in the final

Australia

This country's women players produced an impressive performance to edge out their English counterparts to win the Women's World Twenty20

Australia

These two PSUs have been granted the Maharatna status, providing them with better functional and financial freedom and also guarantying them with better valuation of the shares

BHEL and GAIL

The Parliamentary Award Committee has selected ___ and ___ for Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively

BJP leader Arun Jaitley, Congress MP Karan Singh andJD(U) MP Sharad Yadav

The new share index on environment sustainable stocks launched at the Bombay Stock Exchange

BSE Greenex

Political party Shiv Sena Supremo, who died on Nov 17 at the age of 86

Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray

India has signed an MoU for cooperation in the fields of health and medical sciences with this neighboring country that will include joint research in health and exchange of doctors and health professionals

Bangladesh

The man who is largely credited with building the world's first laptop computer way back in 1979, died recently

Bill Moggridge

Research In Motion, the company that makes Blackberry phone, has formally changed its name to

Blackberry

This iconic national security adviser of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away recently

Brajesh Mishra

India's first 1 MW Canal-top Solar Power Plant is located at

Chandrasan village near Mehsana

_______has become the first Indian to win a medal in Youth World Weightlifting Championships

Chandrika Tarafdar

World's highest and longest suspension bridge was officially opened to motorists in this country

China

Name of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) that was launched on August 5,2012 by NASA •

Curiosity

The US space agency NASA, on Aug 5, landed this huge new robot rover on Mars

Curiosity

The fifth euro zone country to apply for EU aid

Cyprus

_______has been appointed as the Chairman of Tata Sons, the firm that holds more than 100 billion dollar Tata Group, replacing Ratan Tata

Cyrus Pallonji Mistry

_______ has won the 100th Davis Cup 2012 finals, after defeating Spain by 3-2 in the finals

Czech Republic

_______ has been appointed as the Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India

DKJain

_______was presented with 20th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award

DR Mehta

Recipient of the Templeton Prize-2012 for his contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension

Dalai Lama

India's top archer, who won a silver in the recurve women's individual event in the World Cup, held at Hibiya Park in Tokyo recently

Deepika Kumari

Putting health over revenue, this State government has banned all gutka products

Delhi

A commemorative Postage Stamp on Silk Letter Movement was inaugurated recently. The Movement refers to

Deobandi leaders freedom struggle

_______the first doctor to perform kidney transplant successfully, died on Nov 26

Dr. Joseph Edward Murray

Boeing revolutionary plane, which has been grounded around the world over fear that its leaky batteries could cause fire on the aircraft

Dreamliner

These two gravity mapping satellites of NASA ended their successful mission to Moon by crashing on the rim of crater

Ebb and Flow

This grand old man of Indian theatre has been conferred France's highest cultural award for his contribution in nurturing and presenting modern theatre in India-

Ebrahim Alkazi

_______has been sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India

Justice Altamas Kabir

The newly appointed Governors of Goa, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand BV Wanchoo, Margaret Alva and Aziz Qureshi The Indian who has been elected as World Court Judge in International Court of Justice (1CJ)

Justice Dalveer Bhandari

_______, the ex-Defence Minister of India and former Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, died on Nov 15

K.C. Pant

The former head of General Motors in India, who has been appointed the Managing Director of Tata Motors

Karl Slym

This State could lead to zero-population growth rate in 25 to 30 years, according to its Urbanization Report

Kerala

The International Court of Arbitration has allowed India to go ahead with the construction of this hydro-electric project in Gurez valley in North Kashmir

Kishanganga Hydro-Electric Project

The youngest sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation of the world

LauraDekker

_______has been given two National Tourism Awards by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, recognizing the impact it has had in promoting India as a tourism destination

Life of Pi

This former President of Brazil has been awarded with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development

Luizlnacio Lula da Silva

The current chairman and managing director (CMD) of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India, who is all set to take over as CMD of National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC)

M.S. Rana

The Indian women who won Gold Medals at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship

MC Mary Kom and Sarita

This State Government has set up a Senior Citizen Commission to look into problems of the elderly in the State

Madhya Pradesh

This London-based Indian researcher has been honored with Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's 'Young Investigator Scholarship Award' at the 7th Annual Drug Discovery for Neurodegeneration Conference San Francisco

Mahaveer Golechha

_______on Feb 25 surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's record of highest individual Test score by an Indian captain en route his majestic 224 against Australia

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

This 15-year old schoolgirl from Pakistan, who was shot by Taliban for campaigning girls' education, was the recepient of France's Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom

Malala Yousafzai

Joyce Banda was sworn in as the President of_______following the death of Bingu Wa Mutharika

Malawi

India's first 'All Female" court has been inaugurated in

Malda (West Bengal)

_ became the 10th woman in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles after defeating Italy's Sara Errani in the French Open 2012.

Maria Sharapova

_______has been appointed new full-time President of Hockey Kerala

Mariamma Koshy

India has banned import of milk and milk products from China due to the presence of_______in them

Melanine

_______ became the first male swimmer to win the same event (men's 200 metres) at three successive Olympics

Michael Phelps

This 7 times world Champion Formula one driver from Germany has announced his retirement from Formula one Racing :

Michael Schumacher

_______has become Czech Republic's first directly elected President

Milos Zeman

Winner of the 2012 Miss World, who beat out 115 other contestants to win the title

Miss China Wenxia Yu

American astronaut and the first man to step on the moon, who died recently

Neil Armstrong

This centre-right DISY (the Democratic Rally) party leader has won the presidential elections of Cyprus with 57.5 percentvotes

Nicos Anastasiades

In the Union Budget 2013-14, Finance Minister announced the setting up of this fund for safety and security of the women in India, with the Government contributing Rs 1000 crore

Nirbhaya Fund

This film has won the Best Feature Film Award in the 60th National Film Awards

Paan Singh Tomar

The winner of Asia Cup cricket 2012, defeating Bangladesh in the final

Pakistan

_______has been re-elected as the President of All India Football Federation (AIFF)

Praful Patel

The new Director General of National Disaster Response Force and Civil Defence (NDRF &CD)

Prakash Mishra

This Indian leader- has been conferred with the Liberation War Honour Award by Bangladesh

Pranab Mukherjee

This renowned Oriya novelist has been selected for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011 for her contribution to the field of Indian literature

Pratibha Ray

India signed six agreements, including a pact on cooperation in oil and gas exploration, with this gulf country in April, 2012

Qatar

This country tops the list as the world's wealthiest country, according to the Forbes magazine

Qatar

The winner of 78th Ranji Trophy Championship

Rajasthan

This State Assembly recently passed a resolution to set up Legislative Council

Rajasthan

A new scheme to encourage new investors to put their money in the stock market was launched by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Feb 9. The scheme is named

Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme

This South African opening batsman scored the fastest hundred in T-20 internationals

Richard Levi

In the month of December 2012, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) pumped in more than . in the Indian stock market, which is the highest in 10 months timeline taking total FII inflow for the year 2012 to over $24 billion

Rs 24,000 crore

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been slapped a penalty of by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for being indulged in anti-competitive practices

Rs 52.24 crore

Union Budget 2013-14 has proposed to levy a surcharge of 10 percent on individuals whose annual taxable incomes exceeds

Rs I crore

This economic power joined World Trade Organization after 18 years of negotiation

Russia

Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as this Indo-French oceanographic study satellite were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket on Feb 25 from Sriharikota

SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 andAltika)

This former Indian Air Force chief and his three cousins, besides nine others and six companies have been named by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case it registered in the WIP chopper scam

SP Tyagi

This former Indian cricketer has been appointed the Chairman of the national selection committee

Sandeep Patil

This Red Bull driver of Germany has become the youngest triple champion in the history of Formula One championship

Sebastian Vet tel

The second Nuclear Security Summit was held in ___ on March 26-27,2012

Seoul

Winner of the women's singles of the US Open 2012

Serena Williams

This team won the 67th Santosh Trophy football tournament, defeating Kerala 4-3 in the final

Services

This Afghan human rights activist, ex-minister and burka opponent has won the Swedish Right Livelihood Award

Sima Samar

This city organized the 19th State Youth Festival from August 30 to September 1,2012

Sirsa, Haryana

The iconic Bengali actor, who has been chosen for the prestigious Dadasabeb Phalke Award 2011

Soumitra Chatterjee

_______ displayed Indian tri-color flag on the occasion of India's Independence Day and wished the country on board from International Space Station

Sunita Williams

_______has taken over as the leader of the House in Lok Sabha

Sushil Kumar Shinde

This player from New Zealand was adjudged Player of the Tournament in sixth ICC Women's World Cup

Suzie Bates

Justice_______has taken over as the Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) - the apex body constituted under The National Green Tribunal Act 2010

Swatanter Kumar

This 1977 batch IPS officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre has been appointed the new Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief

Syed Asif Ibrahim

This 1976 batch IAS officer of UP cadre and ex Civil Aviation Secretary has been appointed the new Election Commissioner of India

Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi

The world's tallest free-standing broadcast tower at a height of 643 m that has been erected in Japan

Tokyo Skytree

Hollywood director behind hits like Top Gun and Crimson Tide, who died after jumping off a Los Angeles bridge on Aug 18

Tony Scott

This former captain of England cricket team and renowned commentator died in Sydney on Dec 29 following lung cancer

TonyGreig

This Japanese architect has won the 2013 Pritzker Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of architecture

Toyo Ito

The first North-Eastern State to have HIT (Indian Institute of Information Technology)

Tripura

India has proposed forming a joint venture with this country to manufacture low-cost tablet Aakash' for supply to students in the CIS nation

Turkmenistan

According to International Energy Agency (IEA), this country would takeover Saudi Arabia as world's biggest oil producing nation by 2017

US

_______was named TIME's Person of the Year for 2012, for his historic win in the re-election

US President Barack Obama

This city in Rajasthan has installed the country's largest optical solar telescope, the Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST)

Udaipur

This Delhi boy captained the team that won the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup

Unmukt Chand

This consultant at the Boston Consulting Group has been appointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, replacing Subir Gokarn

Urjit Patel

_______and_______have won the IAAF World Athletes of the Year Award 2012 in the male and female category during the IAAF's 100th Anniversary Celebration

Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Allyson Felix (US)

In the Laureus World Sports Awards 2013, Sportsman/woman of the Year

Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis

_______ has won the Best Actress Award in the 60th National Film Awards

Usha Jadhav (for Marathi film Dhag)

The Chief Minister of this State has launched a free laptop scheme for intermediate pass studen s as promised in the party's manifesto during the 2012 assembly polls

Uttar Pradesh

This Indian state has occupied first rank in domestic tourist arrivals

Uttar Pradesh

The Indian who won silver medal in Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol shooting at the London Olympics 2012

Vijay Kumar

The two sportsmen who were conferred the country's highest sporting honour Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2012 .

Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt

The Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, who died of multiple organ failure in Chennai on Aug 14

Vilasrao Deshmukh

NASA scientists have spotted the youngest black hole yet in the Milky Way galaxy, which is just 1,000-years-old and only 26,000 light-years away from Earth. It has been named

W49B

The tax which has been introduced recently for vehicles entering Shimla from outside

Green Tax

In the year 2012, the world's largest arms importer was

India

This para-military force recently marked the 50th year of its raising -

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

157th country to adopt the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

Indonesia

This Indian IT major has acquired Lodestone Holding AG, a leading global management consultancy firm for an aggregate enterprise value of $349 million or Rs 1,930 crore in cash

Infosys

_______has taken over as the President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India for the year 2012-13

Jaideep Shah

This district of Odisha bagged the 5th JRD Tata Memorial Award-2011 for population, reproductive health and family planning program

Jajpur district

This city hosted the 4th Indo-Global Education Summit Hyderabad Government of India recently enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, covering the entire country, except this State

Jammu & Kashmir

This State residents will have to pay property tax for the first time

Jammu and Kashmir

Germany's 1997 Tour de France winner, who received 2-year ban for a blood doping offence

Jan Ullrich

The Government has merged these two social welfare schemes into one scheme, since both the have similar structure of benefits, premium and target group

Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) and Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY)

This country is going to set-up auto component and engineering park in Gujarat

Japan

_______ India has signed an Earths Pact with this country that will enable the latter to import the rare Earth minerals from India

Japan

_______ has become the first courltry to extract natural gas from frozen methane hydrate successfully

Japan

This inventor of bar code, which revolutionalised retail worldwide, died at 91 on Dec 8

Norman Woodland

This eminent Gandhian activist and mathematician passed away in Chandigarh on Sept 26

Prof BanwarHal Sharma

India's ace badminton player Saina Nehwal sign up a 40-crore deal with this sports management company, which made her the country's highest paid sportsperson outside cricket

Rhiti Sports Management

This area has been added to the list of World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Organization

Western Ghats

The grand old lady of Indian cinema, who turned 100 years recently

Zohra Sehgal

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on April 16, 2012,_______in dissection and other experiments in education and research institutions

banned the Use of Live Animals

China's first domestically produced automatic unmanned telescope named

has been installed in Antarctica recently AST3-1

This fourth-oldest university in the country, turns 125 on Sept 23.

Allahabad University

India has offered a $40 million soft loan to this mineral-rich country in eastern Africa, and signed a clutch of pacts in areas of rural development, education, and health and medicine to cement a burgeoning relationship

Burundi

The 17th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Conference would be held in 2015 at

Caracas, Venezuela

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India on Dec 24 to attend the _______ on invitation from the Indian PM Manmohan Singh

13th India-Russia Annual Summit

India dropped nine places to_______rank in the list of 179 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index 2013, which is the lowest since 2002

140th

According to the latest data, about ____ of people in India were below the poverty line in 2009-10 that was basd on the montly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) of Rs 673 for rural areas and rs 860 for urban areas

30%

India recently test-fired its nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile with a strike range of_______from Integrated Test Range's launch complex-III at Chandipur, Orissa as part of a user trial by the Army

350 km

The 'HUNGaMa' report from 112 districts over nine States in India says that_______of children are under-weight

42 %

Indian government has cleared the proposal of foreign direct investment (FDI) for_______in the multi-brand retail chains and _______in Aviation power exchanges industry

51 percent, 49 percent

The Supreme Court directs the Centre and State governments to provide basic infrastructure, including drinking water and toilets, in all schools within this time span

6 months

According to the RBI's latest Annual Report, household financial savings, as a percentage of GDP fell to_______in 2011-12 (This is the lowest since 1989-90)

7.8 per cent

Planning Commission has approved the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) document that proposes to lower annual average economic growth rate target during the period to

8.2 per cent

The new Somalian President, Hassan Sheik Mohamud, has named _______as prime minister, a political novice who is expected to lead the council of ministers for the next four years

Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid

_______has been named as the New Prime Minister of Somalia

Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid

The Indian Grand Master who won the 6th Kavala International Chess Tournament

Abhijeet Gupta

This Delhi based scientist has won the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award in Field Research and Application

Aditi Mukherjee

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi has taken over as the new Indian Navy chief. He is the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of Independent India and the 19th Indian to command the Indian Navy. He succeeded

Admiral Nirmal Verma

India, on April 19, 2012, successfully test fired its maiden Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), named

Agni-V

This operator became the first to launch 4G services in India

Airtel

This Indian actress has been appointed the new international Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, the joint UN programme on AIDS and HIV

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

This 1977 batch IPS officer of AGMU cadre has been appointed to head the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

Ajay Chadha

The youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

Akhilesh Yadav

_______has become the new Chairman of $15.4 billion business conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra, after Keshub Mahindra stepped down

Anand Mahindra

Britain's 76-year wait for a men's Grand Slam champion was finally over when _____ beat 2011 winner Novak Djokovic in an epic US Open final on Sept 10

Andy Murray

This Sri Lankan all-rounder cricketer has been appointed the Captain of the test and one-day cricket team of Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews

The cricketer who rang the closing bell at NASDAQ to commemorate India's 66th Independence Day

Anil Kumble

The Law Commission of India recently recommended the dilution of

Anti Dowry Law

Neil Armstrong commanded this spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20,1969

Apollo 11

Country which won the Women's Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament for the fifth time

Argentina

This film bagged the Best Picture award at the 85th Academy Awards

Argo

_______and_______won the Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) Award at the 70th Golden Globe Awards

Argo, Les Miserables

This American athlete has set a new world record of 12.80 seconds in the 110 metres hurdles

Aries Merritt

Justice_______took over as the new Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on Dec 14

Arun Kumar Mishra

This social cause activist and cartoonist was in the eye of storm recently when he was arrested for allegedly posting banners mocking the Indian Constitution during the Anna Hazare rally held in 2011 in Mumbai

Aseem Trivedi

Veteran cinematographer of Bollywood, who passed away in Mumbai on Aug 15

Ashok Mehta

This Indian physicist, who is working on string theory, has won the $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize

Ashoke Sen

_____ has been appointed as the next Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, after the -retirement of Hardeep Singh Puri

Asoke Kumar Mukerji

This European Football Club announced to set-up first official Football School in India

Barcelona Football Club

_______ was adjudged the Best Film at the 58th Filmfare Award 2013

Barfi

The UK government has granted permission to install the statue of this 12th century social reformer from Karnataka at the Albert embankment in London

Basaveshwara

The 8th Indo-Mongolia 10-day military training exercise was held in

Belgaum

Name the psychiatrist and balloonist, who took off on the world's first intercontinental flight in solar-powered plane

Bertrand Piccard

The first Indian to win an Oscar_______, has decided to return her award to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

Bhanu Athaiya

This giant of Indian domestic cricket, who came close to breaking Sir Don Bradman's first-class score in the Ranji Trophy, has passed away due to age related ailments

Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar

The Union Government has approved the setting up of Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) in this city at a cost of Rs 492 crore

Bhopal

India recently signed a Currency Swap Agreement for up to $100 million with this country to strengthen economic co-operation between both the countries

Bhutan

Georgian President _______ has conceded defeat in parliamentary polls that hands a shock victory to an opposition coalition led by billionaire tycoon ______

Bidzina Ivanishvili, Mikheil Saakashvili

As per the latest data, this State was the fastest growing State in India at 10.9 per cent growth rate between 2006 and 2010

Bihar

Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee athlete from South Africa, has been charged for allegedly shooting dead his girlfriend. Oscar Pistorius is known by his nickname

Blade Runner

Vishwanathan Anand defeated _____ to defend his World Chess Championship in 2012

Boris Gelfand

The Australian speedster, who retired from international cricket recently

Brett Lee

This West Indies batting great and. England's legendary woman player have been inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame

Brian Lara, Enid Bakewell

Astronomers have claimed that a rare supercomet called_______was moving towards the Sun from outer solar system and would outshine Moon in November2013

C/20I2SI (ISON)

The first PSU to set-up a model Adult Education Centre in Villages/Panchayats of India under the Sakshar Bharat Programme of HRD Ministry

CONCOR

Union minister and Rajasthan's senior Congress leader_______, who has been appointed the new Railway Minister

CP Joshi

This country has severed its diplomatic ties with Iran, citing Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's "among the worst" human rights record, its lack of respect for the Vienna conventions, and its nuclear program

Canada

_______has become the first Indian to win a medal in Youth World Weightlifting Championships, held at Kosice, Slovakia

Chandrika Tarafdar

This professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, US has been awarded the Gruber Cosmology Prize 2012

Charles L Bennett

On this river is the world's highest bridge being constructed in Jammu and Kashmir

Chenab

This Romanian film bagged the coveted Golden Bear Prize for best film at the 63rd Berlin film festival

Child's Pose

Country, which released world's highest resolution lunar images taken by its second moon orbiter, Chang'e-2

China

This country is the latest to join the USA and Russia to operate a satellite navigation system

China

This country marked 23rd anniversary of the military crackdown in Tiananmen Square

China

This country topped the medals tally by winning the highest number of medals in the recently concluded London Paralympic Games

China

_______, on Dec 26, inaugurated the world's longest high-speed rail route, covering a distance of 2298 km

China

The Chinese oil firm, which signed an agreement with India's ONGC to jointly explore oil and gas worldwide

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)

_______has been appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE)

Chitra Ramkrishna

This US ambassador to Libya was killed in a furious attack on their consulate in Benghazi, Libya, by Islamist gunmen blaming America for a film they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad

Christopher Stevens

India successfully test fired nuclear capable_______Missile, the naval version of short-range ballistic missile, Prithvi from a warship off Odisha coast on Oct 5

Dhanush

This NRI education pioneer, known for his innovative 'hole-in-the-wall' experiment to give computer education to slum children, has been awarded with the prestigious $1 million TED Prize

Dr Sugata Mitra

Father of India's White Revolution, which transformed India from a milk-deficient country to world's largest milk producer, who died recently

Dr Verghese Kurien

This Metro made an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest driverless metro network in the world (74.695 km)

Dubai Metro

India's Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie-Mattek Sands won this tennis championship on Feb 23,2013

Dubai Tennis Championship

This Latin American country has granted WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange a political asylum

Ecuador

India has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration with this country

Egypt

The 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development Award has been conferred to this renowned women social worker

Ela Ramesh Bhatt

Liberian President and Nobel laureate_______ has been awarded the 2012 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, for being an inspiration to women and ensuring return of peace and democracy in her country

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice, who was sworn-in as Supreme Court Judge recently

FM Ibrahim Kalifullah

The new feature that Facebook is set to launch, which will allow advertisers to participate in real-time bidding to show ads on its website

Facebook Exchange

The first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station (ISS)

Falcon 9 Rocket

The people of this place have vote overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a British oversees territory in a referendum designed to send a strong message to Argentina

Falkland Island

After a long association with Yale University, this noted Indian-American writer and journalist has resigned from its governing body to focus on journalistic career

Fareed Zakaria

The oldest Marathon runner in the world, who ended his participation in full Marathon recently

Fauja Singh

The first woman who led the Indian Air Force contingent at the Republic Day parade

Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat

This company has been allowed by the Union Cabinet to sign a gas purchase agreement with Turkmenistan national oil firm

GAIL

India's recently launched this advanced communication satellite that would augment telecommunication, direct-to-home broadcasting and radio navigation services

GSAT-10

This Indian golfer ended a 32-month winless streak to clinch his third Asian Tour title at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship

Gaganjeet Bhullar

The film produced by the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) that won the award in the Generation K Plus category at the Berlin Film Festival

Gattu

The first Indian female wrestler to have qualified for the London Olympics 2012

GeetaPhogat

India has decided to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development with this country

Germany

Italy's President_______has dissolved the Parliament following the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti on Dec 21

Giorgio Napolitano

This Australian pace legend has been recently inducted as the 68th male member of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

Glenn McGrath

Environment Ministry has suspended the Environment Clearances (EC) to the 93 mining leases in this State after a report by MB Shah Commission

Goa

Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has confirmed the use of this technology during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, to be organised in Brazil

Goal-Line Technology

The Union Government on April 12, 2012, approved a proposal to set-up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for

Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)

Moortidevi Award for 2010 has been awarded to this eminent Urdu scholar

Gopi Chand Narang

Pakistan government has honoured this Indian author with Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the third highest civilian honour given by the nation

Gopi Chand Narang

This Economics professor has taken over the charge of new vice chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

Gopinath Pradhan

Twin Lunar Probes launched by NASA to study moon's inner core and to understand the origin of planets recently

Grail-A and Grail-B

The name of the Europe's largest solar telescope, which opened recently in Spain's Canary Islands

Gregar Telescope

This university signed an MoU with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to establish a Hindi Chair in South China

Guang Dong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS)

This State university has made mandatory for all the students to undergo Thalassemia test

Gujarat University

Pakistan has transferred operational control of this port from Singapore's PSA International to Chinese Overseas Port Holdings Ltd (Pakistan' decision to hand over Gwadar port to China is a serious concern for India. It can be an attempt by China to encircle India. In addition to funding ports in Sri Lanka, China has also plans to build a port in Bangladesh)

Gwadar Port

_______ has been re-elected the 14th Vice President of India, only the second to be re-elected after Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Hamid Ansari

This leading industrialist and Padma Bhushan awardee (in 2003), who was involved with JK organisation since 1951, died recently

Hari Shankar Singhania

The 26/11 Mumbai terror survivor who was selected as a flag bearer at the London Olympics

Harnish Patel

The cricket umpire, who received the 'Office of the Order of the British Empire' recently

Harold 'Dickie' Bird

Pakistan, on April 25, 2012, test-fired this nuclear capable ballistic missile

Hatf-IV

This famous Bollywood actress and Bharatanatyam exponent has been selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman-2012, for her outstanding contribution to the field of art and culture

Hema Malini

Egypt's newly-elected President Mohamed Mursi has appointed _______, his irrigation minister, as the head of his new government

Hisham Kandil

This bird was declared as the 'State Bird' by the Delhi Government

House Sparrow

This book, written by Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze, says that nearly 4 million people die every year in India from malnutrition

Hunger and Public Action

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has cleared Rs10,000 crore investment proposal of this Swedish furniture major to set up retail stores in India

IKEA

_______, the 13th Prime Minister of India, died recently

Inder Kumar Gujral

This country has won the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi Tournament for the third consecutive time in the Men's category and second consecutive time in the Women's category

India

_______ defeated hosts and defending champion Australia to win ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup for the third time

India

India recently declined to sell nuclear technology to these three countries

Iran, Iraq and Libya

This country signed a gas deal with Pakistani energy company to explore for natural gas

Iraq

_______ has won have won the Best Actor Awards in the 60th National Film Awards

Irrfan Khan (for Paan Singh Tomar) and Vikram Gokhale (for Marathi film Anumati)

Union Government has constituted a three-member Commission, headed by the Former Chief Justice of India_______for reviewing the laws in existence and the lapses of the police to suggest measures for ensuring safety of women in Delhi as well as across the nation

J.S. Verma

The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) has cleared the proposal of the Power Ministry to set up the North Karanpura SuperThermal Power Plant (NKSTPP) (3 x 660 MW) in this State

Jharkhand

This State is planning to amend Factory Act, 1948 to prevent health hazards to stone crushers

Jharkhand

King of Bhutan,_______was the Chief Guest for the Republic Day Parade 2013

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

_______ was sworn-in as Brazil's Supreme Court's first non-White President on Nov 23

Joaquim Barbosa

Editor of Deccan Herald, who has been elected president of The Indian Newspaper Society for 2012-13, succeeding Ashish Bagga of India Today

K.N. Tilak Kumar

This former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, aged 81, died in Raipur on Sept 15 after suffering a heart attack

KS Sudarshan

ISRO recently gave clearance for using this frequency band from satellite for internet on trains

KU band

The man who founded Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd (DRL), the second-largest drugmaker of India, died recently

Kallam Anji Reddy

_____ has been appointed as the chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi, the fine art institution of Government of India

Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty

This Indian has been appointed the chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank

Kaushik Basu

The language has been withdrawn from UNESCO's Atlas of the world's languages in danger and now is considered as 'safe'

Khasi Language of Meghalaya

The former UN Secretary-General, who has stepped down as the UN special envoy to Syria, after the UN Security Council members failed to take a united stand on the bitter violence in Syria

Kofi Annan

This Indian is among the six winners of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for the year 2012

Kulandei Francis

In the ICC Awards-2012, this Sri Lankan cricketer was the recipient of Cricketer of the Year Award, Test Cricketer of the Year Award and People's Choice Award

Kumar Sangakkara

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has banned this record seven Tour de France titles winner

Lance Armstrong

This legendary hockey player, who was part of the team that won three Olympic Gold Medals in 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Olympics and 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died after a prolonged illness on Dec 20

Leslie Claudius

In a reflection of China's increasing maritime ambitions, the country recently commissioned its first aircraft carrier named

Liaoning

_______has been appointed the Director General of Assam Rifles, the major counter-insurgency force in the northeast

Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh

_______ is the third national stock exchange of India after BombayStock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange

MCX-SX

The Reserve Bank of India has made it mandatory for all banks to print the_______on the passbook and statement of account of the customers

MICR and IFS Code

The legendary violinist, known for his mastery of both the Carnatic 'and Hindustani systems of classical music, who died recently

MS Gopalakrishnan

Taiwan's incumbent President, who has won a second term in office, promising to further improve ties with neighbouring China

Ma Ying-jeou

This scam-hit bank's license was cancelled by Reserve Bank of India recently

Madhepura Mercantile Cooperative Bank (MMCB)

This State has been awarded United Nations Public Service Award for showing remarkable improvement in providing public service to the residents of state

Madhya Pradesh

This team lifted the overall Trophy in the 52nd National Open Athletics Championships, held at Chennai recently Railways This team won the Ryder Cup golf tournament defeating United States in the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history Europe This State stood first in achieving 18% agriculture growth rate during the year 2011-12

Madhya Pradesh

Thi State Government has decided to implement the National Mission on Food Processing which is directed to enhance the standard of small food processing units in the State

Maharashtra

This country has cancelled its biggest foreign investment project with Indian firm GMR Group to develop its international airport

Maldives

Rebel troops in _______ousted its President Amadou Toumani on March 22,2012

Mali

The recently released 'HUNGaMa' report deals with in India

Malnutrition

As per UN General Assembly resolution, this day will now be celebrated as International Happiness Day

March 20

The South African wicketkeeper, who had to retire from international cricket following an eye injury

Mark Boucher

The former England batsman, who quit all forms of cricket recently

Mark Ramprakash

INS Sahyadri joined the Indian Navy on July 21, 2012. This warship is built at

Mazgaon Dock Limited

_______has topped the Forbes magazine's list of the world's 100 most powerful women for a second successive year German Chancellor Angella Market The Ethiopian Prime Minister, who passed away on August 20 following prolonged illness

Meles Zenavi

Ethiopian Prime Minister, who died recently

Meles Zenawi

An international treaty that legally binds the nation to limit the use of this health hazardous natural element was adopted by 140 nations in January 2013 at Geneva (Switzerland)

Mercury

The NASA spacecraft, which has discovered ice inside ths shadowed craters of Mercury

Messenger

This Australian veteran cricketer, admirably called 'Mr Cricket' has announced hi retirement from international cricket

Michael Hussey

Egyptian President _______ on Dec 25 signed into law a new Islamist-drafted constitution which will help end political disorder and allow him to focus on fixing the weak economy

Mohamed Morsi

This former President of the Maldives sought refuge at the Indian High Commission in Male recently

Mohamed Nasheed

_______ has been appointed as the Solicitor General of India after the resignation of senior advocate Rohinton Nariman

Mohan Parasaran

This I-League football club has been slapped with a two-year suspension by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for abandoning their violence-marred I-League match against East Bengal

Mohun Bagan

Reserve Bank of India has given an in-principle approval to this American bank to enter the commercial banking space in India

Morgan Stanley

Libya's national congress has picked_______, the US-trained optical engineer, as the new Prime Minister

Mustafa Abu Shagour

The concept introduced by Indian Postal Department (Bihar Postal Circle) to get a personalized stamp with photograph on it

My Stamp

This Asian country recently ended media censorship after a big gap of 48 years

Myanmar

This Indian city became the 8th Sister City of Cincinnati, USA

Mysore

This long-delayed anti-tank missile's project of the DRDO has suffered yet another setback as its user trials held recently failed

Nag

_______ has become the first woman to become the President of FICCI, the leading industry body

Naina Lai Kidwai

_______ has been sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the fourth consecutive term

Narendra Modi

The power station in India which created a record of generating 6,975 million units of gross electricity during the three quarters of financial year 2011-2012

Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station

These two Pakistani banks would open branches in India in near future

National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank Ltd.

In order to boost the horticulture development in India, Union Government has approved to set-up

National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD)

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the disinvestment of 9.5 percent Government Stake from its holding of 84.50 percent in this Maharatna PSU)

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)

Europe's first Cyber Crime Centre has been opened in

Netherlands

The fourth BRICS Summit was recently held in

New Delhi

Mount Tongariro recently erupted for the first time in a century. This volcano is in

New Zealand

_______ has been sworn in as Venezuela's acting president, after the dealth of Hugo Chavez

Nicolas Maduro

Ministry of Rural Development recently started a campaign named _______which focuses on making the country free from open defecation

Nirmal Bharat Yatra

_______, the first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, who passed away on Dec 12

Nityanand Swami

The first South African female, who has been elected as African Union Commission head

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

The RBI on March 26, 2012 restructured the Fair Practices Code (FPC) to be adopted by _______while doing lending business

Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs)

The retired US General, who led the US Forces for a Victory in the first Gulf War in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, died at Florida on Dec 27

Norman Schwarzkopf

This Asian country launched a long-range rocket Unha-3 on Dec 12, despite international opposition and growing tensions in the region

North Korea

This country has sparked alarm around the world by testing a nuclear bomb, in a striking act of defiance to global powers including its sole patron China

North Korea

Tennis player who was awarded with Karadjordjeva Star medal, the highest honour in Serbia

Novak Djokovic

NTPC is going to invest Rs 25,000 crore in two projects of 1600 MW in this State

Odisha

This State has been selected as a pilot State for launching e-Biz (Government to Business) project

Odisha

World Bank has appointed replacing Roberto Zagha as the Country Director for India,

Onno Ruhl

_______is the Chairman of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on telecom

P. Chidambaram

This Congress leader _______ has been unanimously elected the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, replacing Karnataka MP K. Rahman Khan

P.J. Kurien

_______has become the Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu

P.R. Vasudeva Rao

The Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed_______as the Director General, National Disaster Response Force & Civil Defence (NDRF & CD)

PM. Nair

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted its 100th space mission on Sept 9, when it launched

PSLV-C21

Reserve Bank on India on Aug 7 permitted Indians to invest in this neighboring country, a move which will help enhance bilateral trade and investment

Pakistan

The personality, known as 'Father of Hindi' in South Africa, who was honoured by India at the World Hindi Conference by unveiling his bronze statue

Pandit Nardevji Vedalankar

This renowned Indian sitarist and Bharat Ratna recipient passed away in San Diego city of California on Dec 11

Pandit Ravi Shankar

This sitar legend has been honoured with the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award

Pandit Ravi Shankar

Vanya Mishra from Chandigarh was crowned as_______on March 20, 2012

Pantaloon's Femina Miss India World 2012

She has been sworn-in as the first woman President of South Korea

Park Geun-hye

_______has been elected as the first women President of South Korea

Park Geun-hye

has become the first Indian FMCG brand to cross Rs 5,000 crore mark in terms of retail sales in one year

Parle-G

This ace Indian shuttler clinched the Syed Modi Indian Grand Prix badminton tournament on Dec 23,2012

Parupalli Kashyap

This filmmaker Satyajit Ray's 1955 classic has featured in the 50 greatest films of all time list, in the Sight & Sound poll

Pather Panchali

This career diplomat has been appointed as Australia's next High Commissioner to India

Patrick Suckling

left behind Airtel in the race to win Indian Premier League (IPL) title sponsorship for Rs 396 crore, which is approximately double of the previous right holders- DLF

PepsiCo

The Russian craft on a mission to probe the Martian moon Phobos, which fell in Pacific Ocean

Phobos-Grunt

Northern Railway made history on Dec 28,2012 as the first train ran through India's longest railway tunnel in the mountain range connecting Kashmir Valley to Banihal town on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway

Pir Panjal

These two diseases have been identified as top killers around the world by the UNICEF

Pneumonia and Diarrhoea

The material used by Israeli scientists to develop strong plastic to replace steel and other materials used in pipelines and machinery

Polypropylene

The Union Finance Ministry has appointed this 1975 batch IRS officer as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

Poonam Kishore Saxena

_______ has announced his resignation on health grounds, becoming the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years

Pope Benedict XVI

India, on Dec 20, successfully test-fired this indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface missile, with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore, Orissa

Prithvi-ll

This former Chairman of ISRO has been honored by the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) by inducting him as a member of the highly prestigious "Satellite Hall of Fame"

Prof. UR Rao

_______ has been appointed Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC)

Prof. Ved Prakash

The biggest door-to-door campaign to detect cancer at early stage was recently launched by this State government

Punjab Government

These two Indian public sector banks would open branches in Pakistan in near future

Punjab National Bank and Bank of India

The multifaceted personality (a poet, an author and a painter) whose 150th birth anniversary was celebrated on May 8, 2012

Rabindranath Tagore

This former IMF chief economist has taken charge as Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) in the Finance Ministry

Raghuram G Rajan

_______has been appointed as Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry Department of India

Raghuram Rajan

This senior IPS officer has been appointed as Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau

Rajiv Mehta

_______was appointed as the head of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards Committee for 2012

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

_______has been appointed as the 55th President of Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI), for the year 2012-13

Rakesh Singh

India first vulture sanctuary is

Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary

_______ and_______won the Best Actor and Best Actress Award at the 58th Filmfare Award 2013

Ranbir Kapoor (Barfi), Vidya Balan (Kahaani)

_______ beat Delhi Waveriders 2-1 to win the inaugural Hockey India League (HIL)

Ranchi Rhinos

This former Chief Justice of India, who was undergoing treatment for a neurological disorder, died recently

Ranganath Misra

This 1974 batch IPS officer of the Bihar Cadre has been appointed as new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

Ranjit Sinha

Union government has approved selling of 12.5 percent stake in this Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), the 11th PSU which is approved for the action

Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF)

World Bank and Government of India have signed a loan agreement of $500 million for Secondary Education Project named

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)

This former head of Tata Group has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award 2012 by Ernst & Young, for displaying great role for the Indian businessmen on global business level

Ratan Tata

This team has won Irani Trophy-2012, defeating Ranji champions Rajasthan by a comprehensive innings and 79 runs

Rest of India

This Nobel Prize winning Italian neuroscientist, who began her seminal research on cell development while dodging bombs and fleeing Nazi persecution during World war II. died recently

Rita Levi-Montalcini

This legendry Dutch coach has been appointed as High Performance Director by Hockey India to oversee the affairs of its senior and juniornational teams

Roelant Oltmans

US President Barack Obama has appointed this Indian American founder of several software and IT companies, on board of trustees of the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts

Romesh Wadhwani

The first woman to head Basketball Federation of India

Roopam Sharma

This country has announced plan to close one-third of the nation's 23 rare earth mines and about half of 99 smelting companies China This Jamaican sprinter has become the first person to win the 100m and 200m events in back-to-back Olympic Games Usain Bolt This US Golfer has won the 2012 US PGA Championship

RoryMcllroy

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a_______package on debt restructuring for the state-electricity boards

Rs 1.90 lakh crore

As per the latest report,_______has displaced Nokia to become the world's leading mobile brand for the year 2012

Samsung

Rajya Sabha, on Feb 25, approved this Bill that seeks protection for women in all type of organised, unorganized as well as private sector, including the sexual harassment of domestic help as well as agricultural workers

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill

Union Minister of Communications & IT recently inaugurated the First All Women Employees Post Office of India at

Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi

The Indian-American who was awarded with most powerful woman at the California Awards

Shefali Razdan Duggal

Name the China's space mission, the crew of which included its first woman astronaut, Liu Yang

Shenzhou-9

This Erhirati poet and translator has become the first Emirati and Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize

Shihab Ghanem

This conservative leader has been elected as the Prime Minister of Japan by lower house of the Parliament on Dec 26

Shinzo Abe

This top luge athlete of India has won the gold medal for second time successively and set the Asian record of 49.590 seconds in the Asian Championship

Shiva Keshavan

This country recently hosted the first World Hindi Conference

SouthAfrica

First Indian who has been appointed as Dean of an American Business School

Srilata Zaheer

_______was honoured with a posthumous Grammy Award for his contributions to the music industry in area other than performance

Steve Jobs

This 1976 batch IPS officer from Uttrakhand cadre has been appointed the new chief of Border Security Force (BSF)

Subhash Joshi

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has appointed _______ as its new President

Subodh Kumar Agrawal

This Arab country has issued an official decree banning the import of eggs and chicken from India

Sultanate of Oman

This Indian-origin judge has been named as the new Chief Justice of Singapore, making him the first from the community to head the court

Sundaresh Menon

This former Captain and legendary opener of Indian Cricket Team has been conferred with BCCI's prestigious Col. CKNayudu Lifetime Achievement Award

Sunil Gavaskar

This Indian-American astronaut has taken over the command of the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the second woman in history to do so

Sunita Williams

The awardee among others of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for the year 2012 are

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Bangladesh

This former LIC chief has taken over as the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA),succeeding J. Hari Narayan

T.S. Vijayan

This State will introduce a Bill to protect heritage buildings which are not protected by the Archaeological Survey of India or the State Archaeological Department

Tamil Nadu

This Atomic Power Station contributes around 33 per cent of the total atomic power generated in India

Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS)

The Central Criminal Court of Iraq has convicted fugitive Iraqi vice president_______in absentia for his involvement in the murder of two people and sentences him to death

Tariq al-Hashimi

The Zimbabwean wicketkeeper-batsman, who announced his retirement as he set his focus on working for the church

Tatenda Taibu

This film bagged the maximum awards at the 85th Academy Awards (The Oscars 2013)

The Life of Pi

This international automobile giant will invest Rs 2000 crore in India over the next couple of years to expand its truck, bus and construction equipment business

Volvo

Miss China_______was crowned Miss World 2012 on Aug 18, 2012

Wen Xia Yu

This team has won the fourth edition of ICC Twenty-20 World Cup, defeating Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the finals

West Indies

The International Olympic Committee has dropped this sport from the Olympic games in 2020 (While it will be included at the 2016 < Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, it has been omitted from the 2020 Games)

Wrestling

The Communist Party of China's new leader was formally appointed as China's President on Mar 14

Xi Jinping

Chairman of the 14th Finance Commission that will devise a formula for sharing of taxes and grants between the Centre and the States for a 5 year period from April 1,2015

YV Reddy

Bharti Softbank has entered into partnership with this company to develop a mobile internet portal to offer service in India

Yahoo Japan

Arvind Kejriwal has named his newly formed Political Party as

after two months of its split from Anna Hazare and his movement of India Against Corruption AamAdmi Party

South Sudan has appointed

as its first ambassador to the United Nations Francis Deng

The Nobel Peace Prize 2012 has been awarded to

for the efforts in promotion of peace as well as human rights European Union (EU)

"God of Cricket"

has announced his retirement from One Day Cricket, which put an end to his 23- year long glorious career Sachin Tendulkar

A medicinal plant garden has been set up at_______to commemorate 150 years of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Tirumukkudal, near Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)

President Pranab Mukherjee on Dec 27 declared open the 4th World Telugu Conference in this temple town of Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati

Scientists from NASA have spotted the longest extra-terrestrial river system ever on Saturn's moon _______, which appears to be a miniature version of Earth's Nile River

Titan

Name of the strongest ever tropical cyclone which hit Philippines recently

Typhoon Bopha

India recently signed an MoU with this European power to strengthen their cooperation in Earth Sciences and environmental research

UK

This State government has launched the 'Samajwadi Swasthya Seva', the biggest emergency medical transport service in the country

Uttar Pradesh

_______Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 suspense thriller, which has been named as the greatest film of all time in a poll by the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine

Vertigo

This Indian business person is among the 27 global leaders, who have been appointed by the United Nations to eliminate malnutrition

Vinita Bali

United Nations has given_______, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, a second term as the designation of Chairman of UN Panel of External Auditors for 2013

Vinod Rai

This talented Indian batsman was adjudged ODI Cricketer of the Year in the ICC Awards-2012

Virat Kohli

This former Union Minister of India and Veteran Congress leader has been sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Himachal for a record sixth term

Virbhadra Singh

The 16th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Conference was held in Sept 2012 at

Vladivostok, Russia