World affair

1.    Congress President Sonia Gandhi ranks 9th on the Forbes 2010 list of the ''World''s Most Powerful People. Manmohan Singh comes in at number 18. India''s business tycoons Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata and head of ArcelorMittal, Lakshmi Mittal also make the list.

2.    The Qatar-based and state-owned broadcast network which is all set to launch its English news channel in India over the next three or four weeks? Al Jazeera.

3.     Who won the Player of the series award in the three Test Cricket series between India and New Zealand held in India on November 2010? Harbhajan Singh (India).

4.     Which country has decided to open its Consulate at Bali to strengthen its commercial ties with Indonesia? India.

5.    Name of the world's most active and dangerous volcano which erupted with renewed ferocity in Indonesia on 05-11-2010 killing more than 100 peoples? Mount Merapi.
Mount Merapi is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. The name Merapi could be loosely translated as 'Mountain of Fire'.

6.    Which country has closed its airspace for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country's national flag carrier, for failing to get the required renewal of permission in time? Russia. Pakistan also imposed ban on Russian aircraft flying from Pakistani airports on November 30,2010 .The decision was taken following the crash of the ill-fated Russian cargo plane close to Karachi Airport just minutes after take-off that left 12 people dead including eight Russians on board.

7.    Name of the woman who believed to be the world’s oldest person died at the age of 114 in the French Caribbean island of St. Barts? Eugenie Blanchard.
She at the age of 114 years, 261 days was the oldest living person at the time of her death. She became the recognised titleholder upon the death of Japanese super centenarian Kama Chinen on 2 May 2010.

8.    Employees of which broadcaster conducted two-day strike over pension changes that has caused widespread disruption to the broadcaster's programmes?         BBC. (British Broadcasting Corporation).

9.     Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously designed and developed aircraft jet engine during the Flying Test Bed (FTB) Trials at Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI), Moscow, Russia on November 4,2010. Name of that Engine? GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri. (Kaveri Engine).An indigenous Indian design, the Kaveri was intended to power production models of the HAL Tejas fighter, originally called the "Light Combat Aircraft" (LCA), but it was officially de-linked from HAL Tejas program in September, 2008. Kaveri Engine is an afterburning turbofan being developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a lab under the DRDO in Bangalore, India.
N.B: Turbofan is a type of aircraft jet engine based around a gas turbine engine.

10. Which country has imposed sanctions on Pakistan-based terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) on November 4, 2010? U.S.A.

11. Which country has been ranked at 119th position on the Human Development Index? India.
The Human Development Index which measures a country’s progress in development of its economy, people and other aspects. Among the 169 countries, Norway, Australia and New Zealand were at the top position. Meanwhile, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe were at the bottom of the list.

12. Which country has recently signed $10 billion (nearly Rs.44, 000 crore) worth deals with U.S.A for creating more than 50,000 jobs back in the U.S? India.

13. Former Chief Minister of West Bengal who died recently at his south Kolkata residence after a prolonged illness? Siddhartha Shankar Ray.
He was Education Minister of Government of India during 1967-1972. He was also the ambassador of India to the United States of America. He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1972 to 1977.

14. Name of the Indian who has been elected as member of Advisory Committee on Budgetary and Administrative Questions (ACABQ) - an affiliated body of U.N. General Assembly? Ms.Namgya C Khampa. (Representing India from the Asian region)

15. ACABQ, the 16-member advisory body, plays a crucial role in keeping the UN's financial house in order, including supervision of its overall budget of 22 billion dollar. Besides India, Japan and China were also elected from the Asian region's three open seats. Pakistan contested from the Asian region but could not make it.

Name of the Indian who has been elected as member Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) - an affiliated body of U.N. General Assembly?   Vinod Rai (Represents India from the Asian group).IAAC recommended by acclamation the three-year appointment of Mr. Rai (from the Asian group); Vadim Vadimovich Dubinkin of Russia (from the Eastern Europe group); Adrian Patrick Strachan of Jamaica (from the Latin America-Caribbean group).Their terms of office begin on January 1, 2011.IAAC of the United Nations is established as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly to serve in an expert advisory capacity and to assist the General Assembly in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities.

16.  In which country world's tallest statue of Jesus unveiled on November 21, 2010? Poland. The statue of Jesus stands at 36 metres (118 feet) is located in Swiebodzin, western Poland.

17. Wicket Keeper of Pakistan Cricket Team who has retired from international cricket and sought political asylum in Britain amid alleged threats from match-fixers? Zulqarnain Haider. Haider left the Pakistan team in Dubai and flew to London after claiming he had been offered money to lose matches against South Africa.

18.  British Royal family has created a profile on a social networking site on Nov 8, 2010. Which is that social networking site? Face book

19. Chief Minister of Maharashtra who resigned on November 9,2010from his post following Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam? Ashok Chavan.

20. Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) who resigned in the wake of allegations of corruption in Commonwealth Games? Suresh Kalmadi.

21. Who became the first enlisted Sikh soldier to complete basic training in US Army since 1984 while maintaining his turban and unshorn hair?  Simran Preet Singh Lamba.

22. Who has been named the brand ambassador for the 2011 cricket World Cup that would be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh? Sachin Tendulkar.

23. The trial of eight police officers charged with the murder of prominent human rights activist in the Democratic Republic of Congo has started recently. Name of that human rights activist who was killed in June, 2010? Floribert Chebeya.He was also the head of the charity “Voice of the Voiceless”

24.  Who won the Player of the series award in the Two Test Cricket matches between South Africa and Pakistan held in U.A.E in November 2010?Jacques Kallis (South Africa).

                  Who has become the first Christian woman in Pakistan to be sentenced to death for  blasphemy? Asia Bibi.
Asia, who worked with many other local Muslim women on the farm of Muslim landowner, was pressured to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. Asia allegedly responded by telling the Muslim women that Christ died on the cross for our sins. She added that Jesus is alive and “Our Christ is the true prophet of God. This provoked the Muslim women in the farm. Later some coworkers complained to a cleric that Bibi made derogatory comments about Muhammad. A mob came to her house, beating her and members of her family before she got rescued by the police. The police were under pressure from this Muslim mob, including clerics. She spent more than a year in jail. In November 2010 Naveed Iqbal, judge at the at court of Sheikhupura, Punjab, "totally ruled out" that there was any false implication, saw "no mitigating circumstances", and sentenced her to death by hanging. Additionally, a fine of an equivalent of $1,100 was imposed.
Blasphemy is irreverence toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs.