1. British actor who was best known for roles in The Long Good Friday and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, passed away on April 29, 2014?
Bob Hoskins.
He was an English actor known for playing Cockneys and gangsters. He starred in The Long Good Friday (1980), Mona Lisa (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Mermaids (1990), Hook (1991), Super Mario Bros. (1993), Nixon (1995), A Christmas Carol (2009), Neverland (2011), and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). Hoskins received the prestigious Prix d'interprétation masculine, and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his role in Mona Lisa (he was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor) and an International Emmy Award for best actor for his appearance on BBC One drama The Street in 2009.
2. Former Supreme Court judge Justice who will head the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to unearth black money in India as ordered by the Supreme Court t earlier?
Justice M.B.Shaw.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet decided to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to unearth the black money stashed outside India in its first meeting on May 27, 2014.
3. The former world double sprint champion who has been suspended for one year after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid?
Tyson Gay.
Gay won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the 2007 World Championships. He has returned the silver medal he won in the men’s 4x100m relay at the London Olympics 2012.
4. Who has been reappointed as the Chief of UNICEF?
Anthony Lake.
Lake has been the sixth executive director of the UNICEF since May 1, 2010.
5. Which pair won women’s doubles title at the WTA Portugal Open 2014 held in Oeiras, Portugal?
Sania Mirza (India) and Cara Black (Zimbabwe).
She defeated the Czech Russian team of Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva in the final.
6. Who is elected as the new Prime Minister of Libya?
Ahmed Maetig.
Libya’s General National Congress (GNC) elected Ahmed Maetig as the country’s new prime minister to succeed Abdullah Al-Thinni.
7. Which mobile giant has been ordered by U.S.Court to pay Apple $119 million for patent infringement?
Samsung.
8. Prime Minister of Slovenia who resigned recently after losing the leadership of her party?
Alenka Bratusek.
She was previously Prime Minister of Slovenia from March 2013 until May 2014, the first woman in Slovenia to hold this position. She was president pro tempore of the Positive Slovenia party from January 2013 until April 2014.
9. Former Pakistan fast bowler who has been appointed national coach for a period of two years?
Waqar Younis.
He previously served as bowling coach of the Pakistan side in 2006-07 and briefly in 2009, and as head coach in 2010-11.
10. India’s first voter who cast his vote at a polling booth on May 7, 2014 at his village Kalpa near Recongpeo, Kinnour in Himachal Pradesh?
Shyam Saran Negi.
Negi is a retired schoolteacher who cast the first vote in the 1951 general election in India - the nation's first election since the end of the British Raj in 1947 (although the majority of the election took place in February 1952, residents of Himachal Pradesh were given the chance to vote five months early because of the probability that heavy snowfall would make it impossible for citizens to reach the polling stations. Negi became the first voter of the country when elections were held for the first time in the country on October 25, 1951 in Kinnaur.
11. Prime Minister of Thailand and nine ministers have been dismissed by Thailand’s Constitutional Court on May 7, 2014 for abuse of power. The Prime Minister is :
Yingluck Shinawatra.
12. Which club won the Portuguese Cup 2014 defeating Rio Ave in the final?
Benfica.
13. Itanagar-based journalist who is the only Indian journalist to find place in the list of ‘100 information heroes’ released by the ‘Reporters Without Borders’ (Reporters Sans Frontier-RSF), on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3?
Tongam Rina.
Rina is the associate editor of The Arunachal Times and angered by her bold articles against anti-social elements in the society, gunmen shot and injured her in front of her office on July 15, 2012. In 2013, Tongam was also selected for the prestigious ‘Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media’ instituted by the Media Foundation, Leipzig, Germany. She was also honoured with the Laadli Media Award 2011-12 for Gender Sensitivity, Eastern Region, in Kolkata in 2012.
The ‘Reporters Without Borders’ (Reporters Sans Frontier-RSF) is an international organisation that works for freedom of the press and information.
14. Which club won the French League Cup-2014?
Paris St-Germain (PSG).
15. Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh who passed away on May 9, 2014?
Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy.
He was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1990 to 1992. His wife, Nedurumalli Rajyalakshmi, has been a minister in the Andhra Pradesh government since 2004. He was a member of the 12th, 13th and 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Visakhapatnam constituency of Andhra Pradesh and is a member of the Indian National Congress.
16. Which party won the 2014 South African general election which was held on 7 May 2014?
The African National Congress (ANC).
South Africa's African National Congress officially has won its fifth consecutive election since end of the apartheid era, handing President Jacob Zuma a second five-year term in office. . It was the first time that South African expatriates were allowed to vote in a South African national election.
17. Which country hosts the 24th ASEAN Summit held from May 10-11, 2014?
Myanmar.
This will be the first time Myanmar hosts an ASEAN Summit since joining the Association in 1997. The ASEAN Summit is an annual meeting held by the member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in relation to economic, and cultural development of Southeast Asian countries.
18. Which is the most expensive billionaire home in the world, according to a Forbes list published in May 2014?
Antilia.
Antilia is Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani's skyscraper residence in Mumbai. Ambani's 27-storey, 4,00,000-square-foot skyscraper home Antilia, named after a mythical island in the Atlantic, tops the Forbes list of the most expensive homes in the world.
19. Who is elected as the new president of Costa Rica?
Luis Guillermo Solís.
He is a member of the center-left Citizens' Action Party (PAC).
20. The Supreme Court restrained senior IPS officer on May 9, 2014 from discharging her duty as Additional Director in CBI, saying that her appointment "prima facie" seems to be illegal and against the statute. Who is this IPS officer?
Archana Ramasundaram
21. Which club won the English Premier League -2014?
Manchester City.
22. Who won the Spanish Grand Prix -2014?
Lewis Hamilton.
Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2014 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona from Mercedes colleague Nico Rosberg to take the lead in the world championship.
23. The Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University(Kerala) who has been expelled from his post by the Governor of Kerala(Sheela Dixit) following detection of forgery in his bio-data?
Dr. A V George.
24. Who won the Madrid open Men’s singles title-2014?
Rafael Nadal.
He won his fourth Madrid Open title after Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw with a back injury when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the final.
25. Who won the Madrid open Women’s singles title-2014?
Maria Sharapova.
She defeated Simona Halep in the final.
26. The former legspinner who has been named as bowling consultant of Pakistan Cricket Team?
Mushtaq Ahmed.
27. Prominent Indian-origin entrepreneur who has been appointed as the new chancellor of the UK's prestigious University of Birmingham?
Karan Bilimoria.
He is best known as one of the two founders and Chairman of Cobra Beer.
28. Maritime archaeologists recently discovered the remains of Christopher Columbus’s flagship which was lost in the Caribbean more than five centuries ago. Which is that famous vessel?
The Santa Maria.
Santa Maria was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage.
29. Sudanese woman who has been sentenced to flogging and death on 15 May 2014 unless she recants her Christian faith?
Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag.
Meriam Ibrahim was born to a Muslim father, who left her Ethiopian Orthodox mother to raise her from early childhood. She was raised in her mother's faith and married a Christian man; the marriage certificate has been published. She was sentenced to death, for allegedly committing apostasy from Islam, meaning that she was accused of changing religion from Islam to a different (or no) religion.
30. Veteran defender and long-time team captain of Barcelona who announced that he will leave FC Barcelona at the end of this season?
Carles Puyol.
31. The general election-2014 of India was held from?
7 April to 12 May 2014.
This was the longest election in the history of India.
32. Indian general election, 2014
The general elections-2014 of India was held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha, electing members of parliament for all 543 parliamentary constituencies of India. The elections were held in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014. The results were declared on 16 May, fifteen days before the 15th Lok Sabha completes its constitutional mandate on 31 May 2014.
The National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, won a sweeping victory, taking 335 seats. The BJP itself won 31.0% of all votes and 282 (51.9%) of all seats. It is the first time since the 1984 Indian general elections that a party has won enough seats to govern without the support of other parties. The United Progressive Alliance, led by the Indian National Congress, won 58 seats, 44 (8.1%) of which were won by the Congress, that won 19.3% of all votes. It was the Congress party's worst defeat in a general election. BJP and its allies won the right to form the largest majority government since the 1984 general election.
RESULTS (PARTYWISE):
THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (NDA):335 SEATS
BJP: 283.
Telugu Desam Party: 16
Shiv Sena: 18
Shiromani Akali Dal: 4
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party: 3
Apna Dal: 2
Naga People's Front: 1
National People's Party: 1
Swabhimani Paksha: 1
Pattali Makkal Katchi: 1
All India N.R. Congress: 1
THE UNITED PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE (UPA):56 SEATS.
Indian National Congress: 44
Rashtriya Janata Dal: 4
Indian Union Muslim League: 2
Kerala Congress: 1
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha: 2
Revolutionary Socialist Party (Rebel)*:1
Janata Dal (United):2.
OTHERS:
All India Trinamool Congress: 34
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam: 36
Samajawadi Party: 5
33. Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Laos who has been killed along with other senior officials in a plane crash in May 2014?
Douangchay Phichit.
34. Founder chairman of The Leela Group of hotels who passed away on May 17, 2014?
Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair.
He was an Indian businessman, who founded Leela Lace Ltd., a textile company in 1957 and later became the Founder-Chairman of the Leela Group of Hotels, established in 1986 and a 2010 recipient of the Padma Bhushan, given by Government of India. The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) conferred him a Lifetime Achievement Award and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) awarded him the Global 500 Roll of Honour award in 1999. He was also awarded the "Hotelier of The Century" Award by International Hotels and Restaurant Association, based in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2009. He stepped down as the chairman of Hotel Leela on 7 February 2013 and will be succeeded by his eldest son, Vivek Nair.
35. Former Chairman and Managing Director of Tata Steel and a leading member of the Tata Group who passed away on May 16, 2014?
Russi Mody.
Mody joined Tata Steel in 1939 and he was promoted to the position of Director of Personnel in 1953. He took up the position of the Director of Raw Materials in 1965. In 1970, he was appointed as Director of Operations and became Joint Managing Director in 1972. Russi once accompanied Albert Einstein on piano while Einstein played violin. After retiring from Tata Steel in March 1993, the then Prime Minister of India, Shri P V Narasimha Rao appointed Mody as Joint Chairman of Indian Airlines and Air India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1989.
36. Chief Minister of Bihar who resigned on May 17,2014 following the decimation of his Janata Dal United in the Lok Sabha elections where his party won just two seats?
Nitish Kumar.
37. Which company acquired Dhamra Port in Odisha from Larsen & Toubro and Tata Steel at an enterprise value of Rs.5,500 crore?
Adani Group.
The Adani Group is a business conglomerate headquartered in India doing business in the resources, logistics, agribusiness and energy sectors. The Group is the largest port developer and operator in India with Mundra being the country’s largest commercial port. It owns Fortune, India’s largest edible oil brand through a joint venture with Willmar in Singapore. First generation entrepreneur Gautam Adani is the founder & chairman of Adani Group. The corporate headquarters of the company is situated in the city of Ahmedabad.
38. Who topped the UK’s billionaire charts-2014 with a fortune of 11.9 billion pounds, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2014?
The Hinduja brothers.
39. Who won the Rome Masters Women’s singles title-2014 defeating Sara Errani (Italy) in the final?
Serena Williams.
40. Former Zimbabwe opener who has been appointed as the batting coach of Pakistan Cricket team?
Grant Flower.
41. Which club won La Liga football title-2014?
Atletico Madrid.
La Liga is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system.
42. In the recent general elections, the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat has been bagged by a woman candidate after a gap of 54 years. Who is she?
Meenakshi Lekhi.
Lawyer-turned-politician Lekhi, is the second woman to have gained victory on this seat after freedom fighter and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Sucheta Kriplani. Kriplani was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952 and 1957 from the same constituency. Meenakshi Lekhi defeated sitting MP and Congress heavyweight Ajay Maken from New Delhi seat by 1.5 lakh votes.
43. Which club won the FA Cup-2014?
Arsenal.
FA cup is world's oldest football cup competition. The 2014 FA Cup Final was contested between Arsenal and Hull City at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2014. Hull City made their first appearance in an FA Cup Final, whilst Arsenal equalled Manchester United's record of 18 final appearances. It was the first time since 2010 that the FA Cup Final had taken place after the end of the Premier League season.
44. Who has been appointed as the 23rd Chief Minister of Bihar?
Jitan Ram Manjhi.
Previously, he had served as minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare in Nitish Kumar's cabinet.
45. Who replaced David Moyes as the new manager for Manchester United on 19 May 2014?
Louis van Gaal
46. Indian batting star who has been rated second behind British Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton in the list of most marketable athletes by the UK magazine, 'SportsPro'?
Virat Kohli.
47. Who won the Rome Masters Men’s singles title-2014 defeating f Rafael Nadal in the final?
Novak Djokovic.
48. The three-time Formula One champion who famously pushed his car to the finish line to claim his first season title, passed away on May 19, 2014?
Jack Brabham.
He was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One champion in 1959, 1960, and 1966. He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name.
He is the only man to have won the championship driving a car bearing his name.
49. Veteran Congress leader who was sworn-in as the eighth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the second consecutive term?
Nabam Tuki.
He succeeds Jarbom Gamlin as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
50. Who has been appointed as the first woman Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus?
Major General Kristin Lund.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Major General Kristin Lund of Norway as the Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). She would take over the command force of 930 soldiers and 66 police on August 13, 2014. Lund would replace Major General Chao Liu from China, who led the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus since 2011.
MORE QUESTIONS WILL BE ADDED SOON!