1. English journalist and political strategist who was sentenced on July 4, 2014 to 18 months in prison for plotting to hack phones while he was in charge of the News of the World?
Andy Coulson.
Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.
2. The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt who was sentenced to life in prison for inciting violence in street protests in 2013?
Mohamed Badie.
An Egyptian court has passed death sentences on 683 alleged Islamist defendants, including the Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badie, for the killing of a policeman after the army overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi last year.
3. List of winners of Wimbledon 2014 Tennis Championships:
The 2014 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom, from 23 June to 6 July 2014. They were the 128th edit of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Here is the list of winners of 2014 Wimbledon:
2014 Wimbledon Men’s singles’ title winner: Novak Djokovic.
He defeated Roger Federer in the final.
2014 Wimbledon Women’s singles’ title winner: Petra Kvitova.
She defeated Eugenie Bouchard in the final.
2014 Wimbledon men’s doubles’ title winners:Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock.
They defeated Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the final.
2014 Wimbledon women’s doubles’ title winners:Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.
They defeated Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in the final.
2014 Wimbledon Mixed doubles’ title winners:Nenad Zimonjic and Samantha Stosur.
They defeated Max Mirnyi and Chan Hao-ching in the final.
4. Governor of Goa who has resigned, hours after he was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation as a witness in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 helicopters meant for VVIP use from AgustaWestland, an Anglo-Indian defence manufacturer?
B.V. Wanchoo.
5. Former Real Madrid legend hailed by many of his contemporaries as the football's "most complete" player, passed away on July 7, 2014?
Alfredo Di Stefano.
He was an Argentine-Spanish footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He was most associated with Real Madrid and was instrumental in their domination of the European Champions' Cup during the 1950s, a period in which the club won the trophy in five consecutive seasons from 1956. He was instrumental in winning five back-to-back European Cup titles.
6. Supersonic cruise missile which is successfully test fired by India from the Odisha coast on July 8, 2014?
Brahmos.
BrahMos missile, which has a range of 290 kilometres, can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kilograms.
7. Former Georgian president and last foreign minister of the Soviet Union who passed away on July 7, 2014?
Eduard Shevardnadze.
He served as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party (GPC), the de facto leader of Soviet Georgia from 1972 to 1985 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Shevardnadze was responsible for many key decisions in Soviet foreign policy during the Gorbachev Era. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he was President of Georgia (or in equivalent posts) from 1992 to 2003. He was forced to retire in 2003 as a consequence of the bloodless Rose Revolution.
The Revolution of Roses (Rose Revolution):
Rose Revolution was a change of power in Georgia in November 2003, which took place after widespread protests over the disputed parliamentary elections. As a result, President Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to resign on November 23, 2003.
8. Bangladesh cricketer who has been suspended by the Bangladesh Cricket Board from all cricket for six months for breaching agreement terms under the National Player’s Contract?
Shakib Al Hasan.
The punishment was handed out because of Shakib's "serious misbehaviour" with Bangladesh's new coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and for his altercation with a spectator during the recent first ODI against India in Mirpur.
9. Man of the Match winners of 3 Test Cricket series played between India and England held in England in July 2014:
First test between India and England held in Nottingham from July 9-13, 2014:
Man of the match: James Anderson (England). He took 3 wickets in first innings and one wicket in second innings. He also scored 81 runs in the first innings.
Result: Match drawn.
Second test between India and England held in Lords from July 17-21, 2014:
Man of the match: Ishant Sharma (India). He took 7 wickets in n second innings.
Result: India won by 95 runs.
Third test between India and England held in Southampton from July 27-31, 2014:
Man of the match: James Anderson (England). He took 5 wickets in first innings and 2 wickets in second innings.
Result: England won by 266 runs.
10. Who is appointed as the new president of Bharatiya Janata Party in July 2014?
Amit Shah.
Shah was elected as an MLA from Sarkhej in four consecutive elections: 1997 (bye-election), 1998, 2002 and 2007. He is a close associate of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and held a number of portfolios in Government of Gujarat, when Modi was the Chief Minister.
11. Who becomes the Guinness World Records title holder for Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player?
Miroslav Klose. (Germany).
Miroslav Klose has beaten Ronaldo's record to become the top scorer in World Cup history. The German forward scored his side's second goal in their staggering 7-1 victory in the semi-final against Brazil to become the record holder outright with 16.
12. Indian American mathematician who has been named as a recipient of the 2014 George Polya Prize?
Nikhil Srivastava.
George Polya Prize is an award given for outstanding work in the field of mathematics that is given out by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). Srivastava, who is currently a researcher at Microsoft, won the prize for his proof of a mathematical riddle known as the Kadison-Singer Problem. Despite having been deemed unsolvable for over 50 years, Srivastava – along with fellow researchers Adam Marcus and Daniel A. Spielman – proved it in a paper last summer, entitled “Interlacing Families II: Mixed Characteristic Polynomials and the Kadison-Singer Problem.”
13. India’s ANTRIX (ISRO’s commercial arm) successfully launched 5 foreign satellites from four countries on board PSLV-C23 rocket which placed them in orbit. Name that five satellites?
SPOT-7(French Earth Observation Satellite), AISAT (Germany), NLS7.1 (CAN-X4) & NLS7.2 (CAN-X5) of Canada each weighing 15 kg and the 7 kg and VELOX-1 of Singapore.
SPOT 7: SPOT 7 is a French satellite and it will be part of the existing Earth observation satellite.
AISAT: AISAT is a German nano-satellite which focuses on the global sea-traffic monitoring system with special emphasis on high traffic zones using AIS signals.
NLS 7.1 and NLS 7.2: Canadian satellite, they will perform Two-spacecraft precision formation flying using differential GPS with centimetre-level relative position and sub-metre level accurate position control system.
VELOX-1: Singaporean satellite, it is a technology demonstrator for in-house design of image sensor, MEMS-based attitude determination and control system and inter-satellite RF link.
14. Which actor has been named as the brand ambassador of ‘Clean Campus, Safe Campus’, a project launched by the State government of Kerala to rid campuses of tobacco products, drugs, and substance abuse?
Mammootty.
15. Who has been declared the brand ambassador of Kudumbashree’s organic farming project of Government of Kerala?
Manju Warrier, Film Actress.
16. Who was appointed as Governor of Mizoram on July 6, 2014?
Kamla Beniwal.
She served as governor of different Indian states between 2009 and 2014. She was a governor of Tripura (2009), Gujarat (2009-2014) and Mizoram (2014).
At the age of 27, she was the first female minister in Rajasthan. She was appointed Governor of Tripura in October 2009. She was the first female governor of any state of Northeast India.
17. Man of the Match winners of 3 ODI Cricket series played between Sri Lanka and South Africa held in Sri Lanka in July 2014:
First ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Colombo on July 6, 2014:
Man of the Match: Hashim Amla. (South Africa).
He scored 109 runs.
Result: South Africa won by 75 runs.
Second ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Pallekele on July 9, 2014:
Man of the Match: Tillakaratne Dilshan. (Sri Lanka).
He scored 86 runs and took 3 wickets.
Result: Sri Lanka won by 87 runs.
Third ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Hambantota on July 12, 2014:
Man of the Match: AB de Villiers. (South Africa).
He scored 108 runs.
Result: South Africa won by 82 runs.
Series Result: South Africa won the 3-match series 2-1.
18. Who won the Player of the series award in the three ODI cricket series between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Sri Lanka in 2014?
Hashim Amla. (Sri Lanka.)
19. What is the name of the large and powerful tropical cyclone which mainly struck Japan in July 2014?
Typhoon Neoguri
Neoguri developed into a tropical storm on July 3 and then a typhoon on July 4. The system was named Florita in the Philippines and rapidly deepened on July 5, as well as it continued consolidating with a larger and well-defined eye, reaching peak intensity late on July 6. Neoguri began to decay on July 7 and passed through Okinawa on July 8, before making landfall over Kyushu as a severe tropical storm late on July 9.
Throughout Japan, 3 deaths and 64 injuries caused by Typhoon Neoguri were confirmed, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the Government of Japan.
20. Argentina entered the semi-final of FIFA Football World Cup-2014 by defeating Holland in penalty shootout. This will be Argentina`s first World Cup final entry after a gap of?
24 years.
For the last time Argentina entered in the semi final of World Cup in 1990.However they lost to Germany in the final under Diego Maradona.
21. Which airline became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014?
Air India.
The Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and led by current CEO Mark Schwab. It was founded on May 14, 1997, with its name and emblem representing the five founding airlines.
22. Which country has banned all high-calorie food and soft drink commercials from terrestrial and cable TV in an attempt to combat the growing obesity trend?
Mexico.
23. Who was sworn in for his third seven-year term as the President of Syria?
Bashar Al Assad.
24. Which country will hold the presidency of a new bank launched by the BRICS group of emerging powers for six years after the financial institution becomes operations around 2016-17?
India.
25. Legendary Indian Cricketer who has been elected as the 47th member of the Laureus World Sports Academy?
Rahul Dravid.
The Laureus Sports Academy describes itself as a unique association of the greatest living sporting legends that uses sport to bring positive social change.
26. The Indian activist who served as senior vice-president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the religious wing of the Hindu nationalist Sangh Parivar, passed away on July 13, 2014?
Giriraj Kishore.
27. Ex girlfriend of Football legend Diego Maradona who has been arrested after the star accused her of stealing more than £200,000 of valuables from his mansion in Dubai?
Rocio Oliva.
28. British actor who played a werewolf in the “Harry Potter” movies, has been found dead in Death Valley?
David Legeno.
Legeno played the werewolf Fenrir Greyback in several of the “Harry Potter” movies, including “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009) and the two-part finale “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
29. What is the name of the amendment bill passed by Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in July 2014 which would remove legal hurdles in the appointment of former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chief Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister?
The TRAI Amendment Bill.
30. South African writer, political activist and recipient of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature who passed away on July 13, 2014?
Nadine Gordimer.
Gordimer's writing dealt with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. She was active in the anti-apartheid movement, joining the African National Congress during the days when the organization was banned.
She wrote more than 30 books - including the novels My Son's Story, Burger's Daughter and July's People. Some of her novels, such as “A World of Strangers”, “July's People” and “Burger's Daughter”, were banned by the apartheid authorities. The author wrote 15 novels as well as several volumes of short stories, non-fiction and other works, and was published in 40 languages around the world.
31. Who won FIFA’s “Golden Ball” award as the best player of the World Cup Football -2014?
Lionel Messi. (Argentina)
32. Who was awarded the “Golden Gloves” award of World Cup Football -2014 which is given to the tournament’s top Goal keeper?
Manuel Neuer (Germany).
33. Who won the Golden Boot award of World Cup Football -2014 which is given to the tournament’s top goal scorer?
James Rodriguez (Colombia).
He finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. Rodriguez plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Colombian national team, as an attacking midfielder or winger.
34. Who quit as manager of Brazil after the host nation tasted their first back-to-back defeats on home soil since 1940 during a humiliating World Cup?
Luiz Felipe Scolari.
On 29 July 2014 Luiz Felipe Scolari signed with Gremio, making his return to the club that made more successful in managerial career.
35. South Indian Urdu novelist who was nominated to the committee awarding fellowships in Urdu language by the Union Cultural Affairs Ministry in 2012, passed away on July13, 2014?
Sulekha Hussain.
Sulekha had written 35 novels and 108 short stories in Urdu. 'Mere Sanam', 'Rah Akeli' and 'Aapa' are among her famous works. Her most famous novel is Tharikhion Ke Baad.
36. The important highlights/ key points of Union Budget-2014 presented by Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister in July 2014:
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented his first budget. During his budget speech, Jaitley asked Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for a five-minute break, which was granted. It was perhaps for the first time that a finance minister asked for a break while presenting the budget.
Here are the important highlights/ key points of Union Budget-2014:
Tax slab on personal income remains unchanged: Income tax exemption limit raised by Rs 50,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh and for senior citizens to Rs 3 lakh. Exemption limit for investment in financial instruments under 80C raised to Rs 1.5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.
Housing loan rebate to raised from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.
Kisan Vikas Patra to be reintroduced, National Savings Certificate with insurance cover to be launched
Investment limit in PPF raised to Rs 1.5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.
EPFO will launch a unified account scheme for portability of Provident Fund accounts.
Mandatory wage ceiling of subscription to EPS (Employee Pension Scheme) raised from Rs 6,500 to Rs 15,000.
Minimum pension increased to Rs 1,000 per month.
Rs 1000 crore provided for rail connectivity in north eastern region.
National Police Memorial to be set up. Rs 50 crore set aside for this purpose.
LCD, LED TV become cheaper, Cigarettes, pan masala, tobacco, aerated drinks become costlier.
In order to complete gas grid, 15000 km of additional pipeline to be developed through PPP mode.
5 IIMs to be opened in HP, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha and Rajasthan.
5 IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) to be opened in Jammu, Chattisgarh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Govt proposes to launch 'Digital India’ programme to ensure broad band connectivity at village level
Policy of One Rank One Pension to be adopted for defence personnel.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichayin Yojana to be started for irrigation.
Rs 100 crore set aside for Kisan Television to provide real time information on various farming and agriculture issues.
Agriculture University in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, and Horticulture University in Haryana, Telangana; Rs. 200 cr set aside by the government.
Rs 4200 crore set aside for Jal Marg Vikas project on river Ganga connecting Allahabad to Haldia , over 1620 km. Rs 100 crore set aside for project to link rivers.
New programme “Neeranchal” to give impetus to watershed development in the country with an initial outlay of Rs. 2142 crores.
Govt announces Rs 100 crore for modernization of madrassas.
Govt proposes National Housing Banking programme; sets aside Rs 8000 crore for this program.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana to generate awareness and help in improving the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women.
Govt committed to providing 24/7 power supply to all homes. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojna for electricity supply to rural areas.
FDI in insurance to be increased to 49%.
Plan expenditure pegged at Rs 5.75 lakh crore and non-plan at Rs 12.19 lakh crore.
Fiscal deficit target retained at 4.1 pc of GDP for current fiscal and 3.6 pc in FY 16.
37. Who is the new leader of the reconstituted BJP Parliamentary Party in both Houses of Parliament?
Narendra Modi.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh is the deputy leader of BJP in the Lok Sabha. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the Deputy Leader of BJP in the Rajya Sabha.
38. Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs M who has been appointed as the Government’s chief whip in Parliament?
Venkaiah Naidu.
Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Santosh Gangwar and Prakash Javadekar will be the government's deputy Chief Whips in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha respectively. BJP has also named 13 whips in Lok Sabha and three in Rajya Sabha. Lok Sabha member from Rajasthan Arjun Ram Meghwal will be the party's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha while Rajya Sabha member from Punjab Avinash Rai Khanna will be the new party chief whip in the Upper House.
39. Moderate Islamist Sunni politician who was elected Iraq's new speaker on July 15, 2014?
Dr.Salim al-Jabouri.
40. Name the officially established Christian Church in England which has approved legislation to allow the appointment of female bishops, breaking with nearly 2,000 years of tradition?
The Church of England.
The Church of England is known as the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is an international association of churches consisting of the Church of England and of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with it. The Church of England allowed women to become priests in 1994. The Church of England broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Denominations exist in more than 160 countries.
41. Veteran film director who gave scores of hits during the 1960s and 70s mostly featuring Malayalam's evergreen hero Prem Nazir, passed away on July 17, 2014?
J.Sasikumar.
He directed more than 141 movies in his film career which began in the mid-1960s. He is often referred to as Hitmaker Sasikumar mainly due to the commercial success of his films. Sasikumar holds three world records: the records for most number of films (141), most number of films having the same actor as hero (Prem Nazir in 84 films) and the most number of films directed in a year (15 films in 1977).
Sasikumar made his directorial debut with “Oral Koodi Kallanayi”. But, he got a break in his career with his venture “Kudumbini”, which also marked the debut of veteran actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma. Senthil, the famous comedian in Tamil films, was introduced to film audiences through the film "Ithikkara Pakki" and Jagathy Sreekumar, a comedian of Malayalam films, through his film "Chattambi Kalyani". Jayabharathy was introduced to the Malayalam film world by Sasikumar through his movie "Pen Makkal".
The Kerala state Government honoured him in the year 2013 by conferring on him the coveted J. C. Daniel Award for his manifold contributions to the Malayalam cinema.
42. Who is selected as the marquee player of Kerala Blasters, the Kochi-based franchisee of the Indian Super League (ISL) owned by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and his partner Prasad Potluri of PVP Ventures?
David James.
He is former Goal Keeper of England Football team.
43. Which country has the third-highest number of people living with HIV in the world, according to a report by UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS?
India.
44. Indian-origin British MP who has been appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, junior ministerial post in the British Treasury?
Priti Patel.
45. Judge of the Kerala High Court who has been elevated as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court?
K.M. Joseph.
46. West Indies spinner became the first bowler in T20 cricket history to bowl a maiden in a super over?
Sunil Narine.
The game was between Red Steel versus Guyana Amazon Warriors of the Caribbean Premier League at Providence on July 17, 2014. The five balls of that super over are faced by Nicolas Pooran and he got out in the fifth ball. The next batsman Rose Taylor could not make any runs in the sixth ball.
47. Name the powerful tropical cyclone which had destructive impacts across the Philippines, South China, and Vietnam in July 2014?
Typhoon Rammasun.
Typhoon Rammasun, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Glenda. Rammasun is a Siamese word for thunder god..After Lingling and Kajiki earlier in 2014, Rammasun became the third tropical cyclone, and the first typhoon to directly impact the Philippines in 2014.
48. The first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal who passed away on July 14, 2014?
Alice Coachman.
In London in 1948, Alice Coachman became the first African American woman to win a gold medal, when she won the high jump competition. She was also the only female American athlete to win a medal of any kind at these Olympics. In 2002 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.
49. Man of the Match winners of 2 Test Cricket series played between Sri Lanka and South Africa held in Sri Lanka in July 2014:
First Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Galle from July 16-20:
Man of the Match: Dale Steyn (South Africa). He took 5 wickets in first innings and 4 wickets in second innings.
Result: South Africa won by 153 runs.
Second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Colombo from July 24-28:
Man of the Match: Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka). He scored 165 runs in first innings.
Result: Match drawn.
Series Result: South Africa won the 2-match series 1-0
50. Who won the Player of the series award in the two test cricket series played between South Africa and Sri Lanka held in Sri Lanka in July 2014?
Dilruwan Perera (Sri Lanka).
MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WILL BE POSTED SOON!