Page2 CURRENT AFFAIRS July 1, 2014

1)State Bank of India (SBI) on 1 July 2014 launched six digital branches across the nation to serve tech-savvy customers. One of such branches in Delhi was inaugurated on this day by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Other 5 such branches are located in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad. What is the name given to this new range of branches which will have full digital banking capabilities? sbiINTOUCH(These sbiINTOUCH branches will include instant account opening with personalised debit cards, instant loan approvals for education, car and home and remote expert advisors available via video links. The new branches will be located in malls and will be primarily aimed at youth, who look for digital banking)

2)Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C23) successfully put five satellites from abroad into their perfect orbits on 30 June 2014. These 5 satellites belonged to which four countries? France, Germany, Canada and Singapore(The PSLV put into orbit SPOT satellite from France, AISAT from Germany, NLS7.1 and NLS7.2, both from Canada, and VELOX-1 from Singapore. Antrix, the commercial wing of the Department of Space, will be charging a fee for putting each of these satellites into orbit. The launch was conducted from ISROs spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh)

3)Which public sector financial entity engaged in commercial and development banking operations is celebrating its 50thanniversary (Golden Jubilee) during July 2014? Industrial Development Bank of India IDBI(IDBI was established in 1964 under an Act of Parliament as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In 1976, the ownership of IDBI was transferred to the Government of India and it was made the principal financial institution for coordinating the activities of institutions engaged in financing, promoting and developing industry in India. IDBI provided financial assistance, both in rupee and foreign currencies, for green-field projects as also for expansion, modernisation and diversification purposes. During September 2004 the RBI incorporated IDBI as a scheduled bank under theRBI Act, 1934. Consequently, IDBI, formally entered the portals of banking business as IDBI Ltd. from 1 October 2004. The commercial banking arm, IDBI BANK, was merged into IDBI in 2005)

4)It was reported in some newspapers that the Finance Ministryis considering doubling the exemption limit for investments by individuals in financial instruments to Rs 2 lakh in the forthcoming Annual Budget. This is being sought so as to give a major boost to household savings. What was the savings rate of India during 2012-13, a figure declining continuously since 2007-08? 30% of GDP(The savings rate of the country stood at 38% of countrys GDP during 2008. There have been demands from bankers and insurers to hike the tax exemption limit from Rs 1 lakh per annum to encourage household savings. The Direct Taxes Code (DTC) too had recommended that the combined ceiling for investments and expenditures be raised to Rs 1.5 lakh per annum)

5)What is the name of the BPO business of Shashi and Ravi Ruia of Essar Group, a part of which is being sold to Paris-based Teleperformance for $600 million? Aegis BPO(Aegis, part of the $39-billion Essar Group, is the fourth largest Indian BPO company with $800 million in revenues. Aegis offers a suite of solutions to clients managing over 1 billion customer interactions every year for over 300 clients across verticals such as BFSI, telecom, healthcare, travel, retail and technology. It employs more than 50,000 people across 12 countries. Ruia brothers are in the process of selling US and Philippines operations of the company to Teleperformance. Teleperformance is a leading provider of outsourced customer experience management services)

Page50 CURRENT AFFAIRS July 2, 2014

1)Which wildlife sanctuary of Maharashtra was recently notified as the 47thTiger Reserve of India and the 6thof Maharashtra? Bor Wildlife Sanctuary(Bor Sanctuary is situated in Wardha district of Maharashtra. Bor becomes the sixth tiger reserve in Maharashtra after Tadoba, Melghat, Pench, Nagzira and Sahyadri, and the 47thin the country. With Project Tiger coverage, the Bor Wildlife Sanctuary notified by the state in 1970, would now receive funding and technical support to strengthen tiger conservation and eco-development and to benefit local communities living along the fringes of the reserve)

2)Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh started a rare official visit of China from 2 July 2014 during which he will hold talks with the top brass of the Chinese military, foreign ministry officials besides addressing the Chinese military academy. This 4-day visit will conclude on 5 July and is only the second visit of an Indian Army Chief to China. Who was the first Army Chief to visit China? General N.C. Vij(Vij visited China during 2005. General Singh, also chair of the committee of chiefs of staff of the Indian armed forces, will hold talks with General Fan Changlong, the Vice Chairman of Chinas Military Commission. The Commission which is the highest military body in China is headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. This visit is a part of the new emphasis on increased military-to-military contact between the armed forces of the two countries)

3)Who headed the committee on Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty, the report of which was submitted to Planning Commission on 1 July 2014? C. Rangarajan(C. Rangarajan, the former chief of Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), submitted the report to planning minister Rao Inderjit Singh. The Planning Commission in May 2012 had constituted the expert group under the then PMEAC chairman C Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty, following an uproar over the number of poor in the country. The Planning Commissions estimates had drawn flak in September, 2011 when in an affidavit to the Supreme Court it was stated that households with per capita consumption of more than Rs. 32 in urban areas and Rs. 26 in rural will not be treated as poor)

4)Which ship of the Indian Navy became the first one from India to take part in RIMPAC 2014 (Rim of the Pacific Exercise), which is the worlds largest international maritime warfare exercise? INS Sahyadri(INS Sahyadri is an indigenously built guided missile stealth Frigate. It is taking part in RIMPAC 2014, a naval exercise in which 23 countries from the world over are participating. The massive exercise is being held from 26 June to 1 August 2014 at Honolulu, Hawaii and is hosted by the US Navys Pacific Fleet headquartered at Pearl Harbour)

5)The United States has named a mountain in Antarctica in honour of an eminent Indian-American scientist whose pioneering biological research expedition has provided critical data about animal populations. What is the name of this Indian scientist who was born in Bihar? Akhouri Sinha(Sinha, a professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development at the University of Minnesota, was recognised by the US Geological Survey, which named the mountain Mt. Sinha, for his work he did as an explorer in 1971-72. Sinha belongs to Buxars Churamanpur village in Bihar. He graduated with a B.Sc. degree from the Allahabad University in 1954 and M.Sc. degree in Zoology from the Patna University in 1956)

July 3, 2014

1)Freshly-appointed Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka, who will take charge on 1 August 2014, will get an annual salary of $5.08 million (over Rs. 30 crore) to become the highest-paid CEO in Indian software industry. His total salary (including stock options) stands at $7.08 million, which is roughly comparable to the 4.23 million euroes (Rs. 34 crore) he was making at his previous job as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at German software major SAP. Who was till now the highest paid CEO in the Indian software industry? N. Chandrasekaran(N. Chandrasekaran, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Indias largest software services exporter Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), received a nearly 60% hike in annual salary in 2013-14 and his annual compensation stood at 18.68 crore ($3.15 million) in the year ended March 2014. Now Vishal Sikka becomes the highest paid CEO in the Indian software industry)

2)The minimum export price (MEP) on onion was raised to $500 per tonne on 2 July 2014 as the price of onion in the domestic market continues to rise. What was the present MEP on onion which was announced by the Union Govt. on 17 June 2014? $300 per tonne(On June 17, an MEP of $300 per tonne was imposed on onion, but it had not helped to arrest the prices. Now raising the MEP to $500 per tonne means that onions, which are priced below Rs. 30 per kg, will not be allowed to be exported from the country)

3)Which state declared camel as the State animal on 30 June 2014? Rajasthan(Rajasthan Govt. declared camel as the State animal mainly to check the dwindling number of camels. Camel, which is also known as the ship of the desert, is slaughtered for its meat, killed as part of sacrifice in several districts of Rajasthan and illegally transported to the neighbouring states for slaughter which had resulted in its numbers falling sharply. Fast disappearing grazing areas has also added to a severe food crisis for camels. According to the Livestock Census data, there were 668,000 camels in Rajasthan in 1997 which were reduced to 498,000 camels in 2003, amounting to a 25% decrease in five years. By 2008, the number had decreased further by 13.5% to 430426. Camels provide livelihood to a large number of people in rural Rajasthan)

4)Defending champion Andy Murray (Britain) was ousted from Wimbledon 2014 mens singles championship after being defeated in the quarterfinals on 2 July 2014. Which Bulgarian player defeated him to become the first Bulgarian man to reach the semi-finals of a grand slam tournament? Grigor Dimitrov(11thseeded Grigor Dimitrov defeated Murray by 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 to reach semi-finals. Andy Murray had won the Wimbledon mens singles title last year to become the first British player in 77 years to win the coveted title)

5)Who on 1 July 2014 became the first female four-star Admiral in the history of U.S. Navy? Michelle Janine Howard(Howard was promoted as U.S. Navys first female four-star admiral in a ceremony presided by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. She is now serving as the 38thVice Chief of Naval Operations)

6)What is the quarterfinal line-up of FIFA World Cup 2014 after conclusion of all matches of last-16 stage on 1 July 2014? France Vs Germany, Brazil Vs Colombia, Argentina Vs Belgium and Netherlands Vs Costa Rica(One special fact of this quarterfinal line-up is that it represents 4 teams from Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica) and 4 teams from Europe (Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands)

July 4, 2014

1)Indian Railways on 3 July 2014 achieved a major milestone by running the fastest train in India (christened semi-bullet train by some segments of media). This test train achieved fastest speed of 160 km/hr on Indian tracks and covered the distance between Delhi and Agra (178 km) in around 99 minutes. The highest train speed record for Indian Railways was 150 Km/hr. till now. Which train had this record under its belt? New Delhi Bhopal Shatabdi Express(The Bhopal Shatabadi Express currently takes 120 minutes to reach Agra. The trial run of the semi high-speed train was conducted on a 10-coach train, which left New Delhi station at 11:15 am and reached Agra about 99 minutes later. Achieving the highest speed of 160 kmph during its run, the train took 103 minutes to reach New Delhi on its return journey. However, the train took only 89 minutes to reach Agra from Nizamuddin station from where Railways plans to actually launch its commercial operations)

2)Union Govt. on 2 July 2014 brought onion and potato within the purview of stockholding limits under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. What would be the main benefit of this move which has been done with a view to control the prices of onion and potato and improve availability? With this the State governments can take action to impose stockholding limits to take up de-hoarding operations(With imposition of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, the various state governments can impose stockholding limits, which ensures that traders cannot stock more than a prescribed quantum. If it is found that traders are holding more than the prescribed limit, they can be fined and, in some cases, even prosecuted. Currently, stock limit provisions exist for various foodgrains and cereals under the Essential Commodities Act)

3)The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 3 July 2014 launched nations first 3D mobile game in a bid to attract generation-next youth to pursue a career in the air force. What is the name of this mobile game? Guardians of the Skies (GOTS) With this launch, the IAF has embarked on its first sortie in virtual world. GOTS, which is freely available on android, windows and iOS platforms for mobile, has been conceptualised to showcase the might of the air force in a virtual format with users being offered gripping air combat scenarios and realistic graphics. The game is targeted at the youth, to give them the feel of the excitement of being part of the IAF)

4)Pentagon, the defence headquarters of the United States, recently notified the sale of the anti-ship Harpoon missiles to India. The deal estimated at around $200 million will provide enhanced capabilities in defence of critical sea lines of communication. This Harpoon missile system would be employed on which class of submarines of the Indian Navy? Shishumar class submarine(India has already purchased Harpoon missiles for integration on Indian Air Force Jaguar aircraft and Indian Navy P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. The entire package under the foreign military sale route includes more than a dozen UGM-84L Harpoon Block II Encapsulated Missiles, 10 UTM-84L Harpoon Encapsulated Training missiles, and two Encapsulated Harpoon certification training vehicles. The Harpoon missiles for India would be manufactured by Boeing Corporation)

5)Who was re-appointed as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 July 2014 by the Union Govt.? Harun Rashid Khan(The appointment has been made for two years with effect from 4 July 2014 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Khan was appointed deputy governor in July 2011 for a three-year term, which was set to expire on 3 July. As deputy governor, Khan looks after the foreign exchange department and internal debt management, among others. The other two RBI deputy governors are Urjit Patel and the recently appointed R. Gandhi. The government is yet to appoint a deputy governor to replace KC Chakrabarty, who retired on 25 April 2014)

6)The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of social networking major Facebook, who is on a visit to India, on 3 July called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What is her name? Sheryl Sandberg

July 5-6, 2014

1)Czech Republics Petra Kvitova on 5 July 2014 claimed her second Wimbledon womens singles title with a crushing command performance over Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0. She took just 55 minutes to win the title. In which year Kvitova had won her first Wimbledon womens singles title? In 2011(With this win Kvitova dashed Eugenie Bouchards dream of becoming the first-ever Canadian to win a tennis Grand Slam title)

2)All the 46 Indian nurses working in a Tikrit hospital in Iraq, who were kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, were released on 4 July 2014. These nurses reached India safely on 5 July 2014 through a special Air India flight. They arrived through which Iraqi city which is the capital of countrys Kurdistan Region? Erbil(Erbil is the fourth largest city of Iraq. Indian nurses reached Erbil on 4 July after being released by ISIS)

3)The rail-link for Katra was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 July 2014 by flagging off the inaugural train from Katra to Jammu. The Katra-Udhampur rail section also features Indias longest steel girder bridge. What is the name of this bridge? Jhajjar Bridge(Jhajjar Bridge is countrys longest steel girder bridge and has been built at a height of 85 metres)

4)Who on 4 July 2014 created history by becoming the first woman to participate in a Formula One weekend? Susie Wolff(She took part in the practice session of the British F1 Grand prix at the famed Silverstone circuit in her Mercedes-powered car as part of Williams team. However, hertime on the track was cut short after an engine problem occurred after completing just one timed lap. 22 years earlier Giovanna Amati had made three unsuccessful Grand Prix qualification attempts. Susie will now get another opportunity to take part in the German F1 Grand Prix)

5)Which four teams have qualified for the semi-finals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2014? Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Netherlands(The semi-final line-up is Germany Vs Brazil (8 July) and Argentina Vs Netherlands (9 July). One important fact about this line up is that one team each from Europe and South America is in both the semi-final matches. Germany defeated France by 1-0, Brazil defeated Colombia by 2-1, Argentina defeated Belgium by 1-0 and Netherlands defeated Costa Rica by 4-3 (penalties) to enter semi-finals)

6)Star Brazilian striker Neymar Jr. was ousted from FIFA World Cup 2014 after sustaining a serious back injury in the quarterfinals against Colombia on 4 July 2014. His ouster came as a rude shock to Brazil as Neymar was teams best player and was looking in good form despite heavy pressure on him. How many goals he had scored in this World Cup? Four(Neymay Jr. sustained injury after being kneed in his spine by Colombian defender Juan Zuniga)

July 7, 2014

1)A panel headed by C. Rangarajan, former Chairman of PMEAC (Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council), has dismissed the Suresh Tendulkar Committee report on estimating poverty. The report submitted by Rangarajan to Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh recently stated that the number of poor in India was much higher in 2011-12 at 29.5% of the population. What was the poverty figure stated for the same year in the Suresh Tendulkar Committee report, which was severely criticized for its findings? 21.9%(According to the Rangarajan panel, poverty stood at 38.2% in 2009-10 and slid to 29.5% in 2011-12. This is at variance with the Tendulkar methodology under which poverty was estimated at 29.8% in 2009-10 and declined to 21.9% in 2011-12. This finding of C. Rangarajan committee means that 3 out of 10 persons in India are poor. The Planning Commission in May 2012 had constituted the expert group under C. Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty)

2)Gujarat Governor Dr. Kamla Beniwal was on 6 July 2014 shifted as the new Governor of which state by the Union Govt.? Mizoram(It is worth mentioning that Kamla Beniwal had been involved in a long tussle with the Gujarat Govt. then led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the appointment of Lokayukta in the state and the matter had gone to court. Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman was shifted as Governor of Nagaland. Governor of Rajasthan Margaret Alva will discharge the functions of Governor of Gujarat in addition to her own duties until regular arrangements for the office of the Governor of Gujarat are made. Purushothaman will also continue to hold the additional charge of the office of the Governor of Tripura)

3)Ukraine scored the biggest tactical victory over pro-Russia rebels in last 3 months on 5 July 2014 by taking control of a key eastern Ukraine city in the strategic Donetsk region. What is the name of this city? Slovyansk(It is worth mentioning that Ukraine Govt.s anti-terrorist operation to retake control of the eastern region of the country has achieved little beyond heavy shelling and growing numbers of civilian casualties. But the capture of Slovyansk marks the first time they have taken a significant rebel stronghold. The city was taken over by the rebel forces during April 2014 after a long series of fighting between the rebel gunmen and Ukrainian troops)

4)Who won the Wimbledon mens singles title for 2014 on 6 July 2014? Novak Djokovic(Serbias Djokovic defeated his opponent Roger Federer (Switzerland) in five close sets 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 in an epic final. This was the second Wimbledon singles title for Djokovic and seventh Grand Slam title overall. He had won his first Wimbledon title in 2011. On the other hand, Federer was aiming to win his record 8thWimbledon title by winning this final)

5)Who won the British F1 Grand Prix for 2014 on 6 July 2014, which was the 50thedition of British Grand Prix at Silverstone circuit? Lewis Hamilton of Britain(This was Hamiltons 27thcareer victory, his fifth of the season and his second at his home race, which he won in 2008 while driving for McLaren. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) was second while Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) finished at third place. Hamiltons teammate Nico Rosberg could not complete the race. Force Indias Nico Hulkenburg (Germany) finished the race at 8thposition)

July 8, 2014

1)In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on 7 July 2014 declared that no legal status has been granted to the Shariat Courts. It also ruled that religious decrees or fatwas are illegal if they tread on the rights of an individual. This important ruling was given on the petition filed by which lawyer who had challenged the legality of the Shariat Courts? Vishwa Lochan MadanExplanation :Advocate Vishwa Lochan Madan had filed his petition in 2005. In the petition, he stated that institutions like Darul Qaza and Darul-iftaa are operating like parallel courts which take decisions on the fundamental rights of the Muslim citizens. In its order the Supreme Court objected to the Shariat Courts ordering punishments against innocent people and said that no religion permits the same.

2)Which state has the highest number of people below poverty line according to the new definition of poverty that is part of the new poverty estimates that have been made by a panel led by C. Rangarajan? ChhattisgarhExplanation :According to these estimates 47.9% of Chhattisgarhs population is below poverty line. Chhattisgarh thus tops the list of states with the highest poverty count. On the other had just 6.3% of Goas population is below poverty line and it thus tops the list of states with the lowest poverty count. On a national level, the C. Rangarajan committee report estimated the number of poor at 45.46 crore at 2011-12 prices, which is much higher than the 35.47 crore estimate by the Suresh Tendulkar committee.

3)Eduard Shevardnadze, the last Foreign Minister of the erstwhile Soviet Union (USSR), who passed away on 7 July 2014, was the former President of which former Soviet Republic? GeorgiaExplanation :Eduard Shevardnadze was one the most powerful ministers of the former USSR. He was Foreign Minister from 1985 to 1990. In the aftermath of USSRs collapse in 1991 Shevardnadze returned to a newly independentGeorgia. He was formally elected president of Georgia in 1995. After allegations of apparent electoral fraud during the 2003 legislative election Shevardnadze was forced to resign following a series of public protests and demonstrations. He was 86.

4)The Supreme Court on 7 July 2014 refused to put a stay on the governments decision to appoint Lt. Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army Chief. This ruling was given on a petition filed by a senior officer of Indian Army, who had had alleged favouritism in the selection of Lt. Gen. Suhag as the Army commander in-line to take over as the Army Chief. What is the name of this officer? Lt. Gen. Ravi DastaneExplanation :Besides challenging Lt. Gen Suhags appointment as Commander of the Eastern Command, Lt. Gen. Dastane in his petition had also questioned Lt. Gen. Sanjiv Chachras appointment as head of the Western Command. Lt Gen Dastane argued that he was the third senior-most officer eligible for the post of Army Commander of Eastern or Western Command.

5)Which senior leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was deputed to join the BJP on 7 July 2014? Ram MadhavExplanation: Ram Madhav is the spokesman of the RSS and is the most known faces of the RSS in the last few years. While members of the RSS, which is the ideological mentor of the BJP, often join the political party, Madhav is the one of the most prominent faces to cross over into active politics. He is expected to be handed an important role in party affairs. Another senior RSS leader Shiv Prakash too had been deputed to the BJP and is also expected to be given organisational responsibility.

6)The benchmark BSE Sensex on 7 July 2014 crossed which milestone mark for the first time? 26,000 pointsExplanation :The Sensex closed at 26,100 on 7 July, its highest close till date. This spurt in indices was on the back of strong inflow of foreign funds ahead of the General Budget. The NSE Nifty also soared to hit yet another high of 7,787.95 in opening trade. The BSE 30-share barometer spurted by 137.29 points, or 0.52%, to trade at a lifetime high of nearly 26,100 with stocks of infrastructure, IT, power, capital goods, auto and realty sectors, leading the rally.

7)What is the name of the large and powerful typhoon that was heading northwest toward Japans southern islands on 7 July 2014 and it hit Okinawa on early 8 July with winds of up to 150 mph? Typhoon NeoguriExplanation :Typhoon Neoguri is expected to be one of the largest typhoons to hit Japan in the month of July. It was also the first time for that the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had issued a special warning for a typhoon since the current warning system was introduced last August. Many meteorologists believe that Typhoon Neoguri would be the first super typhoon of 2014. The term Neoguri means raccoon in Korean.

July 9-10, 2014

1)What GDP growth rate range for 2014-15 was estimated in the Economic Survey 2013-14, which was tabled on 9 July 2014 in the Lok Sabha? 5.4 to 5.9%Explanation: GDP growth slowed to below 5% for two consecutive years, i.e. 2012-13 and 2013-14. The Economic Survey envisages a better performance during 2014-15 on account of growth in sectors like manufacturing and mining)

2)What was the fiscal deficit for 2013-14, as disclosed in the Economic Survey 2013-14? 4.5% of GDPExplanation: Fiscal deficitis the difference between the governments expenditures and its revenues. An important factor in the increase in the Centres fiscal deficit after 2008-09 has been the sharp increase in subsidies from 1.42% of GDP in 2007-08 to 2.56% of GDP in 2012-13. For 2013-14 the subsidy bill is 2.26% of GDP.

3)Who was appointed the new President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 9 July 2014? Amit ShahExplanation: Amit Shah, a close and controversial aide of Prime Minister Modi, was appointed to the top post in BJP at a meeting of Parliamentary Board where incumbent Rajnath Singh resigned after a tenure of one-and-a-half years. The former Minister of State for Home in Gujarat and who faces charges in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case is largely credited for BJPs stunning performance in Uttar Pradesh where the BJP won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats. Amit Shah has become the 10thPresident of BJP since it was founded in December 1980.

4)Germany reached the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2014 by inflicting a historic 7-1 victory over hosts Brazil in the first semi-final played in Belo Horizonte on 8 July 2014. With this Germany have now reached FIFA World Cup finals for how many times? Eight timesExplanation: Germany had reached the finals of FIFA World Cup in 1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 2002. It won the title in 1954, 1974 and 1990. However, the German team that played in finals in 1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986 and 1990 was the West German team before unification of Germany. It played as unified Germany from 1994.

5)Argentina defeated the Netherlands in the second semi-final of FIFA World Cup 2014 by 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out on 9 July 2014. It will meet Germany in the final on 13 July 2014. This would be Argentinas ..appearance in a FIFA World Cup final FifthExplanation: Argentina had reached the finals of FIFA World Cup in 1930, 1978, 1986 and 1990. It won the title in 1978 and 1990. Germany and Argentina would meet in a FIFA World Cup final for the third time. The two teams met in finals in 1986 and 1990 too.

6)Brazils 1-7 loss to Germany in the first semi-final of FIFA World Cup on 8 July 2014 was countrys worst-ever defeat in the game. It, however, lost by the same margin of 6 goals only once in the history. To which team it had lost by same goal difference? UruguayExplanation: It lost to Uruguay by 6-0 in 1920, i.e., by a margin of 6 goals. Brazils semifinal loss of 8 July thus equaled its worst defeat by 6 goals. The defeat broke Brazils 62-match home unbeaten streak in competitive matches dating back to its 13 loss to Peru in the 1975 Copa America.

7)Who became the leading goal scorer in the history of FIFA World Cups by scoring his record 16thWorld Cup goal on 8 July 2014? Mirolsav Klose of GermanyExplanation: German forward Mirolsav Klose scored his 16thgoal of FIFA World Cup when he scored the second goal for Germany in the semi-finals against Brazil. He broke the record of Ronaldo, the Brazilian star striker of yesteryears. Ronaldo had scored 15 goals in FIFA World Cups. It is worth mentioning here that Klose became the first-ever player to feature in four FIFA World Cup semi-finals when he featured against Brazil on 8 July.

8)Germanys 7-1 win over Brazil on 8 July 2014 also made Germany the leading goal scoring country in all FIFA World Cups. It has now 223 goals in World Cups. Which countrys record it broke? BrazilExplanation: Brazil was the leading goal scoring country in football World Cups with 221 goals. But now Germany has 223 goals and it has one more game (the finals) to play in the ongoing World Cup 2014.

July 11, 2014

1)In the Union Budget 2014-15, the govt. announced setting up of a commission to bring in reforms related to spending for achieving maximum output. What is the name given to this commission? Expenditure Management Commission EMCExplanation: The proposed EMC will review the allocated and operational efficiencies of government expenditure to achieve maximum output and will give its interim report within this financial year.

2)Allocation of Rs 4,200 crore in the Union Budget 2014-15 was announced for the development of the ambitious Allahabad-Haldia National Waterway-1. This project was conceived numerous years ago but was languishing for being implemented. In which year this project was first envisaged? 1986Explanation: This project envisaged in 1986, which aimed to use the 1,620 km-long channel not only for transportation of goods but also for river cruises, had been languishing for the past several years. It was to be completed in six years. The project envisages construction of permanent terminals at various places, including Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides floating terminals at a number of places, including Allahabad and Ghazipur.

3)The revival of the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) was announced in the Union Budget 2014-15 on 10 July 2014. The KVP was discontinued from November 2011 on the recommendation of which committees recommendations? The Shyamala Gopinath CommitteeExplanation: The Shyamala Gopinath Committee, in its report submitted on 7 June 2011, had recommended that the KVP be discontinued as it was prone to misuse, being a bearer-line instrument. It said the KVP was more popular than the National Savings Certificate (NSC) because of the ease of transfer and liquidity.

4)What is the name given to the mission to provide total sanitation to every Indian by 2019, which was announced in the Union Budget 2014-15? Swachh Bharat AbhiyanExplanation: The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will be a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150thbirth anniversary, as the Government wants to celebrate it with a spick and span India. This goal of a clean India was also set by the previous UPA government and the erstwhile governments plan was to achieve 100% access to sanitation for all rural households in the country by 2022. For completion of this goal they were working under the programme Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA).

5)How much fund was allocated to the proposed Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), which was announced in the Union Budget 2014-15? Rs. 1,000 croreExplanation: The Government has proposed to initiate the scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana from financial year 2014-15. The PMKSY has been envisaged to provide assured irrigation to mitigate risk to the farmer since bulk of the farm lands are rainfed and depend on monsoon.

6)What name was given to a new mission announced in the Union Budget 2014-15 to deliver integrated project based infrastructure in the rural areas? Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission SPMRMExplanation: Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission will be launched basically to deliver urban amenities in the rural areas through PPP model. This mission is based on Gujarat model of a similar programme through which people living in the rural areas are delivered efficient civic infrastructure and associate services.

7)How much fund was allocated for the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for armed personnel in the Union Budget 2014-15? Rs. 1,000 croreExplanation: One rank, one pension means that retired soldiers of the same rank and length of service will now receive the same pension, regardless of when they retire. At present, pensioners who retired before 2006 draw less pension than their counterparts and even their juniors. The decision to implement OROP scheme was first announced by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. In the UPA interim budget in February this year, P. Chidambaram also allocated Rs. 500 crore. However, much to the disappointment of services personnel and thanks to bureaucratic delays, the actual implementation of the scheme got delayed.8)What major sop was announced for new power projects in the Union Budget 2014-15? The 10-year tax holiday for new power projects was extendedExplanation: The Finance Minister announced extension of the 10-year tax holidayto companies that start power generation by 31 March 2017. The power sector had called for the extension of the sunset tax clause for power companies to include plants that provide power till March 2017 as opposed to 2013 earlier.

9)The Jayaprakash Narayan National Centre for Excellence in Humanities, that was proposed in the Union Budget 2014-15, would be established in which state? Madhya Pradesh

10)Which two film institutes were given the status of institutes of national importance in the Union Budget 2014-15? Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and Satyajit Ray FTII, Kolkata

July 12, 2014

1)The controversial bill on Polavaram Project of Andhra Pradesh was passed in the Lok Sabha on 11 July 2014 amid protests from members of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the BJD, the Trinamool Congress, the AIMIM and sections of the Congress. Why the TRS is protesting vociferously against passing of this bill? Because the Bill paves the way for the shifting of seven mandals from Telangana to Andhra PradeshExplanation: The bill titled Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation (Amendment) Bill was opposed on the grounds that the transfer of land was being done in an unconstitutional manner, violating Articles 3 and 4 of the Constitution which mandates that the two State Assemblies have to be consulted. The Polavaram project is a multi-purpose irrigation project, which constitutes of a dam across the Godavari River and is under construction located in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh state. Its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Orissa States also.

2)Delhi was declared as worlds second most populated city in 2014 in the revision of United Nations World Urbanisation Prospects 2014 Report that was released on 10 July 2014. Which city once again occupied the top spot as worlds most populated city? TokyoExplanation: Tokyo topped UNs ranking of the most populous cities in 2014 with 38 million inhabitants and while its population is projected to decline, it will remain the worlds largest city in 2030 with 37 million people. Delhi become the worlds second most populous city in 2014 after Tokyo, more than doubling its population since 1990 to 25 million. The Indian capital is expected to retain the spot of the worlds second most populous city through at least 2030, when its population is expected to rise swiftly to 36 million.

3)Name of which Portugal bank was associated with the Portuguese banking crisis which affected stock markets all over the world on 11 July 2014? Banco Espirito Santo SAExplanation: Banco Espirito Santo SA (BES) is the second-largest bank in Portugal. The banking crisis in Portugal started after the ratings agencies Moodys and S&P sharply downgraded the long-term debt ratings of the bank after a missed payment on short-term debt by a member of the BESs ultimate parent, the Espirito Santo Group (ESG). However, BES sought to reassure investors by revealing its exposure to related companies.

4)Vakkom B. Purushothaman, who resigned on 11 July 2014, was the Governor of which state? MizoramExplanation: His resignation came in the wake of his transfer to Nagaland as its new Governor. Purushothaman criticised the way Governors were being shunted by the NDA government since it came to power in May 2014. He belonged to the Congress and was appointed by the UPA government. Purushothaman had served as Minister in different Cabinets and was Speaker of the Kerala Assembly.

5)The tender bids for the construction and maintenance of the ambitious Statue of Unity commemorating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat were opened on 9 July 2014. Which company looks all set to bag this iconic project? L&TExplanation: Engineering giant L&T (Larsen & Toubro)s bid for Rs. 2,980 crore was the lowest among the bidders and the company looks all set to bag the project. However, the estimated cost of the project stood at Rs. 2,063. The project involves construction of a huge 182-metre-tall Statue ofSardar Vallabhbhai Patel on River Narmada at Bharuch (Gujarat).

6)102-year old Zohra Sehgal known as the Grand Old Lady of Indian Theatre passed away on 10 July 2014. She was cremated with full state honours on 11 July 2014 at the Lodhi Road crematorium in Delhi. She was associated with the dance troupe of which famous dancer that initiated her towards the world of theatre? Uday ShankarExplanation: Zohra was attracted towards Uday Shankars troupe after watching a performance in Europe. She joined the troupe in August, 1935 at the age of 23. She migrated to films in 1946 with films like Dharati ke Laal and Neecha Nagar. Cheeni Kum and Saawariya were her last films in 2007. She received the Padma Vibhushan, Indias second-highest civilian honor, in 2010.

July 13-14, 2014

1)Germany created history by winning the FIFA World Cup 2014 on 13 July 2014 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio. Germany defeated Argentina by 1-0. This win was Germanys ..title win of FIFA World Cup? FourthExplanation: Germany won its earlier FIFA World Cups in 1954, 1974 and in 1990. It finished as runners up in 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002 while finished at third spot in 1934, 1970, 2006 and 2010. Germany thus equalled Italys record of winning the tournament four times. Brazil has won the tournament most number of times 5.

2)Who scored the lone goal for Germany in the finals of FIFA World Cup 2014 to give his country 1-0 win over Argentina? Mario GtzeExplanation: Gtze scored the goal in the 2ndhalf of extra time in the 113thminute to help Germany lift the FIFA World Cup for the fourth time. He scored the goal when the match was moving towards penalty shoot-outs. This was his first World Cup and he scored two goals in the tournament.

3)The Netherlands secured third place in FIFA World Cup 2014 by defeating hosts Brazil by 3-0 in the third place play-off match held on 12 July 2014 at Brasilias Estadio Nacional. This was time that the Dutch have ended a World Cup at third place FirstExplanation: The Netherlands have never finished third in the history of FIFA World Cup. They lost in the 1974, 1978 and 2010 finals and in their only other battle for third place, against Croatia in 1998. On the other hand Brazil could not salvage the countrys pride in this classification match after their worst-ever World Cup defeat a 7-1 drubbing against Germany in the semi-finals.

4)Who won the prestigious Golden Boot award for FIFA World Cup 2014? James Rodriguez of ColombiaExplanation: Rodriguez scored 6 goals in FIFA World Cup 2014. TheGolden BootorGolden ShoeAward goes to the top goalscorer of the FIFA World Cup. It was introduced at the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930. Thomas Muller (Germany) was awarded Silver Boot for scoring 5 goals and Neymar (Brazil) was awarded Bronze Boot for his 4 goals in the tournament. This was the first time that a Colombian footballer won this prestigious award.

5)Who won the Golden Ball award for FIFA World Cup 2014? Lionel Messi (Argentina)Explanation: TheGolden Ballaward is presented to the best player at each FIFA World Cup finals, with a shortlist drawn up by the FIFA technical committee and the winner voted for by representatives of the media. Messi is the star striker and captain of Argentina and scored 4 goals in the tournament. The Silver Ball was awarded to Thomas Muller (Germany) while the Bronze Ball was given to Arjen Robben (the Netherlands).

6)Who won the Golden Glove award in FIFA World Cup 2014? Manuel Neuer (Germany)Explanation: TheGolden Glove award is presented to the best goalkeeper of the tournament decided by a FIFA Technical Study Group that recognises the top goalkeeper of the tournament based on the players performance throughout the final competition.

7)What is the name of first in series of anti-submarine corvettes indigenously built by Kolkata based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), which was handed over to Indian Navy on 12 July 2014? INS KamortaExplanation: INS Kamorta is the first Indian Naval warship ever built in the country with almost 90% of indigenous content. Work on the warship started in 2006. The handing over of the warship marked fruition of a significant project in Indias pursuit for self-reliance in indigenous warship building.

8)India film thespian Dilip Kumars ancestral home in Pakistan has been declared as a national heritage by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently. He has directed the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage to acquire the house. This house is situated in which city of Pakistan? PeshawarExplanation: Presently in a shabby condition, Dilip Kumars ancestoral home is being illegally occupied by someone, who claims to be his relative, but is actually not. The Pakistan Government is planning to invite Dilip Kumar and other members of his family after converting the house into a museum. Dilip Kumar was born as Yusuf Khan. His father Lala Ghulam Sarwar had shifted to Mumbai from Peshawar in the 1930s.

9)Which West Bengal hospital came to news recently for death of 12 newborn babies within 48 hours at the hospital? Malda Medical College and HospitalExplanation: The hospital, located about 300 kilometers north of West Bengal capital Kolkata, accepted several of the newborns as transfers from smaller hospitals in the region. All 12 infants, aged 1 month or younger, were underweight and suffered from malnutrition. The hospital saw 23 newborns die of suspected encephalitis last month and more than 60 die in 2011.

July 15, 2014 1)The first train from Delhi to newly opened Mata Vaishno Devi railway station (Katra) departed from New Delhi on 14 July 2014. What is the name of this newly instituted train? Shree Shakti ExpressExplanation :Shree Shakti Express was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 July 2014 when he inaugurated the first strain from Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Jammu. Consisting of one first AC, five AC two tier and nine AC three tier coaches, the Shri Shakti Express will stop at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Pathankot cantt , Jammu Tawi and Udhampur Stations en-route in both directions.

2)The 20thFIFA World Cup (2014) concluded on 13 July 2014 with Germany winning the title. Which country is to host the 21stFIFA World Cup to be held in 2018? RussiaExplanation :Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff symbolically handed over the World Cup to her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on 13 July 2014. Russia was awarded the hosting rights for 21stFIFA World Cup in December 2010 by FIFAs Executive Committee convened in Zurich. Russia was voted ahead of the joint hosting by Spain and Portugal. Russia will be hosting FIFA World Cup for the first time.

3)The Lok Sabha on 14 July 2014 cleared the Telecom Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill despite opposition from the Congress, the Left Parties, the RJD and the Aam Aadmi Party. Passing of this bill became possible after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) took a U-turn and decided not to oppose the bill. What is the purpose of passing this bill? To remove the legal hurdles in ex-TRAI chief Nripendra Misras appointment as the Prime Ministers Principal SecretaryExplanation: If cleared, the Telecom Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill will replace the ordinance that the new government passed just two days after taking over in May to enable Misra to join Modis team. Misra, a 1967-batch IAS officer who retired in 2009, joined the PMO the same day the ordinance was promulgated. The ordinance was necessitated as some service-clause for a person appointed as TRAI Chairman made his/her future appointments for govt. posts almost impossible.

4)Drug pricing regulator the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has recently fixed the price of 108 non-scheduled formulation packs of 50 anti-diabetes and cardiac medicines. This has been done to bring down prices of some key medicines. Which Paragraph of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) is associated with this subject? Paragraph 19Explanation: Paragraph 19 of DPCO, 2013, authorises the NPPA in extraordinary circumstances, if it considers it necessary to do so in public interest, to fix the ceiling price or retail price of any drug for such period as it deems fit. Under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013, the Government currently controls the prices of 652 essential drugs listed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). The drugs that will become cheaper would include atorvastatin, gliclazide, glimepiride, heparin and metolazone, among others.

5)5 new Governors for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Nagaland were appointed by the Union Govt. on 14 July 2014. Who are these 5 persons? Ram Naik (Uttar Pradesh), Balramji Dass Tandon (Chhattisgarh), Keshari Nath Tripathi (West Bengal), Om Prakash Kohli (Gujarat) and Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya (Nagaland)Explanation :Ram Naik was sent to Uttar Pradesh after B L Joshi, considered close to the Gandhi family, resigned after feelers from the new NDA government to quit. Balramji Dass Tandon was appointed Governor of Chhattisgarh following Shekhar Dutts resignation on 18 June after he too was sounded by the Union Home Ministry. Former UP Vidhan Sabha Speaker Keshari Nath Tripathi has been asked to leave for Kolkata after M K Narayanan stepped down following his questioning by the CBI over AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal. Om Prakash Kohli would take over as Governor in Gujarat after Kamla Beniwal was shifted to Mizoram for remainder of her term till November. P.B. Acharya was appointed Governor of Nagaland after the President accepted resignation of Tripura Governor Vakkom Purushothaman, who was also officiating as Nagaland Governor. Acharya will also hold additional charge of Tripura.

July 16, 2014

1)The6thBRICS summit, being hosted by Brazil, started on 15 July 2014. Which Brazilian city is hosting this summit? FortalezaExplanation: The 6thBRICS summit is being held from 15 July to 17 July 2014 at Fortaleza. BRICS is the grouping of 5 major emerging economies and includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is representing India at the Summit. It is worth mentioning that it is the first time that Brazil is hosting the summit under the current five-year summit cycle. It hosted the summit earlier in 2010 in Brasilia but then the summit did not include South Africa.

2)What is the definition of affordable housing loans as announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 July 2014? Rs. 50 lakh in metros and Rs. 40 lakh in non-metros, given by banks from the proceeds of long-term bonds (of minimum seven years maturity)Explanation: This announcement was made by the RBI in a bid to boost the housing sector. The RBI also announced that the cost of a house cannot exceed Rs. 65 lakh and Rs. 50 lakh in the metros and non-metros, respectively, to qualify as affordable houses. There are six metros in the country: Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Under the current regulatory regime, loans given by banks to individuals up to Rs. 25 lakh in metros and Rs. 15 lakh in non-metros for purchase/construction of a dwelling unit, per family, are considered as affordable housing loans. These loans fall under the priority sector lending category for banks. The RBI said that it will periodically review the definition of affordable housing, on account of inflation. This RBI move is expected to make housing loans up to Rs. 50 lakh cheaper.

3)The SEBI closed the five-and-a-half year long probe into the countrys biggest corporate fraud involving erstwhile Satyam Computer and barred companys founder B. Ramalinga Raju and four others from markets for 14 years. SEBI asked these people to return how much money for earning unlawful gains as interest? Rs. 1,849 croreExplanation: The money needs to be deposited with the SEBI within 45 days, while interest would be levied at 12% per annum with effect from 7 January 2009 the day this mega-scam came to the light through a letter written by Raju himself. On 7 January 2009, Raju the then Chairman of Satyam Computer had sent an email to the SEBI, wherein he admitted and confessed to inflating the cash and bank balances of the company, besides understating liabilities and other financial mis-statements. After the fraud came to the light, the government had ordered an auction for sale of the company in the interest of investors and employees of what was known at that time as the countrys fourth largest IT firm. The company was acquired by Tech Mahindra, then renamed as Mahindra Satyam and eventually it was merged with Tech Mahindra.

4)On 15 July 2014 it came to light that the Narendra Modi government has returned another proposal of the Supreme Court collegium on the elevation of a judge. The government returned the collegium file recommending elevation of Karnataka High Court judge KL Manjunath, since a senior Supreme Court judge had written an adverse note against him. Manjunaths appointment as the Chief Justice of which High Court was barred from this decision of the govt? Punjab and Haryana High CourtExplanation: The development came just days after the government, in a similar move, sent back a recommendation of the SC collegium, rejecting former solicitor general Gopal Subramaniums name for appointment as a Supreme Court judge.

5)Who was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013 by the President Pranab Mukherjee on 15 July 2014? Chandi Prasad Bhatt, the noted environmentalistExplanation: Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been a pioneer of the Chipko Movement of Uttarakhand. The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995 on the occasion of the 125thbirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It carries a plaque, citation and an amount of Rs one crore.

6)What is the name of the Northwest Pacific typhoon that struck into the Philippines on 15 July 2014 and is expected to bring in heavy rains in India too? Typhoon RammasunExplanation: Typhoon Rammasun is a category-2 storm that struck the Philippines on the noon of 15 July. It is expected to then enter South China Sea and churn up into a stronger category-3 typhoon and bring in heavy rains in the South-East Asian region including India. On 15 July a churn in the air was visible over northwest Bay of Bengal ahead of the formation of what looks like the next fresh low-pressure area. The impact of Typhoon Rammasun is expected to bring in heavy to very heavy rains in regions of Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh.

July 17, 2014

1)The Union Government has decided to do away with the necessity of filing affidavits from a gazetted officer or a notary for a big chunk of government-related work and instead to promote self-attestation of documents. This move is based on the recommendations of which commission? 2ndAdministrative Reforms CommissionExplanation: The move is based on the recommendation of 12threport of the second Administrative Reforms Commission (2ndARC), titled Citizen Centric Administration-The Heart of Governance, which suggested simplifying procedures for self-certification provision. Under the self-attestation method, the original documents are required to be produced at the final stage. The method of self-attestation is stated to be citizen friendly as obtaining either an attested copy or affidavit not only costs money but also involves wastage of time of the citizens and the government officials.

2)A team of researchers of which university recently a major milestone in the field of health by creating human blood and all its associated components in a laboratory by using stem cells? University of Wisconsin-MadisonExplanation: This team was led by University of Wisconsin-Madisons stem cell scientist Igor Slukvin. The team successfully cracked the elusive code to turn stem cells into human blood. With this the ability to make human blood in the lab including all the different types of cells in them took one giant leap. They discovered two genetic programs responsible for taking stem cells and turning them into both red and white cells that make up human blood. The method developed can produce blood cells in abundance. For every million stem cells the researchers were able to produce 30 million blood cells.

3)The Supreme Court on 16 July 2014 issued notices to all states seeking their views on whether a terminally ill person can execute a living will that life support system be withdrawn if he or she reaches a vegetative state with no hope of revival. The states have to respond to the notices within eight weeks. Who has been appointed as the amicus curiae to assist in this highly complex case? T. R. Andhyarujina, a former Solicitor GeneralExplanation: Amicus curiae is someone who is not a party to a case, who offers information that bears on the case but who has not been solicited by any of the parties to assist a court. A constitution bench headed by Chief Justice RM Lodha, Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice J. Chelameswar, Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman issued the notice on a plea filed with it, saying the question of passive euthanasia (mercy killing) needs a comprehensive examination as there was no authoritative judicial pronouncement on the issue. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Court that the issue entirely concerns the legislature and the judiciary should not take it up. The government also told the Court that passive euthanasia is a form of suicide which cannot be allowed.

4)Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for another 7-year term on 16 July 2014. This will be consecutive term for Assad 3rdExplanation: President Bashar al-Assad was re-elected in a landslide victory during June 2014 amid a civil war and in a vote dismissed by the opposition and its Western allies as a sham. He has served as Syrian President since 2000, when he succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who led Syria for 30 years until his death.

5)Which former Indian sportsman has been elected as the newest member of Laureus World Sports Academy, becoming the 47thmember of the elite panel? Rahul DravidExplanation: Dravid, the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, was elected as the 47thmember of Laureus World Sports Academy, which includes some of the greatest sportsmen and women ever. It includes great sports personalities such as Michael Johnson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Jack Nicklaus, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker, Kapil Dev, Martina Navratilova, Sir Vivian Richards, Sergey Bubka, Mark Spitz and Daley Thompson. Laureus World Sports Academy confers the Laureus World Sports Awards annually which are one of the most prestigious sports awards in the world and are often called the Oscars of Sports. Till now only one Indian sportsman Kapil Dev was the member of this academy.

July 18, 2014

1)A Malaysian Airlines passenger plane (Flight No. MH-17) carrying 295 people crashed in Eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014. Reports suggested that the ill-fated plane was shot down in a missile attack but the reports were not confirmed. This plane was on its flight to Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur from which European city? AmsterdamExplanation: Malaysian Airlines on 17 July announced that the plane, a Boeing 777, lost contact with the ATC over the Ukrainian airspace. On the other hand Ukraines separatist leader Andrei Purgin told that he was certain that Ukrainian troops had shot the plane down but gave no explanation or proof for his statement. Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraines Interior Minister, said the plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 metres (33,000 feet) when it was hit by a missile fired from a Buk launcher. This is the second major tragedy to hit Malaysian Airlines after the mysterious disappearance of the MH-370 flight on 8 March 2014. The still-to-found aircraft carried 227 passengers on its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

2)What is the minimum paid-up capital limit recommended by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for those entities who wish to set up payments and small banks, as announced in the draft rules released by it on 17 July 2014? Rs. 100 croreExplanation: According to the draft guidelines, existing authorised non-bank pre-paid instrument issuers (PPIs), non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), corporate BCs (business correspondents), mobile telephone companies, super market chains, companies, real sector co-operatives and public sector entities are eligible for setting up a payments bank. The guidelines allow even banks to take equity position in a payments bank as permitted under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The promoters will have to have an initial minimum capital of at least 40%. It has prescribed a lock-in period of five years for promoters holding. The central bank has sought suggestions and comments on the draft guidelines by 28 August 2014.

3)What important order was passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 17 July 2014, which is expected to lead to another battle in the continuing turf war between the NGT and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF)? NGT declared itself to be a court with all powers that a court hasExplanation: The order, authored by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar, said that the NGT is like a civil court and satisfies all the stated features for acting as an independent judicial tribunal with complete and comprehensive powers. The order underlined that the purpose of the NGT Act will stand defeated if the tribunal is not said to have all the powers of a court. However, the order may lead to another battle in the continuing turf war between the NGT and the MoEF. Despite persistent requests, the MoEF had last year declined to give the NGT the authority to take suo motu cognizance, reminding that it is a tribunal. In an affidavit to the SC, the MoEF had even said the NGT was causing embarrassment by not acting as per the Act. This NGT order was passed while it was hearing petitions challenging the 2011 Coastal Regulation Zone notification and the environment clearance given to the Rs 5,000-crore Vizhinjam sea project in Kerala by the MoEF.

4)Which country on 17 July 2014 became worlds first developed nation to repeal carbon laws that put a price on greenhouse-gas emissions? AustraliaExplanation: Australian upper Senate on 17 July voted 39-32 to scrap the carbon tax that was introduced by centre-left Labour government Prime Minister Julia Gillard in July 2012 and was introduced in November 2013. This tax imposed A $25 (US$23.45) tax per metric tonne of carbon dioxide on countrys worst greenhouse gas polluters. The tax was devised to penalize hundreds the countrys biggest polluters. Australia is one of the largest per capita greenhouse gas emitters due to its reliance on coal-burning power stations to power homes and industry. The carbon tax and plans for an eventual emissions market dominated Australian politics for years, gaining momentum in 2007, when former Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called climate change the greatest moral challenge of our time and made signature of the Kyoto climate protocol one of his first political acts after taking office.

5)Which city would host the next summit of IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) to be held in 2015? New DelhiExplanation: IBSA Summit 2015 would be the 7thsummit of this three-nation grouping. This was agreed to at a meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with South African President Jacob Zuma in Brasilia on 16 July 2014 on the sidelines of the summit BRICS leaders held with South American leaders. IBSA represents three important poles for galvanizing South-South Cooperation and greater understanding between three important continents of the developing world namely, Africa, Asia and South America.

6)Who was appointed as the Judicial Commissioner by the ICC to hear the misconduct case against England paceman James Anderson during on the ongoing test series against India? Gordon Lewis AM of AustraliaExplanation: Anderson is facing a charge under Level 3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players, following allegations that he pushed and abused Indias Ravindra Jadeja during the lunch break on the second day of the Nottingham Test.

July 19-20, 2014

1)Which country became the first in the world to legalise child labour recently? BoliviaExplanation: While most of the world is trying to diminish child labour, Bolivia has become the first nation to legalise it from age 10. The Congress of this Latin American country had (during early July 2014) approved a legislation legalise child labour from the age of ten. Vice-President Alvaro Garcia signed it into law on 17 July 2014 in the absence of President Evo Morales, who was travelling. Under the legislation, 10-year-olds will be able to work as long as they are under parental supervision and also attend school. It sets 12 as the minimum age for a child to work under contract. They also would have to attend school. The bills sponsors say lowering the minimum work age from 14 simply acknowledges a reality: Many poor families in Bolivia have no other choice than for their kids to work. The bill offers working children safeguards.

2)Diplomats from Iran and five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) on 18 July 2014 reached an agreement to extend the Iran nuclear talks till which date? 24 November 2014Explanation: Iran and six world powers failed to meet their target date for cutting a nuclear deal in the talks held at Vienna. They, however, agreed to extend the talks until 24 November in a bid to overcome stubborn differences over the size and capacity of activities by Tehran that could be used to make nuclear arms. Months of exhausting negotiations were meant to culminate in an agreement by 20 July 2014 that would limit the nuclear programmes Iran says it needs to produce energy and for other peaceful purposes but which can also be used to make nuclear arms. In return, Iran would have gotten progressive relief from all nuclear-related sanctions on its economy. It is worth mentioning that P5+1 include 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China and France) and Germany.

3)What is the name of the India-born Chief Business Officer (CBO) of Internet giant Google, who in a surprise move announced quitting the company after working for 10 years? Nikesh AroraExplanation: Nikesh Arora is often regarded as among the top lieutenants at Google. Google CEO Larry Page posted a post explaining Nikesh Aroras decision to quit the company. He also mentioned the important role played by him in bringing Google up to the level it is today. Arora is moving to Japans SoftBank Corp as Vice-Chairman.

4)The Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) on 19 July 2014 released a list of 1,129 wilful corporate loan defaulters on the occasion of the Bank Nationalisation Day. All the companies mentioned in the list had defaulted loans over Rs. 10 crore. What is the approximate aggregate value of these defaulters? Rs. 54,000 croreExplanation: The purpose of releasing the list by BEFI on the Bank Nationalisation Day was to put pressure on the defaulters and bank managements. BEFI claimed that a similar list released by unions about five years ago helped some recovery. This list claimed that during the year ended 2013-14, provisioning for Non Performing Assets (NPAs) accounted for Rs. 63,591 crore out of a total operating profit of Rs. 1,27,965 crore. Lanco Mandakini Hydro Energy, Sujana Group, Kingfisher, Progressive Construction, Viceroy Hotels, Regency Ceramics, Nav Bharat International, S Kumars Nationwide Ltd and Deccan Chronicle have been named in the list, among others.

5)The Union Govt. on 19 July 2014 set up an expert committee to look into concerns raised by cost accountants over some provisions in the new Cost Records and Audit Rules. Who is heading this committee? R. S. Sharma, ONGCs former Chairman and Managing DirectorExplanation: Following notification of the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules 2014, the Council of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICoAI) had expressed concerns over certain provisions of the rules, particularly coverage of sectors of economy under the rules. The other members of the committee will be R K Jain, Additional Secretary in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, former ICWAI (Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India) President Chandra Wadhwa, and Aruna Sethi, Adviser (Cost), Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

July 21, 2014

1)Which tobacco company of the United States was ordered by a Florida state jury to pay a whopping $23.6 billion in punitive damages to the wife of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer? RJ Reynolds Tobacco CompanyExplanation: This order was passed on 18 July 2014 and was seen as one of the largest for a single plaintiff in Florida history. During the four-week trial, lawyers for Michael Johnsons widow Cynthia Robinson argued that RJ Reynolds was negligent in informing consumers of the dangers of consuming tobacco and thus led to Johnson contracting lung cancer from smoking cigarettes. Michael Johnson passed away in 1996 while fighting lung cancer. The order stated that RJ Reynolds took a calculated risk by manufacturing cigarettes and selling them to consumers without properly informing them of the hazards. However, RJ Reynolds plans to appeal the court decision and verdict and is confident that the court will follow the law and not allow this runaway verdict to stand.

2)Which Southeast Asian country on 20 July 2014 allowed 100% foreign ownership in banks? The PhilippinesExplanation: The order announced on 20 July allows foreign banks to own 100% stock of an existing domestic bank or to open a fully owned subsidiary incorporated under Philippines laws. It replaces a cap of 60% on foreign ownership and abolishes previous rules that allowed just 10 foreign banks in the country. The new law is in preparation for the economic integration of members of the 10-country Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015.

3)Andhra Pradesh Government on 20 July 2014 formed an advisory committee on the new capital city for the State with representation from the industry. Who has been appointed head of this committee? P. Narayana, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban DevelopmentExplanation: Other members of this committee includes G V Sanjay Reddy of GVK Group, B Srinivas from GMR Group, M Prabhakar Rao, Chairman of Nuziveed Seeds, C Srinivasa Raju, Chairman of Peepul Capital. The panel would propose an action plan with timelines for submission of its recommendations on conceptualisation of an inclusive city, creation of a viable urban ecosystem, efficient use of natural resources, urban planning policies, effective institutional management system, among others. It would also advise on supplementing resources committed by the Central government for the new capital with mechanisms to raise additional resources for development.

4)Who won the German Grand Prix F1 title for 2014 on 20 July 2014? Nico Rosberg of GermanyExplanation: It was fourth win of the season and the first at a home race for Rosberg belonging to the Mercedes team. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) captured second place while Rosbergs Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton took third place. With this win Rosberg has extended his lead in the Formula One drivers standings to 14 points over Hamilton. The race began with a first lap collision between McLarens Kevin Magnusson and Felipe Massa in a Williams.

5)Who was appointed as the Private Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 July 2014? Sanjeev Kumar SinglaExplanation: Sanjeev Kumar Singla is a 1997 batch IFS officer and he succeeds Vikram Misri, who is going to Spain as Ambassador. Misri, a 1989 batch IFS officer, served as Private Secretary to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

July 22, 2014

1)Which private sector bank has agreed to buy a 15% stake in beleaguered Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX), announcement of which pushed the stock value of MCX by more than 10% on 21 July 2014? Kotak Mahindra BankExplanation: The commodity market regulator, Forward Market Commission (FMC), had ordered MCX to reduce its promoter- Financial Technologies (FTs) stake from 26 to 2% in December last year after FT was found not fit and proper to own stake in any exchange, following the NSEL crisis. However, since the promoter repeatedly missed the deadline for reducing its stake, the regulator said it would not allow the exchange to issue any new contracts beyond August, unless they did so. The news of Kotak Mahindra Banks buyout has thus come at the right time. Prominent investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala had recently acquired nearly two per cent stake in MCX for about Rs. 66 crore a few days ago.

2)Defence Ministry has recently approved the takeover of which public sector telecom cable manufacturing company by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)? Hindustan CablesExplanation: Hindustan Cables is a government owned company established in 1952 and is engaged in manufacture of telecom cables. It was profitable till 1994 but then started accumulating losses. The companys units in West Bengal and Hyderabad producing Polythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables had not been in production since January 2003, as there is no requirement of these cables in BSNL/MTNL. Now the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence has conveyed its in-principle approval on takeover of Hindustan Cables Limited by the OFB.

3)India achieved a historic Test win over England at Lords on 21 July 2014 by defeating them by 95 runs to lead the five test series 1-0. This win was Indias first at Lords since 1986. Who led India in the 1986 tour to achieve that historic test win? Kapil DevExplanation: The 1986 win at Lords under the leadership of Kapil Dev was Indias lone win at this historic venue better known as the Mecca of Cricket. Thus India once again created history under the leadership of M.S. Dhoni at Lords. Ishant Sharmas career best bowling figure of 7 wickets for 74 played crucial role in Indias win. Needing 319 runs in the second innings to win the Test, England seemed cruising at one time with the score at 173 for 4. But a huge collapse after lunch brought England to 223 all out and gave India this historic win. Ishant Sharma was declared man of the match.

4)NASA organised a renaming ceremony at Cape Canaveral in Florida on 21 July 2014, which was the site of the path-breaking launch of first humans to set foot on the moon. Which anniversary of moon landing is NASA celebrating this year? 45Explanation: The 45thanniversary of the landing of NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was celebrated on 21 July. On 20 July 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. NASA honoured Neil Armstrong, who died in 2012, on this occasion by naming the historical launch building at Cape Canaveral after him. Both Aldrin and Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 command module pilot who orbited the moon, were present on this occasion.

5)Maharashtra minister Narayan Rane resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet on 21 July 2014. He had been pushing for the replacement of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan after the partys rout in the Lok Sabha elections. What portfolio was Rane holding in Maharashtra Cabinet? Industries MinisterExplanation: Rane had quit his Cabinet post in May 2014 after his son Nilesh Rane was defeated in the Lok Sabha polls from Konkan. However, the party had not accepted his resignation. He has been open about his unhappiness with the party high command for bypassing him for the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister.

6)Britains largest retailer Tesco plc on 21 July 2014 announced appointment of Unilever executive and turnaround specialist Dave Lewis as the new CEO. He replaces whom, whose three year reign proved almost disastrous for the company? Philip ClarkeExplanation: Philip Clarke will continue as CEO until 1 October 2014 and will remain available to support the transition until the end of January 2015. Lewis, currently working as Unilevers Global President, Personal Care, has been responsible for a number of business turnarounds as well as leadership in areas of significant strategic priority.

July 23, 2014

1)The United Nations Security Council on 21 July 2014 unanimously backed a resolution over the downing of MH17 with Russia backing the resolution at the eleventh hour after some changes were made to the text. This resolution was sponsored by which country? AustraliaExplanation: The 15-nation UN Security Council adopted the Australian-drafted resolution and condemned in the strongest terms the downing of MH17 on 17 July 2014 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, which resulted in the tragic loss of 298 lives. Australia brought this resolution to the Security Council as it sought a response from the alleged pro-Russian rebels who were hampering recovery efforts at the site of crash. At least 37 Australian citizens were killed in this crash and the number was revised from the earlier estimate of 28. The SC resolution puts in place an international, independent investigation into the plane crash and puts more pressure on Moscow to use its influence over the separatists. A ceasefire has also been declared within a 10-kilometre radius around the crash site, to allow international investigators to safely access the area.

2)Which company has recently announced dividend-payout worth Rs. 12,750 crore to its shareholders, which is believed to be the highest-ever dividend payout by an Indian company? Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)Explanation: TCS will shell out about Rs. 12,750 crore to its 600,000 shareholders. Though the move will deplete the cash chest of Indias largest IT company by more than half, the lions share of the dividend largesse will go to TCS parent, Tata Sons, which will become richer by Rs. 9,382 crore. TCS is the largest software exporting company of India and Tata Sons has 73.69% stake in it. As of 30 June 2014, the company had a cash chest of Rs. 25,900 crore.

3)India was ranked at sixth place in a list of countries with the highest prevalence of child marriages in the world released by the UNICEF recently. Which country was placed at first place in this list? NigerExplanation: According to a UNICEF report titled Ending Child Marriage Progress and prospects Child marriage among girls is most common in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and India is among the top 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage. The 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are Niger, Bangladesh, Chad, Mali, Central African Republic, India, Guinea, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Nepal respectively. According to this report South Asia is home to almost half (42%) of all child brides worldwide; India alone accounts for one third of the global total.

4)Who emerged as the winner in the presidential election held in Indonesia on 9 July 2014? Joko Widodo, who is the Governor of JakartaExplanation: Joko Widodo won the hearts of Indonesians with his common man image and emerged with 53% of the vote as announced by the Election Commission on 22 July 2014. The numbers were released shortly after his opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, declared he was withdrawing from the contest, saying there was massive fraud during the election and that it was unfair and undemocratic. These elections were held to replace the incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

5)Which BJP member of parliament (MP) was declared an absconder in the Babri Masjid demolition case by a special CBI court on 21 July 2014? Sakshi Maharaj, BJP MP from Uttar Pradeshs Unnao constituencyExplanation: The move came in the wake of Sakshi Maharajs continued absence for the trial he is facing in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Sakshi Maharajs name, with other senior BJP leaders, figured in a First Information Report (FIR) filed in Ayodhya on 2 December, 1992. While 49 people were named as accused for the demolition of the mosque, 13 were acquitted of the charges at the primary stages.

6)Tennis ace Sania Mirza was appointed as the brand ambassador of which state recently? TelanganaExplanation: Sania Mirza, a native of Telangana capital Hyderabad, was provided a cheque forRs.1 crore towards expenditure for her coaching, while being appointed as the brand ambassador of the newly formed state.

July 24, 2014

1)20thCommonwealth Games at Glasgow (Scotland) opened on 23 July 2014 after a grand opening ceremony held at Celtic Park Stadium, the venue for opening ceremony. What is the motto of these Games? People, Place, PassionExplanation: XX Commonwealth Games were inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth at Scotlands capital Glasgow on 23 July 2014. More than 4,500 athletes from 71 Commonwealth countries are taking part in this multi-sport event being held from 23 July to 3 August 2014. Clyde, named after the river which flows through the centre of Glasgow is the mascot of these games. 261 events would be held in 17 different sports during the games which are the third largest multi-sport event after the Olympics and the Asian Games. Indian contingent comprises of athletes and was led by Olympic silver medal winner shooter Vijay Kumar in the march past held for the opening ceremony.

2)Which company on 23 July 2014 became the first Indian company to cross market capitalization value of Rs. 5 lakh crore? Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)Explanation: Market capitalization is the value of a companys outstanding shares and is used to determine a companys size. TCSs market capitalization crossed 5 lakh crore mark on account of appreciation in the price of TCS scrip following good financial results and record dividend declaration by the company. State-held ONGCs market cap of around Rs. 3.5 lakh crore is way behind that of TCS. It is worth mentioning that TCS market cap is more than the combined market cap of its nearest three rivals Infosys (Rs 1.90 lakh crore), Wipro (Rs 1.39 lakh crore) and HCL Tech (Rs 1.07 lakh crore).

3)Which organisation/board has been chosen by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct the National Eligibility Test (NET) as announced by UGC on 22 July 2014? Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)Explanation: UGC decided to outsource the conduct of the NET to CBSE as it perceived it was ill-equipped to conduct the nation-wide examination held for university-level teaching and junior research fellowships (JRFs). The decision was taken at UGCs full commission meeting held recently. For CBSE, this will be a first as the Board has till now conducted examinations only for secondary and school-leaving students. The minimum qualification for NET is post-graduation. The UGC will share its resource persons with CBSE to set the question papers in 80 subjects. UGC took this decision as it felt that the CBSE had the infrastructure and had developed the expertise from conducting school-leaving examinations, All-India Engineering Entrance Examination and All India Pre-Medical Test annually.

4)The Andhra Pradesh government on 22 July 2014 conveyed its recommendation to K. Sivaramakrishnan, who is heading the committee constituted by the Union Government to identify a suitable place for the new capital of state. The AP Govt. in this recommendation pitched for which place for locating the new capital? Between Vijayawada and GunturExplanation: The state govt. conveyed to the committee the distinct advantages enjoyed by Vijayawada-Guntur region in terms of availability of abundant water and road, rail and air connectivity. The Sivaramakrishnan Committee has submitted a draft approach paper to the Union Home Ministry listing out various options for creation of the new capital. The expenditure for creation of the new capital would be in the region of Rs.1.40 lakh crore.

5)Who was hired as the new coach of Brazils national football team recently? DungaExplanation: Former Brazil captain Dunga thus replaces Luiz Felipe Scolari, who resigned last week after Brazil failed to win the World Cup. Brazil was eliminated in the semifinals in a humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany. Dunga was the captain of Brazils 1994 World Cup-winning team, and had coached the national team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He was dismissed after Brazil lost 2-1 in the quarterfinals to the Netherlands.

6)Name of which Chinese meat supplier came to limelight in the Chinese meat scandal for allegedly selling expired beef and chicken to reputed companies like Starbucks and Burger King? Husi Food Co.Explanation: The name of Shanghai-based Husi Food Co. came to fore after a Shanghai broadcaster, Dragon TV, reported on 20 July 2014 that Husi repackaged old beef and chicken and put new expiration dates on them. It said they were sold to McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants. This news led to a string of safety scares in China and other countries. Starbucks Corp. said it removed from its shelves sandwiches made with chicken that originated at Husi. Burger King Corp. said it stopped using hamburger it received from a supplier that used product from Husi. Pizza restaurant chain Papa Johns International Inc. announced it stopped using meat from Husi. In Japan, McDonalds Corp. said it stopped selling McNuggets at more than 1,300 outlets that used chicken supplied by Husi. It said Husi had been supplying chicken to it since 2002.

July 25, 2014

1)Which public-sector undertaking (PSU) on 23 July 2014 became the 17thNavratna status company? Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR)Explanation: The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India granted Navratna status to CONCOR on 23 July 2014. CONCOR is a PSU engaged in providing comprehensive logistics solutions. It has the largest network of 62 inland container depots (ICDs)/container freight stations in India. In addition to providing inland transport by rail for containers, it has also expanded to cover management of ports, air cargo complexes and establishing cold-chain. The Government of India (GoI) holds 61.80% stake in CONCOR (as per the shareholding pattern as on 30 June 2014).

2)What is Indias Human Development Index (HDI) rank in the recently released Human Development Report (HDR) 2014? 135 out of 187 countriesExplanation: Indias ranking in HDR climbed up just one rank as compared to 2013 despite significant acceleration on its road towards achieving the millennium development goals. Smaller SAARC countries like Sri Lanka (73) and Maldives (103) pipped India behind in the rankings. India also has the lowest HDI among all BRICS nations, with its life expectancy higher only than South Africa. Russia, Brazil and China are in the high HDI category with rankings of 57, 79 and 91 respectively. The HDR is an annual report brought out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1990. HDI is assessed on the basis of three parameters long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands and the United States respectively topped the HDI ranking list while Niger, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and Sierra Leone were at the bottom of the list.

3)Who was during July 2014 chosen as the head of the committee formed to review the previous UPA governments decision to raise the price of natural gas that would have led to a cascading effect on power tariff, urea costs and retail price of piped cooking gas? Suresh PrabhuExplanation: Suresh Prabhu is a former Union power minister. An indicative terms of reference for the committee includes revisiting the Natural Gas Pricing Guidelines of 2014 (NGPG 2014) and the C. Rangarajan formula and the possibility of applying the same in its present form or with modifications.

4)Who won the first gold medal for India at the 20thCommonwealth Games being held at Glasgow, Scotland? K. Sanjita Chanu, woman weightlifterExplanation: Sanjita Chanu opened Indias campaign on a flying note on 24 July 2014 by winning a gold medal in womens 48kg category. After that Sukhen Dey bagged the second gold for India in mens 56kg category to give the country its second gold medal of the day.

5)An Air Algerie passenger aircraft en-route from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Algiers crashed on 24 July 2014 killing 116 people on-board. This crash took place in deserts of which country? MaliExplanation: The wreckage of an Air Algerie plane was found 50 kilometers north of the Burkina Faso border in the Malian region of Gossi. The crash took place some 50 minutes after taking-off from Ouagadougou. The dead included 50 French, 24 Burkinabe, 8 Lebanese, 6 Algerians, 6 Spanish, 5 Canadians, 4 Germans and 2 Luxembourg nationals. The sole survivor, a young Algerian soldier, was critically injured. This was the third major air crash worldwide in just a week after 17 July shooting of Malaysian Airlines MH17 in eastern Ukraine and Taiwans TransAsia crash on 23 July in a Taiwanese island killing 48 people on-board.6)Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene smashed an unbeaten 140 against South Africa on the first day of the second Test against South Africa at Singhala Sports Club (SCC) ground in Colombo on 24 July 2014. What unique record Mahela achieved with this century at SCC? This was his 11thcentury at SCC ground, which is the most by any batsman at a single venueExplanation: This century against South Africa was also the 34thcentury for Mahela Jayawardene and he joined Indias Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara of the West Indies at fifth place on the list of highest Test century makers.

July 26-27, 2014

1)Indian would soon join the select band of nations with capability to store crude oil. At which three places these strategic reserve caverns are being constructed to store crude oil safely? Visakhapatnam(Andhra Pradesh) andMangalore&Padur(both on the western coast of Karnataka)Explanation: By building caverns at these three places India would join the company of a select few the US, Japan, China, Korea and the Scandinavian countries, with capability to store large amount of crude oil safely. These state-of-the-art caverns are being constructed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oil Industry Development Board. An area 7-km long and as high as a 10 storey building would feature in the tunnels made for these caverns which would be safe even from deadly missile attacks. India will hold 1.3 million tonnes of crude oil as a strategic reserve here at these three caverns. In all, the three projects would cost about Rs. 4,000 crore.

2)The Un