Preparations: GK for MBA Exams 2011 - 2012

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
General Knowledge, as we know that plays an role in our preparations for the MBA examinations that could determine the scores for various examinations.

I think we need a platform to discuss what we know, and so we have an exclusive thread for GK preparations. It should be nice to share your thoughts and news about current happenings and what the world has special for us to know.

Lets get it started. If you have already posted something on this forum that you want us to know, please share the link in this thread :)


Hint: You do get a lot of information from WikiLeaks too. :)
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Sept 2011 :

  • The Japanese government is considering compiling a fourth extra budget for the fiscal year to March of about 1 to 2 trillion yen.
  • Broadcom Corp., the maker of communications chips, agreed to buy NetLogic Microsystems Inc. for about $3.7 billion in cash to gain processors used in data networks.
  • (Source : The Hindu)Dell has acquired the U.S.-based $200 million revenue networking company Force 10 Networks. Force10 Network's Chennai research and development team will be significantly ramped up over the next 12 months to play a crucial part for Dell's networking business.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Thanks for the share. Can we also have some discussion here. Sharing some news should be good for everyone to learn.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Names of Important Parliament all over the world:

Indian : Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha)
Nepal : Rashtriya Panchayat
Pakistan : National Assembly
Denmark : Folketing
Britain : Parliament (House of commons and House of Lords)
Russia : Duma and Federal Council
Germany : Bundstag (Lower House) and Bundesrat (Upper House)
China : National people’s Congress
Switzerland : Federal Assembly
France : National Assembly
U.S.A. : Congress (house of Representatives and Senate)
Turkey : Grand National Assembly
Bhutan : Tshogdu
Iran : Majlis
Bangladesh: Jatiya Sansad
Afghanistan: Shora
Norway : Storting
Isreal : Knesset
Spain : Cortes Generales
Maldives : Mazlis
Australia : Federal Parliament
Japan : Diet
Myanmar : Pyithu Hluttaw (People’s Assembly)
Canada : Parliament
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
List of Branches of Science:

Preview:

Branch

Aerodynamics: The study of the motion of gas on objects and the forces created
Aeronautics: Science of fligt of airplanes.
Agronomy: Science dealing with crop plant.
Anatomy: The study of the structure and organization of living things
Angiology: Deals with the study of blood vascular system.
Anthology: Study of flower.
Anthropology: The study of human cultures both past and present. Study of apes and man.
Apiculture: Honey industries (Bee Keeping).
Araneology: Study of spiders.
Archaeology: The study of the material remains of cultures
Astronomy : The study of celestial objects in the universe. Study of heavenly bodies.
Astrophysics: The study of the physics of the universe
Bacteriology: The study of bacteria in relation to disease
Batracology: Study of frogs.

Please download the attached file and read more :) :ranger:
 

Attachments

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drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Learn more now.Highlights of 2011-2012 Budget.

Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on February 28, 2011 presented the Union Budget 2011-12 in the Parliament.

● Fiscal deficit target at 4•6% for 2011-12, down from 5•1% estimated for 2010-11.
● Government expects economy to grow at 9% in 2011-12.
● Government debt : About 44•2% of GDP, well below Finance Commission target.
● Expenditure up 3% at Rs. 12•58 lakh crore in 2011-12.
● Gross tax receipt at Rs. 9•3 lakh crore.
● Personal tax rates : Minimum exemption raised to Rs. 1,80,000 from Rs. 1,60,000.
● Windfall for seniors : For those above 80 (known as very senior citizens) income up to Rs. 5,00,000 free from tax.
● Senior citizen age entitlement cut from 65 to 60, entitled income upto Rs. 2,50,000 free from tax.

Read more by downloading the attachment.
 

Attachments

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drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Today's Q&A.

Source: gktoday

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To be continued...
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Interesting Facts about India

source: india.gov.in

  • India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
  • When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
  • The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
  • The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
  • Chess was invented in India.
  • Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
  • The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
  • The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
  • India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
  • The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
  • The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
  • India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.
  • The largest employer in India is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
  • The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
  • Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
  • India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
  • The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
  • Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Continued...

  • The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.
  • Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
  • Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world
  • (Source: Gemological Institute of America).
  • The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
  • Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
  • Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
  • India exports software to 90 countries.
  • The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
  • Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
  • Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.
  • There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
  • The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
  • Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively
  • The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.
  • The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
  • Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.
  • Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
  • India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
  • His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.
  • Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
  • Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
  • In July 2010, Yi Gang, Deputy Governor of the Bank of China, claimed China's economy had overtaken Japan as the world's second biggest economy.This fact was confirmed in February 2011, when the official economic statistics was issued by Japan (Chinese statistics for 2010 was published earlier), which showed that Japan's 2010 GDP was worth $5.474 trillion, when China's 2010 GDP was around $5.8 trillion.$5.8 trillion.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Lokpal Facts and Timeline:

Year 1968 - Lokpal And Lokayuktas Bill
May 9, 1968

Prime Minister: Indira Gandhi
The Bill was introduced and Passed in the Lok Sabha in 1969.
The Bill lapsed since the 4th Lok Sabha dissolved.
Prime Minister covered: No
MPs covered: No

Aug 11, 1971
Prime Minister: Indira Gandhi
The Bill was not referred to any committee. It lapsed due to the dissolution of the 5th Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister covered: No
MPs covered: No

Year - 1977 - Lokpal Bill
Jul 28, 1977

Prime Minister: Morarji Desai
The 6th Lok Sabha dissolved before recommendations of the Joint Select committee could be considered.
Prime Minister covered: No
MPs covered: Yes

Year – 1985 - Lokpal Bill
Aug 26, 1985


PM: Rajiv Gandhi
The Bill was referred to the Joint Select Committee. But it was withdrawn by the Government.
Prime Minister covered: No
MPs covered: No

Year - 1989 - Lokpal Bill
Sep 13, 1989


Prime Minister: V. P. Singh
Referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs. The Bill lapsed on the dissolution of the 9th Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister covered: Yes
MPs covered: No

Year – 1996 - Lokpal Bill
Sep 13, 1996


Prime Minister: Deva Gowda
The Parliamentary Standing Committee
presented its Report in 1997, making amendments to the Bill.
However the Bill lapsed due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
Prime Minister covered: Yes
MPs covered: Yes

Year - 1998 - Lokpal Bill
Aug 3, 1998

Prime Minister: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Before the Govt. could take a view on the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, the 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved.
Prime Minister covered: Yes
MPs covered: Yes

Year - 2001 - Lokpal Bill
Aug 14, 2001


Prime Minister: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs. The Lok Sabha dissolved before Bill could be passed.
Prime Minister covered: Yes
MPs covered: Yes

Year 2011 –
Janlokpal Bill and Congress Government Lokpal Bill

October 26, 2010 –
Arvind Kejriwal wrote letter to Prime Minister to draft a new Lokpal Bill with suggestions.

After that fight for the strong Lokpal Started that is Janlokpal Bill.

April 5, 2011 –
Anna Hazare went on a 'fast-unto-death' demanding that the Jan Lok Pal Bill

Apr 9, 2011 –
Govt. issued a notification in the Official Gazette on formation of a Joint Drafting Committee.
Pranab Mukherjee is the Chairman and Shanti Bhushan is the co-chairman.

It was decided that 5 members from civil society and 5 members from Government of India will discuss and draft a strong Lokpal Bill for the Indian citizens.

Jun 21, 2011:
Joint Drafting Committee failed.
They do not agree on most important parts of Lokpal Bill.
And government drafted its own Lokpal Bill, a bill which will never end the corruption from India.A bill in which complainant will go to jail for 2 years and accused a bribe taker for only six months if found guilty.


The rest was seen by everyone which was followed by Anna Hazare's fast and events that followed.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
  • It's a fact: at 41.2o South, Wellington is the most southerly capital city on the planet. Cities on similar latitudes in the Northern hemisphere are Barcelona, Istanbul and Chicago.

The City of Dunedin is home to:
  • New Zealand's oldest university.
  • New Zealand's first newspaper.
  • New Zealand's first botanic gardens.
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
New Zealand's (and Australasia's) highest mountain is Aoraki Mount Cook. It is 3,754 metres (12,316 ft) high. The mountain formerly appeared on maps as Mount Cook. In 1998, the mountain was officially renamed Aoraki Mount Cook to incorporate its Maori name. The renaming was part of a settlement in which the Crown also returned ownership of the mountain to the Ngai Tahu tribe, who then gifted it back to the New Zealand nation. Aoraki translates from the Ngai Tahu language as "cloud piercer".
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Important Events of Jan 2011:

1)Iran completes fuelling its first N-power plant
2)$100 billion mineral treasure trove discovered in Tibet
3)Russia opens plant to destroy chemical weapons
4)SCO prime ministers meeting held in Tajikistan
5)Rajapaksa sworn in for second term
6)North Korea stages surprise attack on south Korean island
7)junta-backed party sweeps Myanmar general elections
8)ship based power plant comes to Pakistan's aid
9)NATO summit 2010 held in Portugal
10)food security in US touched record lows in 2009;report
11)10th RIC trilateral ministerial meet
12)china makes dam on Brahmaputra
13)APEC summit held in japan
14)2010 G20 summit held in south korea
15)British prime minister makes crucial china visit
16)unemployment at all time high:ILO
17)China pulls off a rare feat in space science
18)US,Australia sign space surveillance pact
19)multidimensional poverty index 2010
20)jintao makes high-profile France visit
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Important Business News:

Deal Reached to End U.S. Debt Crisis (August 1): After days of disagreeing, Congress makes an 11th-hour deal to prevent a national default. Neither side, Democrats or Republicans, emerge as a clear winner in the agreement. The deal raises the debt ceiling in two steps by a total of $2.1 trillion to $2.4 trillion and cuts an initial $1 trillion in spending over ten years. Also, a bipartisan committee will be formed to recommend $1.5 trillion in additional budget cuts. If Congress fails to act on this new committee's recommendations, then automatic spending cuts will be forced. The committees recommended cuts are expected by November.

July Job Report Slightly Better than Expected (August 5): The U.S. government reports that 117,000 jobs were added in July, more than expected, and welcome news to a shaky market and a stalled economy. Companies added 154,000 jobs and the federal government added 2,000, but local and state governments cut 39,000 jobs. The unemployment rate slips from 9.2 in June to 9.1 in July, but this is blamed on people giving up on finding work.

Stocks Nosedive After U.S. Credit Rating Is Lowered (August 8): Reacting with fear of the credit rating downgrade in the U.S. as well as economic woes on both sides of the Atlantic, the stock market fell sharply in the days after Standard & Poor's lowered the United States' credit rating from AAA to AA+. On the next business day after the credit rating downgrade announcement, the Dow Jones fell 634 points, the biggest drop since December 2008, which was when the U.S. was in the midst of the financial crisis. (August 9): International markets are affected, too. Japan, Australia, South Korea all experience drops in market shares. (August 12): After a roller-coaster week for Wall Street, the markets end not far from where they started at that beginning of the week, just down 2%. However the rapid climbing and falling show little confidence in the market and little reason to celebrate.

Google Acquires Motorola Mobility (August 15): Google takes another step towards head to head competition with its main rival Apple by acquiring Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. The purchase allows Google to pursue the cell phone and tablet markets. Google is known for being a search engine and also has Android phone software, but this deal also gives the company access to 17,000 patents owned by Motorola Mobility.

Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO (August 24): Apple announces that Steve Jobs is stepping down as chief executive. Jobs, who has battled cancer for several years, will serve as chairman. Timothy D. Cook will take over as chief executive. Jobs, a co-founder of Apple Inc., is seen as inseparable from the company's success. Of his resignation Jobs says, ""I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."

Buffett Boosts Bank of America (August 25): Warren E. Buffett announces that his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway plans to invest $5 billion in the troubled Bank of America. The investment comes at a time when Bank of America faces an investigation into its foreclosure practices and has billions in legal bills.



Source: August 2011 Current Events: Business News — Infoplease.com
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Here are the key events in world news for the month of July 2011.

Strauss-Kahn Is Released (July 1): Dominique Strauss-Kahn is released from house arrest. Prosecutors, who initially believed they had a strong case, acknowledge that the accuser has credibility issues. Since the hotel maid accused Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault in May, she has admitted to prosecutors that she lied about what happened after the incident. In her initial statement she said that after the assault, she waited in a hallway for Strauss-Kahn to leave the room, but later admitted that she had cleaned a nearby room and his room before reporting the incident. The woman also reportedly lied about her income to qualify for housing as well as the number of children she has to increase her tax refund.

Kvitova and Djokovic Take Wimbledon Titles (July 3): The Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova beat former Wimbledon champ Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 to win the women's singles title. It is the first major final appearance for 21-year-old Kvitova who says that Martina Navratilova, also from the Czech Republic, is her hero. Novak Djokovic, who won the Australian Open back in January, continues his successful year and dominance over Rafael Nadal with a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win in the Men's singles championship. This is Djokovic's first Wimbledon singles title. The win makes him the #1 ranked player in the world.

South Sudan Becomes a Nation (July 9): After more than 50 years of fighting and struggle, the Republic of South Sudan declares its independence and becomes Africa's 54th state. Thousands celebrate in the streets of South Sudan's capital, Juba. Salva Kiir, South Sudan's president, signs the interim Constitution.

Scandal Brings End to The News of the World (July 11): The News of the World, a British newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, closes after several allegations that the paper's journalists hacked into voicemail accounts belonging to not only a 13-year-old murder victim, but also the relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prime Minister David Cameron orders two separate investigations after his former communications director Andy Coulson is arrested under suspicion of corruption and conspiring to intercept communications. Officers are also investigating if illegal payments were made to police officers. Murdoch's News Corporation feels an immediate impact as stock price fall. Also, legislators question Murdoch's pending $12 billion deal to takeover the British television company, Sky Broadcasting. (July 13): Murdoch's News Corporation withdraws its $12 billion bid to buy British Sky Broadcasting. (July 17): Rebekah Brooks, former editor of The News of the World, is arrested on suspicion of illegally intercepting phone calls and bribing the police. Her arrest comes two days after her resignation as chief executive of News International which runs the British newspaper operations of Murdoch's News Corporation.(July 18): Paul Stephenson and John Yates, two Scotland Yard senior police officials, resign. Both officers have ties to Neil Wallis, a former deputy editor at The News of the World who was recently arrested on suspicion of phone hacking and bribery of police officers.


Continued....
 

drnaga

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Japan Beats USA to Win Women's World Cup (July 17): Germany hosts the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup where 845,711 fans attend 32 matches to watch 16 teams battle for the trophy. In the final, Japan defeats USA in a penalty kick shoot-out after the match ended in a 2-2 draw. Japan's win comes when the country could use some good news after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami earlier this year as well as the ongoing nuclear disaster.

Two Related Terrorist Attacks Shock Norway (July 22): Norway is hit with two related terrorist attacks. First, a bomb explodes in Regjeringskvartalet, the government quarter of Oslo. The explosion happens right outside the prime minister's office as well as other government buildings, killing eight people and wounding several others. Two hours later, a gunman disguised as a policeman opens fire on campers at a camp for young political activists on the island of Utoya in Tyrifjorden, Buskerud. The youth camp is organized by the youth organization of the Norwegian Labour Party. The gunman kills 68 campers, including personal friends of Prime Minister Stoltenberg. Police arrest Anders Behring Breivik who has been charged with both attacks. Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian, has been linked to an anti-Islamic group and may be connected to other terrorist groups and extreme activists.

Influential Singer Amy Winehouse Dies (July 23): The multi-award winning, internationally known singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse is found dead in her apartment in London. The cause of death is not immediately known. Although her musical talents and influence were eclipsed in later years by her public battle with drugs and alcohol, Winehouse sold five million records and became the first British female artist to win five Grammys. She revitalized the music scene in Britain, starting a retro-R&B trend as well as paving the way for other female artists such as Adele and Lady Gaga.


Source: http://www.infoplease.com/
 
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