Current Affairs January 2012 Questions and Answers Part-II

Important Current Affairs January 2012 Questions and Answers Part-II

48 lakh People living in Asia with HIV: About 48 lakh people were living with HIV in Asia in 2010 and nearly half of them—49 per cent to beprecise—are in India as has been revealed by the latest UNAIDS report drafted jointly with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO).

UN Climate Change Conference in Durban: The 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change(UNFCCC) concluded in Durban (South Africa) on December 11, 2011 in which the parties, after extended negotiations, agreed on the second commitment under Kyoto Protocol (2005) by adopting 'The Durban Platform'—a set of decisions that lay the ground for adopting a legal agreement on climate change as soon as possible, and not later than 2015.

Davis Cup, Tennis: Rafael Nadal ensured victory for Spain in the Davis Cup final (tennis) in Seville (Spain) on December 4, 2011after he defeated Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in four sets. It was Nadal's 20th straight victory. It was Spain's fifth victory in Davis Cup final.

Champions Challenger Hockey Tournament 2011: Belgium defeated India 4-3 in the final of the Champions Challenge Hockey Tournament in Johannesburg (South Africa) on December 4, 2011 to emerge triumphant

Kim Jong-il Passed Away: Kim Jong-il, 69, North Korea's dictator who ruled the country for 17 years leading it to nuclear power status died on December 17, 2011 in Pyongyang (North Korea).

Total Lunar Eclipse: A total lunar eclipse took place on December 10, 2011. It was the second of the two lunar eclipses in 2011, the first having occurred on June 15, 2011. Asia, Australia and other areas of the Pacific had the best visibility of the spectacle.

Winner of SAFF Championship: India won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship for the sixth time on December 11, 2011 in New Delhi. India defeated first time entrant in the final Afghanistan to emerge champion.

Mariano Rajoy Spain's new Prime Minister: Mariano Rajoy was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Spain on December 21, 2011 after his Popular Party won a landslide victory in November 20, 2011 elections on promises to lift Spain out of economic turmoil.

Egyptian Parliamentary elections: Islamist parties won 70% of parliamentary posts in Egypt's first and second of three rounds of national elections in November-December 2011 with Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the fundamentalist al-Nour Party gaining hugely in these two phases.

Virender Sehwag: Virender Sehwag (of India) on December 8, 2011 created history by becoming the highest scorer with his stupendous 219 runs off 149 balls in a One-Day inning in the fourth ODI against the West Indies in Indore. He is the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to score a double century and surpassed his record of 200 (not out) against South Africa in February 2010.

Russian Parliamentary elections: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia secured absolute majority by gaining 238 out of 450seats in the new State Duma (the lower house of Parliament) in parliamentary elections held in December 2011. The ruling United Russia, which gained 49-32 per cent of votes, lost a constitutional majority but kept an absolute majority in the new State Duma.