He Pingping - the world's shortest man, at just 2ft 5in tall - died this week. In 2008, he was pictured with the world's tallest man Sultan Kosen (pictured above). What was the height difference between them - roughly?
For such a small man, he made a huge impact around the world," Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records editor-in-chief said. Sultan Kosen measures 8ft 1in tall.
The first dotcom domain name was registered 25 years ago this week. What does the 'com' stand for?
Commercial
A row has broken out in France over a fake TV game show, in which contestants turn torturers by administering seemingly powerful electric shocks to a man hidden behind a curtain, not knowing he was an actor. What did programme makers say they wanted to highlight?
Contestants were asked to zap a man they believed was another contestant whenever he failed to answer a question correctly - with increasingly powerful shocks of up to 380 volts.
One of the top-hitting stories on the BBC news website this week featured a zebra apparently putting its head into a hippo's mouth. What was the zebra doing?
he extraordinary sight was captured by photographer at a zoo in Zurich.
David Beckham's dream of playing in a fourth World Cup was shattered after he tore an Achilles tendon. The name comes from Greek mythology - what is it otherwise known as?
The Achilles tendon is a large, strong band of tissue that connects the calf muscles at the back of the lower leg to the bone in the heel.
In Taiwan, officials have come up with a new initiative to try to increase the country's birth rate. It is?
Taiwan has already tried a number of measures to increase its birth rate, which is at a record low and still falling. Last year, its birth-rate stood at 1.0 births per woman, well below the replacement rate of 2.1.
Support for a planned walk-out by British Airways cabin crew is growing, with overseas unions - including the US labour giant the Teamsters - supporting them. What is the Teamsters' full name?
eamsters is one of the largest unions in the US, founded over a century ago, but it has a murky past. Much of this is to do with a former leader James Riddle Hoffa, who disappeared in 1975 when he went to meet a mob figure and another union official in Michigan.
source: bbc
A 14-year-old from New Zealand saved herself from the jaws of a shark, defending herself with:A body board
An Indonesian man has received $535 (�335) in compensation from a tobacco company because: A cigarette exploded and knocked out six of his teeth
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa is a polygamist, who has fathered up to 20 children with seven women. How many times has he married? 5
The so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the US says that openly gay men and women may not:Serve in the armed forces
The term Restavek comes from the French "rester avec" meaning "to stay with". It refers to a practice where parents send children to live with more affluent families or relatives. In which part of the Americas does this occur? Haiti
A tourist who got lost after walking on to the frozen sea in northern Germany was spotted by a woman watching a webcam hundreds of kilometres away. What was she doing? Admiring the sunset
Which US state has named the Apollo 11 moon landing site a "state historical resource", as part of a move to get it designated as a UN World Heritage Site? California
source: bbc
1 When was the Indian Constitution formally adopted?
January 26, 1950 was when the Indian Constitution was formally adopted, although it had been passed by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949.
2 Who is the father of the Indian Constitution?
Dr B.R. Ambedkar
3 How many Articles does the Constitution have?
When the Constitution had first been drafted there were 345 Articles. However, with subsequent amendments it rose. According to the last report there are 395 Articles.
4 Which word was added to the Preamble to the Constitution by the 42 Amendment Act in 1976?
Socialist.
5 From which Constitution was the concept of a Five Year Plan adopted?
USSR.
Two contentious photographs were in the news this week: An image released by the FBI of how Osama Bin Laden might look today, and a picture of a wolf that was disqualified from a prestigious wildlife photo competition. Which one of the above is a photo montage apparently put together using an image from the internet?
An aged Osama Bin Laden
Spanish politician Gaspar Llamazares said he was shocked to find out the FBI had used his photo for a digitally-altered image showing how Osama Bin Laden might look. The FBI said they had found the image on the internet. The winner of the wildlife award was disqualified because the wolf was likely a "model", judges ruled.
esearchers believe they have found the remains of one of the earliest members of the English royal family, Queen Eadgyth. The 10th Century Saxon royal, who was sent to Europe to marry the Holy Roman Emperor, was found in a church in which European country?
Germany
Eadgyth, the granddaughter of Alfred the Great, married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929. She died 17 years later, at 36. The team who discovered the remains aim to prove her identity by tracing isotopes in her bones.
The issue of obese passengers taking second seats on aircraft was in the news this week. Why do some airlines prevent an obese passenger from flying?
To ensure a flight can be evacuated within 90 seconds
Erich Segal, author of the book Love Story, which became an Oscar-winning 1970 film, died this week. Which Beatles film did he write the screenplay for?
The animated film Yellow Submarine
Pasta purists in Italy have been campaigning to defend the reputation of spaghetti bolognese. Top chefs say diners the world over are rarely served a genuine bolognese sauce. Which of the following is NOT included in the authentic recipe?
Red wine
Archaeologists in Egypt revealed that they had discovered a 2,000-year-old temple in Alexandria dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet. She was worshipped by the Greek-speaking Egyptians as a goddess to what?
The moon
Coded references to Biblical passages are inscribed on gunsights used by the US and British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, it emerged this week. The manufacturer said that it...
Met Biblical standards
source: bbc
2009: The Year in Questions
9. What breed is Bo?
10. In what outbreak was Édgar Hernández said to be “patient zero”?
11. Who may have had “milk” just before dying?
12. Who did what in 9.58 seconds?
13. Who did Silvio Berlusconi of Italy say should pretend they were on a “weekend of camping”?
14. Who dismissed whom as “dirt and dust”?
15. With whose Bible did Barack Obama take oath?
16. July 20 marked the 40th anniversary of what event?
17. Which valley did Pakistan fight to free from the Taliban?
18. In July, unrest in China broke out between Han Chinese and which group?
19. Which country openly elected the world’s first gay head of state in February 2009? What is her name?
20. From which academic establishment were the “Climategate” email messages leaked?
21. Which inmate of a Scottish prison was released to a “hero’s welcome”?
22. Which Nobel Peace laureate was sentenced in August 2009 to 18 further months of house arrest?
23. Who was the “hero of the Hudson”?
24. Where was a non-flying Falcon found hiding?
25. According to documents released in April 2009, how many times was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed waterboarded?
26. Who was in his pajamas when he was exiled to Costa Rica after a coup?
27. Who was watched nearly 100 million times online within days of her debut?
28. What did Michaele and Tareq Salahi crash?
29. What did Samoa switch from right to left?
30. Who topped Forbes’ list of most powerful celebrities?
31. The last daily print issue of what was published on March 27?
32. Which group made its computer-gaming debut on September 9?
33. Who helped to free the journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling from North Korea?
34. Who won a posthumous award at the Oscars?
35. What military assault was code-named “Operation Cast Lead”?
36. In February, Cosmos 2251 collided with Iridium
What were they?
37. This is the name of an IBM computer designed to compete against a human in the quiz show Jeopardy!”
38. What did astronauts drink for the first time in space in May?
39. Which musician did President Obama describe as a “jackass”, and why?
40. Who was not hiking on the Appalachian Trail?
41. Which film’s novel language features words like “kaltxì” (hello), “nga” (you) and “atxkxe” (land)?
42. Who claimed his company was doing “God’s work”?
43. Who accepted an Oscar with the words “You commie, homo-loving, sons of guns”?
44. Whose son overcame “Dmitri’s dilemma”, and how?
45. What prize did Herta Müller win?
46. Which judge was ambiguously faithful on January 21, 2009?
47. Which celebrity couple named their child “Sparrow James Midnight”?
48. Which actor’s expletive-ridden on-set rant was remixed as a dance track?
49. What do economists mean by ZIRP?
50. What was notable about the death of the 111-year-old Englishman Harry Patch?
51. Who won their 27th world title on November 4?
52. Whose visit to Israel had the security code “Operation White Robe”?
53. Who went rogue in print?
54. Whose death means no more Rabbit?
55. What did Joe Wilson shout at the President?
56. Aficionados lobbied for the official recognition of “Undulatus asperatus”. What is it?
57. How many zeros are there in one trillion?
58. Who was the first foreign leader to visit US President Obama in the White House?
59. What scandal did the “Murphy Report” detail?
60. Which company, valued at $1 billion in September, states, “We spend more money than we make”?
61. Who auctioned off his Olivetti Lettera 32?
62. Which geopolitical grouping was reformed by the Lisbon Treaty?
63. Into which building did Marian Robinson move in January?
64. Who are Noah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Isaiah, Makai, Maliyah and Nariyah?
65. What did Mine That Bird win at odds of 50-1?
66. To how many years in jail was Bernard L. Madoff sentenced?
67. Which “wise Latina woman” got a new seat?
68. What virus is no longer a bar to immigration into the US?
69. Which publication starred in The September Issue?
70. Which foreign leader harangued the United Nations General Assembly for 90 minutes?
ANSWERS: 9. Portuguese water dog. 10. H1N1 flu. 11. Michael Jackson. 12. Usain Bolt ran 100 metres, breaking the world record. 13. Those left homeless by the Aquila earthquake. 14. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed those protesting against the Iranian election results as “dirt and dust”, 15. Abraham Lincoln’s. 16. The Apollo 11 moon landing. 17. The Swat Valley. 18. Uighurs. 19. Iceland; Johanna Sigurdardottir. 20. The University of East Anglia. 21. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. 22. Aung San Suu Kyi. 23. Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III. 24. In a box in a garage attic. 25. 183 times. 26. President José Manuel Zelaya of Honduras. 27. Susan Boyle. 28. A state dinner at the White House. 29. Driving side of the road. 30. Angelina Jolie. 31. The Christian Science Monitor. 32. The Beatles. 33. Bill Clinton. 34. Heath Ledger. 35. Israel’s January offensive in Gaza. 36. Communications satellites. 37. What is Watson? 38. Recycled urine, sweat and water condensation from exhaled breath. 39. Kanye West, for interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. 40. Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina. 41. James Cameron’s film Avatar. 42. Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs. 43. Sean Penn. 44. Vladimir Nabokov’s son; by publishing Nabokov’s unfinished novel The Original of Laura even though Nabokov requested that the manuscript be burned. 45. The Nobel Prize in Literature.
46. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. 47. Nicole Richie and Joel Madden. 48. Christian Bale. 49. Zero Interest Rate Policy. 50. He was the last Briton to fight in the trenches in World War I. 51. The Yankees. 52. Pope Benedict XVI. 53. Sarah Palin. 54. John Updike. 55. “You lie!” 56. A type of cloud. 57. 12. 58. Prime Minister Taro Aso of Japan. 59. The sexual abuse of children in Ireland by members of the Catholic Church, from 1975 to 2004, and allegations that these abuses were covered up by the church. 60. Twitter. 61. Cormac McCarthy. 62. The European Union. 63. The White House. 64. Nadya Suleman’s octuplets. 65. The Kentucky Derby. 66. 150 years. 67. Justice Sonia Sotomayor. 68. HIV 69. Vogue. 70. Muammar el-Gaddafi of Libya.
source: deccan chronicle
New research carried out on the painting of the Mona Lisa reveals that the enigmatic lady may have been suffering from what?
Dr Vito Franco, from Palermo University in Italy, said the Mona Lisa showed clear signs of a build-up of fatty acids under the skin, caused by too much cholesterol.
An Indonesia football fan disgruntled by his national team's lacklustre performance invaded the pitch and took possesion of the ball. What happened next
Police eventually overpowered 25-year-old Hendri Mulyadi, who later apologised on a website. "They never win. It's either lose or draw," he said.
A Swiss millionaire has been given a record speeding fine of $290,000 (�180,000). What did the court calculate the fine on?
The fine was more than double Switzerland's previous record speeding fine - handed to a Porsche driver in Zurich in 2008.
A hacker who briefly hijacked the website of Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero replaced the PM's image with a picture of which comedy character?
In Spain, the alleged similarity between Mr Zapatero and the Mr Bean is a long-standing joke.
The oldest evidence of four-legged animals walking on land has been discovered in south-east Poland. What kind of animal is thought to have left the footprints 397 million years ago?
The animals were probably crocodile-like in appearance and lived an amphibian-like existence (although those specific animal forms did not appear until many millions of years later)
What food item has just fetched the equivalent of $175,000 (�109,000) at auction?
he 232kg tuna was caught off the northern tip of Japan's main island of Honshu and sold at Tokyo's fish market for 16.28 million yen.
What have scientists from Kings College London concluded from their latest research on the G Spot - the mysterious area of the body supposed to be key to women's sexual pleasure?
A study of nearly 2,000 female twins by King's College London, found no evidence of the spot, based on the experiences of women who share similar genes.
The Russian painter first demonstrated that colors, shapes, and lines could convey powerful emotions all by themselves. A look at how Kandinsky's aesthetic DNA has continued and thrived in painting right to the present day.
The Smart Quiz
Of North Korea ruler Kim Jong Il’s three sons, his youngest, Kim Jong Un, is reportedly in line to succeed him. But he wasn’t always the top choice. Which of the following about his eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, is not true?
None of the above
Central and South American drug cartels are using more inventive methods to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Which of the following vessels has not recently been cited by authorities as a way these cartels have attempted to import drugs?
Beach balls
According to the New Economics Foundation's Happy Planet Index, an annual ranking of the world's most joyous countries, which Latin American country is the "greenest and happiest" in the world?
Costa Rica
Authorities say Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize-winning leader of Burma’s pro-democracy movement, violated the terms of her house arrest by allowing an American man to rest after he swam more than a mile, with homemade flippers and a flotation device, to get to her home. What reason did the American man give his family for wanting to see her?
He wanted to interview her for a book on suffering
He wanted to warn her of a "terrorist" plot
He wanted to give her a copy of the Book of Mormon
According to Transparency International, an international nongovernmental agency that rates countries according to the perceived honesty of their governments (as assessed by businesspeople and analysts), what was the United States’ 2008 “honesty” ranking?
18th place
The United States was 18th place. Denmark was in first place, and Somalia in last place
Which world leader blamed the financial crisis on “the irrational behavior of white people with blue eyes?”
Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Brazil’s Lula, who has long argued that the world’s poor and developing nations have been victims of mistakes made by richer countries, caused by irresponsibility, and, in this case, a lack of regulation in the world’s banking systems.
In an audiotape released in July, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi allegedly told a prostitute to wait for him in whose bed?
Vladimir Putin’s
What country has been the deadliest for journalists so far in 2009?
Colombia
Colombia has been the deadliest country for journalists in 2009, with 19 confirmed killings, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Which of the following Muslim countries does not have a Shiite majority?
Oman
Several factors fueled suspicions of election fraud in Iran this spring. Which of the following was not among those factors?
Election returns were inconsistent with recent polling data
Election returns were inconsistent with recent polling data
8o percent
China and India comprise 40 percent of the world’s smokers. In Bangladesh, the poorest households spend 10 times more on tobacco products than on education.
source: newsweek
No comments:
Post a Comment