India Current Affiars May, 2011, General Awareness May, 2011

• Jharkand’s Premlata Agarwal, 45, became the oldest Indian to scale Mount Everest on May 20, A2011. Ms. Agrawal, supported by that Steel is also the first person form Jharkhand to go on an expedition to Mt. Everest
• Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne has been appointed the next chief of Air Staff of India. He will assume office on retirement of Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik on July 31, 2011.
• Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on his visit to Madhya Pradesh dedicated the world class 6 Million tones per annum Bina Refining to the nation in Bina (Madhya Pradesh) on may 20.2011. He said that the country would increase its refining capacity to 23-80 million by 2012.
• Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri of Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai has been selected for the prestigious G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research.
• Under the 58th National Film Awards adaminte Makan Abu- a Malayalm movie has been chosen as the best feature film. The Movie shows humanist values freeing matters of faith from the constrictions of narrow parochialism.
• Salim Kumar for his role in Adaminte Makan Abu and Dhanush for his brilliant Performance in Aadukula have been selected best Actors under the 58th National Film Awards this year.
• During his African visit to Africa in May 2011, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said India would off $5 billion for next three years under lines of credit to help Africa to achieve its development goals. The $ 5 billion line of credit represents an increase of $1.6 billion over the billion that remains unspent.
• On 21, 2011 the 800- tonne Ariane 5 launcher carrying two communication satellites weighing over 9,000 kg in its nose fairing blasted off into space. India’s GSAT-8 the largest and heaviest satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation and its partners was one of the two co-passengers on the flight.
• India on May 21, 2011 twice successfully test-fired the indigenously developed air-to-air Astra interceptor missile from Chandipur in Orissa. The Missile is envisaged to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds.
• A Successful flight-test of Russia I UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle ) was conducted by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) a lab of Defiance Research and Development Organisation near Hosur (Karnataka) on May 21,2011
• Aditya Sudarshan has been declared the winner of the Metro Plus Playwright Awards 2011 for his entry “The Green Room’ This prestigious award is instituted by the Hindu newspaper and is given for the best original unpublished and unperformed playscript in English.
• Mamta Benerjee took over as the first woman Chief minister of West Bengal in May 2011 after her party Trinamool Congress in alliance with Indian National Congress secured absolute majority and ended the 34 year rule of mighty Left Front reducing them to a double them to double digit figure of 62 seats in the newly constituted Assembly.
• Human Right Activist Binayak Sen has been made member of the Planning Commission’s Steering Committee on Health which will advise the panel on The Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017). He will represent the Bilaspur based healthcare organization Jan Swasthya Shayog.
• Famous Bollywood singer Shaan was on May 10, 2011 announced as the Tobacco Control Ambassador of India by the Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare given his popularity and fan following among young age group people.
• In order to build a capability based approach the Army’s Western Command Embarked on a simulated war game in the deserts of northern Rajasthan in May 2011. The exercise named ‘Vijayee Bhava’ (Blessed to win) is the first in series of Annual summer exercise that got underway at Suratgarh in Rajasthan with Indian Air Force supporting the drill

International Current Affairs May, 2011, General Awareness May, 2011

• The Movie ‘The Tree of Life’ directed by reclusive U.S. Director Terrence Malick clinched the Palmed ‘Or at the 64th Cannes Film Festival. Palme ‘Or is the most prestigious awards of Cannes film Festival. The movie is a fantastical family drama uniting Brad Pitt and Sean Penn on screen.
• Red Bull’s Formula one World Champion Sebastian Vettel won Spanish Grand Prix on May 22, 2011. It was his fourth win in five race this season with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finishing second in the race.
• Portuguese star Christiano Ronaldo broke the La Liga goal-scoring record with his 39th and 40 league goals of the season for Real Madrid against on Almeria on May 21, 2011. Ronaldo had his record- breaking goal to overtake the previous best of 38 set by Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in 1951 and equaled by Real Madrid’s Mexican legend Hugo Sanchez in 1990.
• Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raja Gilani inaugurated Pakistan’s nuclear plant at Chashma in Punjab on May 12, 2011. The second unit of Chashma Nuclear power plant – Chasnupp-2 was built in collaboration with China which is expected to produce 330 megawatt of electricity.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been chosen for the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Wards for International Understanding 2009 for her enormous efforts toward sustainable and equitable development. It was officially announced on May 9, 2011.
• Formula one World Champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull won the Turkish Grand Prix on May 8, 2011. Australia’s Mark Webber finished second in the race. It was vettel’s 13th career win.
• Novak Djokovic defeated world No.1 Rafael Nadal to win the Madrid Master of Tennis Championship in May 2011. It was his 32^nd Consecutive win of defeat-free 2011 the best season start since John Mc Enroe’s 42 match streak in 1984.
• The Leaders of two main Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have signed a reconciliation agreement paving the way the for the formation to transitional national unity government by election. The pact was signed in first week of May 2011.