General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Correct Answer :   Mrunal Thakur

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Mrunal Thakur will be honoured with the  Diversity in Cinema Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023. The award is a recognition of Thakur’s versatile performances across films of different languages.

The recognition comes as Thakur completes a year of having made her debut in South Indian Cinema with Telugu film Sita Ramam (2022).

Expressing her joy at receiving this award, Thakur said, “I am truly honoured and humbled to receive the Diversity in Cinema Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. This recognition reaffirms my belief in the power of storytelling that transcends languages and cultures. As an artist, I've always aimed to explore a wide spectrum of characters, and this award motivates me to continue pushing boundaries and taking up roles that challenge and inspire me. I am grateful for the opportunities I've had and excited for what the future holds in this incredible journey of cinema”.

Thakur was last seen in Lust Stories 2. She has Made in Heaven Season 2 Hi Nanna opposite Telugu star Nani, and VD 13 with Vijay Deverkonda..

Source : Film Companion

Correct Answer :   Rs 1,09,947.86 Crores

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The combined market valuation of seven of the top-10 most valued firms eroded by Rs 1,09,947.86 crore last week, with State Bank of India taking the biggest hit, in-tandem with weak trend in equities.

Last week, the BSE benchmark fell by 438.95 points or 0.66 per cent.

From the top-10 pack, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance were the laggards while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank and Infosys witnessed addition in their market valuation.

The valuation of State Bank of India tumbled Rs 38,197.34 crore to Rs 5,11,603.38 crore.

Shares of State Bank of India on Friday (4th August 2023) fell by nearly 3 per cent after the company's first quarter earnings failed to cheer investors.

The market capitalisation (mcap) of ICICI Bank eroded by Rs 17,201.84 crore to Rs 6,79,293.90 crore.

ITC's valuation tanked Rs 16,846.18 crore to Rs 5,66,886.01 crore and that of Bajaj Finance fell by Rs 14,366.34 crore to Rs 4,32,932.18 crore.

The mcap of Reliance Industries went lower by Rs 11,806 crore to Rs 16,98,270.74 crore and that of Hindustan Unilever declined by Rs 9,069.42 crore to Rs 5,98,299.92 crore.

Bharti Airtel's valuation dipped by Rs 2,460.74 crore to Rs 4,97,908.56 crore.

However, the mcap of TCS jumped Rs 31,815.45 crore to Rs 12,59,555.25 crore.

Infosys added Rs 15,791.49 crore taking its valuation to Rs 5,72,062.52 crore. The mcap of HDFC Bank climbed Rs 7,080.63 crore to Rs 12,47,403.26 crore.

Reliance Industries remained the most valued firm of the country, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, ITC, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance..

Source : Times of india

Correct Answer :   India

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Made-in-India laser-guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) were successfully test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army 4th August 2023 from the KK Range in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar.

The missiles hit targets with precision and successfully defeated them from two different ranges. Telemetry systems recorded the flight performance of the missiles.

The all-indigenous Laser Guided ATGM employs a High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA)-protected vehicles.

The ATGM has been developed with multi-platform launch capability and is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from a 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.

With today’s trials, conducted with the support of Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), Ahmednagar, the consistency of ATGM’s capability to engage targets from minimum to maximum range has been established successfully.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO and the Indian Army for the successful performance of the laser-guided ATGMs..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Israel

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Indian Air Force (IAF) received (3rd August 2023) air-launched Israeli Spike Non Line of Sight (NLOS) Anti-Tank Guided Missiles(ATGM) from Israel which can hit targets upto 50 km from a helicopter and 32 km from the ground.



The NLOS missiles will be integrated with the fleet of Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopters, manufactured by Kazan Helicopters.

Key features of Spike Non Line of Sight (NLOS) missiles :

* It was designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
* It is available in various configurations, including man-portable, vehicle-launched, and helicopter-launched variants.
* Utilizes a fire-and-forget system with lock-on before launch and automatic self- guidance features.
* The long and extended range versions of the Spike introduce the “Fire, Observe and Update” operating mode.
* Air-launched SPIKE NLOS ATGMs are capable of executing precise strikes against ground targets from standoff distances.
* Demonstrates the ability to inflict significant damage to enemy tank regiments and effectively halt their advances.
* It has the highest level of survivability due to stand-off range and passive guidance.
* It enables the handling of Anti-access/area denial (A2AD) targets

Increased production of missiles through “Make-in-India” :

A limited quantity of Spike NLOS ATGMs has been placed on order. There is intent to produce a more substantial amount of these missiles through the “Make-in-India” approach.

Correct Answer :   India

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The Indian women's compound archery team etched their names in history by clinching a gold medal at the World Archery Championships held in Berlin, Germany on Friday, 3 August 2023. This victory marked India's first-ever gold at the archery world championships in any category.

The triumphant team comprised Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, and Aditi Gopichand Swami.

In the final round, they showcased an exceptional performance against the Mexican team, consisting of Dafne Quintero, Ana Sofia Hernandez Jeon, and Andrea Becerra.

The Indian trio emerged victorious with a score of 235-229, demonstrating their prowess and precision in the sport.

“We’re very happy we’ve won the first title for India,” Aditi told World Archery.

HISTORIC win for India 🇮🇳🥇
New world champions at the Hyundai @worldarchery Championships.#WorldArchery pic.twitter.com/8dNHLZJkCR

— World Archery (@worldarchery) August 4, 2023

“We just focused on our shooting, and we were confident that we would win.”

Their journey to the final was equally impressive. After receiving a bye in the first round, the Indian women's compound team faced and defeated formidable opponents from Chinese Taipei and Turkey in the quarter-finals and pre-quarterfinals, respectively. Their semi-final match was a nail-biting encounter against the defending champions, Colombia. The Indian team triumphed with a score of 220-216, securing their spot in the final.

This victory adds to India's impressive tally at the World Archery Championships, where the country bagged a total of 11 medals, including six gold, one silver, and four bronze.

Jyothi, Parneet and Aditi will also be in action in the individual compound event..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Russia

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Russia announced Wednesday (2nd August 2023) that it had begun naval exercises in the Baltic Sea, amid rising tensions with its European neighbours over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia regularly holds naval drills in the Baltic Sea, often in response to NATO exercises in the area.

The Russian navy has played a key role in Moscow's assault on Ukraine by pummelling the Western-backed country with ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, among other weapons.

"The Ocean Shield-2023 naval exercises have begun in the Baltic Sea," the defence ministry said in a statement.

It added that 30 warships and boats as well as 20 support vessels would participate alongside some 6,000 military personnel.

During the drills, the navy will practise how to protect sea lanes, transport troops and military cargo, and defend the coastline, the statement said.

"In total, it is planned to perform more than 200 combat exercises, including with the use of weapons," it said..

Source : NDTV

Correct Answer :   Gukesh D

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D Gukesh posted a win over home favourite Misratdin Iskandarov in a second round match of the World Cup at Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday (1st August 2023) and overtook senior compatriot Viswanathan Anand in the live world (FIDE) rankings.



The 17-year old Gukesh outclassed Iskandarov of Azerbaijan in 44 moves in the second game of their second-round match.

"Gukesh D won again today and has overcome Viswanathan Anand in live rating! There is still almost a month till next official FIDE rating list on September 1, but it's highly likely that 17-year-old will be making it to top 10 in the world as the highest-rated Indian player," the international chess federation (FIDE) said in a tweet.

If he stays ahead of Anand till September 1, he will become the first Indian to surpass Anand since Pravin Thipsay in July 1986 in the FIDE world rankings.

Gukesh has been set on achieving this target for a while now. Speaking to ESPN in June, Gukesh had outlined his goals for the year: "My very short-term goal is to enter the top-10. I'm quite close to it, almost there. In a few years, I would like to see myself competing seriously in the World Championship cycle.

First of all, I would like to qualify for the Candidates tournament. I believe I have a fair shot and I'll give my best. After Vishy [Anand] sir, I don't think anyone came close to qualifying for the Candidates. Right now, with this whole group of young talents, it's a very fair shot."

The latest gain of 2.5 rating points took Gukesh's live rating to 2755.9, while Anand's is 2754.0. As a result, Gukesh replaced Anand as the World No. 9 in live rankings while the five-time World champion slipped to 10th.

Anand, who first made it to the World's top-10 in July 1991, has remained India's top-ranked player in all published lists since January 1987.

Gukesh will take on compatriot S L Narayanan in the third round of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, quite a few Indians advanced to the third round on Thursday, including R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin in the men's section and D Harika and R Vaishali in the women's.

Indian GM B Adhiban bowed out, losing 0.5-1.5 to Daniil Dubov while unfancied compatriot Karthik Venkataraman held the No.2 seed Hikaru Nakamura to a 1-1 score and forced a tie-break..

Source : Espn

Correct Answer :   Bharat Dynamics Limited

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The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has handed over the first Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker of Akash - the Next Generation Weapon System produced at its newly commissioned state-of-the-art Seeker Facility Centre (SFC) to the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Seeker is a critical and technology intensive subsystem used in Surface-to-Air Missiles and Air-to-Air Missiles for target tracking in the terminal phase.

The RF Seeker has been designed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat, and produced by BDL at its state-of-the-art Seeker Facility Centre set up at BDL, Kanchanbagh Unit in Hyderabad.

In a special ceremony held at BDL’s Kanchanbagh Unit 2nd August 2023, the Chairman and Managing Director of BDL, Commodore A Madhavarao handed over the 1st RF Seeker manufactured by BDL at this facility to the Secretary, the Department of Defence Research & Development and Chairman DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat.

As per a release, Dr Kamat stated on the occasion that the establishment of the Seeker Facility Centre at BDL has enabled India to achieve self-reliance in the field of RF seeker production and contribute greatly towards realizing the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Neerja Chowdhury

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Veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhary recently released a new book titled "How Prime Ministers Decide".

* The book "How Prime Ministers Decide" highlights the dramatic events that led to Sonia's announcement, which was prompted by Rahul's concern for his mother's safety.

* According to the book, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi maintained positive relations with many RSS leaders but was careful to maintain a certain distance between herself and the organisation.

About the book "How Prime Ministers Decide" :

* The book throws light on the working style of the Prime Ministers of India and examines six landmark judgements.

*  These decisions include Indira Gandhi's strategy to regain power after her defeat in 1977, the errors of Rajiv Gandhi's judgement in the Shah Bano case, and V.P. Singh's implementation of the Mandal Commission report that changed contemporary politics. .

* The book also describes the skillful indecision of P.V. Narasimha Rao that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's transformation from pacifist to pro-nuclear, and Discovery of a historic nuclear deal with the United States by Manmohan Singh.

* Drawn from extensive interviews with prime ministers, political figures, bureaucrats, aides and policy makers, this book provides unique insights gathered from forty years of high-level reporting on India's political landscape.

Correct Answer :   China and UAE

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The air forces of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will conduct their first joint training in China's Xinjiang in August 2023.

According to a statement from the Chinese defence ministry on Monday (July 31).

Aim : The FALCON Shield-2023 training aims to deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries and enhance mutual understanding and trust.

The exact dates of the training, the size of the contingent, or the scope of the training are not yet known. Xinjiang has hosted combined military exercises earlier as well.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the infantries of China and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc trained in Korla in 2016.

China trained in Xinjiang with Pakistan’s air force in Xinjiang. The joint training between China and the UAE comes months after the latter signed up to buy several L-15 advanced training jets from China. As per the SCMP report, the UAE has been using combat drones from China.

In 2017, the UAE bought Blue Arrow 7 anti-tank missiles from China for use on its Wing Loong 2 fleet, the report said, citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The UAE has also been planning to buy CR500 Golden Eagle helicopter drones made by Norinco, a Chinese state-owned defence contractor..

Source : WIO News