General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Correct Answer :   Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt

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Hrithik Roshan won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (male) at the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2023 held on Saturday (27th May 2023) in Abu Dhabi.

* Alia Bhatt also won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) for her role in the movie Gangubai Kathiawadi. for her role in the film Gangubai Kathiawadi.

* While Alia was not present at the ceremony, producer Jayantilal Gada accepted the award on her behalf.

* Veteran actor Kamal Haasan was conferred the Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema award. Another veteran actor Anil Kapoor has presented the award for Performance In A Supporting Role (male) for the movie Jug Jugg Jeeyo.

* Meanwhile, Brahmastra : Part One - Shiva was adjudged the best film of the year. The film won many other awards at the event, including Best Playback Singer (Female) - Shreya Ghoshal, Best Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh and Best Supporting Actor (Female) - Mouni Roy.

R. Madhavan won the award for best director for his film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. Meanwhile, Drishyam 2 won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

* Late actor Irrfan Khan's son Babil Khan won the award for Best Debut (male) for his performance in the movie Qala. Babil shared the award with Santanu Maheshwari for his performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi. The award for Best Debut (Female) was presented to Khushali Kumar for her performance in the movie Dhoka Around the Corner.

Here's a list of all the award winners at IIFA 2023 :

* Best Film: Drishyam 2

* Best Director: R Madhavan for Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

* Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female): Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi

* Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male): Hrithik Roshan for Vikram Vedha

* Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Mouni Roy for Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva

* Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Anil Kapoor for Jugg Jugg Jeeyo

* Outstanding Achievement for Fashion in Cinema: Manish Malhotra

* Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema: Kamal Haasan

* Best Adapted Story: Aamil Keeyan Khan and Abhishek Pathak for Drishyam 2

* Best Original Story: Perveez Sheikh and Jasmeet Reen for Darlings

* Outstanding Achievement in Regional Cinema: Marathi film Ved directed by Riteish Deshmukh

* Best Debut (Male): Shantanu Maheshwari for Gangubai Kathiawadi and Babil Khan for Qala

* Best Debut (Female): Khushali Kumar for Dhoka Around the Corner

* Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal for the song Rasiya from Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva

* Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh for the song Kesariya from Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva

* Best Music Direction: Pritam for Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva

* Best Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya for the song Kesarya from Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva

* Best Cinematography: Gangubai Kathiawadi

* Best Screenplay: Gangubai Kathiawadi

* Best Dialogue: Gangubai Kathiawadi

* Best Choreography for title track: Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

* Best Sound Design: Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

* Best Editing: Drishyam 2

* Best Special Effects (Visual): Brahmastra: Part one - Shiva

* Best Background Score: Vikram Vedha

* Best Sound Mixing: Monica O My Darling.

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   Magnus Carlsen

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World champion Magnus Carlsen won the Superbet Rapid and Blitz Poland 2023 event, thanks to his performance during the second day of the blitz section.

* The Norwegian ended with a score of 24/36. The world no 1 pocketed a cool pay cheque of $40,000 for his win.

* Carlsen — who opted to skip the recently concluded World Chess Championship and was succeeded on the throne by China’s Ding Liren as the 17th world champion — pipped local favorite and defending champion Jan-Krzyzstof Duda to the title in Warsaw.

* Duda led the race until the final day, but eventually ended just a point behind Carlsen at 23/36. On the last board, he almost forced the event into a playoff by nearly beating Carlsen.

* Finishing just below the two were Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, each finishing joint third with 21½ points. Levon Aronian was fifth with 20½...

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Equitas Small Finance Bank

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Equitas Small Finance Bank has signed an agreement with IBM Consulting to design and build a digital banking platform aimed at providing a secure experience to customers, the bank said on Saturday (27th May 2023).

Aim : The collaboration between the two entities aims at boosting the digital products offered by Equitas as well as its service offerings, as it evolves its business for a digital-first generation.

* As part of the next growth phase, Equitas aims to commence its modernisation journey with a cloud-native platform architecture.

* "The bank's delivery model would be highly product-centric, moving away from traditional program management methodologies to agile frameworks for the various channels including mobile," Equitas's Chief Information Officer Narayanan Easwaran said in the release.

* "This partnership with IBM is just the first step towards engaging customers. We are confident that this strategic partnership will help simplify and transform the banking experience for customers across the board," Easwaran said.

* Speaking about the partnership with Equitas, IBM Consulting India-South Asia Country Managing Partner Kamal Singhani said they were excited to be the consulting partner and technology collaborator of Equitas in its next growth phase..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   India-Saudi Arabia

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The sea phase of 2nd edition of bilateral exercise 'Al Mohed Al Hindi 23', between Indian Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) was held from 23 - 25 May 23 off Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

* INS Tarkash, INS Subhadra and Dornier Maritime Patrol aircraft (MPA) participated in the exercise from the Indian side.

* The Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) was represented by HMS Badr and Abdul Aziz, MH 60R helo and UAV.

* The three-day exercise at sea witnessed a wide spectrum of maritime operations. The exercise culminated with debrief at sea followed by traditional steam past.

* The successful conduct of 'Al Mohed Al Hindi 23' showcased high degree of professionalism, interoperability and exchanges of best practices between the two navies. The bilateral exercise met all its objectives and both sides intend to graduate to more advanced level of exercises in the next edition...

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Iran

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Iran successfully test-launched a ballistic missile with a potential 2,000-km range on Thursday (25th May 2023), state media said, two days after the chief of Israel's armed forces raised the prospect of "action" against Tehran over its nuclear programme.

* Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, says its weapons are capable of reaching the bases of arch-foes Israel and the United States in the region.

* Despite U.S. and European opposition, the Islamic Republic has said it will further develop its "defensive" missile programme.

* Iran's message : To enemies is that we will defend the country and its achievements. Our message to our friends is that we want to help regional stability, Iranian Defence Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani said.

* State TV broadcast a few seconds of footage of what it said was the launch of an upgraded version of Iran's Khoramshahr 4 ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and able to carry a 1,500-kg (3,300-pound) warhead.

* The liquid-fuel missile had been named the "Kheibar", a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors in the early days of Islam..

Source : Reuters

Correct Answer :   HDFC Bank

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Merger-bound HDFC Bank has partnered with Manipal Global Academy of BFSI to launch its Future Banker 2.0 programme to groom young graduates into banking professionals within a year.

* The nationwide recruitment initiative seeks to establish a talent pipeline for the bank's retail banking division to man its expanded network post-Merger.

* The one-year professional diploma, offered in collaboration with Manipal Global Academy of BFSI, incorporates classroom sessions, guest lectures, group discussions, role plays, and practical fieldwork.

* The programme includes eight months of paid internship and on-the-job training at HDFC Bank branches nationwide.

* The internship will facilitate hands-on exposure to banking products, compliance frameworks, and day-to-day operations.

* Upon successfully completing the course, students are granted a postgraduate diploma in sales & relationship banking from Manipal Academy of BFSI and an assured job placement as a personal banker at the Deputy Manager level within HDFC Bank.

* The annual salary for these positions can reach up to Rs.5.59 lakh.

* Vinay Razdan, Chief Human Resources Officer at HDFC Bank said that new hires will get to work with the largest private bank and students will gain practical experience on the job while receiving competitive compensation, allowing them to 'earn while they learn.'

* "HDFC Bank is committed to mentoring new recruits and nurturing them into responsible bankers of the future. We value competence and performance, providing equal opportunities to all candidates," he said .

* Robin Bhowmik, Chief Business Officer at Manipal Global, said the programme provides equal opportunity. This special recruitment programme aims to equip young graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Murali Sreeshankar

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India’s Murali Sreeshankar successfully defended his title in the men’s long jump event at the International Jumping Meeting 2023 in Kallithea, Greece on Wednesday (24th May 2023).

* The 24-year-old M Sreeshankar registered his season-best jump of 8.18m to beat compatriot and national record holder Jeswin Aldrin, who claimed silver with an effort of 7.85m.

* M Sreeshankar had won the International Jumping Meeting last year with an effort of 8.31m.

* Sreeshankar’s best jump at the Kallithea meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze label event, came in his sixth and final attempt. His other jumps measured 7.94m, 8.17m, 8.11m, 8.04m and 8.01m.

* Jeswin Aldrin, meanwhile, warmed up with a jump of 7.81m and had his best jump on his second attempt. His subsequent tries read 7.74m, 7.74m and 7.79m. Jeswin Aldrin’s final attempt ended up as a foul.

* Jalen Rucker of Australia won bronze for a 7.80m effort in the 12-man field.

* This was Murali Sreeshankar’s third competition of the year and also the third gold medal. He won the gold medal at the MVA High Performance athletics meet in Chula Vista, USA in May with an effort of 8.29m - 0.07m short of his personal best. Earlier, he won the long jump event at the third Indian Grand Prix in March with a jump of 7.94m...

Source : Olympics

 

Correct Answer :   Bangladesh-US

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The Joint Bangladesh-US Naval drill Exercise ‘Tiger Shark 40’ started at BNS Nirvik in Chattogram on Sunday (21st May 2023).

* The objective of the exercise is to increase strategic capabilities of both the countries and to acquire mutual technical and procedural knowledge.

* It is being undertaken to improve the existing good relations between the armed forces of the two countries, said an official press release of the Bangladesh Inter Services Press Relations (ISPR) issued on Monday (22nd May 2023).

* Special Forces of Bangladesh Army and Navy and US Special Forces participated in this training exercise held under the management of Commodore Swords Command.

* Chattogram Naval Area Commander Rear Admiral Abdullah AL Mamun Chowdhury attended the event as the Chief Guest. Some of the representatives of the US Embassy in Bangladesh also participated in the event. Among others, the Armed Forces Department, Army, Navy and other officials of Chittagong Naval Region and invited guests were present in the exercise...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Axis Bank

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Axis Bank has launched (23 May 2023) ‘Sarathi’ a digital onboarding journey to enable Electronic Data Capture or Point of Sale (POS) for merchants.

* This platform provides a seamless and hassle-free experience for merchants.

The solution enables merchants to complete the onboarding process in just four simple steps which includes :

* Realtime database checks for faster application processing
* Live video verification to authenticate merchant information
* Eliminates the field verification process which helps in instant decision-making
* Instant installation of POS

Source : Axisbank

Correct Answer :   Georgi Gospodinov

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Georgi Gospodinov (Bulgarian writer) and Angela Rodel (translator) bagged the 2023 International Booker Prize for their book 'Time Shelter'.

* It is the first book originally written in Bulgarian to be nominated for the award.

* The prize has recognized fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland in the year leading up to the award.

* Prize money : 50,000 pounds (about $62,000) shared equally between the author and translator..

Source : India Times