General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet.

Researchers have labelled the planet as LHS 475 b, and it’s roughly the same size as Earth. Located just 41 light-years away, the planet orbits very close to a red dwarf star and completes a full orbit in just two days.

Researchers hope that in the coming years, owing to the Webb telescope’s advanced capabilities, they will be able to detect more Earth-sized planets. So far, most of the discovered exoplanets are similar to Jupiter as Earth-sized planets are much smaller in size and harder to discover with older telescopes.

 

LHS 475b, It is roughly the same size as Earth, with a diameter of 99% that of Earth. It is a celestial, rocky planet located approximately 41 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Octane. It differs from Earth in two respects, first that it completes one orbit in only two days and secondly it is hundreds of degrees hotter than Earth.

 

About Exoplanet : Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars and are away from our solar system. The first confirmation of the detection of an exoplanet was in the year 1992. The first confirmation of the detection of an exoplanet was in the year 1992. According to NASA, more than 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered so far. Exoplanets come in different sizes. They can be large and gaseous like Jupiter and small and rocky like Earth. There is also variation in their temperature, which can range from extremely hot (Boiling Hot) to extremely cold (Freezing Cold)...

Source : The Hindu

Shubman Gill wrote himself into the record books on Wednesday (18th Jan 2023), hitting a brilliant double hundred in the first One Day International against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

 

* Gill’s stunning knock saw him join elite company as one of just eight players in the history of the game to have reached the milestone in a Men’s ODI, and the youngest of those eight players.

 

* The young opener fell in the final over to close out his knock on 208 from 149 balls, having hit 19 fours and 9 maximums in his innings to lift India to a score of 349/8. The next highest score in the innings was 34.

 

* Gill’s scoring accelerated throughout the innings, with his first 50 coming off 52 balls.

 

* He went from 50 to 100 off just 35 deliveries and again from 100 to 150 from 35 deliveries.

 

* But it was his final flurry that saw the acceleration really take off, with Gill going from 150 to 200 in just 23 balls, passing the double-century point thanks to three consecutive sixes.

 

1. Rohit Sharma, 265 – vs Sri Lanka, 2014

 

2. Martin Guptill, 237* – vs West Indies, 2015

 

3. Virender Sehwag, 219 – vs West Indies, 2011

 

4. Chris Gayle, 215 – vs Zimbabwe, 2015

 

5. Fakhar Zaman, 210* – vs Zimbabwe, 2018

 

6. Ishan Kishan, 210 – vs Bangladesh, 2022

 

7. Rohit Sharma, 209 – vs Australia, 2013

 

8. Rohit Sharma, 208* – vs Sri Lanka, 2017

 

9. Shubman Gill, 208 – vs New Zealand, 2023

 

10. Sachin Tendulkar, 200* – vs South Africa, 2010..

Source : ICC Cricket

Naanera, a Rajasthani film directed by Deepankar Prakash, bagged the Golden Kailasha award for the best movie at the Ajanta-Ellora film festival.

Naanera (Grandfather’s House) revolves around Manish. After the death of his father, Manish’s uncle starts taking his life’s decisions.

The character’s journey leads him to a questionable point when he begins a secret love affair with a cousin and the family finds itself in the middle of another death.

 

Naanera also bagged awards for best director, best screenplay, best editor.

 

The best picture award, announced by FIPRESCI India jury N Vidyashakar, included a trophy and a cash prize of Rs one lakh.

 

The festival, currently in its eighth edition, took place in Aurangabad from January 11 to 15, 2023.

 

Kannada film Koli Esru (chicken curry), won awards for best child artist (Apeksha Chorna Halli) and the best actress for Akshatha Pandavapura..

Source : Indian Express

Paytm Payments Bank on Monday (16th Jan 2023) said it has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU).

 

Under Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), a BBPOU is allowed to facilitate bill payment services of electricity, phone, DTH, water, gas insurance, loan repayments, FASTag recharge, education fees, credit card bill and municipal taxes.

 

BBPS is owned by the National Payments Corporation of India.

 

So far, Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) has been undertaking this activity under in-principle authorisation from RBI.

 

"PPBL has got the final approval from RBI to operate as Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

As an entity under Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), PPBL has got the final authorization to conduct bill payment and aggregation business as a BBPOU," the company said in a statement...

Source : Mint

The India Open, officially known as Yonex- Sunrise India Open 2023 started in New Delhi on 17th January and continues till 22nd January 2023.

The tournament organized at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

Since 2008, it will be the first time when India Open is organized in the super 750 status category.

The tournament will see some top players from 29 countries, and a total of 97 players will compete in various categories...

Source : AIR

P. Sreekumar, the Satish Dhawan Professor at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and advisor to its space science programme, stated in a talk on January 9 that the organisation has not yet received approval from the Indian government for the Venus mission and that, as a result, the mission may be delayed until 2031.

 

Shukrayaan I, the ISRO Venus mission, was scheduled to launch in December 2024. The concept was conceived in 2012; five years later, after the Department of Space got a 23% increase in the 2017–2018 budget, ISRO started preliminary investigations. In April 2017, the organisation requested payload proposals from research institutions.

 

The best time to launch from Earth to Venus is once every 19 months or thereabouts. In case it misses the 2024 window, ISRO has "backup" launch dates in 2026 and 2028.

But every eight years, new better windows present themselves that further cut down on the quantity of fuel needed for takeoff.

 

Shukrayaan I was "initially scheduled for a 2023 launch," according to Sreekumar, who was speaking at an Indo-French astronomy conference at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru.

However, "right now the 2031 window is extremely excellent," he added. Before spacecraft assembly and testing, he stressed, the project must have "official approval and funding."

In the budget year 2022–2023, ISRO was given an allocation of 13,700 crores, a small increase from the previous year.

Gaganyaan, the human spaceflight mission, received the majority of it. Various industry groups have created a wishlist ahead of the upcoming budget announcement and in response to recent reforms in the private spaceflight sector, which include increases in local manufacturing and procurement...

Source : Times Now News

State Bank of India (SBI) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Warehousing Development Regulatory Authority (WDRA) to help farmers in getting low interest rate loans.

 

The MoU was signed with the intent of promoting awareness about the new loan product called 'Produce Marketing Loan' to exclusively fund against e-NWRs (electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt) with features such as nil processing fee, no additional collateral and attractive interest rates.

Combined with the inherent security and negotiability of the e-NWR system, the 'Produce Marketing Loan' will go long way in improving rural liquidity and increasing farmers income.

 

SBI is the country’s largest lender and it offers a wide range of services in the Personal Banking, Agriculture/ Rural, NRI services, SME and Corporate Banking etc...

Source : Moneyworks4me

Barcelona have won the Spanish Super Cup 2023 for the first time since the competition was revamped and moved to Saudi Arabia with a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid.

 

* Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Pedri scored a goal each at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on Sunday (15th Jan 2023) to give Barcelona its first Super Cup trophy since 2018, and the first since the tournament’s Final-Four format began in 2020 in a lucrative deal for the Spanish football federation.

 

* It was also Barcelona’s first title since former player Xavi took over as the team’s coach in 2021, and since Lionel Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain.

 

* Gavi opened the scoring in the 33rd minute from close range after a pass by Lewandowski, who doubled the lead after an assist by Gavi in a breakaway just before the end of the first half.

 

* Gavi also set up Pedri’s close-range goal in another breakaway in the 69th.

 

* Karim Benzema scored a consolation for Madrid late in stoppage time.

 

* This was Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first defeat in a final since 2014.

 

* Barcelona have now won the Super Cup a record 14 times. Madrid have 12 to their name...

Source : Aljazeera

Akane Yamaguchi and Viktor Axelsen won the Malaysia Open Super 1000 women’s and men’s singles titles in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday (15th Jan 2023).

 

Yamaguchi, the reigning world champion, registered a come-from-behind win over world no. 4 An Se Young to clinch the Super Series Premier title, her first in seven years.

 

The world no. 1 Japanese, who won the season-ending World Tour Finals in December, prevailed over Young in a three-game thriller that lasted for an hour and nine minutes.

 

Yamaguchi won her maiden Super Series Premier title at the China Open in 2017.

 

On Sunday (15th Jan 2023), Yamaguchi, after dropping the first game 12-21, bounced back to win the tightly fought second game 21-19 before sealing the contest 21-11 in the third.

 

The men’s singles final saw a repeat of last month’s World Tour Finals. Axelsen, the regaining Olympic and world champion, won the Malaysia Open title in straight games, beating Japanese youngster Kodai Naraoka in 40 minutes.

 

The world no. 1 Dane, showing his brilliant attacking spree and defence, took the first game 21-6. In the second, Naraoka fought back briefly before going down 15-21...

Source : The Hindu

The 21st Edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France- Exercise "VARUNA" commenced on the Western Seaboard on Monday (16th Jan 2023).

The exercise will be conducted till the 20th of this month (January) and will witness advanced air defence exercises, tactical manoeuvres, surface firings, underway replenishment and other maritime operations.

The Ministry of Defence in a statement said that this exercise provides an opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices.

The exercise facilitates operational-level interaction between the two navies to foster mutual cooperation for good order at sea, underscoring the shared commitment of both nations to security, safety and freedom of the global maritime commons.

 

While the bilateral exercise between the two navies was initiated in 1993, it was christened as ‘VARUNA’ in 2001 and has become a hallmark of India - France's strategic bilateral relationship...

Source : AIR