Correct Answer :   Meera Syal

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UK-based Indian-origin actor-writer Meera Syal has been conferred a BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film and/or television.

The 61-year-old, who was born to Punjabi parents and grew up in the West Midlands region of England, was honoured with an MBE and then a CBE by the late Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to drama and literature.

Best known for television shows such as ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘The Kumars at No. 42’, Syal has made her mark as an award-winning actor, screenwriter and novelist over the years.

The fellowship will be presented to her during the BAFTA Television Awards ceremony as part of a special commemoration of her work to-date at the Royal Festival Hall in London on May 14.

She said she is “honoured and thrilled” with the award, particularly as this year’s award is twinned with opportunities to mentor and support participants in BAFTA’s learning programme..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Airtel Payments Bank

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Airtel Payments Bank collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) at its 500,000 banking points.

* Airtel Payments Bank is amongst the first four banks to offer Face Authentication for AePS in the country.

* NPCI’s AePS allows customers to carry out financial and non-financial transactions at any banking point using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to access their Aadhaar-linked bank account.

* Until now, transactions were being authenticated using the customer’s Aadhaar number and fingerprint or Iris match in the UIDAI records. The new facility will enable customers to validate the transaction by undertaking face authentication along with the Aadhaar number. The authentication is processed using the Face Authentication RD Application by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).


Face Authentication for Aadhaar-enabled Payment System :

* In the first phase, the facility is made available for non-financial transactions – Balance enquiry and mini-statements - for the Bank’s customers.

* Soon the Bank will make it available for financial transactions. As per the guidance from NPCI, Airtel Payments Bank will enable the functionality for other bank customers and the Bank’s customers at other banking outlets.


Here is how Airtel Payments Bank customers can avail Aadhaar-enabled Payment System :

* Banking Correspondent (BC) enters the customer details i.e. Aadhaar number in the business App.

* BC will ask the customer to confirm the type of Authentication - Fingerprint or Face authentication.

* Post receiving consent from the customer, BC will choose the Face Authentication option and click on Proceed.

* The Face Authentication RD App will open to capture the live Image of the customer.

* Once the face of the customer is captured successfully, BC will be asked to enter his mPIN and complete the transaction...

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   India

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* Rohit Sharma-led India surpass Australia to become the number one Test team in the latest rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) 2nd May 2023.
 
* Australia’s reign at the top of the men’s Test rankings comes to an end after 15 months with India going past the Aussies ahead of next month’s ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
 
* India currently sits at the top of the ladder with 121 points, with Australia in the second spot with 116 points. Earlier this year, India posted a 2-1 series win against Australia to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the fourth consecutive time.
 
* England (116 points), South Africa (104) and reigning champion New Zealand (100) occupy third, fourth and fifth spots respectively.
 
* India will face Australia in the WTC final on June 7 at the Oval in London.
 
* Secretary, BCCI, Jay Shah Congratulated to Team India for becoming the No. 1 Test team in the world. The top spot reflects India’s commitment to Test cricket and the consistent performances both home and away..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Changi Naval Base

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The maritime exercise of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started on 2nd May to 4th May 2023, at "Changi Naval Base" of Singapore.

There are a total of 10 member states included in the ASEAN group while Australia was the first one to have been included in the membership.

This nautical event aims at enhancing intergovernmental collaborations and teamwork among various military groups...

Source : Economic Times

Correct Answer :   Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)

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A new low-cost star sensor, developed by astronomers from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) from off-the-shelf components and was recently put into space by Isro’s PSLV C-55 on 22 April 2023, has started functioning properly in its first test-launch.

Named ‘StarBerrySense’, the main function of the payload is to quickly and accurately calculate where a satellite is pointing in space as for any space mission, it is crucial to know the exact positioning of the satellite. The start sensor is capable of finding its pointing direction in space by identifying the stars in its field of view.

The astronomers from the Space Payloads Group at the IIA have announced that not only has StarBerrySense withstood the harsh conditions in space and is functioning as expected, the initial data shows that it is able to calculate the pointing direction.The StarBerrySense payload is being tested in space for the very first time...

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   DRDO and Indian Navy

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Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘ADC-150’ from IL 38SD aircraft off the coast of Goa on April 27, 2023.

* ‘ADC-150’ is an indigenously designed and developed Air Droppable Container with 150 kg payload capacity.

* The trial was conducted to enhance the naval operational logistics capabilities by providing quick response to meet the requirement of critical engineering stores to ships (under distress), which are deployed more than 2,000 kms from the coast. It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores.


* Three DRDO laboratories - Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam; Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra and Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru - have been involved in the development of ADC-150 container. The crucial flight clearance certification was given by Regional Center for Military Airworthiness (RCMA), Kanpur headed by Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC), Bengaluru.

* Secretary, Department of Defence R&D & Chairman DRDO has congratulated the scientists and the Indian Navy for the successful trial of ADC-150.

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon

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The Indian shooters, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon won India's first gold medal in the ongoing ISSF World Cup Shotgun 2023, held in Cairo, Egypt.

The Indian mixed doubles pair defeated Luis Raul Gallardo Oliveros and Gabriela Rodriguez 6-0 in the final of the Skeet Mixed Team.

While the duo of Simona Scocchetti and Gabrielle Rossetti from Italy secured their bronze medal in the tournament..

Source : Khelnow

Correct Answer :   Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty

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The Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy clinched the men’s doubles title at the Badminton Asia Championship 2023 held in Dubai, UAE from 25 to 30 April 2023.

* They defeated eighth-seeded Malaysian pair Teo Ee Yi and Ong Yew Sin in the final.

* They become the first Indian men's doubles pair to win the Badminton Asia Championships title.

* With this win, they also clinched India's second-ever Badminton Asia Championships title after Dinesh Khanna in 1965..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Ding Liren

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World Chess Championship 2023 : Ding Liren emerged as the 17th world champion after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ding's ascension to the throne means the Magnus Carlsen reign is over.

Ding Liren has become 17th world chess champion – the first from China – defeating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi in a tie-breaker. Ding defeated Nepo in the last of the four Rapid tiebreaks.

It was a fitting end to a contest which saw many ups and downs, with Ding snatching a victory from the jaws of a draw. A stunning race against the clock. Scroll down to to see how the exciting matches happened today.

Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay has been analysing games of the World Chess Championship for The Indian Express...

Source : Indianexpress

Correct Answer :   5

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* For the first time, the Indian Army has appointed five women officers to its artillery regiment. After successfully completing their training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on Saturday (29th April 2023), the women officers joined the Regiment of Artillery.

* According to reports, the military sources said that the women officers who joined the Regiment of Artillery are Lt Mehak Saini, Lt Sakshi Dubey, Lt Aditi Yadav, Lt Pious Mudgil, and Lt Akanksha.

* Out of the five women officers, three are posted to units deployed along the borders with China and the other two in "challenging locations" near the frontier with Pakistan, reportedly..

Source : Outlook India