In a remarkable stroke of cosmic luck, astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have stumbled upon what is now considered the largest 'sleeping’ black hole in the Milky Way galaxy. This colossal entity, named Gaia BH3, was discovered inadvertently while scientists were analyzing data from the ESA’s Gaia space observatory. With a mass 33 times that of our Sun, this discovery has not only expanded our understanding of the celestial bodies within our galaxy but also challenged existing theories about the formation and growth of massive stars.

Black holes are regions in space characterized by such intense gravitational forces that even light cannot escape from them. They are usually detected by the X-ray radiation emitted when they interact with nearby stars. However, ‘sleeping’ or dormant black holes, like Gaia BH3, do not have nearby stars to feed on, making them incredibly difficult to detect as they do not emit any light. These black holes can only be identified indirectly through their gravitational effects on surrounding celestial objects.

MI opener Rohit Sharma became only the second player in the history of the Indian Premier League to appear in 250 games. Sharma matched MS Dhoni's elite feat when he was selected to play for MI in their fixture against PBKS on Thursday, 18 April at the Mullanpur Stadium. Rohit has been nearing his destructive best in the IPL 2024 and has already hit a hundred in the tournament.

Sharma is closely followed by Dinesh Karthik in the list of most matches played in the IPL. In fact, Karthi and Rohit, known as close friends outside of the field, were tied at 249 matches before this game. After the duo, Virat Kohli is on the fourth position in the list with 244 games to his name. Only 10 players have passed the threshold of 200 games in the IPL and all of them have been Indian players so far.

In a recent research conducted by London-based research firm Skytrax, Hamad International Airport in Doha has been named as the best airport in the world. While Changi Airport held the prestigious crown previously, it has been shifted to the second spot.

The 2024 World Airport Awards was held in Germany on April 17. It was held at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Frankfurt. The third spot was taken by South Korea's Incheon International Airport.

Changi Airport, however, maintained its supremacy in Asia and earned further acclaim for its immigration services, hailed as the finest globally. Notably, the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport snagged the title of best airport hotel, marking its ninth win in this category.

Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former UN official Bhimeswara Challa on Monday unveiled his latest book India—the Road to Renaissance: A Vision and an Agenda at an event at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Bella Vista campus.

Mr. Challa delivered a comprehensive overview of the book, touching upon its key themes. “The book acts as a stark mirror, revealing the moral decay, institutional stagnation and societal challenges facing the Indian Republic,” he said. “It represents my fervent appeal for a rejuvenated India—a call to action for all those unwilling to settle for the status quo and who aspire to a brighter future for our nation,” he added.

The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaborative research and training with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on 18 April 2024. The MoU was signed by Director General Armed Forces Medical Services Lt Gen Daljit Singh & Officiating Director, IIT Kanpur Prof S Ganesh. Under this MoU, AFMS and IIT Kanpur will team up to undertake research and develop new technologies to address health problems faced by soldiers in difficult terrains.

IIT Kanpur will also provide technical expertise for developing AI diagnostic models, at Armed Forces Centre for Computational Medicine established in Armed Forces Medical College, which is first of its kind amongst medical colleges in India. Under the ambit of this MoU, faculty exchange program, joint academic activities and development of training modules will also be planned.

On this occasion, Lt Gen Daljit Singh informed that AFMS is dedicated to provide highest level of medical care to soldiers and collaboration with institutes of national importance like IIT is a significant step towards this commitment. Prof S Ganesh emphasised the need for inter-professional collaboration and utilisation of advanced technologies like computational medicine and AI in health care.

The Reserve Bank has imposed penalties totalling ₹60.3 lakh on five cooperative banks for contravention of various regulatory norms.

A penalty of ₹43.30 lakh has been imposed on Rajkot Nagarik Sahakari Bank for non-compliance with RBI directions on 'ban on loans and advances to directors and their relatives, and firms/concerns in which they are interested', 'prohibition on opening of saving bank accounts in the names of certain bodies/organizations' and 'maintenance of deposit accounts'.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of three IAS officers on Additional Secretary level on Thursday.

Rakesh Kumar Verma (IAS) has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Rakesh is a 1993-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Punjab cadre. Presently, he is serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism.

Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta group company, became the third-largest silver producer globally, according to the World Silver Survey 2024 conducted by ‘The Silver Institute’, USA.

The survey also mentioned the company’s Sindesar Khurd Mine was now the world’s second-largest silver-producing mine, moving up from last year’s fourth position.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson of Hindustan Zinc, attributed to increased ore production and enhanced grades, reinforcing its status as a key player in the global silver market. “Silver plays a pivotal role in the global energy transition and our recent record silver production of 746 MT paves the way for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

In a pivotal move towards accelerating India's transition to a sustainable and eco-friendly energy landscape, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has inaugurated a specialized office in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, to bolster the financing of Green Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Manufacturing projects by offering debt options denominated in foreign currencies.

According to a press release by the Ministry of New and Renewable energy, the establishment of this office heralds a step towards realizing the nation's aspirations for a greener future.

State-owned Power Grid Corporation of India board on Wednesday approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 12,000 through the issuance of bonds in one or more tranches in 2024-25.

"Committee of Directors for Bonds in their meeting held on today i.e. on 17th April 2024 has approved the raising of Bonds as Unsecured, Non-convertible, Non-cumulative, Redeemable, Taxable Powergrid Bonds Issue(s) during FY 2024-25 in one or more tranches/series up to Rs 12,000 crore," a BSE filing said.

Power Grid Corporation is the country's largest electric power transmission utility. It operates 86 per cent of Inter-Regional networks.