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- India's standing in the World Press Freedom Index took a downturn in the past year, shifting from 36.62 to 31.28, as indicated by the latest release of the World Press Freedom Index for 2024.
- Key Points about the World Press Freedom Index 2024:
- Annually compiled by the global media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Rates 180 nations based on journalists' ability to operate and report freely and autonomously.
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) has recently taken delivery of the second out of 56 C295 aircraft.
- Overview of the C295 Transport Aircraft:
- This aircraft represents a new generation of tactical airlifters within the light and medium categories.
- It is the brainchild of Airbus, a prominent European multinational aerospace corporation.
- The Eta Aquariid meteor shower, in motion since April 15, will reach its zenith on May 5 and 6.
- Insights into the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower:
- This meteor shower materializes when Earth intersects the orbital trajectory of the renowned Halley’s Comet, which completes a journey around the Sun approximately every 76 years.
- The origin point of this shower appears to be within the Aquarius constellation, hence its designation as the 'Eta Aquariid'.
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) started its largest military exercise in Europe, the Steadfast Defender 2024, recently.
- It is NATO’s most extensive military exercise since the Cold War era.
- It involves 90,000 forces from 31 member countries and NATO partner Sweden and is conducted across various NATO nations.
- The exercise will feature an impressive array of military hardware, including over 50 naval vessels ranging from aircraft carriers to destroyers, and a formidable air contingent of more than 80 units comprising fighter jets, helicopters, and drones.
- The State Bank of India (SBI) is inclined to forgo the opportunity to raise approximately Rs 11,900 crore through additional tier-I (AT-1) bonds in the current fiscal year, primarily due to pricing challenges.
- AT-1 bonds are perpetual in nature, lacking a maturity date, and investors do not receive their principal amount back. However, they continue to earn interest indefinitely, often at higher rates compared to other bonds.
- These bonds are often perceived more akin to equity than debt due to their perpetual nature.
- The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has recently validated the presence of three presently unnamed moons — one encircling Uranus and two orbiting Neptune.
- Insights into the International Astronomical Union (IAU):
- Established in 1919, the IAU stands as the premier governing body overseeing international professional astronomical endeavors across the globe.
- Its fundamental objective is to foster and safeguard the field of astronomy comprehensively, encompassing research, communication, education, and advancement, through collaborative efforts on a global scale.
- Approximately 72 nations have affirmed their commitment to undertake additional responsibilities in services within the framework of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), aiming to facilitate non-goods trade among themselves. Moreover, they have extended analogous concessions to all other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- Forming part of the treaties governed by the World Trade Organization (WTO), GATS was established to extend the principles of the multilateral trading system to the service sector, analogous to the role of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in merchandise trade.
- During the 37th African Union Summit, member nations unveiled a pioneering initiative known as the Africa Club.
- The Africa Club, formally titled the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions, is a coalition of African-owned and controlled financial institutions launched at the African Union summit.
- Recently, Google DeepMind unveiled Genie, a groundbreaking model capable of generating interactive video games based solely on text or image prompts.
- Genie serves as a foundational world model trained on a vast array of videos sourced from the internet.
- This innovative model has the capacity to produce a limitless array of playable environments from synthetic images, photographs, and even sketches.
- This standout feature empowers users to create entirely new interactive environments from a single image prompt, showcasing the remarkable potential of Genie in reshaping the landscape of interactive gaming.
- Recently, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the esteemed Telecom Research and Development center under the aegis of the Government of India, achieved a remarkable feat by clinching the top position in three categories at the 14th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards.
- Instituted in 2010 by the Aegis School of Data Science, these awards pay homage to the pioneering inventor of telephony, Alexander Graham Bell.
- These accolades underscore C-DOT's relentless pursuit of innovation and its commitment to advancing telecommunications technology for the betterment of society.