CURRENT-AFFAIRS

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• The carcass of an eight-year-old tiger was recently discovered near the Amangarh Tiger Reserve.
• About Amangarh Tiger Reserve:
  • Location: Situated in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh.
  • Size: Covers an area of roughly 9,500 hectares (around 95 square kilometers).
  • Ecological Importance: Adjacent to the Corbett Tiger Reserve, it serves as a vital corridor for Asiatic elephants, tigers, and various other wildlife species.
  • Historical Context: Originally part of Jim Corbett National Park, it remained in Uttar Pradesh after the creation of Uttarakhand, which took the rest of Jim Corbett National Park.
• Flora:
  • The reserve features a diverse ecosystem, combining grasslands, wetlands, and dense forests.
• Fauna:
  • Mammals: Tiger, elephant, swamp deer, sambar, chital, hog deer, barking deer, langur, sloth bear, porcupine, and otter.
  • Birds: Hornbill, red jungle fowl, peafowl, Bengal florican, fishing eagle, serpent eagle, osprey, woodpeckers, shama, Indian pitta, paradise flycatcher, orioles, and emerald dove.
  • Reptiles: Monitor lizard, turtles, python, Gangetic dolphin, mugger crocodile, and gharial.

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• Ola Electric, a manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, has recently received a show-cause notice from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for alleged violations of consumer rights, misleading advertisements, and unfair trade practices.
• About the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA):
  • Establishment: The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was enacted on August 9, 2019, and became effective on July 20, 2020, replacing the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
  • Purpose: Established in July 2020, the CCPA aims to safeguard consumer rights by addressing unfair trade practices and combatting false or misleading advertisements that harm consumers and the public.
  • Nodal Ministry: It operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
• Key Responsibilities:
  • Consumer Rights: Protect and promote the rights of consumers as a collective, ensuring adherence to the provisions of the Act.
  • Unfair Trade Practices: Prevent individuals and businesses from engaging in unfair trade practices.
  • Advertising Standards: Ensure that no false or misleading advertisements are made regarding goods or services, in line with the Act and its regulations.
  • Publication Accountability: Prevent participation in the dissemination of any false or misleading advertisements.
• Composition:
  • The CCPA is led by a Chief Commissioner, supported by two other commissioners—one focusing on goods and the other on services.
• Powers:
  • Intervention and Action: The CCPA can intervene to prevent consumer harm from unfair practices and initiate class action lawsuits, including enforcing recalls and refunds for products.
  • Investigation Wing: It has an investigation unit, overseen by a director-general, which conducts inquiries into violations of consumer law.
  • Suo-Motu Actions: The CCPA is authorized to take proactive measures, such as recalling products, mandating reimbursements, canceling licenses, and filing class action suits for complaints affecting multiple consumers.
  • Penalties: It can issue orders to halt unfair practices and impose penalties for false or misleading advertisements.

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• The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for their groundbreaking discoveries and inventions that have advanced machine learning through artificial neural networks.
• About Machine Learning (ML):
  • Machine Learning is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) dedicated to developing computer systems that can learn from data. ML enables these systems to continually refine and improve themselves as they gain more “experiences.”
  • ML algorithms are designed to identify relationships and patterns within data. By using historical data as input, these algorithms can perform tasks such as making predictions, classifying information, clustering data points, reducing dimensionality, and even generating new content. The latter, referred to as generative AI, includes models like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and GitHub Copilot.
  • Training ML algorithms typically requires large volumes of high-quality data to achieve accurate outcomes.
• Applications:
  • ML is extensively used across various industries. For instance, e-commerce platforms, social media, and news organizations utilize recommendation engines to suggest content based on user behavior. In the realm of self-driving vehicles, ML algorithms combined with computer vision are essential for safe navigation. In healthcare, ML can assist in diagnostics and propose treatment options. Other common applications include fraud detection, spam filtering, malware detection, predictive maintenance, and automation of business processes.
• What is Deep Learning?
  • Deep Learning is a method within AI that enables computers to process data in a manner inspired by the human brain. It is a specialized subset of ML that mimics the brain's complex decision-making capabilities.
  • Deep learning models can recognize intricate patterns in images, text, sounds, and other forms of data, allowing for accurate insights and predictions. This approach is used to automate tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as image description and audio transcription.

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• Five Russian mountaineers tragically lost their lives during an expedition on Mount Dhaulagiri.
• About Mount Dhaulagiri:
  • Height: Mount Dhaulagiri is the seventh-highest mountain in the world, standing at an elevation of 8,167 meters (26,795 feet) above sea level.
  • Location: It is situated in the Dhaulagiri Himal range in west-central Nepal and forms part of the greater Himalayan Mountain range.
  • Eight-Thousander: Dhaulagiri is one of the "eight-thousanders," referring to the fourteen peaks on Earth that exceed 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) in height.
  • Name Meaning: The name "Dhaulagiri" translates to "white mountain" in Sanskrit, reflecting its prominent snowy peaks and glaciers.
  • Geographical Significance: It is the highest mountain entirely within Nepal and stretches approximately 120 kilometers from the Kaligandaki River to the Bheri River in the west. Additionally, it is the highest point in the Gandaki River Basin.
  • Climbing Challenges: Dhaulagiri is considered one of the most difficult mountains to ascend due to its rugged terrain and unpredictable weather.
  • First Ascent: The first successful ascent of Mount Dhaulagiri was achieved by a Swiss expedition led by Max Eiselin in 1960.

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• The Prime Minister is poised to enhance India’s strategic relationships with Southeast Asia as he travels to Vientiane, Laos, for the 21st ASEAN-India Summit.
• About the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):
  • Overview: ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries.
  • Establishment: It was founded on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).
  • Objectives: The organization aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its member states.
• Members:
  • Founding Members: The original members of ASEAN include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
  • Later Members: Brunei joined in 1984, followed by Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999.
  • Secretariat Location: The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• Fundamental Principles:
  • Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all member nations.
  • The right of each state to exist autonomously without external interference or coercion.
  • Non-interference in the internal matters of other member states.
  • Resolution of differences or disputes through peaceful means.
  • Rejection of the threat or use of force.
  • Promotion of effective cooperation among members.
• Institutional Mechanisms:
  • ASEAN Summit: An annual meeting to discuss regional issues and set policy directions.
  • ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC): Responsible for overseeing the implementation of ASEAN agreements and decisions.
  • ASEAN Secretariat: Provides support and facilitates the activities and initiatives of ASEAN.
  • ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): A platform for dialogue and cooperation on political and security issues involving ASEAN member states and their partners.
• Decision-Making:
  • Decisions within ASEAN are made through consultation and consensus.