Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 and 29 April 2024

Topic: Sports

1. India won the gold medal in the Archery World Cup in the men’s recurve event.

• In the final, India won the men’s recurve team gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 by defeating South Korea 5-1.
• Rai, Dhiraj and Jadhav defeated Korea’s World and Asian Games champion team of Lee Wooseok, Kim Je Deok and Kim Woojin.
• Deepika Kumari bagged silver in the women’s individual recurve event.
• India also clinched the bronze medal in the mixed-team event.
• The achievement has increased confidence ahead of the last Olympic qualifier in Antalya in June.
• India total won eight medals: five gold, two silvers and one bronze.
• It is India’s first World Cup men’s team gold in the last 14 years.
• The Indian men’s team missed out on several quota opportunities last year.

Topic: Indian Polity

2. Bru migrants participate in Lok Sabha for the first time as Tripura Voters.

• Around 37,000 Bru migrants from Mizoram who are now settled in Tripura cast their votes in the Lok Sabha.
• They cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections as voters of Tripura for the first time.
• Around 37,000 Bru migrants fled after ethnic clashes broke out in Mizoram. It was the largest internal displacement in Northeast India so far.
• Since 1997, Bru migrants have been stranded in transit camps set up in North Tripura.
• These Bru migrants have been permanently resettled in 11 locations across six districts of Tripura.
• Bru migrants had earlier voted in Tripura in the 2023 state assembly elections.
• In all three earlier Lok Sabha elections, the Bru migrants voted as voters of Mizoram.
• After an agreement was signed on January 16, 2020, to permanently resettle them in Tripura.

Topic: International News

3. 3-member Shenzhou-18 crew sent by China to its Tiangong space station.

• On April 25, a team of three astronauts blasted off aboard a rocket as part of China's Shenzhou-18 mission to the Tiangong Space Station in low Earth orbit.
• It is the most recent mission in Beijing's space program, which is working toward sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
• The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft, also known as the "Divine Vessel", along with its three passengers, launched aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
• The spacecraft is carrying mission commander Ye Guangfu, (who previously served on the 2021 Shenzhou-13 mission), along with crewmates Li Cong, and Li Guangsu.
• Li Kang and Li Guangsu are both former fighter pilots going on their inaugural space flight missions.
• After the spacecraft reaches orbit and conducts an automated rendezvous to dock with the space station, the trio will need approximately six and a half hours to reach Tiangong.
• During their six-month stint in orbit, the Shenzhou-18 crew's primary responsibilities will include conducting scientific experiments, conducting spacewalks, and performing routine maintenance and management duties for the space station.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

4. Rare butterfly species discovered in Tail Sanctuary of Arunachal.

• For the first time in India, a rare butterfly species named Neptis phyllora, commonly known as the long-sided sailer, has been discovered.
• The butterfly discovered by a team of butterfly enthusiasts at the Tail Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Until today, this butterfly species was found in various regions of East Asia, including eastern Siberia, Korea, Japan, and central and southwestern China.
• The five-member team that spotted the species includes three butterfly enthusiasts from Assam's Bongaigaon district - Atanu Bose, Mahesh Barua, and Abhishek Dutta Choudhary and two from West Bengal - Anitava Roy and Tarun Karmakar.
• The butterfly has serrated wings, dark brown-black on the upper side and yellowish brown on the lower side, and has white cell stripes on the forewing that form "hockey stick" markings with spaced spots.
• The discovery of the species has been formally published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed journal, "Tropical Lepidoptera Research".

Topic: Science and Technology

5. The smallest AI model ever introduced by Microsoft is Phi-3-Mini.

• On April 23, the latest version of the 'lightweight' AI model – Phi-3-Mini unveiled by Microsoft, a few days after Meta unveiled its Llama 3 Large Language Model (LLM).
• Microsoft describes Phi-3 as a family of open AI models that are the most capable and cost-effective small language models (SLM) available.
• The Phi-3-Mini is believed to be the first of three smaller models that Microsoft plans to release.
• Reportedly, it has outperformed similar-sized and next-sized models in various benchmarks in areas such as language, logic, coding, and math.
• Essentially, language models are the backbone of AI applications like ChatGPT, Cloud, Gemini, etc.
• Microsoft's latest model expands the selection of high-quality language models available to customers, providing more practical options as they build generative AI applications.
• Phi-3-mini, a 3.8b language model, is available on AI development platforms such as Microsoft Azure AI Studio, HuggingFace, and Olama.
• Compared to LLMs, Phi-3-mini is a smaller AI model, which is also cost-effective to develop and operate, and they perform better on smaller devices like laptops and smartphones.
• In December 2023, the Phi-2 was introduced and reportedly equaled models such as Meta's Lama 2.

Topic: Important Days

6. International Dance Day 2024: 29 April

• Every year on 29 April, International Dance Day is celebrated around the world.
• It encourages and educates people across the world about different dance forms.
• It is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre, the creator of modern ballet.
• Jean-Georges Noverre was a French dancer. He is recognized as the father of contemporary ballet.
• The Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) was founded on this day in 1982.
• International Theatre Institute:
  • It is the main partner for the performing arts of UNESCO.
  • It was founded in 1948. It is headquartered in Paris, France.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. Ministry of Mines is organising critical minerals summit in New Delhi from 30 April 2024.

• Critical Minerals Summit: Enhancing Beneficiation and Processing Capabilities is a two-day summit.
• It is being held in collaboration with the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (Shakti), Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and the Indian Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD).
• It is designed to help in the development of collaboration, share knowledge and drive innovation in the area of critical mineral beneficiation and processing.
• India's ambitious clean energy targets and swift economic growth provide a backdrop for the conference.
• These highlight how crucial it is to have a domestic source of critical raw materials.
• The summit will bring together Indian and international stakeholders.
• The stakeholders include industry leaders, startups, government officials, scientists, academics, and policy experts.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

8. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has been granted Navratna status by the Department of Public Enterprises.

• IREDA is now empowered to execute significant investments of up to ₹1,000 crore without the need of approval from the central authority.
• The firms with Navratna status are allowed to allocate up to 30% of their net worth annually. However, it shall remain under ₹1,000 crore.
• They also have the option to take part in joint ventures, forge partnerships and establish overseas subsidiaries.
• A corporation must first receive the Miniratna category-I designation in order to be eligible for Navratna status.
• It must be included on Schedule A of the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) in order to be eligible for Navratna status.
• Under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, IREDA is a non-banking financial organisation.
• Its activities include providing funding to support the establishment of projects pertaining to innovative and renewable energy sources.
• It was founded in March of 1987. Government owns seventy-five percent stake in IREDA.

Topic: International News

9. Iraq’s parliament passed a law criminalizing same-sex relationships.

• Iraq's newly amended law enables courts to sentence people engaging in same-sex relations to 10 to 15 years in prison.
• It has mandated at least seven years in prison for anybody who promotes homosexuality or prostitution.
• Anyone who changes their biological gender or dresses in an effeminate manner could get a punishment of one and three years.
• This law has also banned organisations that “promote” homosexuality and punish “wife swapping” with a prison sentence of 10 to 15 years.
• The main aim of the law is to uphold religious values and to protect Iraqi society from moral depravity.
• The law is backed mainly by conservative Shi’ite Muslim parties. It is the largest coalition in Iraq’s parliament.
• In the past, many Iraqi parties have criticized LGBT rights. 
• Same-sex sexual acts are legal in more than 130 countries, while more than 60 countries have criminalised gay sex.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. CII launched the corporate governance charter for startups.

• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has released a corporate government charter for startups.
• This charter will prescribe guidelines appropriate for startups based on the specific stages of their life cycle.
• This charter has been designed for entities incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 only and the term 'Startup' is used for them.
• This charter will assist startups in becoming responsible corporate citizens and allow them to share it with their stakeholders to establish themselves as well-governed.
• The early adoption of good governance practices will help startups achieve tangible and intangible benefits, including long-term value.
• The governance charter for startups will enable the early adoption of good governance practices amongst startups.

Topic: Indian Economy

11. The gems and jewelry sector was given AEO status by the Center.

• Gems and Jewelry Sector, Gems and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has been extended to the status of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) by the Centre.
• In 2011, the AEO program was introduced as a pilot project by the Customs Department as part of a comprehensive framework for ease of doing business.
• This has been instrumental in simplifying export operations across various sectors, resulting in significant time and cost savings for exporters.
• Under the secure framework of standards of the World Customs Organization (WCO), AEO is a program to secure and facilitate global trade.
• It aims to enhance international supply chain security and facilitate the movement of legitimate goods.
• Under this program, an entity engaged in international trade is approved by Customs as conforming to supply chain security standards, and given AEO status and certain benefits.
• India's AEO program is in line with the commitments made under Article 7.7 of the WTO TFA.
• Among the 20 companies that applied for AEO status, diamond, and diamond jewellery manufacturer Asian Star was granted AEO status, making it the first company in the Indian gems and jewellery industry to receive the certificate.

Topic: Sports

12. Legendary Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh appointed ambassador for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

• The announcement comes in celebration of Yuvraj's iconic achievement of hitting six sixes in an over during India's victorious Men's T20 World Cup 2007 campaign.
• As the first ambassadors announced for the competition, Yuvraj joins West Indies icon Chris Gayle and eight-time Olympic gold winner Usain Bolt.
• As an ambassador, Yuvraj will participate in various promotional events before and during the T20 World Cup in the United States.
• It includes the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match in New York on June 9.
• With co-hosting by the USA and West Indies, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 1-29.
• The tournament will feature a total of 55 matches played by 20 teams across nine venues, with the final set to take place on June 29 in Barbados.

Topic: International News

13. India will sign a trade deal with Oman to strengthen its ties with West Asia.

• India and Oman will sign a trade deal in the coming months. It will strengthen India's ties with West Asian countries.
• India and Oman have annual trade of less than $13 billion.
• Oman is the gateway to the narrow Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran, which is a major transit point for global oil shipments.
• India is seeking bilateral deals with GCC member nations such as Oman and United Arab Emirates.
• Oman has agreed to eliminate duties on Indian export products, including agricultural products, gems and jewellery, leather, automobiles, etc.
• India has agreed to reduce duties on some petrochemicals, including aluminium and copper from Oman.
• The trade deal with Oman will give a competitive edge as GCC is negotiating trade agreements with Pakistan and China.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

14. Vizhinjam Port got approval to run as India's first transhipment hub.

• Adani’s Vizhinjam Port in Kerala has got approval from the centre to operate as India’s first transhipment port. It will help India to become a manufacturing hub.
• A transhipment port is a crucial hub where cargo is transferred from one big vessel to several smaller ones.
• India’s 75% of transhipment cargo is currently processed at ports overseas with destinations such as Colombo, Singapore, and Klang.
• This approval will pave the way for customs to set up an office at Vizhinjam port. It will be India’s first full-fledged deep-water transhipment port.