• The Geographical Indication (GI) certificate was awarded to the traditional artisans of ‘Kutch Ajrakh from the Kutch region in Gujarat.

ABOUT AJRAKH

• It is an honored textile craft, holds deep roots in the cultural tapestry of Gujarat, particularly in the regions of Sindh, Barmer, and Kutch.
• It is a hand-block printing on treated cotton cloth, culminating in intricate designs infused with rich symbolism and history.
  • It involves acquiring natural vegetable and mineral dyes and employing intricate resist printing and dyeing methods.
• The villages of Dhamadka and Ajrakhpur serves strong hold of Ajrakh tradition, where artisans continue to practice old age techniques pass through generations.

ABOUT GI TAG

• The GI tag, a mark of authenticity and origin, provides legal protection to products, services, or arts originating from specific geographical regions
• It is used for Agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the Nodal agency for GI Tags in India.

• India’s first-ever ‘hybrid pitch’ was unveiled at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium in a grand ceremony.
• The hybrid pitch, which combines natural turf with synthetic fibres, promises enhanced durability and consistent playability, reducing the strain on ground staff and maintaining quality playing conditions.
• With only 5% synthetic fibres, the pitch ensures that the natural characteristics essential for cricket are preserved.
• The ‘Universal Machine’, a critical component in installing the hybrid surface, was developed by SISGrass in 2017 and has been instrumental in the rollout of similar pitches across England’s county cricket grounds.

• Solomon Islands lawmakers have elected as their new prime minister Jeremiah Manele, a former foreign minister who has pledged to continue the Pacific country’s policy of embracing China.
• Solomon Islands is a country consisting of 6 major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, to the northeast of Australia.

• Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace Technologies has unveiled its Flying Wedge Defence 200B (FWD-200B), an indigenous military grade bomber unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
• The firm claimed that it is India’s first indigenous bomber unmanned aircraft.
• The FWD-200B has a payload capacity of 100 kgs and is classified as a MALE Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (Medium-altitude Long-endurance).
• The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) consists of optical surveillance payloads and is integrated with missile-like weapons for precision air strikes.
• With a max speed of 200 kts/370 kmph, it has an endurance capacity of 12-20 hours.
• The FWD-200B can carry a maximum takeoff weight of 498 Kgs in addition to this, it holds a ground control station (GCS) range of 200 kms.

• India is likely to host a delegation of Kenyan officials later this month to explore the possibility of sourcing cheetahs from Kenya for the next phase of Project Cheetah.
• The Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as the second site for reintroduction of cheetahs last year.
• Project Cheetah, India’s ambitious attempt to introduce African cheetahs in the wild in the country, was launched in September 2022.
• Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district is home to 27 cheetahs (13 adults and 14 cubs) translocated from Namibia and South Africa. 10 cheetahs have died so far owing to illnesses and infections.
• As part of Project Cheetah, India plans to introduce 8 to 14 cheetahs annually for five years, subject to availability.

ABOUT GANDHI SAGAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY:

• It is situated in northwestern Madhya Pradesh, with one of its boundaries running along the border of
• The sanctuary was notified in 1974
• River Chambal flows through the sanctuary, dividing it into two parts.

• REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC, has received a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the Reserve Bank of India, for setting up a wholly owned subsidiary in International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (“GIFT”), Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The decision to expand operations into GIFT, a burgeoning hub for financial services in India, comes as REC continues to diversify its portfolio and explore new avenues for growth.
• The proposed subsidiary will engage in a range of financial activities as a finance company within GIFT, including lending, investment, and other financial services.

• The People’s Republic of China regained their status as the top badminton nation in the world winning the men’s and women’s titles at the 2024 BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu.
• Thomas and Uber Cup is held every two years and is organised by the world badminton governing body, the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
• In both the Thomas and Uber Cup, three singles and two doubles matches are played. However, if a team wins the first two singles and the first doubles, then no other matches are played.
• The 2024 edition of the Thomas and Uber Cup was held in Chengdu, China, from 27 April to 5 May 2024.

ABOUT UBER CUP

• The Women’s Badminton Team Championship is also popularly known as Uber Cup. The trophy has been named after England’s great badminton player Betty Uber who designed and donated the trophy.

ABOUT THOMAS CUP

• The Thomas Cup is also known as the World Men’s Badminton Team Championship.
• The cup is named after the Founder-President of the International Badminton Federation (now BWF), Sir George Thomas. He proposed that there should be a men’s team event in Badminton just like the Davis Cup in Men’s tennis.

• The Palestinian journalists covering Israel’s brutal war in Gaza were named as Laureates of the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
• The Award Ceremony was took place on 2 May in the margins of the World Press Freedom Conference in Santiago, Chile.

ABOUT THE AWARD:

• Established in 1997, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize honours a person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world.
• It is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia on 17 December 1986.

• The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released the latest edition of World Press Freedom Index.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• India’s press freedom score decreased from 62 to 31.28 in the last year, according to RSF.
• While India’s rank improved slightly from 161 to 159, it was due to other countries’ rankings slipping rather than India’s progress.
• Norway topped the ranking, while Denmark was on the second rank in World Press Freedom Index. Sweden ranked third on the list.
• Eritrea was at the bottom of the list, with Syria just ahead of it.
• Pakistan ranked 152, Sri Lanka at 15, Nepal at 74 and Maldives at 106.
• Afghanistan is at 178, Bangladesh at 165 and Myanmar at 171.
• Press freedoms have experienced a decline, with an average decrease of 7.6 points globally.
• Scores for India dropped (worsened) in all except the security indicator.

ABOUT WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX:

• It is published annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
• It has been published every year since 2002.
• The purpose of the World Press Freedom Index is to compare the level of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories.
• Indicators:
  • Political context,
  • Legal framework,
  • Economic context,
  • Sociocultural context and
  • Safety

ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM:

• It is the ability of journalists to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety.

• A seven-member delegation from India held a Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting with their Ghanaian counterparts in Accra from 2nd to 3rd May, 2024.
• The both sides undertook a detailed review of recent developments in bilateral trade and investment ties and acknowledged the vast untapped potential for further expansion.
• The Both sides agreed to work expeditiously towards the operationalization of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) of National Payments Corporation of (NPCI) on Ghana’s Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) within a period of 6 months.
• The Both sides identified several areas of focus for enhancing both bilateral trade as well as mutually beneficial investments. These include cooperation in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information and communication technology, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy, power sector, digital economy and digital infrastructure, critical minerals, textiles and garments, etc.
• Ghana is an important trading partner of India in Africa region. Bilateral trade between India and Ghana stood at USD 87 billion in 2022-23.
• India stands as a leading investor in Ghana and emerged as the third-largest investor.
• These investments traverse diverse sectors, encompassing pharmaceuticals, construction, manufacturing, trade services, agriculture, tourism, and more.