Current Context : Delhi has emerged as the highest-ranking Indian city in Oxford Economics’ Global cities index.

• The Global Cities Index evaluates 1,000 major cities worldwide, across 163 countries.
• Delhi ranked at 350^th globally.

RELEVANT FACTS :

• The report highlights that Delhi outperformed Mumbai in various metrics, including Economics, Human Capital, and Quality of Life.
• However, Delhi lagged in the Environment category, ranking 973rd, which was the second-worst among Indian cities, surpassed only by Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, which ranked 989th.
• The Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2024 assesses cities based on five categories to provide a comprehensive comparison of urban areas.
• These categories are Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance.
• Notably, all Indian cities scored 380 in the Governance category.

RANKS OF MAJOR INDIAN CITIES

• Delhi – 350th
• Bengaluru – 411th
• Mumbai – 427th
• Chennai – 472nd

Current Context : Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists was released by UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on 21 May.

Objective : to focus on relationship between rangelands and their human communities, especially pastoralists and to identify approaches for rangeland protection.

ABOUT RANGELANDS

• They are natural or semi-natural ecosystems grazed by livestock and wild animals.
• It comprise a mosaic of ecosystems such as grasslands, savannahs, shrublands, drylands, deserts, steppes, mountains, open forests, and agroforestry systems.

RELEVANT FACTS ABOUT REPORT :

• Rangelands cover 80 million square kilometers or over 54 percent of the terrestrial surface,
• The livestock production systems in rangelands cover 45 percent of the global land surface, almost half of which is situated in drylands.
• In India, rangelands occupy about 121 million hectares and the area used for grazing is estimated at around 40 percent of the total land surface of India, including grasslands (17 per cent), and forests (23 per cent).

Current Context : Serum Institute begins shipments of Malaria Vaccine ‘R21/Matrix-M’ To Africa as part of the global fight against the disease.

• The first shipment is being sent to the Central African Republic (CAR) followed by other African countries such as South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days
• It is developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax’s Matrix-M.
• R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second malaria vaccine received a recommendation by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for use in children in malaria-endemic regions on October 2023.
• It took 30 years of research at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute to develop the R21/Matrix-M vaccine.

Current Context : An experimental AI-controlled F-16 fighter jet completed a successful test flight with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

• The U.S. Air Force aims to deploy over 1,000 unmanned warplanes by 2028.
• An experimental orange and white F-16 fighter jet are controlled solely by artificial intelligence (AI).

ABOUT F-16 FIGHTER JET

• The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft.
• It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack.
• It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations.

Current Context : Jyoti Ratre, 55 years old ,  an entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast from Madhya Pradesh, has become the oldest Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest.

• Ratre’s accomplishment comes precisely after six years Sangeeta Bahl, at 53, earned the title of ‘India’s oldest woman to climb Mount Everest’ on May 19, 2018.
• This was Ratre’s second attempt to summit the highest peak in the world.
• Jyoti Ratre has conquered the highest peaks on five continents including Island Peak, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Mount Aconcagua, and Kosciuszko.

Current Context : National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) gets global recognition for Talent Development and secured 3rd rank at ATD BEST Awards 2024.

• NTPC becomes the only PSU to receive the prestigious award seven times in the past eight years.
• Award ceremony held in New Orleans, USA, on 21st May, 2024.
• The company has adopted a focused approach towards learning and development, embraced technology and innovation, set industry benchmarks, facilitated learning opportunities, and fostered a culture of continuous learning.

ABOUT

• The ATD BEST Awards, established by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), USA, is one of the most esteemed international recognitions in the field of Learning and Development (L&D).

It honors organizations that leverage talent development as a strategic business tool and demonstrate enterprise-wide success through effective employee development practices.

Current Context : German author Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofmann won the International Booker Prize 2024 for fiction “Kairos.

• It is run alongside the Booker Prize for English-language fiction, which will be handed out in the fall.

ABOUT

• The International Booker Prize is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom.
• It is awarded every year.
• The Booker Prizes celebrate the world’s best fiction originally written in English (the Booker Prize) or translated into English (the International Booker Prize)
• Prize Money awarded to winner is £50,000.
• Established: June 2004
• Presented by: Booker Prize Foundation

Current Context : Assam government launched Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS) for accurate reporting and assessment of damages caused by various disasters.

• It was launched in Guwahati.
• The platform has been developed in collaboration with UNICEF.
• It tracks damages to crops, and loss of livestock, among others, expediting post-disaster restoration efforts.
• DRIMS is a state-of-the-art initiative of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) for accurate reporting and assessment of damages caused by disasters and disbursal of aid to those affected by them.

Celebrated on May 24 every year.

• Aim : to appreciate the unique bond with brothers and to show our love and gratitude.
• First celebrated on May 24th 2005.
• It was started by Daniel Rhodes from Alabama to honour brothers and family.

Current Context : Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India, rediscovered the Sri Lankan golden-backed frog (Hylarana gracilis) in the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary in the Chittoor district.

• It was done in partnership with the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board.
• Rediscovery is more significant than the discovery of a new species because it provides evidence for the historic land bridge between India and Sri Lanka.
• With this rediscovery, the number of freshwater frog species in India rises to 20.

ABOUT GOLDEN BLACKED FROG

• It is a species of frog in the family Ranidae.
• Scientific name is Hylarana gracilis.
• Appearance: Iris is reddish brown with golden specks and dark patches.