NATIONAL NEWS

Drone Destination Signs Pact with IFFCO

Drone company Drone Destination has signed an agreement with cooperative major IFFCO for spraying agricultural products on up to 30 lakh acres of

According to company officials, under the agreement Drone Destination could get paid in the range of Rs 400 to Rs 800 per acre at prevailing market rates, implying that the deal will fetch a revenue of Rs 120 crore in the lower price band and up to Rs 240 at upper price band.

The prevailing market rate of such agri spray is Rs 400-800 per acre depending upon the region and the crop.

As part of the agreement, Drone Destination will undertake drone spray in 12 states across the country.

These states include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttrakhand.

The drones will spray IFFCO Nano Urea, Nano DAP, Sagarika, IFFCO MC Agro-Chemicals and other IFFCO and IFFCO joint venture's agri products, to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency.

FPSB India, IFSCA Sign Pact to Promote GIFT IFSC as 'Global Finance Hub'

Financial Planning Standards Board India has announced that it has signed a pact with the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), GIFT City, Gandhinagar, to promote GIFT IFSC as a 'Global Finance Hub'.

FPSB India and IFSCA aim to enhance the financial market ecosystem and nurture skilled professionals for GIFT City's expanding financial workforce.

Both organisations will jointly organise international and domestic events to raise awareness and establish GIFT IFSC as a 'Global Finance Hub’

Some key highlights of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) include talent pipeline support, ecosystem development, promotional activities and research collaboration.

FPSB India is the leading financial planning body in India and is dedicated to establishing, upholding, and promoting professional standards in financial planning across the country.

 

BANKING

India and Ghana Agree to Implement Unified Payments Interface

India and Ghana have agreed to operationalize India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) of the National Payments Corporation (NPCI) on Ghana’s Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) within 6 months.

This was a key outcome from the fourth session of the India-Ghana Joint Trade Committee (JTC) held in Accra.

The meeting also discussed opportunities for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on digital transformation solutions and Local Currency Settlement System.

Deliberations included the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Ghana is an important trading partner of India in the Africa region.

Bilateral trade between India and Ghana increased to USD 2.87 billion in 2022-23, up from USD 2.6 billion in 2021-22.

India stands as a leading investor in Ghana and emerged as the 3rd-largest investor.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

2024 World Press Freedom Index

The World Press Freedom Index was released by a French non-governmental organisation, Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) which is also known as Reporters Without Border.

India has improved its ranking on the World Press Freedom Index 2024 by two positions. India, which was ranked 161 out of 180 countries in the world in 2023, improved its position to 159 in 2024, a jump of two ranks.

The World Press Freedom Index uses five indicators to compile the Index.

These five indicators are political, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and safety of the Journalist.

Norway retained its top position as the country with the freest press in the world.

 

SPORTS

Andrey Rublev Won the Madrid Open

Andrey Rublev won the Madrid Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime to secure his second title of the year, despite battling with illness.

The Russian world number eight said he was “almost dead every day” and could barely sleep this week after securing a career second Masters 1000 victory.

Rublev had lost four consecutive matches before arriving in the Spanish capital but came from a set down to beat his Canadian opponent.

The 26-year-old triumphed at the Hong Kong Open in January but struggled since before turning around his form in Madrid, dropping just one set on the way to what proved a tense final.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Vladimir Putin Sworn in as Russian President For a New Six-Year Term

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as president of the Russian Federation for the fifth time on 7 May 2024 for a six-year term. He took the oath of office at a ceremony held at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow.

A presidential election was held in Russia between 15 and 17 March 2024. Vladimir Putin stood as an independent candidate.

The election was won by Putin, who secured 87.3% of the votes polled.

Vladimir Putin was an intelligence officer with the KGB. After leaving the KGB, he entered politics, and in 1999, after President Boris Yeltsin's resignation, he was appointed interim president of Russia.

He contested his first presidential election in the 2000 presidential election and won a four-year term.

He was again re-elected for a four-year term in 2004 and remained president till 2008.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian-Origin Astronaut Sunita Williams Set to Pilot Boeing's Starliner

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Boeing Crew Flight Test will launch Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore on their third space mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The astronauts will launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41 on May 7, 2024.

This mission marks the first crewed trip on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and its third orbital flight test overall.

Previous orbital flight tests, Boe-OFT and Boe-OFT 2, were unmanned and conducted in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

The CST-100 Starliner test mission follows years of delays and over $1 billion in cost overruns.

Sunita Williams is of Indian-American and Slovene-American descent, born in Euclid, Ohio.

She received her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy in 1987 and was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998.

Williams is a veteran of two space missions, serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and commander of Expedition 33.

She holds the record for the total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut, with a total of 322 days spent in space across her two previous missions.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day

Every year, 8 May is observed as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.

This day acknowledges and appreciates the work done by the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

IFRC has the distinction of being world’s largest humanitarian organisation.

The first International Red Cross Day was observed on 8 May 1948. In 1984, the name was changed to ‘World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day'.

The theme of the 2024 World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is Everything we do comes # from the heart.

World Thalassemia Day

World Thalassaemia Day is celebrated every year on May 8.

This day is celebrated to raise awareness about the struggles of patients suffering from genetic disorders and raise awareness about Thalassaemia.

The Theme of World Thalassaemia Day 2024 is "Empowering Lives, Embracing Progress: Equitable and Accessible Thalassaemia Treatment for All".

The history of World Thalassemia Day dates back to 1994 when the Thalassemia International Federation (TIF) first established the day.

The day was first observed as a way to remember the son of Panos Englezos, a Thalassemia patient who died from the disease.

The day of remembrance is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people living with thalassemia and to highlight the progress made in treatment and care.