Today's Current Affairs 3rd May 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Luca Brecel beats Mark Selby to become snooker world champion for the first time

Luca Brecel has won his first ever world title after beating Mark Selby 18-15 in an enthralling World Championship finale at the Crucible.

Brecel, 28, was made to wait for his crowning moment, with Selby staging a superb fightback after his opponent moved to within two frames of victory. Selby won the final two frames of the first mini-session, including a century break adding to the 147 he rattled in on Sunday.

He rallied to pull the scores back to 16-15 after the final interval. But the Belgian, who won 11 successive frames to complete a rousing fightback against Si Jiahu in the semi-finals, finished the job to claim world honours for the first time in his career.

Brecel’s victory has established him as one of the rising stars of the snooker world. His talent, flair and determination have won him many admirers, and he has been tipped to achieve even greater things in the future. His victory at the Crucible is a testament to his hard work and dedication, and he will no doubt be looking to build on this success in the years to come.

Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Airways' first female CEO

Australia's flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd, named finance chief Vanessa Hudson as its next chief executive officer, making her the first woman to lead the century-old airline.

Hudson will in November take over from Alan Joyce, whose 15 years in the job has made him the longest-serving current CEO of a major Australian company, and a towering figure in the global aviation industry.

Hudson's appointment makes her one of the few female executives leading a major company in Australia, although rival carrier Virgin Australia also has a woman CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka.

Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder said Hudson's handling of the finance and treasury portfolio during the COVID crisis was outstanding, putting her ahead of almost 40 candidates globally that the airline had short-listed for the job.

AI 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google

Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist who played a significant role in developing the technology that powers popular chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bing, resigned from Google to speak up about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Hinton, who is 75 years old, had created the foundational technology for AI in collaboration with two of his graduate students at the University of Toronto back in 2012. He believes that AI is the next big thing for the tech industry, but also wants to highlight the risks associated with it.

About: Geoffrey Hinton - Geoffrey Hinton, also known as the “Godfather of AI,” Geoffrey Hinton was an artificial intelligence pioneer. In 2012, Dr. Hinton and two of his graduate students at the University of Toronto created technology that became the intellectual foundation for the A.I. systems that the tech industry's biggest companies believe is a key to their future

NOTE - Geoffrey Hinton, has won the ‘Nobel Prize of computing’ for his work on neural networks. 

NATIONAL

Yoga Mahotsav to mark 50 days countdown to International Day of Yoga begins in Jaipur

In Rajasthan, a 50-day countdown to the International Day of Yoga began at Shri Bhawani Niketan College in Jaipur. The program was organized by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. Addressing the program, the Governor of Rajasthan Kalraj Mishra said that the basic foundation of Indian culture is yoga which is the biggest medium of self-development. More than 15,000 people take part in event

Union AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that to make life successful, one should move forward with yoga. He said that the whole world is adopting Yoga as a method of science. Mr. Sonowal said that this year’s IDY will also witness many firsts, foremost being the demonstration of the Common Yoga Protocol in the Arctic and Antarctic region.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Press Freedom Day

World Press Freedom Day is celebrated annually on May 3 to raise awareness about the importance of a free and independent press. This day highlights the need for free and independent journalism and promotes the principles of freedom of expression.

The idea of World Press Freedom Day was first proposed in 1991 by the UNESCO General Conference, which recognised the need to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to promote its defence. In 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare May 3 as World Press Freedom Day.

Since then, the day has been celebrated every year to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom and to remind governments of their obligation to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression. It is also a day to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty and to support the safety and independence of journalists who work to bring information to the public.

THEME - This year's theme, ‘Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for All Other Human Rights,’ highlights the crucial role of freedom of expression in ensuring all other human rights are enjoyed and protected.

This year, World Press Freedom Day marks its 30th anniversary since the United Nations General Assembly’s decision proclaiming an international day for press freedom. To commemorate this milestone, UNESCO organised a special anniversary event at the UN headquarters in New York. The anniversary edition of World Press Freedom Day included a full day of activities at the UN Headquarters on May 2.

According to the 21st edition of the World Press Freedom Index 2023, India acquires 161st rank out of all 180 countries around the world, While Norway topped the index.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

India, Israel sign MoU on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation

India and Israel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation with focus on several key technology areas. These are aerospace, Electronics Instrumentation, Civil, Infrastructure and Engineering, Environment, Mining, Chemicals, and Petrochemicals and Agriculture. The Multi-Sectoral Agreement was signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR and Directorate of Defense Research and Development, Ministry of Defense of Israel in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said, this agreement will open a new phase in India-Israel partnership in areas like Innovation, Technology, and StartUps. He said that 2023 is a very important year for the country as India is holding the G20 presidency. and it is also the year when India and Israel are celebrating 30 years of successful diplomatic relations.

IA’s MES inked MOU with IIT Kanpur to convert Army stations into carbon-neutral campuses

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) and Military Engineer Services (MES) Jhansi have signed an MOU to convert Army stations into carbon-neutral campuses. The MoU comes in accordance with the Earth Day 2023 and perceives to contribute towards India’s vision of achieving net zero emissions by 2070. The MOU aims to establish a demonstrable model through a real-world example of achieving carbon neutrality.

The MoU was signed between Col. Akhil Singh Charak, Commander Works Engineer (CWE) & IITK alumnus, and Major Sunny Attri, Garrison Engineer from MES Jhansi, and Prof. A.R. Harish, Dean of R&D, IIT Kanpur. The signing of the MoU took place in IITK in the presence of Prof. Ashish Garg, Prof. Rajeev Jindal, and Prof. Aakash C. Rai, from the Sustainable Energy Engineering Department. Under the MoU, five campuses under the MES Jhansi cantonment have been identified initially, which will be converted into NetZero Carbon, Net Zero Energy, Net Zero Water, and Net Zero Waste campuses/stations in a phased manner.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Pandit Ramkishan, a renowned socialist leader awarded the "Shatabdi Purush" title

Pandit Ramkishan, a renowned socialist leader in India, has been awarded the "Shatabdi Purush" (Man of the Century) title in New Delhi for his contributions to the socialist movement. The event was held during the birth centenary celebrations of Madhu Limaye, a renowned socialist ideologue and parliamentarian. Ramkishan is considered the most senior and iconic figure in Indian socialism and has been recognized as the “Socialist Shatabdi Purush”. The award ceremony was attended by several senior politicians, including former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri, INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala, and JDU leader KC Tyagi.

About: Pandit Ramkishan -

• Pandit Ramkishan was a well-known socialist leader who played an active role in the movements led by other socialist leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan and Lohia.
• He was imprisoned multiple times, including during the Emergency period. Ramkishan also served as a member of the Lok Sabha once, in 1977, and was elected four times to the Rajasthan Assembly in 1962, 1967, 1974, and 1990.
• Ramkishan was arrested several times while fighting for tribals, Dalits, and the poor.