Doordarshan Kisan (DD Kisan) will soon launch two AI (Artificial Intelligence) anchors named AI Krish and AI Bhoomi. 

AI Anchors

• They can work like a human and can read news 24 hours and 365 days.
• These AI anchors will provide necessary information about agriculture like ongoing research, trends in agriculture mandis, changes in the weather, etc. 
• They speak fifty national and international languages. 

DD Kisan

It was established in 2015 by the Government of India to always keep the farmers informed about the changes in weather, global and local markets etc. 

AstroSat observations have helped discover irregular emission of high energy X-ray photons from a Black Hole X-Ray Binary system (BH-XRB).

• BH-XRB system consists of a black hole and a companion star that are locked in gravitation.

About AstroSat

• Launched by ISRO in 2015 using PSLV-C30 in Low Earth Orbit. 
• It is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory. 
  • It aims to study celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously. 
• It has five payloads for multi-wavelength observations.
• Objectives: Understand high energy processes in binary star systems, detect new transient X-ray sources, study star birth regions etc.

Prehistoric artefacts made from fossil wood found in Ghughwa National Fossils Park, indicating use of fossilised tree trunks as raw materials for tools by early men.

Ghughwa National Fossils Park

• Location: Dindori district, Madhya Pradesh.
• Landscape: Tropical dry deciduous.
• It was recognised as a National Park in 1983.
• Key Features: 
  • It has plants in fossil form that existed in India between 40 million and 150 million years ago. 
  • Notable discoveries include preserved fossils of woody plants (eucalyptus, date palm, neem, etc.), climbers, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. and dinosaur egg fossil.

INS Kiltan, one of Project 28 (P28) Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvettes, visited Brunei as part of operational deployment. 

About P28

• It was aimed at building 4 indigenous ASW corvettes or Kamorta class ships. 
• Features of ASW corvettes:
  • Equipped with anti-aircraft guns, torpedo launcher and early warning, fire control radars etc. 
  • Can be deployed in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions. 
  • Utilized indigenously developed special high strength warship grade steel type DMR 249A.
• Designed by: Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design.
• Built by: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata.
• Ships: INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt, INS Kiltan and INS Kavaratti. 

Recently scientists discovered that anti-nephrin autoantibodies serve as biomarker for monitoring the advancement of Nephrotic syndrome.

• Biomarkers are measures used to perform a clinical assessment such as blood pressure. 

About Nephrotic Syndrome: 

• Kidney disorder that causes too much protein to be lost from blood into urine.
• Nephrotic syndrome causes scarring or damage to the filtering part of the kidneys (glomeruli).
  • These tiny blood vessels filter waste and excess water from the blood, directing them to the bladder as urine.
• Causes: Many disorders can cause nephrotic syndrome including diseases that affect parts of the body, such as diabetes and lupus.

Recently mass fish deaths were reported in the Periyar River.

About Periyar River

• It is a perennial and longest river in Kerala.
• Origin: Sivagiri Hills of Western Ghats 
• It flows through Periyar Tiger Reserve and reaches Periyar Lake (a Man-made reservoir).
  • Water from here then flows into Vembanad Lake and, finally, into the Arabian Sea.
• Tributaries: Muthirapuzhayar, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti, and Edamala.
• Major Dams on Periyar basin: Idukki, Mullaperiyar, Edamalayar etc.
• Kaladi, the Birthplace of Shankaracharya (who gave Advaita Philosophy) is located on the bank of Periyar. 

Silence Period was observed in the states where Lok Sabha elections were held. 

• The silence period is a ban on political campaigning before voting. 
• It begins 48 hours before the voting day and ends after polling ends. 
• Some prohibitions under the Representation of People Act 1951 during this period (however the Act does not use the term silence period): 
  • Section 126 (1) prohibits displaying any election matter using television or similar apparatus, or propagation of election matters through any entertainment (like musical concert).
  • Section 126A prohibits conducting Exit polls and displaying their result (using print or electronic media).
  • Section 126(1)(b) prohibits displaying the results of any Opinion Poll (in any electronic media).

CBDT Notifies CII For Financial Year 2024- 25 for calculating long-term capital gains (LTCG). 

• LTCG is the profit arising from the sale of a capital asset (i.e., Stocks, Bonds, jewellery, buildings, etc.)  held for a duration of 12 to 36 months (based on the asset type).

About CII

• CII is notified under the Income-tax Act (1961) every year. 
• It is used by taxpayers to compute gains arising out of sale of capital assets after adjusting for inflation.