Current affairs 25 May 2024

DD Kisan will launch two AI anchors AI Krish and AI Bhoomi.

• DD Kisan introduced AI anchors, AI Krish and AI Bhoomi, set to launch on 26th May 2024, presenting news 24/7 in 50 languages.
• The revamped channel will feature these AI-driven newsreaders, delivering agricultural and governmental updates nationwide.
• These AI anchors aim to enhance the dissemination of vital agricultural trends, research, and weather changes across India.

Jenny Erpenbeck won International Booker Prize 2024.

• Jenny Erpenbeck's novel Kairos won the 2024 International Booker Prize, sharing the £50,000 with translator Michael Hofmann.
• The novel explores a profound romance in 1980s Berlin, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the Cold War & the fall of the Berlin Wall.
• Hofmann emphasized the novel's depth in portraying personal & political turmoil; Erpenbeck reflects on East Germany's cultural nuances.

India registers record $778 Billion Export in 2023-24.

• India achieved record exports of USD 778 billion in 2023-24, with services exports rising to USD 341.1 billion and merchandise exports slightly declining to USD 437.1 billion.
• The PLI scheme helped boost exports, attracting investments and integrating India into the global supply chain.
• The trade deficit improved from USD 121.6 billion in 2022-23 to USD 75.6 billion in 2023-24.

Half of world’s "Rangelands" are degraded : UNCCD.

• Definition: Rangelands are Natural grasslands used by livestock and wild animals for grazing and foraging.
• Vegetation: Tallgrass prairies, steppes, desert shrublands, shrub woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, tundras.
• Extent:
• It covers about half of the earth's land surface.
• It Constitutes half of the land area in western North America.

Rare Indian banknotes from 1918 shipwreck to be auctioned in London.

• Rare 10-rupee banknotes from 1918, recovered from SS Shirala shipwreck, to be auctioned at Noonans Mayfair in London.
• Estimated to fetch between GBP 2,000 and 2,600, the notes date back to when the ship was sunk by a German U-boat on July 2, 1918.
• The auction includes items originally shipped from London to Bombay, including marmalade and ammunition.