Current affairs 26 June 2024

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe returns with 1st-ever samples from Moon.

• China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe returned, bringing back the 1st-ever samples from the moon's far side.
Chang’e-6 returned to Earth with soil collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin — a massive crater in the lunar hemisphere.
• This mission took 53 days from its May 3 departure from the Wenchang Space Center.
• The moon's far side was 1st captured in 1959 by the Soviet's Luna 3 spacecraft.

India's First AI University Appoints Simon Mak as the VC.

• Simon Mak has been appointed as the vice chancellor of Universal AI University, India's 1st AI-dedicated institution, marking him as the first foreign national to hold such a position in an Indian university.
• Mak, with a background in Silicon Valley startups and academia, will collaborate with Chancellor Tarundeep Singh Anand to enhance UAIU's global standing.
• Mumbai: Universal AI University

Bharat Centre of Olympic Research Inaugurated.

• The Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education was inaugurated at Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar.
• The center will house valuable data and insights on Olympics, training methodologies, sports science, and athlete development, enhancing India's sports framework.
• PT Usha - Indian Olympic Association president.

Somalia's All-Women Media Wins Global Freedom of Expression Award.

• Bilan, Somalia's only all-women news team, won the 2024 One World Media Press Freedom Award for their courageous reporting.
• Established by the UNDP in 2021 and funded by the European Union, Bilan has broken major stories on discrimination, violence, and social issues in Somalia, promoting women's roles in various sectors.
• Their reports highlight the resilience of Somali women journalists.

Kerala Assembly passed resolution to rename the state as "Keralam".

• A bill for renaming a state may be introduced in the Parliament on the recommendation of the President by invoking Article 3.
• The respective states can also pass such resolution, urging the parliament to pass with a simple majority for making it a law.
• The views of the state assembly are not binding.
• Similar resolution passed in 2023 had been returned by the Centre citing procedural issues.