Current affairs 11 September 2024

India Tops Sri Lanka's Tourism Source Market in 2024.

• India remains the top source market .or Sri Lankan tourism, with nearly 260,000 Indian visitors in the first 8 months of 2024.
• Sri Lanka welcomed 1.36 million tourists during the same period, marking a 50.7% increase compared to 2023.
• The tourism sector earned $2.17 billion, a 66.1% increase from the previous year.
• Sri Lanka aims to attract 3 million foreign tourists by 2025.

Nepal Joins International Solar Alliance as 101st Member.

• Nepal has officially become the 101st International Solar Alliance (ISA) member.
• Nepal’s Charge d'Affaires, Dr. Surendra Thapa, delivered the Instrument of Ratification to ISA in New Delhi.
• The ratification was formalized in a meeting between Dr. Thapa and Abhishek Singh, Joint Secretary (ED&MER) in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
• ISA: Headquarters: Gurugram
• 100th member: Paraguay

UAE Completes First Arab Nuclear Power Plant.

• The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi, is the first nuclear facility in the Arab world, with four reactors providing 25% of the UAE's electricity.
• It's key to the UAE’s strategy for energy security and sustainability, aiming for net zero emissions and 50% clean energy by 2050.
• Operational since 2020, Barakah supports industries and reduces reliance on fossil fuels.

New High-End Research Centre Inaugurated at IIT Hyderabad.

• The Centre for in-situ and Correlative Microscopy (CISCoM) has been inaugurated at IIT Hyderabad to enhance collaboration in scientific research.
• The facility, funded with ₹60 crore from the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and ₹20 crore from academic and industrial partners, offers advanced microscopy techniques for real-time analysis across various disciplines.

South Korea summit aims to create AI military use blueprint.

• South Korea's international summit, beginning September 9, 2024, seeks to draft a non-binding blueprint for responsible AI use in the military.
• Over 90 countries, including powers like the U.S. & China are participating in 2-day event in Seoul.
• Discussions will focus on legal reviews, oversight mechanisms for autonomous weapons, and setting minimum guidelines for AI in military applications.