1) Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC): Recently, the Union Minister of State for Science & Technology addressed the first-ever meeting of the BRIC Society.
- BRIC is an apex autonomous Society formed after the rationalization of 14 autonomous institutions of the Department of Biotechnology.
- It aims to achieve centralized and unified governance to maximize the impact of biotech research across the country
2) National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA): National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has upheld the penalty imposed by NFRA on auditors of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL).
- Genesis: It is constituted under the Companies Act, 2013.
- Objective: To improve quality of all corporate financial reporting in India.
- It oversees compliance with Accounting and Auditing Standards by companies that can be described as Public Interest Entities (PIEs).
- This group includes all listed companies, and large unlisted companies.
- Ministry: Ministry of Corporate Affairs
3) WHO’s Annual Malaria Report 2022: In 2022, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases globally.
- India accounted for 66% of malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
- India saw a 30% decline in malaria cases and 34% decline in deaths in 2022 as compared to 2021.
- The report cites achievements such as the rolling out of WHO-recommended malaria vaccines RTS,S/AS01 and R21/ Matrix-M.
- About Malaria
- It is caused by plasmodium parasites.
- It is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes.
4) AUKUS: AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, and United States) group has signed agreement to jointly operate Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC).
- DARC will enhance collective space domain awareness.
- About AUKUS:
- It is a trilateral security partnership, launched in 2021.
- It is intended to strengthen the ability of each government to support security and defense interests (such as providing nuclear submarine to Australia).
- It will promote deeper information sharing and technology sharing; and foster deeper integration etc.
Places in News:
1) Nepal (Capital: Kathmandu):
- Recently, Nepal has become the first South Asian nation to formally register same-sex marriage.
- Political Features
- Located along the southern slopes of the Himalayan mountain ranges.
- It is a landlocked country located between India to the east, south, and west and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north.
- Geographical Features
- The country can be divided into five major physiographic regions: the Terai, Churia hills or Siwaliks, middle hills or mid-mountains, high mountains, and high Himalayas, stretching in parallel belts in succession from south to north.
- Major rivers – Kosi, Nārāyani (Gandak), Karnāli, etc.
- Highest Point: Mount Everest.
