INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Thailand poised to become the first Southeast Asia country to allow same-sex marriage.

• Thailand's parliament passed a bill to give a nod to same-sex marriage.

• This bill will amend the Civil and Commercial Code of Thailand and replaced gendered terms like “husband and wife” with gender-neutral language such as “spouses” and “individuals”.

• The bill has been passed with the approval of 400 of the 415 members of the House of Representatives. 10 members voted against the bill.

• The bill has to be passed through the upper house of Thailand’s parliament.

• In December 2023, Thai lawmakers approved four draft bills concerning same-sex marriage.

• Taiwan was the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019.

• In November 2023, Nepal became the first South Asian nation to formally recognise and register a same-sex marriage.

NATIONAL NEWS

A database has been launched by India to record crimes against UN peacekeepers.

• This new database has been designed to record crimes against UN peacekeepers and to monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable.

• The launch of this database was announced at a meeting of the India-led 'Group of Friends' (GOF).

• This database will act as an online repository, which will empower the Secretariat Missions.

• It will help member countries to monitor and address cases of malicious acts against peacekeepers.

• This database has been sponsored by India. It is hosted on the Unite Aware platform.

• In 2022, 'Group of Friends' (GOF) was launched to promote accountability for crimes against the Blue Helmets.

• India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the GOF. It has 40 members.

AFSPA extended by the Center for six months in eight districts of Nagaland.

• The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 extended by the Central Government to eight districts of Nagaland and 21 police stations in five districts.

• The Central government declared them as 'disturbed areas' for a period of six months with effect from April 1, 2024, unless withdrawn earlier.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced through a notification that the AFSPA has been extended for another six months in Dimapur, Newland, Chumaukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek and Peren districts of Nagaland.

• Additionally, AFSPA has been extended to areas under the jurisdiction of 21 police stations in five districts of Nagaland.

• This includes six police stations each in Zunheboto and Mokokchung districts, five police stations in Kohima, three police stations in Wokha, and Yanglok police station in Longleng district.

• Earlier, the Center had declared Nagaland as a 'disturbed area' for six months from October 1, 2023, in the exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (28 of 1958).

• It included eight districts and 21 Police Stations in five other districts of the state of the state.

• Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA):

• This is a Parliamentary Act that was introduced in 1958.

• The Act gives the Armed Forces special powers of search and arrest and many others for the maintenance of public order.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO will launch START 2024 program in April-May.

• Space Science and Technology Awareness Training (START)-2024 will be launched by ISRO.

• ISRO has invited Expressions of Interest for the START-2024 program in educational institutes/Universities/Colleges within India.

• The START-2024 program will be conducted during April-May, 2024.

• START is an introductory-level online training in space science and technology for UG and PG students.

• Post-graduate students and final-year under graduate students of physical sciences (Physics and Chemistry) and technology are eligible for this training.

• Educational institutions that want to become part of this ISRO initiative have to apply by April 2, 2024.

• The START programme will be conducted through the ISRO E-CLASS platform.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

S. Raman has authored a Book Titled “From A Car Shed To The Corner Room & Beyond”.

• “From A Car Shed To The Corner Room & Beyond,” is an autobiography of S. Raman.

• This book gives a first-person account of his remarkable journey from a clerk at SBI to becoming the Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank and a full-time member of SEBI.

• This book is an exploration of the intricate dance between integrity on a personal level, professional obstacles, and the structural problems in the financial world rather than just a personal narrative.

• Raman's troubles began in 2018, years after his retirement when the CBI questioned him in connection with a loan given to Winsome Jewelry during his tenure as chairman of the credit committee at Canara Bank.

INDEX AND RANKING

India Gaming Report 2024

• According to a report, Indian gaming industry’s annual revenue will increase to $6 billion by 2028 from $3.1 billion in 2023.

• According to the India Gaming Report 2024, there would be 240 million gamers by 2028, up from 144 million gamers in 2023.

• Winzo, an online gaming company, and the Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council jointly released the report.

• According to the report, there are more than 1,400 gaming companies in India, 500 of which are game studios.

• The number of professional players will rise from 500 in 2023 to 2.5 times that number in 2028, according to the report.

• According to the report, game downloads in India increased dramatically from 5.65 billion in 2019 to 9.5 billion in 2023.

• India's percentage of worldwide game downloads increased to a significant 16% in 2023 as a result of this rise.

• With 4.4 billion downloads (7.4% market share) and 4.5 billion (7.6% market share) respectively, India is followed by Brazil and the US.

• In India, mobile gaming accounts for 90% of the total gaming market.

• In the US and China, it makes for roughly 37% and 62% of the market, respectively.

• Of the gaming community, approximately half of the members are between the ages of 18 and 30.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

Armenian parliamentary delegation and the Indian parliamentary delegation held a bilateral meeting.

• The meeting took place on the sidelines of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) function.

• The Indian parliamentary delegation was led by Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha Harivansh.

• Vice President of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan led Armenia's parliamentary delegation.

• Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha Harivansh met the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Tulia Ackson.

• Tulia Ackson is the Speaker of the National Assembly of the United Republic of Tanzania.

• She was congratulated by Harivansh on taking on the role of IPU President.

• The Indian Parliamentary Delegation is currently in Geneva, Switzerland for the 148th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly.

• There are five Rajya Sabha members in the delegation.

• These members are S Niranjan Reddy, Sujeet Kumar, Ashok Mittal, Prashanta Nanda and Sumitra.

• Inter-Parliamentary Union:

• It is an international organization of national parliaments. It was established in 1889.

• It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It has 180 members and 14 associate members.