According to a new factsheet by the UN Women, women are disappearing from political leadership roles globally.

Key Findings

• Women as head: Only 25 countries have a woman in either of the top leadership roles.
• Global: Only 22.9 per cent of heads of Cabinet ministries are women.
• India's Position: India ranks 174 out of 181 countries for women in cabinet positions, with women making up just 5.6% of political leaders — among the lowest in the world.
• Bias in Ministerial Portfolios: Women are mostly given social sector roles such as Family and children affairs, while men dominate economic and strategic portfolios.

Recent Israel’s strikes against Iran threaten the maritime trade through strategic choke-point Strait of Hormuz.

About Strait of Hormuz

• Located between Oman and Iran.
• It links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
• It is the world’s most important oil chokepoint-about 21% of global petroleum liquids consumption.
• Bordering Nations
  • North: Bordered by Iran.

• South: Bordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is investigating tax evasion and laundering of unaccounted income via Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) like cryptocurrency.

• VDAs refer to digital assets that use blockchain or cryptographic technology for transactions.

Taxation Provisions for VDAs

• CBDT’s NUDGE (Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable) approach: “Trust first” philosophy to encourage voluntary tax disclosure and update if any income on account of VDA transactions have not been properly declared.
• Applicable tax rates (as per Finance Act 2022)
  • Flat 30% tax on VDA gains. 
  • 1% TDS on transfer of VDAs to residents.

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed probe into the Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad airport.

About Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)

• Established in 2012 as an attached office under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• It has responsibility to fulfil obligations of the State under Annex 13 to Convention on International Civil Aviation, 1944.
• Mandate 
  • Facilitates investigation and administrative work of Court or Assessors appointed by the Central Government under Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
  • All Accidents and Serious Incidents involving aircraft with All-up Weight (AUW) more than 2250 Kgs or Turbojet aircraft are investigated by AAIB.

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) recovered the Black Box from the wreckage of Air India’s Boeing 787.

About Black Box

• Comprise two Critical Flight Recording Devices:
  • Flight Data Recorder: Records important flight parameters like speed, altitude, engine performance, etc. 
  • Cockpit Voice Recorder: Records audio from the cockpit, including conversations between pilots, alarms, and ambient sounds.
• Purpose: Records data during flights and crucial information on plane crashes. 
• Colour: Bright orange to ensure high visibility. 
• Material: Made of strong substances (steel or titanium) and are insulated from extreme heat or cold. 
• Placing: Tail of the aircraft where the impact of the crash is the least.

AviList, the first-ever unified global checklist of bird species to aid effective bird conservation becomes live. 

• It will replace the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and Clements lists and will be updated annually. 

About AviList

• It provides the most current and authoritative taxonomy of the world's birds.
• Collaborative global effort that included representatives from BirdLife International, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Ornithologists Society, the International Ornithologists’ Union, and Avibase. 
• Includes 11,131 species, 19,879 subspecies, 2,376 genera, 252 families, and 46 orders.

New study finds the role of Statins in bringing down death rate among Sepsis patients. 

• Sepsis (previously called "blood poisoning"), is a life threatening condition inwhich the body's immune system overreacts to an infection with an exaggerated inflammation response. 

About Statins 

• They are a group of medicines for cardiovascular diseases,  that help lower the level of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)/bad cholesterol in the blood.
• They have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidative and antithrombotic (prevent blood clots) properties 
• They help mitigate excessive inflammatory response, restore endothelial function, and show potential antimicrobial activities. 

Recently, Himachal Pradesh Government launched border tourism activities at Shipki-La. 

About Shipki La

• Elevation: 3,930 meters on the India-Tibet Autonomous Region (in the People’s Republic of China) border.
• Location:  Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh. 
  • It is a mountain pass and a border post. 
• River: Sutlej (Origin: Raksas tal near Mansarovar) enters India through this pass. 
• Significance: Located on the ancient Silk Route served as a vital trade route for centuries. 
  • It was closed after the Covid outbreak in 2020.