World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2023

• The annual observance of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27 is a significant initiative jointly led by UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA).
• It serves as a tribute to the dedicated professionals and institutions involved in preserving our valuable audiovisual heritage for the benefit of future generations.
• This commemoration, established in honour of the 1980 adoption of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images during the 21^st General Conference.
• The theme for World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2023 is “Your Window to the World.”

India and EU Carried Out Maiden Joint Naval Exercise

• India and the European Union (EU) conducted their inaugural joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea, focusing on enhancing maritime security in the area.
• This significant event signified a crucial step forward in their collaborative maritime security efforts, following the EU-India Maritime Security Dialogue held in Brussels.
• The exercise featured the participation of the Indian Navy's INS Sumedha, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, along with ships from three EU Member States: Italian Navy Ship ITS Foscari, French Navy Ship FS Ventôse, and Spanish Navy Ship Tornado.

Launch of Reference Fuels

• The Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched the 'Reference Gasoline and Diesel Fuels' created by IndianOil, marking the first instance of such production in India.
• This achievement positions India alongside a limited number of countries with the capability to manufacture these highly specialized fuels, essential for the calibration and testing of vehicles.

China Sends its Youngest-Ever Crew to Space

• China has launched Shenzhou 17 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
• This mission underscores China's unwavering commitment to outer space exploration, driven by a spirit of competition with the United States.
• The Shenzhou 17 crew, consisting of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin, boasts an average age of 38, making them the youngest team ever to embark on a space station construction mission.

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s New Prime Minister

• Robert Fico was reappointed as Slovakia's prime minister for the fourth term.
• President Zuzana Caputova appointed Fico and his cabinet, forming a coalition with the center-left HLAS and nationalist SNS parties.

India Ranks Third in Fintech Unicorns

• India secured the third spot globally in the number of financial technology (fintech) unicorns, with the United States and the United Kingdom maintaining their positions as the top two countries.
• The United States leads with 134 unicorns, generating the highest value in the fintech sector.
• The United Kingdom follows with 27 fintech unicorns, while India ranks third with 17 fintech unicorns as of 2023.

Indian Army has Inaugurated its First Vertical Wind Tunnel

• General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Indian Army, inaugurated the Vertical Wind Tunnel (VWT) at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS) in Himachal Pradesh through a virtual ceremony.
• This state-of-the-art facility offers military trainees a controlled setting to refine their Combat Free Fall (CFF) abilities by replicating authentic free fall conditions.