Notes:
According to the latest Trade and Development Report 2023, global economic growth is expected to reach 2.4 percent.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which published this annual report, has characterized this growth as stalled speed. A global recession is typically defined as occurring when the growth rate falls to 2.5 percent or lower.

Notes:
Martian dust devil was captured recently by the Perseverance rover. A dust devil on Mars is akin to a dust tornado, resembling the tornadoes observed on Earth, although Martian dust devils are typically smaller in size compared to those on our planet.
But the recently captured one was about two kilometres in height, much taller than the average tornado the US experiences every year.

Notes:
Recently, the Union Cabinet gave its nod to establish a Central Tribal University in Telangana through an amendment to the Central Universities Act, 2009.
The Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University at Mulugu District in Telangana, will be established with a funding of Rs. 889.07 crore.

Notes:
Telangana hosts a biennial festival known as the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, which is renowned as one of the world’s largest gatherings of tribal people.
This event commemorates the 13th-century resistance by a mother-daughter duo against the local rulers who had imposed taxes on the Koya people. The Jatara, or pilgrimage features rituals conducted by Koya priests in adherence to their customs and traditions.

Notes:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced recently that the state will prohibit the cultivation of the PUSA-44 paddy variety starting from next year, due to its high water consumption and stubble production.
Previously, this variety accounted for 70 to 80 percent of the total paddy cultivation area in the state, and the farmers were highly content with its impressive yield.