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Pune based startup develops ventilation system
- A compact, economical ventilation system for PPE kits has been developed by a Pune-based startup that can prevent excessive sweating while wearing such kits.
- The ventilation system, when attached with the conventional PPE kits with one simple modification, keeps the health workers well ventilated.
- The startup called Watt Technovation has developed the ‘Cov-Tech Ventilation System’.
World Telecommunication and Info. Society Day
- World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is observed on 17 May every year.
- The day is observed to raise awareness about the use of the internet as it can bridge the gap between society and economies and the digital divide.
- The theme of 2021 is Accelerating digital transformation in challenging times.
- It was first celebrated in the year 1969.
Tamil writer Ki. Rajanarayanan passes away
- Noted Tamil writer Ki. Rajanarayanan died in Puducherry in May 2021.
- Fondly called as KiRa, he was admired as a folklorist and father of Karisal (black soil land) Literature.
- He was a recipient of the Sahitya Academy award for his novel ‘Gopalapurathu Makkal’ in the year 1991.
- He also served as a member of the Sahitya Akademi General Council and Advisory Board from 1998 to 2002.
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Shiv Sunder: Coach of women’s cricket team
- Former Test opener Shiv Sunder Das has been named the batting coach of the Indian women’s cricket team only for the upcoming seven-match tour of England.
- The tour comprises a one-off Test, three One-day Internationals, and three T20 Internationals in June-July 2021.
- Former Indian Railways player Abhay Sharma has been named the fielding coach.
Iga Swiatek enters WTA top 10
- In the women’s section, Italian Open champion Polish teenager Iga Swiatek jumped six places on the WTA Tour rankings to enter the top 10.
- The player is now ninth, behind American legend Serena Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slams.
- The top three slots continue to be retained by Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, and Romania’s Simona Halep, respectively.
ATP rankings: Rafael Nadal remains at 3rd spot
- In tennis, despite a three-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final, Spaniard Rafael Nadal continues to be at the third spot on the ATP rankings, released on 18 May 2021.
- Djokovic is way ahead with 11,063 points.
- Russian Daniil Medvedev continues to be ranked No. 2 in the world with 9,793 points, just 163 points ahead of Nadal.
US to share 80 mn doses of vaccine with world
- The United States will share 80 million vaccine doses globally over the next six weeks, five times more than any other country has shared to date.
- It represents 13 percent of vaccines produced in the country by June 2021 end.
- The 80 million doses will include 20 million doses of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well as AstraZeneca.
CoWIN platform to be available in Hindi
- The CoWIN platform is being made available in Hindi and 14 regional languages by the 4th week of May 2021.
- The CoWIN platform is used for registration for COVID-19 Vaccination.
- It is handling minute details for India’s COVID-19 immunization program, including registering beneficiaries, allocating vaccination centers, sending text messages to beneficiaries.
Obituaries
- Aravinda Deo, a retired Indian Foreign Service officer and former Ambassador to Nepal and Hungary, passed away in May 2021.
- Padma Shree Awardee Dr. KK Aggarwal passed away due to covid in May 2021. He was the former President of the Indian Medical Association.
- Industrialist and former Chairman of Usha International Siddharth Shriram passed away due to covid in May 2021.
World Aids Vaccine Day: 18 May
- World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is observed annually on May 18.
- It aims at promoting the continued and urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.
- The concept of World AIDS Day came from former US President Bill Clinton’s commencement speech at the Morgan State University on May 18, 1997.
- The theme for World AIDS Day 2021 is Global Solidarity.
WPI inflation hits all-time high of 10.49%
- Wholesale Price Inflation (WPI) climbed to an all-time high of 10.49 percent in April 2021 on a YoY (year on year) basis.
- It rose primarily due to a rise in prices of crude petroleum, mineral oils, the commerce ministry data showed.
- On a month-on-month basis, WPI inflation saw 310 basis points rise as compared to 7.39 percent in March 2021.
Shilpa Medicare inks deal with Dr. Reddy’s
- Shilpa Medicare has entered into a deal with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories for the production supply of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.
- The 3 yr definitive agreement will ensure that Shilpa Medicare is responsible for the manufacturing of the vaccine.
- While Dr. Reddy’s is responsible for the distribution and marketing of the vaccine.
- Dr. Reddy’s launched the double-dosed Sputnik V on 14 May 2021.
Bihar Govt launches ‘HIT Covid App’
- Bihar govt has launched the ‘HIT Covid App’ to ensure regular monitoring and tracking of those Covid-19 patients, who are in home isolation across the state.
- A “HIT” stands for home isolation tracks.
- Health workers will visit the patients at home every day and feed data in the app after measuring their temperature and oxygen level.
- The data on th app will be monitored at the district level.
Google launches News Showcase in India
- Google has announced the launch of its global product called News Showcase in India.
- Launched in October 2020, News Showcase is a global vehicle to pay news publishers for their content online.
- It also allows partnering publishers to curate content.
- It has sealed agreements with 30 Indian publishers to offer access to some of their content on News Showcase, including The Hindu Group.
Kotak Mahindra Bank acquires stake in KMPF
- Kotak Mahindra Bank has acquired 1.3 crore shares i.e., around 46.7% equity of Kotak Mahindra Pension Fund from Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Limited (KMAMC)
- KMPFL was a direct subsidiary of KMAMC and post the said acquisition of shares, KMPFL has now become a direct subsidiary of the bank.
- The acquisition was completed on May 17, 2021, with a cash consideration of ₹12.71 crores.
Adar Poonawalla exits Panacea Biotec
- Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla has offloaded his entire stake in Panacea Biotec amounting to 5.15 percent shareholding of the firm for ₹118 crores, through an open market transaction.
- The shares were picked by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
- He sold 31,57,034 scrips he held in the firm at a price of ₹373.85 per share, taking the total deal value to ₹118.02 crores.
‘Guaranteed Wealth Plus’ launched by Exide
- Exide Life Insurance Company Limited has announced the launch of Exide Life Guaranteed Wealth Plus.
- It is a comprehensive life insurance plan that offers best-in-class guaranteed returns, to help customers fulfill their financial needs comfortably along various life stages.
- It is a non-linked, non-participating individual life insurance savings plan.
Gujarat Government extends a program
- The fortnight-long “Maru Gam, Corona Mukt Gam” program organized by the Gujarat government to control the spread of Covid-19 in the villages, has been extended till May 20, 2021.
- The move to extend the program was taken to restrict the Covid spread within a village.
- A total of 15,322 Covid care centers have been set up within 14,236-gram panchayats, where 1.37 lakh beds have been readied.
PayPal introduces an automated process
- PayPal has introduced an automated process to obtain the monthly Foreign Inward Remittance Advice (FIRA).
- At a zero-cost, PayPal merchants will now be able to download their monthly digital FIRA issued by the bank by logging into their PayPal account.
- The initiative is aimed to empower Indian MSME exporters to grow their business internationally.
New blood-based biomarkers identified
- In Karnataka, a study by the Indian Institute of Science has identified a set of molecular biomarkers which will help detect and predict viral or bacterial infections with high probability.
- It was discovered that a ten-gene RNA signature is produced in the patient’s blood based on the quantity of viral and bacterial infections.
- The study has been published in the EBioMedicine journal.
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