News Flash (24th April 2020): Top 11 Stories Of The Day

1. MIT develops washable sensors to monitor vital body signs which can be embedded in fabric.

MIT experts have developed new sensors that is machine-washable and can be embedded into flexible fabrics. These sensors will help in identifying and monitoring vital body signs like heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, etc. These sensors can be used at home by individuals, at hospitals and by athletes and astronauts in space during space missions. Many companies too have started experimenting with these new sensors. 

2. Dr. Mukund Rajan, Ex-TATA MD to teach at Gurugram B-School

The Masters Union School of Business in Gurugram recently announced that it will have Dr. Mukund Rajan, Ex Managing Director of Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd., and Bhaskar Chakravorti, former Harvard Business School Professor and ex McKinsey, partner on board to teach the students on “How to be a Successful Brand Custodian” and “International Business” respectively. Apart from these two, the b-school currently has 26 such masters from diverse backgrounds. 

3. 40 million-years-old sediments of frog fossils found by researchers in Antarctica

The first fossil frog was found in Antarctica in the 40 million years old sediments that is believed to belong to the family of helmeted frogs or Calyptocephalellidae which are today found in South America. The palaeontologists found the fragmented hip bone and skull of the frog from Seymour Island situated near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

4. Actor Chris Hemsworth admits it’s an ‘absolute challenge’ to homeschool kids during lockdown

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth accepted that he was struggling with homeschooling his daughter during the times of lockdown. In one of his recent social media posts, he said that it takes 3 hours of negotiation to get a 20-minute work done. The Thor actor also has a twin named Sasha and Tristan who are finding it difficult to stay at home and not interact with other kids. 

5. Apple’s next Air Pods to have the same design as Air Pods Pro but at lower cost.

Apple’s next Air Pods will have the same design as the Air Pods Pro however they won’t have the built-in noise cancellation feature. This comes as an update from the company to make the Air Pods available at lower costs to the customers. These Air Pods were set to be launched in March this year but due to COVID-19, they might get launched in the second half of  2020 or in 2021. 

6. Google Meet introduces the new gallery view with 16 participants in one grid.

Google has rolled out a new feature in its Google Meet where users will now be able to see 16 participants on screen in a grid format similar to that of the Zoom layout. Earlier in Google Meet, only 4 participants could be seen on the screen at a single time. Now with the feature of extended tile layout, users will be able to see 16 participants on screen at one single time, making conferences and meetings more smooth and easy. Not just this, Google Meet will also now use AI to make the participants more clearly visible to each other using the sub-optimal lighting conditions. This feature, however, is just available for mobile users and will be made available to web users soon. 

7. Spain’s Pamplona offered Rs 2 cr by PETA to permanently ban bull-running

PETA has offered Pamplona, Snapish city, 250,000 euros to permanently ban the world-famous bull-running festival for good. Along with the cash offer made, a letter written by PETA and addressed to the Pamplona mayor Enrique Maya read “The Running of the Bulls and bullfights … are a vestige of a far less enlightened time when people didn’t understand that animals feel pain and thought nothing of risking fellow humans’ safety.” Taking into consideration the current pandemic situation, the officials have for the first time in the four decades called off this festival, however, are unable to comment on the permanent ban so soon. 

8. A study states that crows showed the highest rate of brain evolution than any other birds

A recent study suggests that crows have exceptional brain size and the highest rate of brain evolution. Not just crows, but parrots too have shown a high rate of brain evolution and have outpaced all the other bird species on earth. Dinosaurs, before extinction, also had similar relative brain sizes. Some birds have also evolved to have larger brain sizes compared to their bodies.  

9. The US announced an aid of Rs92 crore to Greenland after President Trump tried to buy the island

The president of the United States, Donald Trump has announced to offer $12.1m as an aid to Greenland This aid has been gracefully accepted by the Danish territory’s government. This move comes after the American president confessed of buying the Island last year in August. The main purpose of making this purchase is to reduced the Russian and Chinese impact in the arctic region. This aid from America will help Greenland in bettering its economy, specifically natural resources, and education.  

10. MSME sector losing Rs 40,000 crores daily due to nationwide lockdown: Trade Body

The nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 has come down heavily on the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) as it has till now faced a loss of Rs 12 lakh crore. The All India Manufacturers’ Organisation (AIMO) has said that the MSME sector is losing revenue of Rs 40,000 crore on a daily basis. To save India from facing a heavy economic loss in the future, the government needs to provide support packages to MSMEs. The AIMO has also requested the central government to allow the working class to resume work. 

11. Former cricketer, Shane Watson says, Ricky Poting and Shane Warne his ‘ favourite skipper’

Former Australian all-rounder cricketer Shane Watson picked Ricky Pointing and Shane Warner as his favourite skippers and captains in cricket after playing under them. He said that both the cricketers have immense confidence in their abilities and also helped him in believing in his own abilities, thereby boosting his self-confidence as well.