19 May 2017 Current Affairs
Start UP India Summit to be held in Dubai
Dubai will host a two-day “Startup India Summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Consulate General of India (CGT) Dubai and Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi in partnership with Indian Software product Industry Round Table (iSPIRIT). This is the first “Startup Summit” being held in the UAE. India is the third largest ecosystem in the World leading in tech innovation.
Pranay Varada wins National Geographic Bee Contest
A 14-year old Indian – American Student, Pranay Varada has won the Prestigious National Geographic Bee competition. He gets $ 50,000 in scholarship and other prizes. Thomas Wright was declared the runner up. Wright has received $ 25,000 in scholarship. Indian Americans have won the National Geographic Bee Competition for the last ten consecutive years. This year six of ten finalists were Indian-Americans.
Scientists discover First Natural Human Antibodies against Ebola Virus
A team of scientists from United States of America discovered a possible cure of Ebola Viruses. They have discovered the first natural human antibodies that are capable of neutralizing and protecting animals against all three major disease causing Ebola Viruses. Ebola Virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. It was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a Village near the Ebola.
Pune doctors successfully perform country’s first uterus transplant
A team of Pune doctors successfully performed country’s first uterus transplant on a 21 year old Solapur woman on 18th of May. Since birth the woman has been suffering from congenital absence of uterus. It was fitted with her mother’s uterus so that She can conceive normally. Transplant performed only through open surgery and it took 9 hours. Pune’s Galaxy Core Laparoscopy Institute (GCLI), where the surgery was done have been licensed to carry out uterus transplant.
Japan’s Softbank Invests Rs. 9,000 crore in Paytm
Japan’s Softbank invested 1.4 billion (over Rs.9,079 crore) in digital payments platform paytm. This is the largest fund investment by a single investor in an Indian start-up and also Softbank’s largest investment in a single company in India. The company plans to invest Rs. 10,000 over the next three to five years. Paytm, which runs India’s biggest digital payments system with more than 220 million users.
India Ranks at 154, below Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, on health care Index
India has Ranked 154th among 195 countries on health care Index in Lancet Medical Journal’s report titled “Global Burden of Disease”. Performance of countries was assessed for a period of 25 years from 1990-2015, based on death rates from 32 diseases that could be avoided by effective medical care. This study has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. During 2008 – 20, it is expected to clock a compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.5%.
ICT4D Conference held in Hyderabad
The ninth annual ICT4D Conference was held in Hyderabad. It was held May 15 to 18, 2017. Around 800 delegates from 74 countries were participated in the conference. They were discussed about Agriculture, Education, Health, Environment, Disaster Management Big Data, Partnerships and Digital Financial Inclusion. The strategic use of technology innovations in relief and development programmes that enhance program quality, improve decision making and increase impact.