1.Art and Culture
Ninth edition of International Sand Art Festival kicks-off in Odisha
The ninth edition of the International Sand Art Festival has started at the Chandrabhaga Beach of Konark in Odisha’s Puri district.
Artists create sculptures based on relevant themes like environment, culture, national and international affairs.
The main themes of the sculptures this year are ‘Environment’ and ‘COVID-19’.
Quick Fact: Sudarsan Pattnaik is a world-renowned sand artist and Padmashree awardee.
2.India and the World
India signs MoU with USA for Intellectual Property Cooperation
India and the US have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Intellectual Property Cooperation.
The agreement between the DPIIT and USPTO aims to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of best practises, experiences and knowledge on IP between the two countries.
The MoU was signed virtually by DPIIT Secretary Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra and USPTO Director Andrei Iancu.
Quick Fact: The full form of DPIIT is ‘Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade’
3.Person in News
Olympic Gold medallist Rafer Johnson passes away
Rafer Lewis Johnson, an american decathlete and film actor breathed his last in California, LA at the age of 86.
Johnson was the first Black Captain of a United States Olympic team in the 1960 Rome Olympics and won a decathlon gold that year.
Johnson earned the AAU James E. Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the US following his achievement in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
4.Person in News
Roshni Nadar tops Kotak Wealth-Hurun wealthy women list 2020
Chairperson of HCL Tech Roshni Nadar Malhotra has topped the list of wealthiest women in India released in the 2nd edition of the report.
The report is prepared by Kotak Wealth Management and Hurun India to understand wealth creation among Indian women and celebrate their success.
The list features top 100 entrepreneurs, professionals and businesswomen in India with the average wealth of women on the list being 2,725 crore.
Quick Fact: Uday Kotak is the Founder and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
5. National Affairs
Ministry of AYUSH to develop Nisarg Gram campus at Pune
Ministry of AYUSH is prepared to develop Nisarg Gram Campus at Pune as the 21st Century abode of Naturopathy.
The development aims to invoke recollections of Mahatma Gandhi’s famous Nature Cure campaign of 1946.
The campus will be established in the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune and will be incorporated with many novelties and innovations as per the curriculum of Naturopathy.
Quick facts: The full form of AYUSH in the Ministry of AYUSH is ‘Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy’.
6. Science and Technology
Government launches AI & Robotics Technologies Park (ARTPARK) in Bengaluru
The AI & Robotics Tech Park (ARTPARK) is launched in Bengaluru to promote technology innovations in AI & Robotics leading to societal impact.
ARTPARK is a unique not-for-profit foundation established by IISc, Bengaluru with support from AI Foundry as a public-private model.
The DST funded 170 crore to the ARTPARK foundation under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber- Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).
Quick Fact: The full form of DST is ‘ Department of Science and Technology’.
7.Person in News
VSSC former Director Dr S Ramakrishnan passes away
ISRO scientist and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre’s (VSSC) former Director Dr S Ramakrishnan died at the age of 70 in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ramakrishnan, a native of Chennai joined VSSC in 1972 and was appointed as the Director from 2013 to 2014.
Ramakrishnan is a recipient of various awards including Padma Shree which was presented to him in the year 2003 for his contributions in areas of science and technology.
Quick Fact: Kailasavadivoo Sivan is the present Director of the ISRO which is Headquartered in Bengaluru.
8.Miscellaneous
Mysterious monolith appears for the third time in California
The monolith appeared at the top of Atascadero’s Pine Mountain in California.
The monolith appeared in Utah and Romania prior to its appearance in California.
The monolith is a three-sided obelisk made of stainless steel featuring a height of 10-feet and width of 18 inches.
