18th May 2021 Daily GK Update: Read Daily GK, Current Affairs for Bank Exam

Science and Technology News

6. IIT Ropar developed portable eco-friendly mobile cremation system

• IIT Ropar has developed a portable eco-friendly electric cremation system. It is one of its kind of technology that produces no smoke despite using wood for cremation. It is based on wick-stove technology.
• The cart has been developed in collaboration with the company Cheema Boilers Limited.
• The cart-shaped mobile cremation system has stainless steel insulation on both sides of the cart for reducing heat loss and wood consumption. It takes less time to dispose of the body entirely as compared to normal wood-based cremation. It uses half wood than normal wood-based cremation, so it is an eco-friendly technology.

Awards News

7. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank receives ‘International Invincible Gold Medal’

• International Invincible Gold Medal of this year has been conferred on Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. He has been recognised for his extraordinary commitment and outstanding service to humanity through his writings, social and illustrious public life.
• The decision was made after due deliberations by a high-powered committee duly constituted under the leadership of Dr Tony Nader who is the global head of the Maharshi organisation. This honour will be given by the worldwide Maharishi Organization & its universities.

8. Kobe Bryant Inducted Posthumously Into Basketball Hall Of Fame

• Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant has been posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• He was presented at the ceremony in Connecticut by NBA great Michael Jordan and his widow, Vanessa, accepted his induction on his behalf.
• Los Angeles Lakers great Bryant retired in 2016; he was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008.
• The five-time NBA champion died, aged 41, in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

Sports News

9. India’s Tejaswini Shankar Wins Consecutive High Jump Titles In USA

• Representing Kansas State University, India’s Tejaswini Shankar won back-to-back men’s high jump titles in the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Manhattan, USA.
• He is the third Indian to compete in the highly competitive USA circuit, the breeding ground for many US track and field Olympians. Shankar had also won the men’s high jump title in the 2019 edition of the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships while the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Important Days

10. World AIDS Vaccine Day: 18 May

• World AIDS Vaccine Day, (also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day), is observed annually on May 18 to promote the continued urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.
• The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was thus observed on May 18, 1998, to commemorate the anniversary of Clinton’s speech.
• The concept of World AIDS Vaccine Day was proposed on May 18, 1997, during a commencement speech at Morgan State University made by then-President Bill Clinton, which underlined the need for a vaccine to curb the spread of HIV.

11. International Museum Day: 18 May

• The International Museum Day is celebrated on 18 May, since 1977, to raise awareness about the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”.
• The theme of International Museum Day 2021: “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”. It is coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of International Council Of Museums: Suay Aksoy;
• International Council Of Museums Headquarters: Paris, France;
• International Council Of Museums Founder: Chauncey J. Hamlin;
• International Council Of Museums Founded: 1946.

Obituaries News

12. BCCI referee Rajendrasinh Jadeja passes away

• Former Saurashtra pacer and BCCI referee, Rajendrasinh Jadeja has died due to COVID-19.
• He was one of the finest right-arm medium pacers and a remarkable all-rounder.
• He played 50 first-class matches and 11 List A games, taking 134 and 14 wickets respectively. He had scored 1,536 runs in first-class matches and 104 runs in List A cricket.

13. Congress MP Rajeev Satav Passes Away

• The senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Rajeev Satav has passed away, days after recovering from a coronavirus infection.
• He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra and the in-charge of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) affairs in Gujarat. Formerly, he was the Member of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha from Hingoli in Maharashtra.

Miscellaneous News

14. IDRBT building National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI)

• The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) is building a next-generation Digital Financial Infrastructure named National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI). NADI would provide a roadmap and framework for future digital financial services growth in India.
• NADI will consist of modern network infrastructure which includes 5G/Edge Cloud with SDNs (software-defined networking) for connecting to the critical data centre infrastructure at the back-end.
• IDRBT is an arm of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• It will also have the middleware infrastructure for supporting both digital identity verification, digital identity assessment and digital asset management with the support of efficient digital ledger technologies and AI/ML technologies.”

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: