Weekly Update: November 16, 2020 - November 20, 2020

Bring love wherever you go.
Shine light wherever it's dark.
Leave blessings wherever you've been.
Be kind wherever you are.
-Mary Davis
(August 06, 1954; Chief Executive Officer of the Special Olympics)

Let's start!

Here is a Fun Fact that you may not, or may, know: Cosimo de Medici had consolidated power for himself and his family in Florence by 1434, while maintaining the appearance of democratic government.

Image Credit: https://www.britannica.com/

He held to his position as a private citizen but it was clear to all that he ruled the city from behind the scenes.

November 16, 2020 (Monday)
:::The number of Corona Cases were as follows:
Confirmed - 88,45,127
Recovered - 82,49,579
Deceased - 1,30,070

:::According to data published by Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi), the total number of folios reached 9.37 crore after it added over 4.11 lakh investors' accounts in the month of October 2020. Out of 4.11 lakh folios, around two lakh folios were added in debt fund. The number of folios under equity & equity linked saving schemes rose by thirty-thousand and reached to 6.39 crore in the month of October 2020. Overall, ₹98,576 crore was infused last month in various mutual fund schemes.

Image Credit: mutualfunda.in

According to the market experts, this suggests that investors were undeterred by the market volatility.

:::A study done by Oxford University claimed that playing video games can be good for the mental health of a person as there is a chance that experiences of competence and social connection through games may contribute to the well-being of the person. Oxford University linked-up psychological questionnaires with true records of the time spent playing games for the purpose of the study.

Image Credit: NewsBeezer

The study was focused on the players of Nintendo's "Animal Crossing" and EA's "Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville".

November 17, 2020 (Tuesday)
:::The number of Corona Cases as reported on Aarogya Setu App were as follows:
Confirmed - 88,74,290
Recovered - 82,90,370
Deceased - 1,30,519

:::Flipkart acquired 100% stake in Scapic Innovations Private Limited to enhance its immersive shopping experience capabilities. Scapic is a Bengaluru-based augmented reality (AR) company that was founded in 2017 by Sai Krishna V K and Ajay P V. It is a cloud based platform that enables creation and publishing of AR & 3D content. The company will work towards accelerating Flipkart's efforts to provide deeper camera experiences, virtual storefronts and new opportunities for brand advertising on its platform.

Image Credit: rajexpress.co

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Chief Executive Officer of Flipkart Group, issued a statement saying that as they make investments that focus on developing & nurturing the retail ecosystem, they are also committed to make the platform easier to navigate and richer for consumers in terms of content & experience.

:::Larsen & Toubro (L&T) delivered the first hardware, a booster segment, for Gaganyaan launch vehicle to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The booster segment has a diameter of 3.2 metres, length of 8.5 metres and weighs 5.5 tonnes (5,500 kg). It was produced at L&T's Powai aerospace manufacturing facility in Mumbai.

Image Credit: https://www.defencexp.com/

Dr. k Sivan, Chairman of ISRO, complimented ISRO and L&T by saying that both the teams worked relentlessly to deliver the hardware ahead of the schedule while maintaining the highest quality standards required for a Human Space Flight Mission.

November 18, 2020 (Wednesday)
:::The number of Corona Cases were as follows:
Confirmed - 89,12,907
Recovered - 83,35,109
Deceased - 1,30,993

:::According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of wireless subscribers decreased by 1.7 crore, at the rate of 1.47%, in April-June 2020. The number of wireless subscribers now stands at 1,140.71 million. Airtel, Vodafone and BSNL reported a reduction of more than 2.6 crore subscribers while Jio added one crore new subscribers. TRAI also reported that while the number of subscribers decreased in the urban area, it has increased in the rural areas.

Image Credit: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Neil Shah, Vice President of research at Counterpoint Research, said that the major factor was the return of migrant workers to their hometowns & villages and a lot of them stopped recharging their mobiles. He added that lockdown had an impact on many low-income families and that also contributed as a factor. Sanchit Vir Gogoia, Chief Analyst & Chief Executive Officer of Greyhound Research, said that shutting down of businesses too contributed to the reduction of subscribers and that people with additional SIMs switched to one network.

:::The U.S Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first Covid-19 self-testing kit that provides the result within thirty minutes. The kit has been made by Lucira Health for individuals who are aged fourteen years & above. It will also be made available to hospitals.

Image Credit: https://www.lucirahealth.com/

Stephen Hahn, Commissioner of FDA, issued a statement saying that while Covid-19 diagnostic tests have been authorized for at-home collection, this is the first that can be fully self-administered and provides results at home.

November 19, 2020 (Thursday)
:::The number of Corona Cases as reported on Aarogya Setu App were as follows:
Confirmed - 89,58,483
Recovered - 83,83,602
Deceased - 1,31,578

:::The shares of SpiceJet jumped by nearly 14% after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the return of Boeing 737 Max Aircraft by conducting a comprehensive & methodical safety review process that stretched for twenty months. The shares were then being at ₹75.4/- at BSE and ₹75.5/- at NSE. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that it will study the decision of FAA and take some time before taking a final call on allowing Boeing 737 Max planes to fly again in the Indian skies.

Image Credit: https://www.businessinsider.in/

The aircraft was grounded all over the world in 2019 due to its involvement in two fatal crashes.

:::The "AuREUS" system won its first James Dyson's sustainability award, out of eighteen-hundred entries, for creating a material that generates renewable energy by absorbing UV light from the sun. The material has been made from rotting fruits and vegetables. The system is made by Carvey Ehren Maigue, a 27-year young student at Mapua University in the Philippines. It uses scientific principles behind the northern lights. The system is also effective when it does not directly face the sun as it picks-up the UV through clouds and bouncing from walls, pavements & other buildings.

Image Credit: DYSON

Carvey Ehren Maigue said that he wants to create a better form of renewable energy that: uses the world's natural resources; is close to people's lives; and, shapes achievable paths towards a sustainable & regenerative future.

November 20, 2020 (Friday)
:::The number of Corona Cases were as follows:
Confirmed - 90,04,365
Recovered - 84,28,409
Deceased - 1,32,162

:::Hyundai Motor India received over twenty-thousand bookings within three weeks of the launch of 3rd gen i20 and the company has already delivered around forty-thousand units during Diwali season. As per the statement issued by the company, around 85% of the customers have booked the 'Sportz' trim that ranges from ₹7.59 lakh to ₹8.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The 3rd gen i20 is available in total thirteen trims and the overall prices ranges from ₹6.79 lakh to ₹11.17 lakh (ex-showroom). A customer can book by selecting any engine from three options available: 1.2 litre petrol engine that produces 83 PS of power & 114 Nm of torque; 1.5 litre diesel engine that produces 100 PS of power & 114 Nm of torque; and, 1.0 litre turbo petrol engine that produces 120 PS of power & 171 Nm of torque.

Image Credit: https://www.financialexpress.com/

It is loaded with features like 10.25-inch digital instrument with 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 50+ Bluelink features, Bose 7-speaker system, one-touch electric roof, air purifier and dual Bluetooth connectivity.

:::NordPass, password manager, published a list of two-hundred most common passwords of the year 2020. The list was topped by "123456" followed by "123456789", "picture1", "password" and "12345678". The most common password, "123456", was breached more than twenty-three million times. NordPass said that the majority of people use simple & easy-to-remember passwords because it is convenient, but the problem is that the most memorable passwords are highly vulnerable to cracking.

Image Credit: https://www.safetydetectives.com/

It is advised to avoid using the dictionary words, number combinations, or strings of adjacent keyboard combinations and people should refrain from using repetitive characters (like "aaaa"), a phone number, birth date or a name.

In this week's Special Section, i will talk about "Paws of Vadodara", a social service that works to feed stray dogs.

Image Credit: Paws od Vadodara | Facebook

Paws of Vadodara is an initiative by 'Happy Faces Vadodara', a Vadodara based social group. Under Paws of Vadodara campaign, the volunteers feed stray dogs every night.

Image Credit: Paws od Vadodara | Facebook

They feed 125-150 stray dogs every night. Their aim is to expand to a level where they can feed every dog in the city. The campaign was started on May 06, 2020. Since the inception, the volunteers have distributed over twenty-thousand meals.

Image Credit: Paws od Vadodara | Facebook

You may connect with them on Facebook at pawsofvadodara.
You may connect with them on Instagram at pawsofvadodara.

That is all for this week.

Do follow my blog to get the updates. You can connect with me on Instagram @sachdev_ankur.

I hope that the blog was useful and it helped you in catching up with what happened. If you have anything to contribute, then please feel free to comment. Do share this blog with everyone you know and help them too.

*Disclaimer: The information has been presented in this blog after reviewing various news articles. In case you find any article, or if you have any article, that states some facts differently, then share them in the comment section. Please keep the publishing date of the article in mind as it may be an update on the article which was published previously, or it may contain outdated information if it was published before the date mentioned in this blog. The blogger is not responsible for any transaction that happens between the reader and the brand.