Weekly Update: February 08, 2021 - February 12, 2021

The more you praise and celebrate your life,
the more there is in life to celebrate.
-Oprah Winfrey
(January 29, 1954; American host, producer, actress, author and philanthropist)

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Let's start!

Here is a Fun Fact that you may not, or may, know: There is a reason why Christmas is called Xmas.

Image Credit: orderofpreachersindependent.org

Christmas is called Xmas because the word for 'Christ' in Greek starts from the letter 'Chi', a letter that looks like an 'X' in the Roman alphabet.

February 08, 2021 (Monday)
:::The number of Corona Cases were as follows:
Confirmed - 1,08,38,194
Recovered - 1,05,34,505
Deceased - 1,55,080

:::Pope Francis appointed Nathalie Becquart, a Frenchwoman, as an undersecretary of the synod of bishops where she has been a consultant since the year 2019. Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the synod, said that the appointment of Sister Becquart signals the pontiff's desire for greater participation of women in the process of discernment and decision making in the church. Nathalie Becquart is the first woman to be appointed with voting rights in a body that studies major questions of doctrine.

In Pic: Nathalie Becquart; Image Credit: https://www.straitstimes.com/

Spaniard Luis Marin de San Martin was also appointed by Pope Francis.

:::The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted a conditional exemption to The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The conditional exemption is valid till December 31, 2021, or until Digital Sky Platform (Phase 1) becomes completely operational, whichever is earlier, and pertains to the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket Season in the year 2021. Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary at MoCA, said in a press release that the granting of this permission was in line with the objectives of the Government of India to promote the commercial use of drones in the country.

Image Credit: https://newsable.asianetnews.com/

The conditional exemption granted to BCCI will be considered valid only if all the conditions and limitations are strictly adhered to.

February 09, 2021 (Tuesday)
:::The number of Corona Cases as reported on Aarogya Setu App were as follows:
Confirmed - 1,08,47,304
Recovered - 1,05,48,521
Deceased - 1,55,158

:::Triumph India launched Tiger 850 Sport. It will be offered in two color variants - Graphite Diablo Red and Graphite Caspian Blue. Tiger 850 Sport has 888-cc triple engine which is assisted by the slip and assist clutch. The engine generates a power of 82Nm and produces a torque of 85PS. The key feature is its built-in height adjustable seat, that a rider can adjust by 20mm as per his/her comfort. For safety purpose, the company has offered premium Brembo brakes to ensure exceptional handling in all riding scenarios.

The bike is priced at ₹11.95 lakhs (ex-showroom). It can be booked with a token amount of ₹50,000/-, and deliveries will begin in the month of March.

:::Agnikul Cosmos, a Chennai-based space-tech start-up, successfully tested Agnilet. Agnilet  is a fully 3D printed rocket engine that can carry a maximum load of hundred kilograms in lower earth orbit (LEO), which is approximately seven hundred kilometers above the Earth's surface. The process to 3D print the engine does not involve any complex assembly of different parts and the turnaround time for the entire set-up is less than four days.

Image Credit: Agnikul Cosmos | Twitter

Srinath Ravichandran, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Agnikul, said that Agnilet was just one piece of hardware from start to finish and has zero assembled parts. He added that while working on the process, the team was unaware of anyone who was pushing 3D printing to this extent.

February 10, 2021 (Wednesday)
:::The number of Corona Cases were as follows:
Confirmed - 1,08,58,371
Recovered - 1,05,61,608
Deceased - 1,55,252

:::HD Media, a U.S-based news organization, filed a lawsuit against Facebook and Alphabet for allegedly affecting the digital advertising market with their dominance. HD Media, in the complaint filed, said that Google and Facebook monopolize the digital advertising market thereby strangling a primary source of revenue for newspapers across the country. The organization also alleged that Facebook and Google have violated anti-trust laws in the United States of America by striking a secret pact, Jedi Blue, with each other to manipulate online auctions.

Image Credit: AFP/Getty Images

HD Media has filed the complaint against Facebook and Alphabet in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

:::Tata Starbucks issued a statement saying that its current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Navin Gurnaney, has decided to step down from his post to pursue an opportunity outside of the company. Sushant Dash will join as the CEO Designate on April 01, 2021, and he will succeed Navin Gurnaney as the CEO with effect from May 01, 2021.

In Pic: Sushant Dash; Image Credit: https://www.livemint.com/

Sushant Dash is currently heading the India and Middle East operations of Tata Global Beverages.

February 11, 2021 (Thursday)
:::The number of Corona Cases as reported on Aarogya Setu App were as follows:
Confirmed - 1,08,71,294
Recovered - 1,05,73,372
Deceased - 1,55,360

:::Royal Enfield launched 2021 Himalayan in the Indian, the UK, and other European markets. The bike is priced at ₹2,01,314/- (ex-showroom). It is available in three color options namely granite black, mirage silver, and pine green. The 2021 Himalayan is powered by a 411-cc, single-cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled engine that is paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The engine can generate a maximum power of 24.83 PS and a peak torque of 32 Nm. Royal Enfield Tripper, a navigation pod powered by Google Maps & Royal Enfield App, is the highlighted feature of 2021 Himalayan.

Image Credit: Tim Stevens/Roadshow

The bike can be personalized, accessorized, and booked online by a customer.

:::The Nepal Government banned two Haryana-based mountaineers - Narender Singh Yadav and Seema Rani. Both of them got banned for falsely claiming their reach at the top of Mount Everest in the year 2016. The investigation was conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), who also canceled the summit certificate of the mountaineers. Pradip Kumar Koirala, a joint secretary in the MoCTCA and the chairman of the investigating committee, said in a media statement that the committee reached to the conclusion of banning the Haryana-based mountaineers after reviewing the documents submitted by them and based on the conversation they had with the concerned officials.

Image Credit: ExBulletin

The ban is for six years. It starts from the year 2016, and it is applicable for Phukon, their team leader.

February 12, 2021 (Friday)
:::The number of Corona Cases were as follows:
Confirmed - 1,08,80,603
Recovered - 1,05,89,230
Deceased - 1,55,447

:::The UK Parliament launched an inquiry into how Pakistan spends the financial aid that it receives from the United Kingdom. Pakistan has received a total of ₹3,014 crores in aid through partners like NGOs, private contractors, and multilateral agencies. The aid received has been for human development, environmental, and humanitarian purposes, yet the country continues to suffer from poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, death during childbirth, and unemployment.

Image Credit: Getty Images

The inquiry is being conducted by a committee that comprises members from both the political parties - the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

:::Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) tested two satellites developed by Indian start-ups - Spacekidz India and Pixxel (incorporated as Syzygy). The satellites were tested at the U R Rao Satellite Centre - located in Bengaluru - of ISRO. Additionally, ISRO also helped the start-ups to fix problems with the solar panels on their respective satellites.

Image Credit: https://zeenews.india.com/

Vivek Singh, a spokesperson of ISRO, issued a statement to the media saying that after successfully testing the satellites, these two start-ups would also test their engines at Sriharikota spaceport and Thiruvananthapuram Centre.

In this week's Special Section, let's see what is "Parents' Worship Day", also known as "Matru Pitru Pujan Diwas".

Image Credit: Parents' Worship Day | Twitter

Parents' Worship Day is celebrated on February 14 as an alternative for Valentine's Day to create a strong character and spirit of serving parents. It was first celebrated in the year 2007 at Asaram Bapu's Gurukul that is located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Even though the celebration is inspired by the puja of Lord Shiva & Maa Parvati that was performed by Ganesha, children of all the religions observe this auspicious day and worship their parents to seek their blessings.

Here's how to celebrate this festival:

1. Make your parents take a seat;
   
   
2. Apply tilak on their forehead and offer garland to them;
   
   
3. Walk around them - this is considered equivalent to walking around the world;
   
   
4. Bow and greet them with respect; and,
   
   
5. Perform Aarti while hymning the praise & take a firm resolution of serving them for the rest of their life.

The celebration is concluded after parents' have showered affection and blessings on their children.

Here is a complete guide about the Parents' Worship Day celebration:

That is all for this week.

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I hope that the blog was useful and it helped you in catching up with what happened this week. 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.