** Hyderabad’s hunger warrior honoured with UK award

Azhar Maqsusi, a social activist from the city, whose initiative ‘Hunger Has No Religion’ by Sani Welfare Foundation feeds about 1,500 people every day in five cities across the country was granted the United Kingdoms Commonwealth Points of Light Award recently. The award recognises outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community.

** In a first, Himalayan yaks to be insured

National Research Centre on Yak in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dirang terms it a landmark development

The high-altitude yak, feeling the climate change heat across the Himalayan belt, will now be insured.

The National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district has tied up with the National Insurance Company Ltd. for insuring their livestock.

** Jaishankar hands over relics of 17th century Georgian Queen St. Ketevan to Georgia

Her relics were found in 2005 at the St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, on the basis of medieval Portuguese records

In heeding to a long-standing request of Georgia, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday handed over to the country the holy relics of 17th century Georgian Queen St. Ketevan nearly 16 years after they were found in Goa.

The relics are believed to have been brought to Goa in 1627 and interred in St. Augustine Complex.

He is also scheduled to unveil the newly-installed statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Tbilisi.

** Sanofi, GSK get nod for Phase 3 efficacy trial of their Covid -19 vaccine candidate in India

In this partnership Sanofi provides its recombinant antigen and GSK contributes its pandemic adjuvant, both established vaccine platforms that have proven successful against influenza.

Sanofi and GSK said they have received approval for their Phase 3 clinical study in India, to assess the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of their adjuvanted recombinant-protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The global, randomised, double-blind Phase 3 study will include more than 35,000 volunteers aged 18 and older across sites in the U.S., Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

** This English professor has a penchant to make films

Meet Jerrin Chandan, whose Kannada short film, titled ‘Aase,’ has made it to the semi finals at the Festival Del Cinema di Cefalu, Italy

Jerrin Chandan is the head of the English Department at St. Joseph’s Evening College, Bengaluru. Chandan, a voracious reader, has a passion for films.

** Olympic gold-winning hockey legend Keshav Datt dies

He was part India’s historic feat at the 1948 Olympics where they beat home team Britain 4-0 at the Wembley Stadium in London to win the first gold post Independence.

Two-time Olympics gold medallist Keshav Chandra Datt, the last surviving member of the Indian hockey team in the historic 1948 London Games, passed away here early on Wednesday, according to a Hockey Bengal (HB) statement. He was 95.

** Dr Lahane retires. He has to his credit world record of cataract surgeries

The country’s leading ophthalmologist Dr Tatyaro P. Lahane — who created a world record with an eye-popping 162,000-plus cataract surgeries — has retired after over 36 years from government service.

“Now, I will go back to my first love, Opthalmology”, a visibly relaxed Lahane told IANS a day after hanging up his boots and attending a variety of media events.