Pathogens that transmit through the air will be described by the term ’infectious respiratory particles’ or IRPs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The world health body has thus ended the lack of a common terminology to describe the transmission of these pathogens, which was particularly challenging during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement on Thursday came following wide-ranging consultations across multiple steps in 2021-2023.

“The challenge became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic as experts from various sectors were required to provide scientific and policy guidance. Varying terminologies highlighted gaps in common understanding and contributed to challenges in public communication and efforts to curb the transmission of the pathogen,” the WHO noted.

Deepak Parekh has decided to step down as the Chairman and Non-Executive Director of the HDFC Life Insurance Company with effect from April 18.

The board on Thursday unanimously approved the appointment of Keki M Mistry as the Chairman of the board. Mistry has been associated with the company since December 2000 and is currently a Non-Executive Director on the board.

“Being the founder Chairman of our company, Parekh has been instrumental in guiding and nurturing the company over the past 24 years. We thank Parekh for the immense contributions made by him,” the company said in a statement. Parekh was the Chairman of HDFC Ltd which merged with HDFC Bank a year ago.

Takshvi Vaghani, a six-year-old from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has achieved the title of “lowest limbo skating over 25 m”, said Guinness World Records (GWR). In a video shared by the record-keeper on Instagram, we can see Takshvi nailing the challenge without breaking a sweat. For those who don’t know, this particular sport requires the person to skate beneath a horizontal pole. Takshvi achieved the feet on March 10 last year. As per GWR’s official website, Takshvi “decided to attempt for personal achievement.” The video created a buzz after Guinness World Records posted it on April 10. “Lowest limbo skating over 25 m,16 cm (6.29 in) by Takshvi Vaghani,” the side note read.

Within a few hours of being shared, the video collected 1.5 million views and several comments. A user wrote, “Kinda records that should be beaten, just wow”. Another said, “Awesome and Amazing! Congratulations.” A user commented, “Impressive”. While another said, “She has potential,” and a user lauded her feat saying, “Wow, so proud of her”.

India is set to deliver the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and launchers to the Philippines on Friday, two years after the two countries signed a deal worth almost $375 million to equip the Philippine Marines with three batteries of the missiles, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

Indian aircraft will fly the consignment to the south-east Asian country, the officials said asking not to be named.

The January 2022 deal was seen as a shot in the arm for New Delhi’s efforts to emerge as an exporter of major defence hardware.

In a remarkable stroke of cosmic luck, astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have stumbled upon what is now considered the largest 'sleeping’ black hole in the Milky Way galaxy. This colossal entity, named Gaia BH3, was discovered inadvertently while scientists were analyzing data from the ESA’s Gaia space observatory. With a mass 33 times that of our Sun, this discovery has not only expanded our understanding of the celestial bodies within our galaxy but also challenged existing theories about the formation and growth of massive stars.

Black holes are regions in space characterized by such intense gravitational forces that even light cannot escape from them. They are usually detected by the X-ray radiation emitted when they interact with nearby stars. However, ‘sleeping’ or dormant black holes, like Gaia BH3, do not have nearby stars to feed on, making them incredibly difficult to detect as they do not emit any light. These black holes can only be identified indirectly through their gravitational effects on surrounding celestial objects.

MI opener Rohit Sharma became only the second player in the history of the Indian Premier League to appear in 250 games. Sharma matched MS Dhoni's elite feat when he was selected to play for MI in their fixture against PBKS on Thursday, 18 April at the Mullanpur Stadium. Rohit has been nearing his destructive best in the IPL 2024 and has already hit a hundred in the tournament.

Sharma is closely followed by Dinesh Karthik in the list of most matches played in the IPL. In fact, Karthi and Rohit, known as close friends outside of the field, were tied at 249 matches before this game. After the duo, Virat Kohli is on the fourth position in the list with 244 games to his name. Only 10 players have passed the threshold of 200 games in the IPL and all of them have been Indian players so far.

In a recent research conducted by London-based research firm Skytrax, Hamad International Airport in Doha has been named as the best airport in the world. While Changi Airport held the prestigious crown previously, it has been shifted to the second spot.

The 2024 World Airport Awards was held in Germany on April 17. It was held at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Frankfurt. The third spot was taken by South Korea's Incheon International Airport.

Changi Airport, however, maintained its supremacy in Asia and earned further acclaim for its immigration services, hailed as the finest globally. Notably, the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport snagged the title of best airport hotel, marking its ninth win in this category.

Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former UN official Bhimeswara Challa on Monday unveiled his latest book India—the Road to Renaissance: A Vision and an Agenda at an event at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Bella Vista campus.

Mr. Challa delivered a comprehensive overview of the book, touching upon its key themes. “The book acts as a stark mirror, revealing the moral decay, institutional stagnation and societal challenges facing the Indian Republic,” he said. “It represents my fervent appeal for a rejuvenated India—a call to action for all those unwilling to settle for the status quo and who aspire to a brighter future for our nation,” he added.

The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaborative research and training with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on 18 April 2024. The MoU was signed by Director General Armed Forces Medical Services Lt Gen Daljit Singh & Officiating Director, IIT Kanpur Prof S Ganesh. Under this MoU, AFMS and IIT Kanpur will team up to undertake research and develop new technologies to address health problems faced by soldiers in difficult terrains.

IIT Kanpur will also provide technical expertise for developing AI diagnostic models, at Armed Forces Centre for Computational Medicine established in Armed Forces Medical College, which is first of its kind amongst medical colleges in India. Under the ambit of this MoU, faculty exchange program, joint academic activities and development of training modules will also be planned.

On this occasion, Lt Gen Daljit Singh informed that AFMS is dedicated to provide highest level of medical care to soldiers and collaboration with institutes of national importance like IIT is a significant step towards this commitment. Prof S Ganesh emphasised the need for inter-professional collaboration and utilisation of advanced technologies like computational medicine and AI in health care.

The Reserve Bank has imposed penalties totalling ₹60.3 lakh on five cooperative banks for contravention of various regulatory norms.

A penalty of ₹43.30 lakh has been imposed on Rajkot Nagarik Sahakari Bank for non-compliance with RBI directions on 'ban on loans and advances to directors and their relatives, and firms/concerns in which they are interested', 'prohibition on opening of saving bank accounts in the names of certain bodies/organizations' and 'maintenance of deposit accounts'.