News in Short

• Noted Gujrati author Kundanika Kapadia, who was best known for her novel SaatPaglaAakashma died at her residence in Nandigram ashram in Valsad district. She was 93.
• Her first collection of short stories, entitled Premna Anshu was published in 1954. Later on she authored four other collections of short stories—Vadhu ne Vadhu Sundar (1968), Kagalni Hodi (1978), Java Daishu Tamne (1983) and Manushya Thavu (1990).
• She broke new grounds by introducing in Gujarati literature self-assertion of women as subject matter through her novel Saat Pagla Aakashma (literally meaning seven steps in the sky).

• Early tests of the vaccine developed by Oxford University show a promising sign of effectiveness of the medicine, during the phase of animal trials.
• Six macaque monkeys were given the vaccine developed by Oxford University and were exposed to large quantities of coronavirus at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana.
• All the six monkeys that were administered with the vaccine remained healthy after more than 28 days of being exposed to large quantities of coronavirus and also didn’t show any symptoms of the disease.
• The human trials of the vaccine began on April but it’s still uncertain how the vaccine will react in humans until the completion of the trial in September.

• A new study published in Science suggests an unusual ingredient may hold the key to foiling influenza once and for all: antibodies from llamas.
• A team of international scientists harvested llama antibodies, or protective proteins that mobilize to protect the body from invaders, into a four-in-one mega protein capable of neutralizing 59 different strains of influenza A and B.
• The flu vaccine, which is redesigned every year to best combat the dominant strain of the mutating virus, works by introducing neutralized flu strains into the body and triggering the immune system’s production of flu-fighting antibodies. This preventative test-run prepares antibodies to recognize and latch onto the tips of a spiky surface protein known as hemagglutinin.

• Kerala cabinet promulgated an ordinance to override the High Court stay on deferment of the payment of salary of government employees for six days every month from April to August.
• The decision to deduct the salary of employees, ostensibly to help the State tide over the crippling financial crunch precipitated by the COVID-19 lockdown, had sparked off a stormy political debate in the State.
• A group of teachers owing allegiance to a pro-Congress trade union had ignited the controversy by allegedly burning copies of the controversial government order postponing the payment of salaries.

• Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai on 30th April. He was admitted owing to bad health.
• Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 following which he was in New York for nearly a year to undergo treatment. He returned to India in September last year.
• He began is career as a child artiste in Mera Naam Joker (1970), for which he received the National Award. As an adult protagonist, his first film was Bobby in 1973. Kapoor went on to act in over 90 films in the next four decades. He was last seen in 102 Not Out co-starring Amitabh Bachchan.