• Debris from the last stage of China’s Long March rocket that had last month carried a key component of its under-construction space station fell into the waters of the Indian Ocean west of the Maldives on 9th May, 2021.
• The re-entry of the rocket, described by astrophysicists as the fourth-largest uncontrolled re-entry in history, had evoked concerns in recent days about possible damage should it have fallen on land, and had been criticised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the U.S. for “failing to meet responsible standards”. China had rejected those concerns, saying most of the debris had been burned during re-entry and that a fall into international waters was most likely.

• Nepalese climber scaled Mount Everest for the 25th time on 7th May, 2021, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak. Kami Rita and 11 other Sherpa guides reached the summit at about 6pm, tourism department official Mira Acharya said. They are the first climbers to reach the summit this year and were fixing the ropes on the icy route so that hundreds of other climbers can scale the peak later this month.
• Everest was closed to climbing last year on its southern side, which is in Nepal, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Climbing permits were issued this year to 408 foreign climbers.
• Rita, 51, first scaled Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since then. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success of the hundreds of climbers who head to Nepal each year seeking to stand on top of the 8,848.86m mountain.
• In addition to the 25 times he’s reached the top of Everest, Rita has scaled several other peaks that are among the world’s highest, including K2, Cho-Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.

• In Andhra Pradesh, many patients suffering from COVID-19 have  started practicing  PRANAYAMA, to have natural oxygen.
• As many as 850 patients staying in Patrunivalasa COVID Care Centre, at Srikakulam in  Andhra Pradesh, have been practising yoga to improve their health under the supervision of yoga teachers. The district Collector, J . Nivas has been visiting the Yoga Centre regularly and observes that it yields positive results.

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rolled out mobile app titled as CBSE "Dost for Life" for psycho social wellness of students and parents.
• It has been designed for students of classes 9 to 12 and will be available from 10th May.
• Live counselling sessions will be conducted free of cost on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the trained counsellors.
• It will also provide students information on academics, tips on mental health and well-being, corona and rap songs.

• The United States has called upon the World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at the upcoming annual meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA), saying there is no reasonable justification for Taipei's continued exclusion from the forum.
• Asserting that Global health and global health security challenges do not respect borders nor recognize political disputes, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Taiwan offers valuable contributions and lessons learned from its approach to these issues and WHO leadership and all responsible nations should recognize that excluding the interests of 24 million people at the WHA serves only to imperil, not advance, our shared global health objectives. The WHA is set to hold its 74th annual meeting virtually from Geneva, Switzerland, from May 24 to June 1.

• On May 06, 2021, IBM unveiled a breakthrough in semiconductor design and process with the development of the world’s first chip announced with 2 nanometer (nm) nanosheet technology.
• Semiconductors play critical roles in everything from computing, to appliances, to communication devices, transportation systems, and critical infrastructure.
• IBM’s new 2 nm chip technology helps advance the state-of-the-art in the semiconductor industry, addressing this growing demand.
• It is projected to achieve 45 percent higher performance, or 75 percent lower energy use, than today’s most advanced 7 nm node chips.

• Tennis players Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka picked up the Laureus Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards with football star Mohamed Salah and Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton also recognised.
• World number two Nadal claimed his fourth Laureus award as he was recognised for his 13th French Open and record-equalling 20th major. Osaka, who won the US Open for the second time and has four majors, is now a two-time Laureus winner.

• Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin is making her debut as an author, with her first book titled as ‘Elephant In The Womb’.
• The book is yet to be released.
• The book is an illustrated non-fiction book on motherhood and narrates about pregnancy and parenting for mothers, expectant mothers, and anyone even thinking about motherhood.
• It is illustrated by Valeriya Polyanychko and published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI).

• Mercedes’s racer Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) has won 2021 Spanish Grand Prix.
• This victory is the fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix title of Lewis Hamilton and 3rd win of this season.
• This was also 98th victory of his career.
• Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Netherlands) came 2nd followed by Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland).
• The race was the fourth round of 2021 Formula One World Championship.
• Next stop is the traditional Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo on May 23.

• Rajya Sabha MP and renowned Sculptor Padma Vibhushan Raghunath Mohapatra died this afternoon while undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. He was 78-years-old.
• Hailing from Odisha, Mohapatra was awarded Padma Shri in 1975, Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in 2013 for his pioneering contributions to the world of art, architecture and culture.

Download Daily GK PDF of 10 May 2021