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Former ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar has been conferred with France’s highest civilian award – Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur – for his contribution to India-France space cooperation. Throughout his career at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), including as its chairman from 2015 to 2018, Kumar fostered the historic and ambitious space cooperation between India and France. The Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour) was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, and is the highest civilian award given by the French for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipient. The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur.

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King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been crowned as the Rama X of Thailand in a dazzling show of pageantry on behalf of the Thai people. This marked the first ascension of a new monarch in seven decades. The key rituals of the elaborate 3-day coronation ceremony began at the Grand Palace in Bangkok on May 4, 2019. King Vajiralongkorn is the 10th monarch of the Chakri dynasty, which has reigned since 1782. The last coronation was held in 1950 for the king’s father Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thailand has been run by an arch-royalist junta since 2014. The monarchy takes primacy in the country but it is buttressed by the army. Thailand has a constitutional monarchy since 1932, but the royal family is highly revered by Thais and wields considerable power. Thailand also has strict laws, called lese majeste, which ban criticism of the monarchy. The laws have shielded the royal family from public view and scrutiny.

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The International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is observed every year on May 4 to recognize and honour the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that our communities and environment are as safe as possible. It was instituted after a proposal was emailed out across the world on January 4, 1999 due to the deaths of five firefighters in tragic circumstances in a bushfire in Australia. The day is dedicated to thanks all firefighters for their extraordinary commitment, exceptional courage and for their selfless service.

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The fourth of Indian Navy’s stealth Scorpene class Submarines of Project 75, INS Vela has recently launched for trials at the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. The submarines are being built at Mazagon Dock Limited, with the main collaborator being M/s Naval group, France. The INS Vela is the 4th of the six Scorpene submarines that has completed its out fittings at MDL. The Scorpene-class submarine in the Indian Navy has been termed as the Kalvari-class. In 2005, a contract was signed between French DCNS (now Naval Group) and MDL under Indian Navy’s Project-75 for the supply of six submarines. Of the six submarines, INS Kalvari was commissioned in December 2018 while INS Khanderi and INS Karanj are are in advanced stages to join the Navy fleet. The remaining two — INS Vagir and INS Vagsheer are in the in the “advanced stages of manufacturing” at the Mazagon Dock. The contract is expected to be completed by 2020. The Kalvari class is a class of diesel-electric attack submarines based on the Scorpene-class submarine being built for the Indian Navy.

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G D ‘Robert’ Govender, an Indian-origin journalist in South Africa, has been honoured in the UK with 2019 V K Krishna Menon award for his outstanding contribution as a pioneer of decolonized journalism. During a career spanning nearly 60 years, Govender developed a reputation as a campaigning journalist and author and was also the first journalist to call for an international boycott of South Africa’s whites-only sports teams. He was awarded posthumously during an event by the UK-based V K Krishna Menon Foundation to mark the 123rd birth anniversary of Indian diplomat and politician V K Krishna Menon. The objectives of the foundation are to eradicate illiteracy and propagate knowledge among the masses of the world, promote oriental art and culture, eliminate poverty, encourage proliferation and promote Non-Aligned Movement in the world. V K Krishna Menon was a freedom fighter and independent India’s first high commissioner to the UK. Later on he also became defence minister of the country during Jawaharlal Nehru’s prime ministership.

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The World Red Cross Day (WRCD) is observed every year on May 8 to recognize the extraordinary contribution and incredible achievements of the stalwarts and volunteers around the world for helping the people in need anytime, anywhere. It is a gentle nod to all the volunteers who have made unparalleled contribution to people in need. The day is also known as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. This date is the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant, who was born on 8 May 1828. He was the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize. The 2019 theme is “#love” or simply “love”, which will focus on broadening people’s understanding of the society by highlighting diversity and universality of work and approach of Red Cross. On this special day, several blood donation camps will be organised around the world and this day also offers an opportunity to provide voluntary medical services to society.

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The World Thalasseamia Day (WTD) is observed every year on May 8 to raise awareness about this ailment among people all over the world. The day is also dedicated to commemorate thalassemia patients as well as encourage those who struggle to live with the genetic disorder of the blood. The 2019 theme is “Universal access to quality thalassaemia healthcare services: Building bridges with and for patients”. Thalaseemia is a chronic blood disorder. It is a genetic disorder due to which a patient cannot make enough hemoglobin found in Red Blood Cells (RBC’s). This leads to anemia and patients also require blood transfusions every two to three weeks to survive. Thalassemias are inherited disorders passed from parents to children through genes. Each red blood cell can contain between 240 and 300 million molecules of haemoglobin. The severity of the disease depends on the mutations involved in the genes, and their interplay.

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The researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Mumbai have found a novel function for serotonin (a chemical that signals between neurons). The recent discovery establishes that serotonin is involved in the generation of new mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) in neurons, increased cellular respiration and fuel (ATP) in the cell. The chemical can impact the manner in which neurons grapple with stress and affect the trajectory of ageing. Neuronal loss is a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases such as in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Abnormal mitochondrial functions are known to cause or contribute to neuronal death. Hence, the new findings from TIFR raise the possibility that serotonin signalling could be used to prevent mitochondrial abnormalities and neuronal loss. Serotonin’s newly indentified function has been studied in mice and rats. If it found to be true in humans, it may have important medical implications. The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The chemical name of serotonin is 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT).

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IPS officer Chhaya Sharma, who led the investigation team of the infamous Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, has been awarded the 2019 McCain Institute Award for Courage and Leadership. During her career, Chhaya has led teams in detection and investigation of sensitive criminal cases and protection of human rights. However, solving Nirbhaya’s case is considered as the biggest milestone of her career. In 2017, Chhaya performed a crucial role in drafting Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines to Combat Trafficking of Persons in India. The award is granted to those who manifest courage on behalf of human rights, humanitarian compassion, justice, freedom, and human dignity. Some of the famous awardees are – Malala Yousafzai (2015) and Dikembe Mutombo (2016).

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The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has decided to hold the high-level 2020 United Nations Conference in Lisbon, Portugal from June 2 to 6 to support the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. The UNGA also decided that the conference shall involve all relevant stakeholders, bringing together governments, the UN system, intergovernmental organizations and all other actors to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as actions taken toward, the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.