Week 41

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May 01, 2021

Good Morning,

Welcome! I hope you have your “Subah Kee Chai” ready and you're excited to read your weekly 10-minute digest.  

Another week! Another Subah Kee Chai! I hope you enjoy these newsletters as much as I enjoy writing them for you. This week saw another record rise in COVID-19 cases in India, a new CEO for TikTok, and another round-up of the Indian Premier League. I, also, included a list of my monthly recommendations! As always, I hope you have an amazing Sunday :)

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Now let’s get into the news.

Markets

Markets

Despite finishing in the green,

tumbled on Friday, ending a 4-day streak of gains. The loss on Friday was triggered due to poorly performing banking stocks. Benchmark index BSE Sensex tumbled over 900 points or 1.98%. Similarly, the other index Nifty 50 dipped 200 points or 1.77%. HDFC, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, and Mahindra & Mahindra were among the top losers with their stocks dropping as much as 3.99%. According to market experts, this downfall in the market is natural as investors routinely book profits before the next news cycle. In addition, investors also booked profits early amid rising uncertainty surrounding how much the market will suffer in the first quarter as the number of COVID-19 cases has upshot. Lastly, the price of gold and crude oil finished in the red as the demand for both commodities has slipped in recent times. 

COVID-19

On Friday, India reported a

in COVID-19 infections at 386,452 cases. The daily death toll also jumped to 3,498, the highest it has ever been since the pandemic began. The Indian Government has expressed its growing concern as many states are recording higher than ever COVID-19 cases, which is putting the health sector under significant pressure. For example, in September, Maharashtra reported 24,886 cases. Currently, Maharasthra is reporting over 68,000 cases which is almost 2.8 times higher than the first peak! 

As a result of the growing pressure on hospitals, nurses, and doctors, a number of infected patients are struggling to get sufficient treatment leading to a huge number of deaths due to lack of oxygen. The

has created a task force to supply relief assistance 24/7 across the nation in collaboration with a number of different countries. In numbers, more than 40 countries have so far pledged assistance to India with medical supplies arriving from the UK, USA, Romania, and Ireland. 

Stay safe! Stay socially distanced! Wear a mask! 

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Telangana

On Friday, the Telangana Government announced that it will start using

on an experimental basis to deliver COVID-19 vaccines after receiving conditional approval from the ministry of civil aviation. The use of drones will make vaccine delivery extremely fast and accessible. The permission is only for drone delivery for a distance that is within clear view of the sender. The use of drone delivery will ensure primary healthcare delivery at each citizen's doorstep while limiting human exposure to COVID congested or COVID prone areas. It will also ensure the vaccine is delivered to remote areas to allow each Indian citizen to be fully vaccinated and protected. What do you think of the introduction of drone deliveries for the COVID-19 vaccine? Is it feasible? 

Indian Navy

The

has launched an operation titled Samudra Setu-II to ship oxygen-filled containers to meet the urgent requirements following the surge in COVID-19 cases. Two ships INS Kolkata and INS Talwar will transport 40 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen to Mumbai. Similarly, INS Jalashwa and INS Airavat are conducting similar missions to transport oxygen to other parts of India. Last year, the Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu to repatriate stranded Indian citizens from Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Iran. 

Company 

To shift attention away from COVID-19, which has flooded the news, here is a light digest of some important stories (non-COVID related). 

TikTok 

On Friday, video app platform

announced that its new CEO is Shouzi Chew, who also happens to be the new CFO for TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance. Chew previously worked for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi as a top executive, a company that went public in 2018. If you are unaware of TikTok, it is a mobile application that allows users to create short videos with music and dancing to share with millions of people across the globe. A research firm named eMarketer has predicted that the growing demand for TikTok will see the application hit 73 million active USA users by the end of this year. Do you use TikTok, if so, what do you think of it? Let me know by replying to this email! 

Byju

Education tech start-up

is set to be the most valuable startup in India overthrowing SoftBank and Alibaba-backed Paytm, which is valued at USD 16 billion. Byju's recent surge in investments has seen the startup valued at USD 16.5 billion, with the firm in advanced stages to secure a further USD 150-200 million in funding from UBS Group. Byju has also sought permission from the Indian competition authorities to acquire coaching network Aakash Institute for a deal worth close to USD 1 billion. Being an ed-tech start-up, Byju has seen significant growth in demand with a cumulative base of over 80 million students using the platform. This growth has highlighted yet again the shift towards online learning, and digital tech due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sports

IPL 2020/21 - Week 3

Another week, another round-up of all the statistics from the Indian Premier League! Chennai! Chennai! Having won their last five games, the Chennai Super Kings currently sit at the top of the table with the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore sitting behind them. With a game in hand against the Mumbai Indians, can Chennai extend their lead at the top of the table? 

In the batsmen standings, KL Rahul sits at the top having scored 331 runs in 7 matches, with a run average of 66.20. KL Rahul plays for the Kings XI Punjab, who currently sit 5th in the IPL table. Delhi Capitals in-form batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan sits behind him having scored 311 runs in 7 games. 

On the bowling front, Harshal Patel extends his position at the top of the leaderboard having picked up 17 wickets in 7 matches, with a bowling economy of 9.17. In 2nd place, and rising up the rankings, is Delhi Capitals bowler Avesh Khan, who has picked up 13 wickets in 7 games. 

An exciting week of IPL matches awaits! As always, get the popcorn and snacks ready! 

Monthly Recommendations

Movies 

1. Rocketman (Netflix)

2. Nomadland (Disney+)

3. Inside Out (Disney+)

4. Things Heard & Seen (Netflix)

5. Stowaway (Netflix)

TV Shows/Documentaries 

1. Invincible (Amazon Prime) 

2. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix) 

3. Shadow and Bone (Netflix) 

4. Bojack Horsemen (Netflix) 

5. Alien Worlds (Netflix) 

Books 

1. Think Again by Mike Grant 

2. Bigger Government by Marc Robinson 

3. Impact by Sir Ronald Cohen 

4. Less is More by Jason Nickel 

5. Windows of Opportunity by David Sainsbury 

Music 

1. Wants and Needs - Drake ft. Lil Baby 

2. Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley 

3. Way Out - Jack Harlow ft. Big Sean  

4. Chamber of Reflection - Mac DeMarco 

5. Bite My Tongue - The Academic 

6. Do For Love - 2Pac 

7. Bobby & Rowdy - DC ft. Knucks 

8. Addicted - Jorja Smith 

9. World, Hold On - Bob Sinclair ft. Steve Edwards

10. Djadja - Aya Nakamura  

Other News

1. The UAE has extended its

from India by 10 days till the 14th of May due to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases. 

2. The Indian Government has extended the

till the 31st of May. However, Vande Bharat Mission flights and scheduled flights under travel bubbles are still running. 

3.

announced a USD 10 million emergency assistance package to help India fight the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. 

4. The Government is in talks with vaccine manufacturers to

of jabs to meet the increase in demand and to ensure rapid vaccination in all the states. 

5. Due to the pandemic,

reported a loss of INR 720 crore in the financial year 2020/21. 

Quiz

It's quiz time! Think carefully...

They don't touch when you say TOUCH, but when you say SEPARATE, they do touch. 

What are they?

Have you got it? 

See you next week!

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Quiz Answer: Our Lips!  

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Written by: Adnan Bahrainwala (Founder of Subah Kee Chai)