Indians are increasingly using their debit cards to pay merchants directly. As per data from the Reserve Bank of India, debit card swipes on Point of Sales (PoS) terminals jumped more than 27% in March 2019 compared to corresponding period last year. In contrast, ATM withdrawals grew at a slower pace of 15%.

An author from Oman, Jokha Alharthi has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for “Celestial Bodies”, the story of three sisters of a desert country confronting its slave-owning past and a complex modern world. Jokha Alharthi, the first Arabic-language writer to take the prize, will split the 50,000 pounds or 64,000 US dollar purse with her UK-based translator, Marilyn Booth.

The Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has launched the permanent residency system “Golden Card” for experts investors, entrepreneurs, specialized talents and researchers to be a part of the UAE’s success story.

Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases.

YSR Congress Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy will be sworn in as the new chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on May 30, 2019 at Vijayawada. The YSR Congress trumped over Naidu’s TDP by winning 151 out of the total 175 seats. The TDP has been reduced to just 23 seats in these assembly elections.

India has been ranked 117th out of 181 countries in the 2019 KidsRight Index, which ranks countries on the basis of how much they are involved and equipped to improve child rights. Iceland made the top position with an overall score of 0.967, followed by Portugal, and Switzerland. The annual global index is an initiative of Kids Right Foundation in cooperation with Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They release annual reports every year by pooling data from UNICEF, UNDP and UN Committee on the Rights of the Child by considering individual country reports. The index consists of five categories – Right to Life, Right to Health, Right to Education, Right to Protection, and Enabling Environment for Child Rights.

Surya Prakash (79), a well-known artist from Telangana, has passed away in Hyderabad on May 21, 2019. Born on 23rd March 1940 in Madhira of Khammam district, the artist known for his abstract landscapes drew heavily on his love for nature. His works were mainly in oils and acrylic, and he was inspired by French impressionists. The best places where his creative paintings stand out in Hyderabad are the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). He has done nearly 60 solo exhibitions and over a century of groups shows, displaying the breadth and depth of his work. He received ‘Kala Vibhushan’ award and other honours.

Uber has partnered with Australian tourist group Tourism Queensland to offer the world’s first rideshare submarine, scUber.

 Ankur Patwardhan, a scientist from Pune, runner up in an international competition ‘Elsevier Foundation-ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge’ in Germany.