IFSC Authority headquarters will be in Gandhinagar

1.International Firefighters’ Day: 04 May

International firefighters day (IFFD) is observed on May 4 in order to honour the work and sacrifice made by firefighters.The day also pays respects to those who have lost their lives while performing their duty.

On this day, people sport a symbolic red and blue ribbon badge.

These two colours denote the main elements of a firefighters work.

The red colour symbolises fire while the blue is for water. The combination of red and blue is also globally recognised for representing emergency service.

The International Firefighters Day came into existence after five firefighters lost their lives while they were trying to control a wildfire in Australia’s Victoria’s Linton.

The incident occurred on December 2, 1998, in which Garry Vredeveldt, Chris Evans, Stuart Davidson, Jason Thomas, and Matthew Armstrong lost their lives.

2.Russia to launch first Arktika-M satellite for monitoring Arctic climate this year

Russia will launch its first Arktika-M satellite for monitoring the Arctic climate and environment at the end of the year.The number one Arktika-M spacecraft has been developed and is undergoing radio-electronic testing.

The second Arktika-M satellite is still under development and will be launched in 2023.

Russia’s Arktika-M remote-sensing and emergency communications satellites will gather meteorological data in the polar regions of the Earth, which will allow to improve weather forecasts and will enable scientists to better study climate change.

3.African countries to import Madagascar’s herbal tonic dubbed as Covid-19 ‘cure’

African countries including Tanzania, Congo-Brazzaville, and Guinea-Bissau are set to import a herbal tonic from Madagascar dubbed as the world’s first Covid-19 ‘cure’.Madagascar last week had announced that it was launching its herbal tonic as a cure to the novel coronavirus even as the World Health Organization has warned that there is no proof of any definitive cure of Covid-19.

The tonic is made from the artemisia plant – the source of an ingredient that is used in the treatment of malaria.

The tonic was launched as Covid-Organics and was marketed as a cure for the infection after being tested on less than 20 people over a period of three weeks.

4.African Swine Flu reaches India; 2,500 pigs died in Assam

The Assam government informed that the first case of African Swine Flu has been detected in the state that has killed more than 2500 pigs in 306 villages.The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, has confirmed that it is African Swine Flu (ASF).

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large, double-stranded DNA virus in the Asfarviridae family.

It is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF). The virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in domestic pigs.

5.Indian-origin girl gets honour of naming Nasa’s first Mars helicopter

Nasa’s first Mars helicopter has a name now and the credit goes to 17-year-old Indian-origin girl Vaneeza Rupani.Rupani, a high school junior from Northport, Alabama, earned the honour of naming the helicopter after she submitted her essay into NASA’s “Name the Rover” contest.

Destined to become the first aircraft to attempt powered flight on another planet, NASA’s Mars Helicopter officially named: Ingenuity, as suggested by Rupani.

While NASA announced in March that its next rover would be named Perseverance based on seventh-grader Alexander Mather’s essay, the agency decided to also choose a name for the helicopter that will accompany the rover to Mars.

6.PM Modi participate in NAM Summit through Video Conferencing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Virtual Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit through Video Conferencing.The summit discussed and decided on the enhanced coordination of the member states in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The special online summit of the heads of state and government of the NAM member states has been convened at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, in his capacity as current chair of the Movement.

The summit will conclude with a political declaration of the Movement as Uniting Against COVID-19.

NAM represents the biggest grouping of countries outside the United Nations comprising 120 developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

7.IFSC Authority headquarters will be in Gandhinagar

The central government has notified the establishment of the International Financial Services Centres Authority.The head office of the unified regulatory authority will be in Gandhinagar, which already houses the country’s first IFSC at GIFT City.

Both national and international institutions dealing in international financial services will utilize the IFSC platform for inbound and outbound investments with improved ease of doing business, thereby making GIFT IFSC a global financial hub.

At present, entities operating in the IFSC are regulated by multiple regulators such as The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai).

8.UP govt makes Arogya Setu app must for those in hotspot areas

Uttar Pradesh government has made it compulsory to download Arogya Setu app for those living in hotspot areas of the state.State government has issued instructions regarding opening of offices, and resuming work in industrial areas.

Administrative and  health department officials have been directed for contact mapping of every case in the hotspot area.

Five or more persons will not be allowed to gather at any point as part of the covid-19 management.

9.Hyderabad-based NIAB develops tool to detect Covid

Researchers from Hyderabad-based National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) have developed a portable device ‘eCovSens’ that could possibly be used as a diagnostic tool for detection of COVID-19 antigens from saliva samples of suspected coronavirus patients within 30 seconds.Developed by a group of scientists, led by Sonu Gandhi from NIAB, Department of Biotechnology, the device is named as ‘eCovSens’ and is at present in the validation stage.

The biosensor device has the potential to directly detect a specific protein of the SARS-CoV-2, even when the proteins are present in low concentrations in the human saliva.

The researchers said that in subsequent tests, the device has proved itself to be stable and quite efficient in detecting the virus.

10.Maintenance work at Pamban Railway Bridge underway amid lockdown

While train services have been suspended across the country in view of COVID-19, the railway employees have engaged themselves in the maintenance and repair work of the Pamban Railway bridge in Rameswaram.The railway employees here are working in full swing in the absence of rail traffic.

Pamban Bridge is a railway bridge which connects the town of Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban Island, and Rameswaram.

Opened on 24 February 1914, it was India’s first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India until the opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in 2010.

11.HDFC Bank releases song to keep up hopes up amidst Covid-19 pandemic

HDFC Bank released a collaborative song titled #HumHaarNahiMaanenge (We will not lose).Composed by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning musician AR Rahman, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, the song is “a tribute to the indomitable spirit of India and millions of Indians who are standing together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The song was conceptualised as a clarion call to spread hope, positivity and motivation.

12.Badminton World Championships postponed to November 2021

The 2020 badminton World Championships has been postponed to November this year.The tournament is traditionally held in August but will now take place from November 29 to December 5, 2021.

The tournament is scheduled to take place at the Carolina Marin Stadium in Huelva, Spain.

Earlier it had announced that all tournaments that were scheduled to take place in the months of May, June and July stood suspended.

Most of the tournaments that were suspended were qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics.