1.World Hypertension Day : 17 May
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World Hypertension Day is observed on May 17 every year to help raise awareness about high blood pressure, how it can be prevented and managed.The main aim of celebrating the day is to promote public awareness of increasing high blood pressure (BP) and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer.
The day was celebrated for the 1st time in May 2005.
World Hypertension Day (WHD) is an initiative of the World Hypertension League (WHL), an affiliated section of the International Society of Hypertension.
2020 theme : ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure, Control It, Live Longer’.
2.World AIDS Vaccine Day: 18 May
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World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, is observed on May 18 across the world.It is primarily celebrated to emphasise upon the need for a vaccine for Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and recognises the efforts of health professionals and researchers who have been working towards this goal.
The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on May 18, 1998.
Exactly one year ago, on May 18, 1997, the then United States president Bill Clinton had asserted upon the importance of creating a vaccine for the deadly disease.
3.International Museum Day: 18 May
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International Museum Day 2020 is celebrated every year on 18 May.Every year, all the museums across the globe are invited to participate in the International museum day to promote the role of museums.
The IMD provides the opportunity for museum professionals to meet the public and alert them as to the challenges that museums face.
International Museum Day serves as a platform to raise public awareness on the role museums play in the development of society today, on an international level.
The theme for International Museum Day 2020 is Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion.
4.Israel’s parliament swears in new unity government with PM Netanyahu at helm
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Israel’s parliament swore in a new unity government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former rival Benny Gantz, ending the longest political crisis in the nation’s history.After more than 500 days without a stable government and three inconclusive elections, lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament approved a three-year coalition, with 73 voting for and 46 against.
The new government was set to confront serious crises in its first weeks, including the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus and a looming battle over Israel’s possible annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank.
Under the coalition deal, Netanyahu will serve as prime minister for the coming 18 months.
5.At WHO, India joins 61 nations to seek source of coronavirus
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India is among 62 countries that have moved a proposal at the World Health Assembly to “identify the zoonotic source” of the coronavirus.China and the US are not part of the resolution.
The proposal is part of a seven-page draft resolution moved by 35 countries and the 27-member European Union, and is likely to be taken up at the Assembly, which is the decision-making body of the WHO.
The resolution is being backed by three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — UK, Russia and France — along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, among others.
This is the first time India has taken a position in an international forum on the origin of the virus and the need for an independent evaluation of WHO’s response to the crisis.
6.‘One In A Million’: Super Earth Found 25,000 Light Years Away From Our Planet
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The Astronomers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have found a new planet in the galaxy that bears several similarities to our planet Earth.The planet is reportedly called ‘One In A Million planet’, as mankind has always been searching for a planet similar to Earth.
However, as per their observations, the planet is huge and bigger in comparison to our planet.
The Astronomers from the University of Canterbury have recently discovered a new planet orbiting around a dim dwarf star or a brown dwarf which is located 25,000 light-years away from us, which is in the centre of the Milky Way.
The planet takes around 617 Earth days to complete a full orbit around its host star.
The Super-Earth is significantly larger than Earth and can be considered to be as big as Neptune.
The distance between the newly found alien planet and the host star is similar to between where Earth and Venus orbit around the sun.
It is unclear if the planet can host any type of life as the temperature of its star is unknown.
7.Army’s only cavalry unit to replace horses with tanks
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The Army is planning to convert its famous 61st Cavalry, the only active serving horse cavalry regiment in the world, into a regular armoured regiment with tanks.A senior officer at the Army headquarters said the aim was to transform the Jaipur-based 61st Cavalry into “a combat force” from its present role of being “largely a ceremonial unit” that also engages in sporting activities like polo.
The famous 61st Cavalry is being converted into a regular armoured regiment on the basis of a recommendation made by the Lieutenant General DB Shekatkar (retd) committee in a report on sharpening the army’s combat edge and trimming its revenue expenditure.
The Jaipur-based 61st Cavalry is likely to be equipped with T-72 tanks
The 61st Cavalry was raised in Jaipur in October 1953 by putting together mounted elements of cavalry regiments of the erstwhile princely states of India.
Rich in sporting history, the regiment accounts for one Padma Shri, 10 Arjuna Awards, 11 Asian Games medals and a raft of representations at the Polo World Cup and international equestrian competitions.
It has been a part of the annual Republic Day parade for several decades.
8.‘PM eVidya’ Programme for digital education in India
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In order to promote digital education in the country and make e- learning feasible for students and teachers, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the PM eVidya programme.With this scheme, students and teachers will get multimode access to digital education.
The government will earmark one TV channel for each grade as part of the PM eVidya program.
The top 100 universities in India will be permitted to “automatically” start online courses by May 30.
9.Centre Approves Modified Project Report Of Ujh Dam In Jammu And Kashmir
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The centre has given approval to a modified detailed project report (DPR) of the Ujh Multipurpose Project (MPP) in Jammu and Kashmir at an estimated cost of Rs 9,167 crore.The Central Advisory Committee for consideration of techno-economic viability of major and medium irrigation, flood control and multipurpose project proposals accepted the project proposal subject to certain conditions.
The proposal was approved keeping in view its strategic importance from Indus Waters Treaty angle for utilisation and regulation of waters flowing across the border.
The modified Ujh MPP is located on river Ujh, one of the main tributaries of river Ravi, in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
A 116.00 m high dam is proposed at the river with full reservoir level (FRL) at 608 m.
10.Borrowing limit of states raised from 3% of Gross State Domestic Product to 5% in 2020-21
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The government has decided to increase the borrowing limits of states from 3% to 5% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the year 2020-21.The state governments, so far, have borrowed only 14% of the limit which is authorised to them while 86% of the limit remains unutilized.
The finance minister said that part of the borrowing will be linked to specific reforms like increasing job creation through investment and promoting urban development, health and sanitation.
Rs 15000 crore have been announced for states, essential items, testing labs and kits, along with rolling out of teleconsultation services, the launch of Aarogya Setu app and protection to health care workers with adequate PPEs.
11.Iran’s OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili passes away
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Iran’s OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili died after suffering a brain hemorrhage and spending nearly two weeks in a coma.Kazempour, 68, had served as Iran’s governor to OPEC since 2013 and was seen as a key aide to Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.
Kazempour Ardebili was a key figure in Iran’s oil industry and served as the country’s deputy foreign minister and deputy oil minister in the 1980s.
He was ambassador to Japan in the early 1990s, while at the same time serving as OPEC governor.
12.Book titled “Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City” authored by Fang Fang
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An eyewitness account of events as they unfolded in Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak is now available as an ebook in India, published by HarperCollins.The book, Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City, is a compilation of online diary entries and social media posts by Chinese literary writer Fang Fang.
Documenting 60 days of lockdown during the COVID-19 epidemic, the book captures the challenges of daily life and the changing moods and emotions of being quarantined without reliable information.
On January 25, after the central government imposed a lockdown in Wuhan, Fang Fang began publishing an online diary.
Translated by Michael Berry, the book documents the author’s voice against social injustice, abuse of power that impeded the response to the epidemic.
