1st May 2020 Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs of 1st May 2020

International Current Affairs

International Workers' Day, also called Labour Day or May Day, is being observed today.
- This day is celebrated on May 1st every year to commemorate the struggles of working people throughout the world.
- May Day originated in late 19th century when labour movement to gain the 8-hour work day began.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin today announced that he has tested positive for coronavirus and has informed President Vladimir Putin about the same.
- Mishustin proposed that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov should serve as acting prime minister in his absence.
Germany banned all activities of Lebanese group Hezbollah in the country and designated it as a terrorist organisation.
- Hezbollah openly calls for the violent elimination of Israel and it's fundamentally against the concept of international understanding, Germany's Interior Ministry said.

National Current Affairs

The nationwide corona-virus lock-down will be extended by 2 weeks after May 4, the government has said.
- The government has designated districts in all states and Union Territories as Red, Orange and Green zones amid coronavirus outbreak.
- There are 130 red zones, 284 orange zones and 319 green zones across India.
- Uttar Pradesh has highest number of red zones followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
- The list will be updated on weekly basis.
- There will be considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones, the government said.
The Election Commission has granted permission for holding elections to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra.
- The Maharashtra Governor had earlier requested EC to declare elections to the nine vacant MLC seats.
- Note : Since Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needs to get elected to the Council before May 27.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy today announced that English as a medium of education in government schools will be introduced.
- Telugu, however, will remain the compulsory language subject.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

The Haryana government today announced a complete ban on the purchase of new vehicles including cars and jeeps.
- However, there's no ban on the purchase of vehicles used for emergency services including buses, ambulances and fire fighting vehicles.
China will reportedly start trials of its new digital currency, e-RMB, from next week in four cities namely, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chengdu and Xiong'an.
- The digital currency won't replace all money or be offered worldwide and is an experiment in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
- Few government employees would receive salaries in digital currency from May.
The US has announced an additional grant of $3 million to help India fight coronavirus.
- This takes the total assistance provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to India to $5.9 million, including the $2.9 million sanctioned on April 6.
- The USAID is providing these funds to Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity (PAHAL) project.
Analytics firm CRISIL said lockdown due to COVID-19 is expected to cause a permanent loss of 4% of GDP for India.
- It added that India Inc is looking at a "bleak and forgettable fiscal year FY21" with 10% drop in revenues and 15% fall in profits.
- GDP growth may go towards 0 in 2020-21 if lockdown is extended, CRISIL added.

Deaths

Ex-India football captain and first-class cricketer Chuni Goswami (82)passed away after suffering a heart attack.
- Goswami played 50 matches for India as a footballer from 1956 to 1964, and as a cricketer, he represented Bengal in 46 matches between 1962 and 1973.
Producers Guild of India CEO Kulmeet Makkar (60), passed away after suffering a heart attack.
Rob Gibbs (55), the story artist for animated films like 'Up', 'Toy Story 2', 'Monsters, Inc' and 'WALL.E', passed away.
- Gibbs, who worked at Pixar for over 20 years, had also worked on projects including 'Brave', 'Incredibles 2' and 'Finding Nemo', among others.
South African anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg (87), who stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela in 1963-64 and was imprisoned for 22 years, passed away.

Science & Technology

Vaneeza Rupani, a 17-year-old Indian-origin girl from the US, has named NASA's first Mars helicopter 'Ingenuity'.
- She suggested the name in NASA's 'Name the Rover' essay contest which received 28,000 entries.
Studying a skeleton discovered in Morocco, researchers have discovered the 1st evidence that a dinosaur swam and lived underwater 100 million years ago.
- Unlike other theropod dinosaurs, 'Spinosaurus aegyptiacus' had a fin-like tail which propelled it through the water while pursuing prey.

New Appointments

Tarun Bajaj today assumed charge as the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).
- He has replaced Atanu Chakraborty, who retired yesterday.
- Bajaj, a 1988 batch IAS officer of Haryana Cadre, previously held charge as Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and served as Joint Secretary in the DEA before that.

Awards & Honors

With 7.7 crore viewers, Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan' has become the world's most watched entertainment show on April 16.
- The re-telecast of the 78-episode serial, which was originally broadcast in the late 1980s, started on March 28 amid the lockdown.
- The show is based on Valmiki's Ramayan and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas.
Ross Taylor has been named New Zealand's overall cricketer of the year, winning the NZ Cricket's top award, Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, for the 3rd time at the annual awards, held over video conferencing.

Sports Current Affairs

India have been displaced from top of Test rankings for the first time since October 2016, with Australia taking over as the top-ranked side with 116 points.
- India are now third with 114 points, while New Zealand are second with 115 points.