INTERNATIONAL
World Press Freedom Day -3 May
- World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference.
- This year’s theme “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation”
- According to the Press Freedom index 2019, India ranked 140 out of the 180 countries.
Myanmar journalists awarded World Press Freedom Prize 2019
- The World Press Freedom Prize also known as UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is formally conferred every year by Director-General of UNESCO, on occasion of World Press Freedom Day observed on 3 May.
- In 2019 award would be shared by two jailed Myanmar journalists ‘Wa Lone’ and ‘KyawSoeOo’ who reported on alleged human rights violations in state of Rakhine, Myanmar
Defence ministry approves Navy’s Rs 3,600-crore deal with Russia for 10 Kamov-31 helicopters
- The cost of the deal would be around Rs 3,600 crore and the 10 helicopters would be deployed on the aircraft carriers and warships of the Navy including the INS Vikrant and Grigorovich-class frigates.
- Kamov Ka-31 is a military helicopter manufactured by ‘JSC Kamov’ (a Russian rotorcraft manufacturing company) and development started in 1987 for Soviet Navy. It is currently in service in Russia, China and India in Naval role. These are Airborne Early Warning and Control helicopters based on Ka-27 (Ka-28) design
NATIONAL
Only 10 of 100 new sewage projects on Ganga have been completed
- Only 10 of the 100 sewage infrastructure projects commissioned after 2015 under the NamamiGange mission have been finished
- Uttar Pradesh, responsible for about three-fourths of the inadequately treated industrial waste and municipal sewage, had 18 pre-2015 STP and sewage infrastructure projects commissioned. Only 12 of these have been completed.
Not keeping record of pre-natal tests is criminal: SC
- Supreme Court upheld provisions in the anti-pre-natal sex determination law which ‘criminalises’ non-maintenance of medical records by obstetricians and gynaecologists and suspend their medical licence indefinitely.
- The main purpose of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act of 1994 is to ban the use of sex selection and misuse of pre-natal diagnostic technique for sex selective abortions and to regulate such techniques.
India, UK in talks to build Navalsupercarrier under ‘Make in India’
- India to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton British warship to build a warship to be named INS Vishal in 2022.
- The design for UK aircraft carriers is owned by the British and French aerospace giants BAE and Thales.
How Isro satellites tracked Fani, saved many lives?
- Satellites Insat-3D, Insat-3DR, Scatsat-1, Oceansat-2 and MeghaTropiqueswas used to study the intensity, location and cloud cover around Fani.