Important Current Affairs 2nd May 2021

INTERNATIONAL

World’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge opens in Portugal

• Hidden between rock-strewn mountains covered with lush greenery and yellow flowers inside the UNESCO-recognised Arouca Geopark, the bridge hangs 175 meters above the fast-flowing River Paiva.

• Hugo Xavier became one of the first people to cross the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge when it opened on Thursday.

UK:  World’s First country to allow Driverless cars on roads

• The United Kingdom has become the first country to announce regulation for the use of self-driving vehicles at low speeds. The UK wants to be at the forefront in rolling out autonomous driving technology. The Government of the UK forecasts that around 40% of UK cars will have self-driving capabilities by 2035. This will create 38,000 jobs in the country. The speed limit of the ALKS is to be set at 37 miles per hour. The ALKS shall drive itself in a single lane.

• A self-driving vehicle is fully autonomous. No driver is required for the safe operation of the vehicle. Self-driving technologies have been developed by Uber, Google, Nissan, Tesla. Most of the self-driving systems maintain an internal map. They use lasers, sensors and radars to map their surroundings. Based on the map created, instructions are delivered to the actuators of the vehicle.

NATIONAL

NFAI publishes rich treasure of oral history on the occasion of Dadasaheb Phalke anniversary

• On the occasion of the 151st birth anniversary of the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has published a rich treasure of audio recordings in the public domain.

• About 8000 minutes of interviews of veteran film artists from the Indian film industry are now made available on the NFAI website. Starting from the silent era of Indian cinema, these are the fascinating tales of journeys of actors, technicians, producers, directors and studio owners. Conducted mostly in the 1980s, these interviews were recorded as part of the Oral History Project of NFAI’s Research Programme and features long interviews of pioneering film personalities, narrating the experiences about their life, stories and anecdotes from the world of cinema.

Serum institute of India to start vaccine production outside India

• The Serum Institute of India, which manufactures the AstraZeneca C-19 vaccine, is planning to start vaccine production in other countries as it struggles to meet supply commitment.

• Mr. Poonawalla said last week that the Serum Institute would be able to raise its monthly output to 100 million doses by July, later than a previous timeline of end-May. Several states have run out of vaccines against C-19.

Karnal administration (Haryana) rolled out ‘Oxygen on wheels’ to tackle oxygen crisis

• In wake of the acute oxygen shortage across the country, the Karnal administration (Haryana) has rolled out ‘Oxygen on wheels’ to assist hospitals in the fight against the C-19 pandemic and oxygen crisis. The purpose is to ensure a smooth supply of medical oxygen to hospitals treating C-19 patients.

• Under this initiative, a carrier vehicle called a Mobile oxygen bank loaded with 100 Oxygen Cylinders reaches out to any district hospital which requisitions its urgent supply. This Round clock service has been able to cater to the demands of various hospitals in the area. The initiative is functional 24*7 for all hospitals in the Karnal district.

OBITUARY

Former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin passed away

• Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin passed away on Saturday. He was being treated at the DDU hospital in New Delhi after testing positive for C-19.

• Shahabuddin, serving a life sentence for murder in Tihar jail, had contracted the virus on April 20, after which he was admitted to DDU hospital.

IMPORTANT DAYS

400th Parkash Purab of guru Tegh bahadur

• The auspicious occasion of Guru Tegh Bahadur's 400th Prakash Purab has celebrated on May 1, this year. He was the 9th of the 10 Gurus that founded the Sikh religion.

• He was also considered to be the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his demise in 1675.

SUMMITS AND MOU’S

Indian Bank signs MoU with BSNL to provide seamless telecom services

• Indian Bank signed an MoU with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to provide seamless telecom services to the Indian Bank at competitive market rates. This means the telco might be availing its services to the bank for a lower market rate than usual.

• The bank is already using the services of BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited for its Wide Area Network across the country Dr VK Sanjeevi, chief general manager of Chennai Telephones said that BSNL and its subsidiary MTNL is connecting 5,000 branches and ATMs of Indian Bank.