Important Current Affairs 3rd May 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Nepal Govt closes 22 entry points with India

•The Nepal government has decided to close 22 border points with India amid a sharp surge in C-19 cases in India.

•The decision came after the C-19 Crisis Management Coordination Committee (CCMC) on Friday recommended to the Council of Ministers to shut down 22 out of a total of 35 border points between Nepal and India.

•Now only 13 border points between Nepal and India will remain operational.

•The decision comes in the wake of rising cases of C-19 infections in the southern neighbour.

S Jaishankar set for G7 ministers' meet in UK

•External affairs minister S Jaishankar will on Monday begin a four-day visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting and to hold bilateral meetings with British interlocutors.

•The UK is hosting the first in-person G7 foreign ministers meeting in two years, in London, from May 3 to 5. India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa and the chair and secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have been invited as guests.

•The visit will come ahead of a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Tuesday.

•The G7 foreign ministers’ meeting will focus on geopolitical priorities, such as Russia, China and Iran, the British foreign office said in a tweet. It will also take up global challenges, including climate change, the C-19 pandemic and famine.

Nigeria restricts visitors from India, Brazil

•Nigeria will ban entry to non-Nigerian passengers who travelled to India, Brazil, and Turkey in the last two weeks because of concerns over the rapid spread of coronavirus in those three nations.

•The travel ban announced on Sunday does not apply to passengers who transited through those countries, Nigeria’s presidential steering committee on C-19.

OLA to launch e-scooter internationally

•Ola Electric is looking at taking its electric scooter to international markets, including countries like France, Italy and Germany, this fiscal.

•The company, which is working on setting up a 'Hypercharger Network' for its electric vehicle, is slated to launch its electric scooter in India in July this year.

•Last year, Ola had announced a Rs 2,400-crore investment for setting up its first electric scooter factory in Tamil Nadu. Upon completion, the factory will create nearly 10,000 jobs and will be the world's largest scooter manufacturing facility that will initially have an annual capacity of 2 million units.

NATIONAL

Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra launched Project ‘Oxygen on Wheels’

•The Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra has rolled out a project titled ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ to ease the transportation of oxygen from producing plants to hospitals and homes, following acute oxygen shortage amid a severe second wave of coronavirus. The ‘Oxygen on Wheels’ initiative will bridge the gap between oxygen production and its transportation in India, especially in Maharashtra.

•Mahindra has lined up around 70 Bolero pickup trucks to connect oxygen producers with hospitals and homes, to deliver oxygen cylinders.

OBITUARY

Famous Doordarshan Anchor Kanupriya Passed Away due to C-19

•A known face on India’s national television network, Kanupriya died of C-19 on Friday. She was on oxygen support for the last two days before breathing her last on April 30. Her sister BK Shivani shared the news on social media.

•Kanupriya had made her TV debut with Doordarshan and currently hosted the daily show Awakening with Brahma Kumaris. Apart from news anchoring, she was also an actress and a filmmaker.

Sitar maestro Pandit Devabrata Chaudhuri Passed Away due to C-19

•Sitar maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri has passed away following C-19 related complications. The Legend of Sitar belonged to the Senia or Gharana style of music.

•He had been awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. He was also a teacher and writer and had penned six books and composed many new ragas.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Press Freedom Day 3 May

•World Press Freedom Day is observed globally on 3 May every year. It is also known as World Press Day. The day also pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives. They risk their lives at times or may even have to face tough situations in order to bring the news from different corners of the world in front of the public.

•This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme “Information as a Public Good”. The theme is of urgent relevance to all countries across the world. It recognizes the changing communications system that is impacting our health, our human rights, democracies and sustainable development.

World Tuna Day: 2nd May Every year 

•World Tuna Day is observed globally on 2nd May every year. This day is established by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness about the importance of tuna fish. It is observed for the first time in 2017. According to the UN, an outsized number of nations worldwide depend upon tuna for both food security and nutrition. At the same time, more than 96 countries have tuna fisheries, and their capacity is constantly growing.

•The World Tuna Day was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by adopting resolution 71/124 in December 2016. Its aim was to spotlight the importance of conservation management and make sure that a system is required in place to prevent tuna stocks from crashing. The primary internationally recognized World Tuna Day was observed on 2 May 2017.

World Laughter Day: First Sunday of May, every year

•World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May every year. It is a day to raise awareness about laughter and its many healing benefits.

•In 2021, the day falls on 02 May 2021. World Laughter Day was first celebrated on May 10, 1998, in Mumbai upon the initiation of Dr Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.