Daily Current Affairs, 05th May 2020

1) International Day of the Midwife: 5 May

•International Day of the Midwife is observed globally on 5 May every year since 1992. This day is celebrated to recognise the work of midwives and raise awareness about the status of midwives for the essential care they provide to mothers and their newborns.

•The theme for 2020 International Day of the Midwife is Midwives with women: celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is NOW!.

•The World Health Organization (WHO) has designed the year 2020 as ‘Year of Nurse and Midwife’ to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.

2) World Hand Hygiene Day observed globally on 5 May

•The World Health Organization (WHO) has marked 5 May as World Hand Hygiene Day. This day is recognising the role clean and safe hands play in warding off many serious infections. It is also known as Hand Hygiene Day.

2020 Campaign Objectives

•The theme of the campaign is “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands”. The main goal of the Global Hand Hygiene Day campaign is to recognize that handwashing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus. Health workers and community members alike can play a role in preventing infections by practising regular and frequent handwashing.

Under the 2020 campaign, WHO and partners aim to:

•Make hand hygiene a global priority

•Inspire hand hygiene and behaviour change

•Engage with health care workers in their role in clean care and the prevention of infections.

3) World Asthma Day 2020 observed globally on 5 May

•World Asthma Day is observed every year on the 1st Tuesday of May. This year, World Asthma Day is observed on May 5, 2020. The day spread awareness about asthma disease and care around the world.  Whilst the primary focus is supporting the person with asthma, support may also extend to family, friends and caregivers. The theme for 2020 is ‘Enough Asthma Deaths’.




History of World Asthma Day:

•World Asthma Day is annually organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). In 1998, first World Asthma Day was celebrated in more than 35 countries in conjunction with the first World Asthma Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

What is Asthma?

•Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs which causes breathing problems. Symptoms of asthma include breathlessness, coughing, wheezing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. These symptoms vary in frequency and severity. When the symptoms are not under control, the airways can become inflamed making breathing difficult. Whilst asthma cannot be cured, the symptoms can be controlled enabling people with asthma to live full lives

4) HP govt to starts “Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojna”

•The cabinet of Himachal Pradesh decided to starts the “Mukhya Mantri Shahari Rojgar Guarantee Yojna”. In this Yojna, 120 days” assured employment will be provided to people living in urban areas. It is being launched to revive the coronavirus-hit economy of the state. Adequate training will be given to the people for their skill upgrade if required. The cabinet also decided to provide an assistance of Rs 2,000 to each of the 1 lakh workers registered under the Building and Other Construction Workers Board.

5) Russia plan to launch 1st satellite to monitor Arctic climate in 2020

•Russia has planned to launch the 1st satellite named Arktika-M to monitor the Arctic climate and environment later this year. Arktika-M 1 spacecraft has been developed and is undergoing radio-electronic testing. This satellite is planned to launch at the end of 2020. The launch will take place on Soyuz -2,1b carrier rocket with frigate booster.

What is Arktika-M?

•Arktika-M is a remote-sensing and emergency communications satellites which will allow improving weather forecasts and will enable scientists to better study climate change in the Arctic region. Through the launch of the satellites, Russia aims to develop a unique satellite network dedicated to monitoring the weather conditions of the Arctic region.

6) Indian journalists wins Pulitzer Prize 2020 in feature photography

•Indian journalists namely Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand have been honoured with the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. These journalists have won the award in the field of feature photography. All the three journalists belongs to Associated Press. They have been awarded for the lockdown coverage.

•The Pulitzer announced that the Indian journalists have been awarded for the contested territory of Kashmir as India revoked its independence, executed through a communications blackout. The Pulitzer Prize is considered as the highest honour that United States-based journalists and organisations can receive.

7) Dr Harsh Vardhan launches multimedia guide ‘COVID Katha’

•Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched a multimedia guide on the Covid-19 disease named ‘COVID Katha’. The guide is launched on the occasion of the 50th DST (Department of Science and Technology) Foundation Day.

•“COVID Katha” provides consolidated and authentic information on the global crisis to the masses in an interesting and interactive mode, the National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India in association with Dr Anamika Ray Memorial Trust (ARMT), an educational and research organization, has brought out multimedia guides carrying important information on A-to-Z of COVID 19.

8) Prime Minister takes part in online Summit of NAM Contact Group

•Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the online Summit of Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Contact Group. The summit was held with an objective to discuss response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis as well as to promote international solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit was hosted by the current Chairman of NAM, President of Republic of Azerbaijan HE Ilham Aliyev, with the theme “United against COVID-19”.

•The online Summit of NAM Contact Group featured the participation of over 30 Heads of State and Government and other leaders, including from member States in Asia, Africa, Latin America as well as the Caribbean, and Europe. During the summit, the impact of COVID-19 was assessed by the NAM Leaders. They also identified the needs and requirements for viable remedies and stressed on action-oriented follow-up measures. The NAM leaders leaders accepted a Declaration underlining the relevance of international solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. The formation of ‘Task Force’ was also announced in order to achieve the above objectives.