Top Weekly Current Affairs for all Competitive Exams

Current affairs is one of the inevitable and compulsive topic in almost every competitive examinations. It is inevitable for an aspirant to get updated on daily current affairs happening around the world. Daily newspaper reading and follow-ups are necessary for mastering these current affairs section. In this article, we have provided the top weekly current affairs from May 04 to May 10, 2020 which will help all aspirants to improve scores in their competitive examination like PSC, SSC, RRB and Banking.

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Top Weekly Current Affairs for all Competitive Exams 2020 May 04 to May 10

Here are the list of top current affairs of the week May 04 to May 10, 2020 which will be helpful for all competitive examinations like PSC, SSC, RRB, Banking etc.

First Independent Woman Director to BSE board

• M Jayshree Vyas has been appointed as the first Independent Woman Director to BSE board.
• The Bombay Stock Exchange is an Indian stock exchange located at Dalal Street, Mumbai. Established in 1875, the BSE is Asia’s first stock exchange. The BSE is the world’s 10th largest stock exchange with an overall market capitalization of more than $4.9 trillion as of April 2018.
• Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE):- Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra & Chairman: S. Ravi.

Noted playwright Bijay Mishra passed away at 83

• Noted playwright, dramatist, scriptwriter and film director Bijay Mishra of Odisha passed away at the age of 83 due to age-related ailments in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• Mishra began playwright from 1960 and his first play ‘Janani’ was staged in Annapurna Theatre, Cuttack, Odisha. He was also a mainstream script writer in Odia Cinema & TV Industry.
• Mishra had written more than 60 dramas, 55 film scripts and 7 TV (Television) serials. Some of his literary works have been translated to other regional languages.
• Mishra was recipient of many awards at the State as well as national level. He won the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi award in 2013 for his play ‘Vanaprastha’.

World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on 3 May

• World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on 3 May every year. The day aims to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and pay tribute to journalists who have laid down their lives in the exercise of their profession.
• The day also focuses on assessing its state around the world, defending the media from attacks on their independence. The theme of 2020 World Press Freedom Day is “Journalism Without Fear or Favour.”
• The theme creates awareness on specific issues about the safety of journalists, their independence from political or commercial influence, and gender equality in all aspects of the media.

May 4: International Firefighters Day

• Every year, International Firefighters Day is observed on May 4.The day is commemorated to recognize the sacrifices of firefighters.Also, the day creates awareness to make sure the environment and communities are as safe as possible.
• The International FireFighters Day is celebrated on May 4 as it is also Saint Florian’s Day.
• Saint Florian was one of the commanding firefighters of Roman battalion. He saved several lives and is considered as patron saint of firefighters.He saved a complete burning village in ancient Rome.
• The symbol of fire fighters’ day consists of red and blue coloured ribbon. The red colour in the ribbon symbolizes fire and blue colour symbolizes water.

DRDO developed UV Disinfection Tower

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed ‘UV blaster,’ an Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical-free disinfection of high infection-prone areas.
• UV blaster is a UV based area sanitizer designed and developed by Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC), the Delhi based premier laboratory of DRDO with the help of M/s New Age Instruments and Materials Private Limited, Gurugram.
• The UV Blaster can be used for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers, and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods.
• The device is also effective for areas with a large flow of people such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories, offices, etc.The UV based area sanitizer may be used by remote operation through laptop/mobile phone using wifi link.

Three Indian journalists were honoured with 2020 Pulitzer Prizes

• Three Indian journalists have been honoured with the “Pulitzer Prize 2020” in the field of feature photography.
• The names of the three prize winners are Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand. The results were announced virtually on 4 May. The award was announced in 15 Journalism categories and seven Book, Drama, and Music categories.
• Yasin and Khan are journalists based in Srinagar and Channi Anand is from Jammu. They were honoured for their gripping photos of life captured in J&K after the revoking of Article 370.

First Arktika-M satellite to be launched by Russia

• Russia is to launch the first Arktika-M satellite by December 2020 from Baikonur space.The satellite is to be used to monitor Arctic climate and environment.
• Russia is to launch a series of Arktika satellites. The second Arktika satellite is still under development and is to be launched by 2023. The data to be collected by these satellites will help in gathering meteorological data from the polar regions of the earth.
• The Satellites help in studying climate changes in the polar region and also help in detecting resources in the polar region.The Arctic region resources have been at the centre of controversy and pose potential threats of conflicts between nations.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took charge as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee

• Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took charge as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in Delhi on 6 May amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
• He has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee for the term beginning on 1 May 2020 and ending on 30 April 2021. The appointment was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
• The functions of PAC include the examination of accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for the expenditure of the GoI.
• The annual financial accounts of the government and other accounts are laid before the House as the Committee may think fit.

Russia awards North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un a commemorative war medal

• On May 5, 2020, the Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the North Korean leader a commemorative war medal.The medal has been awarded to mark the 75th anniversary of victory over Nazi.
• The award was received by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri-Son-Gwon on behalf of Kim.Kim was awarded with the medal for preserving the memory of soviet soldiers that died during World War II in the North Korean territory.
• In 1948, diplomatic relations were established between Soviet Union and North Korea. During Korean War, the Soviet military forces supported Korean People’s Army.
• North Korea was established as communist bloc gaining maximum support from Russia. Russia and North Korea share a border along the lower Tumen river.

Vizag Gas Tragedy leaked Styrene Gas

• Styrene Gas leaked from LG Polymers Plant in Visakhapatnam. Styrene is a chemical compound identified as neuro-toxins.
• It is also known as Vinyl Benzene, Ethyl Benzene and Phenyl Benzene.Styrene Gas is colourless and odourless. The gas spreads in air very quickly.
• Styrene gas is generally used in making fan cupa, fan blades and other cutlery. It is also used in making containers where cosmetic products are stored.
• Styrene gas affects the respiratory system. It causes chest congestion, gasping, air hunger and wheezing.It slowly paralyses the lung muscles causing complete respiratory paralysis.

World Athletics Day is celebrated on 7 May

• World Athletics Day is celebrated on 7 May. The date of observation is subject to change as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) decides the date every year, but the month remains the same which is May.
• World Athletics Day falls under the social responsibility project of IAAF ‘Athletics for a Better World.’ The day is observed to make people aware of the various health issues and to promote physical fitness.
• World Athletics Day was celebrated for the first time in the year 1996.World Athletics was formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation. It was formed on 17 July 1912.

Iran: New Currency introduced to tackle Inflation

• The Iran Government has recently come up with the decision of changing the name of its currency to toman.
• The unit of Iranian currency if Rial. According to the Iranian Government, one Toman is 10,000 rials.The new system was authorized by the Iranian Parliament recently to manage high inflation in the country.
• In 1930, Iran changed its basic monetary unit from dinar to the rial. The change was a part of the modernization of the economy undertaken by the Pahlavi dynasty, which was overthrown by the revolution in 1979.

Indian Scientists develop energy efficient photodetector for security applications

• The scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have fabricated energy efficient photodetectors for security applications.
• The autonomous institute has fabricated energy efficient, economical and wafer scale photodetector.
• The photodetector was designed using a gold-silicon interface for security applications.It will also help to detect weak scattered light.
• Today, photodetectors are used in a wide range of applications.They are employed in a wide range of applications from control of automatic lighting in supermarkets to detect radiations from the outer galaxy.

Harsh Vardhan launched AYUSH Sanjivani App

• Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Health & Family Welfare Minister launched the mobile application ‘AYUSH Sanjivani’ App and two AYUSH based studies related to COVID-19 situation.
• The app was developed by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).
• The AYUSH Sanjivani mobile app will help to generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact on the prevention of COVID-19. It is expected to reach out to a target of 50 lakh people.

UNEP: Actress Dia Mirza’s term as Goodwill Ambassador extended

• On May 7, 2020, the United Nations Environment Programme extended the term of actress Dia Mirza as the Goodwill ambassador of India till 2022.
• A Goodwill Ambassador in general is a person who supports a global issue or specific cause.The Goodwill ambassadors are not paid under the UNEP. However, they will be provided with a symbolic payment of 1 USD per year.
• Dia Mirza had taken an active part in the campaign “Beat the Pollution”. She had also made significant contributions towards World Environment Day celebrations, Circular fashions and other UNEP campaigns.

NSAFE: First antimicrobial and washable Face Mask

• The Startup of IIT Delhi has found an antimicrobial face mask that can be washed and reused for 50 times.
• The Nanosafe Solutions at IIT Delhi has developed masks to fight against COVID-19.
• The NSAFE face mask provides 99.2% of bacterial filtration. This is the first fabric-based face mask that is antimicrobial and washable.
• The Mask provides the wearer three different mechanisms namely mechanical filtration, repulsion of aerosol droplets and antimicrobial decontamination.

Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi assumed office

• Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi assumed office on 6 May after the country’s parliament approved a new government.
• The approval came after around 6 months of political wrangling. Mustafa replaced Adel Abdul Mahdi.
• Mustafa al-Kadhimi is a Shia Muslim and is seen as a political independent and a pragmatist. The 53-year-old is a former journalist. He wrote against former President Saddam Hussein from exile in Iran and the UK before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

World Migratory Bird Day is observed on 9 May

• World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is observed on 9 May in the year 2020. The day is globally observed on the second Saturday of May month.
• The day aims to bring attention to the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance. It also aims to raise awareness about the increasing need for international cooperation to conserve them.
• The theme of 2020 World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World.”
• Migratory birds rely on their natural habitats for food, shelter, and nesting. Various issues including Unsustainable agricultural practices and infrastructural pressures cause the habitats of migratory species to shrink.

China successfully launched Long March-5B, its most powerful rocket into orbit

• China successfully launched its most powerful rocket “Long March-5B” on its maiden voyage into orbit on 5 May. The rocket was blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan, China.
• Long March-5B is a 176-foot-long rocket. It has been designed to shuttle astronauts to low-Earth orbit or even around the moon.
• The new-generation spacecraft was developed for the operation of China’s space station and manned space exploration.The spacecraft will be reusable.
• The Chinese rocket is powered by a pair of hydrogen-fueled YF-77 core stage engines and 8 kerosene-fueled booster engines.

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