GK Snapshots on 5 May 2021
 

International Firefighters Day 2021 – May 4

International Firefighters Day(IFFD) is annually observed across the globe on 4th May to recognise and honour the contribution and sacrifices of the Firefighters to ensure the safety of their community and environment.

World Asthma Day 2021:May 4

World Asthma Day is observed every year on the first Tuesday of May. This year it falls on May 4. The day is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in collaboration with health care groups and asthma educators, to spread awareness and care around the world.

Theme for the year 2021: “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”.

Government Sets Road Construction Worth INR 15 Lakh Crore as Target for Next 2 years

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways has stated that the Government has set a target of road construction of worth INR 15 Lakh Crore in the next 2 years.

i.Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) is set to achieve its target of constructing highways(Road) of 40 Kms per day in FY 2021-22.
ii.The Government has also permitted 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the road sector.
 

Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema instituted in 2021 to be given at IFFI Annually

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting(I&B) has instituted the “Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema” which will be given at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) every year starting from 2021.

PV Sindhu, Michelle Li Named Athlete Ambassador for IOC’s ‘Believe in Sports’ Campaign

Badminton World Federation(BWF) World Champion and Olympic medal winner Pusarla Venkata Sindhu(PV Sindhu) and Michelle Li, a Canadian badminton player have been named the athlete ambassador for International Olympic Committee(IOC)’s “Believe in Sports” Campaign. Both the badminton players(shuttlers) will work towards creating awareness about competition manipulation among the athletes.

BRO appoints Vaishali S Hiwase as First Women Executive Engineer to command RCC

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has appointed Vaishali S Hiwase as the first woman officer to command a
Road Construction Company (RCC).

• The officer would command the company, to provide connectivity in a high-altitude area along the India-China border.

• She is a M.Tech graduate and has already carried out a demanding tenure in Kargil.

Online Sales accounted for 19% of Overall Retail Sales in 2020 : UNCTAD Report

According to Estimates released by UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), the Online Sales accounted for 19% (from 16% in 2019) of Overall Retail Sales in 2020. The increase in online sales has been due to the pandemic.

i.The Estimates were released in UNCTAD’s Report – ‘Estimates of Global e-commerce 2019 and preliminary assessment of covid-19 impact on online retail 2020’.

ii.Countries which reported the highest online share of retail trade in 2020 are South Korea – 25.9%, China – 24.9%, Britain 23.3% and the United States – 14.0%.

iii.The report also states that Global e-commerce reached USD 26.7 Trillion in 2019 (including Business-to-Business (B2B) & Business-to-Consumer (B2C) sales).

iv.The USD 26.7 Trillion value reached by e-commerce is equal to 30% of the Global Economic Output.

E-commerce sales in 2020

i.The Top 3 e-commerce companies based on Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in 2020 are

• Alibaba (China) – USD 1,145 Billion

• Amazon (USA) – USD 575 Billion

• JD.com (China) – USD 379 Billion

Saudi Arabia Joins ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ on Climate Change

The five countries which are responsible for 40% of oil and gas production – Saudi Arabia (the world’s biggest crude exporter), Qatar, the United States, Canada and Norway have launched a cooperative forum on climate called “Net Zero Producers Forum”. Purpose: Under the forum, they will discuss about the ways to achieve net zero carbon emission targets to limit global warming and discuss how they can support the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Mark Selby Won the 2021 World Snooker Championship

Mark Selby, an English professional Snooker Player won the 2021 World Snooker Championship by defeating Shaun Murphy(English professional snooker player).This is his 4th World Championship. The Championship held in Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England.

• The Championship was organized by the World Snooker Tour, a subsidiary of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

• Selby gets 500000 Pound (around Rs.5 crore) prize money and secured the 2nd spot in the world ranking.

Padma Shri Awardee, Aeronautical scientist Manas Bihari Verma Passed away

Padma Shri awardee, Aeronautical scientist Manas Bihari Verma, 77 died in Darbhanga district of Bihar on May 04, 2021.
 

Qawwali singer Farid Sabri passed away at 58

Qawwali singer Farid Sabri, of the Sabri Brothers duo, passed away at the age of 58 due to a severe case of pneumonia in Jaipur.

• He was the son of Saeed Sabri and brother of Ameen Sabri .The trio have delivered some of the best qawwalis in Hindi films.

• They are known for the evergreen numbers ‘Der Na Ho Jaye Kahin Der Na Ho Jaye’ and ‘Ek Mulakat Zaruri Hai Sanam’.

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