• Each year, [latex]3^{rd}[/latex] May is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day. Started by the UN General Assembly in 1993, on a recommendation from UNESCO, the day is used to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess its state around the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have laid down their lives in the exercise of their profession.


• The theme for this year's World Press Freedom Day is “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation” and it discusses current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.

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• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on the armed forces to oppose ‘any coup plotter’ after a military uprising in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido fizzled out, and subsequent street clashes left four protesters dead.


• Guaido – who has been recognized by more than 50 countries as the crisis-wracked country’s interim president – urged the armed forces to rise up against the embattled leader.


• A small group heeded the call, but the movement failed to ignite – the military leadership ratified their support for the government, and Maduro is standing his ground despite international pressure.


• Maduro said “Yes, we are in combat, keep morale high in this fight to disarm any traitor, any coup plotter,” at a televised event with the military high command, at which he was surrounded by soldiers.


• “No one can be afraid – it is the hour to defend our right to peace,” he said at a ceremony attended by 4,500 military personnel, according to the government.


• “We’ve come to ratify our loyalty to the supreme commander of the armed forces, who is our only president, President Nicolas Maduro,” Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said at the event.

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• The US has said the UN designation of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar reflects “international commitment to rooting out terrorism in Pakistan”, quashing Islamabad’s efforts to portray the absence of a reference to the Pulwama attack in the listing as a “diplomatic win”.


• India’s external affairs ministry, too, responded to pointed questions on the lack of references to the Pulwama attack and terrorism in Kashmir in Azhar’s listing by saying the global terrorist tag for the JeM founder will increase pressure on Pakistan to take “credible, verifiable and irreversible action” against terrorists based on its soil.


• The proposal moved on [latex]27^{th}[/latex] February by France, the US and the UK to list Azhar contained a reference to the Pulwama attack, which was claimed by JeM and resulted in the death of 40 troopers, and also to Jammu and Kashmir.

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• The So-called debt overhang for Pakistan from its participation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of the ambitious Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, is overstated, according to a top official of Pakistan.


• “The propaganda is not based on facts but on perception,” said Ishrat Husain, adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on institutional austerity and a federal Minister. He was addressing a seminar at the 52nd ADB Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank on the topic: “Is debt sustainability a cause for concern?”.


• Reeling out numbers, Mr. Husain said that of the $45 billion total package from China under CPEC in 2015, as much as $35 billion was for financing power projects in the power-deficit country.

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• A defiant Julian Assange told a London court he will fight extradition to the United States to face charges of conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer, arguing that his work as WikiLeaks founder has benefited the public.


• Speaking by video link from Belmarsh Prison in southeast London, Assange said, “I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected many people.”


• Mr. Assange, wearing jeans and a sports jacket, appeared calm during the brief hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Some of his supporters who couldn’t get seats in the small courtroom chanted support for Mr. Assange from the hallways, shouting “Shame on you” at the judge.


• Judge Michael Snow said it would likely be “many months” before a full hearing was held on the substance of the U.S. extradition case. The judge set a procedural hearing for May 30, with a substantive hearing to follow on June 12 once a full U.S. extradition request has been received and studied by Mr. Assange’s lawyers.

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• When storm surge happens, sea levels rise dramatically, sending a destructive wall of water gushing over people and property on land.


• Numerous studies have predicted that storm surges will become more frequent and deadly as the planet warms.

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• The makers of the Vivek Oberoi-starrer biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the film will be released country wide on [latex]24^{th}[/latex] May, a day after the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared.


• The film, titled PM Narendra Modi, was earlier set to release on [latex]11^{th}[/latex] April but was banned by the Election Commission of India.


• In its order last month, the ECI had banned the screening of film during the poll period, saying any such film that subserves purpose of any political entity or individual should not be displayed in the electronic media.

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• The Election Commission of India (ECI) has cleared Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi of wrongdoing in one complaint each of violation of the model code of conduct they faced for speeches made on the Lok Sabha campaign trail.


• ECI said that it found no violation in the speech Modi delivered at Barmer in Rajasthan on [latex]21^{th}[/latex] April in which he said India hadn’t kept a nuclear arsenal for use on Diwali, the festival of lights and fireworks. It’s the third complaint on which the commission has absolved the prime minister.

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• International airlines could start providing Internet on board over Indian skies in the next three months becoming the first to do so, while domestic passengers may have to wait for another “7 to 9 months” to start sending WhatsApp texts, browsing Twitter, streaming movies and making phone calls.


• Over the past couple of months, the Department of Telecom has issued licences to BSNL, Airtel, Hughes Communications India Ltd and Tata Telenet for Internet and mobile services on flights.


• However, the installation of equipment and their certification means air travellers will have to wait for some more time to access these services.


• SpiceJet has already announced its plans to provide connectivity and Air India has invited tenders for the same. Vistara has also expressed its keenness.

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• The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over ₹73 lakh in connection with a terror financing and money laundering case against 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and others.


• The attached assets include a residential flat and a shop in Delhi and bank accounts. The assets belong to a person named Mohammed Salman and his family members.

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• With the launch of ‘Bharat Fibre’, the state-owned telecom firm, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) became the 1st operator to start optical fiber-based high-speed broadband service in Pulwama. The Bharat Fibre services with reliable and high-speed internet are provided on the optical fibre by FTTH (fibre-to-the-home) service up to the customer premises.


• The service was launched by BSNL Chief General Manager of Jammu and Kashmir Circle, Rana Ashok Kumar Singh, in the presence of Srinagar General Manager Telecom District Zafar Iqbal and BSNL’s channel partner, Mir Nazir.


• BSNL provides the FTTH service with a monthly charge of Rs 777-16,999 in around 160 telecom districts with a minimum speed of 2 megabit-per-second (Mbps).


• The ‘Bharat Fibre’ service has been launched on a revenue sharing basis in a business collaborative model with the local channel partner of Pulwama area.


• The equipment of FTTH has been installed and commissioned by the channel partner whereas the customer billing services are being provided by BSNL.

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• BlackBuck, an online marketplace for trucking, announced that it has closed a $150-million (RS1,050 crore) round of equity funding in Series D, led by Goldman Sachs Investment Partners and Silicon Valley-based Accel.


• The new investors who participated include Wellington, Sequoia Capital, B Capital and Light Street. The round also saw participation from existing investors Sands Capital and International Finance Corporation, the investment arm of the World Bank. This takes the total amount of funds raised by the company to over $230 million.

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• LIC Housing Finance (LIC HFL) has launched ‘Udyam’, a skilling center in Bengaluru. It was launched in association with Lok Bharti Education Society, the implementing partner.


• The Centres of Excellence will provide training to marginalised youth in the BFSI, retail, and IT/ ITES sectors.

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• The Netherlands has emerged as the third largest foreign direct investor in India during 2017-18, with investments pegged at about $2.67 billion across sectors.


• The Netherlands was also the second largest destination for foreign investment by Indian companies, after Singapore, with investments worth $12.8 billion in 2017.

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• PayPal India used Google Smart Lock and launched its OneTouch experience in India. The launch of the OneTouch feature permits Indian consumers to register their Android device with PayPal and stay logged into PayPal for further PayPal purchases on that device, thus removing the issue of repeated log-ins and enabling a seamless payments experience.


• The integration with Google Smart Lock will offer a hassle-free payment procedure as well as maintain security to prevent fraud.


• India becomes the first market where the feature of Google Smart Lock has been integrated.


• PayPal’s Buyer Protection feature will provide an extra layer of security to this feature for eligible transactions, that is, if items that are purchased online mismatch with the description of the product that was sold, the Buyer Protection feature enables them to claim a refund for eligible transactions.


• Since the Government of India is giving major importance to digital payments, PayPal got the push to partner with the Government and the state-owned banks on various initiatives, namely, digital financial literacy programme and eTourist Visa (eTV).

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• India have dropped three places to fifth in the expanded men's Twenty20 International team rankings while Pakistan have consolidated their top position, according to the latest list issued by the ICC.


• The ICC today unveiled an expanded T20I team rankings table with 80 teams who will now be able to gauge their progress in a format, recognised by the world body as the vehicle for the growth of the game.


• Pakistan, ICC T20 World Cup champions in 2009, are now on 286 points while the next four teams are within two points of each other - South Africa (262), England (261), Australia (261) and India (260).


• Teams like Austria, Botswana, Luxembourg and Mozambique are among the sides figuring in the rankings.

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• Manish Pandey not only timed the ball to perfection but even timed his onslaught to precision to stretch the must-win match for Sunrisers Hyderabad into a Super Over. But Jasprit Bumrah came back sharply in the one-over eliminator to help Mumbai Indians pocket the vital two points and seal a berth in the Indian Premier League Playoffs.


• With Pandey attempting a suicidal second run off the first ball of the elimiator and Bumrah sneaking through Mohammad Nabi’s defence off the fourth, Mumbai Indians required nine runs to win the Super Over.


• Hardik Pandya’s six over long-off off leggie Rashid Khan took the fizz out of the chase and the Mumbai Indians required just three balls to score nine runs.


• The nail-biting win meant Mumbai Indians will definitely feature in the Playoffs next week, while the loss meant Sunrisers will have to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last game to qualify.

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• Australia coach Justin Langer doesn't care too much about labels in the process of reintegrating the ex-captain and vice-captain into his World Cup squad following 12-month bans.


• Steve Smith and David Warner are in camp with the defending champion Australian squad less than a month out from their World Cup opener against Afghanistan in England, and Langer said there's "not even a hint of tension".


• Smith remains barred from leadership positions in the Australian team for at least another 12 months, and Warner will never again be selected as captain or vice-captain because of their roles in a ball-tampering scandal last year in South Africa. But that doesn't bother Langer.

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• Chelsea set a Europa League record of 16 successive matches unbeaten with 1-1 semi-final first leg draw at Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to a Pedro equaliser on the stroke of half time.


• Serbian Luka Jovic had put the hosts ahead after 23 minutes.


• The draw meant Chelsea, Europa League winners in 2013, surpassed Atletico Madrid's 2011-12 unbeaten run.


• They took time to find their stride, however, with Jovic stooping to head past the outstretched Kepa Arrizabalaga off a cross from compatriot Filip Kostic with a goal that raised the decibels in a stadium famed for its atmosphere.

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• Rapper Drake set a record with the most wins ever, taking home 12 honours at the Billboard Music Awards. Drake surpassed singer Taylor Swift to become the top award recipient in the Billboard Music Awards history.


• He won 12 awards, bringing his career total to 27. Swift has won 23 Billboard Music Awards. Drake won the top artist and top Billboard 200 album, among others.

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• ‘Avengers Endgame’ in India has now become the highest grossing film of 2019 so far. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ released on [latex]26^{th}[/latex] April and also marks the final film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s current generation, which comprises of 22 films, including ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ and the recently released ‘Captain Marvel’.


• It will also be the last Marvel movie for some of the key actors including Chris Evans as Captain America.


• The film also beats the record set by ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,’ which had crossed Rs 100 crore mark within three days of its release.

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• Six grassroots environmental activists received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. Known as the Green Nobel Prize, the Goldman Prize honors environmental activists from each of the six continental regions.


• The winners of the award are Alfred Brownell (Liberia), Bayarjargal Agvaantseren (Mongolia), Ana Colovic Lesoska (North Macedonia), Jacqueline Evans (Cook Islands), Alberto Curamil (Chile), Linda Garcia (United States).

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• Kumar Sangakkara, former Sri Lanka captain has been named as the first non-British president of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He succeeds Anthony Wreford. It was announced at the MCC annual general meeting at Lord’s on 1 May 2019. He will take up his one-year post in October.


• Sangakkara, 41-year-old, scored 12,400 runs in 134 tests, appears twice on the honours boards at Lord’s.


• MCC is the guardian of the Laws of the game and it was founded in 1787 and has been based at Lord’s, which it owns, since 1814.


• His responsibilities would involve the launch of The Hundred – the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new 100-ball cricket format and two England test matches against West Indies and Pakistan.

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• Air Marshal SK Ghotia VSM took charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command. He will succeed Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, who has recently assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.


• Air Marshal Ghotiai. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of Indian Air Force in Dec 1981 and an alumnus of the National Defence Academy.


• He is a Qualified Flying Instructor with more than 1000 hrs of instructional experience. He has also served as a Directing Staff at the prestigious Defence Services Staff College Wellington.


• He was awarded Vishist Seva Medal in 2007. He was also commended by the Air Officer Commanding-In-Chief, Western Air Command in 1994.

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• The Central Government has notified the appointment of Justice Parappillil Ramakrishnan Nair Ramachandra Menon as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.


• Justice PR Ramachandra Menon is presently serving as a Judge of the Kerala High Court.

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• The Central Government has notified the appointment of Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.


• Justice Oka is presently a Judge at the Bombay High Court.


• Justice Oka would assume the office of the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court from the date he assumes charge.

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• Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has appointed chartered accountant M Jayshree Vyas as its first independent woman director to the board.


• However, BSE has missed the deadline of [latex]1^{st}[/latex] April which was given to all top 500 listed companies based on their market capitalisation to appoint an independent woman director on their board.


• Earlier, M Jayshree Vyas worked as the managing director of Shree Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank, Ahmedabad since 1986. She had also helped in launching the first financial literacy program in Sewa bank in 2001.

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• Indian archaeologists recently unearthed a life-sized stucco sculpture from a Buddhist site at Phanigiri in Suryapet, Telangana. As per heritage department officials, it represents one of Bhodhisattva in Jathaka Chakra. This is the largest stucco sculpture found from India till date.


• The sculpture is about 1.73 metres in height and 35 cm in width.


• It is considered to have been built at at peak of Ikshavaku dynasty.


• The preliminary excavation at Phanigiri was started by archaeological department official Khaja Muhammad Ahmad in 1941.


• The present excavations are being conducted by assistant professor Srikanth Ganveer as co-excavation director and Pagadam Nagaraju as excavation director.

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• Veteran Kannada cinema, theatre actor as well as political satirist, Master Hirannaiah died in Bengaluru at the age of 85 due to liver ailments. He was born as Narasimha Murthy in Mysuru.


• His father K Hirannaiah founded the K Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali drama company. He made his stage debut under the name Master Hirannaiah.


• He has starred in films like HarakeyaKuri, Chor Guru ChandalShishya, Operation Antha, and Hudgeer Saar Hudgeeru.


• Famous plays : Lanchavatara,MakmalTopi, Bhrashtachara, Anaachara, and Devadasi.