1. World Athletics Day is celebrated on 7 May

• World Athletics Day is celebrated on 7 May. The date of observation is subjected to change as International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) decides the date every year, but the month remains the same which is May. The day aims to boost participation in athletics among youngsters.
• 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. The day also aims to establish a link between the youth, sport, and environmental conservation.
• World Athletics Day was celebrated for the first time in the year 1996. The observation of the day was initiated by Primo Nebiolo, the then-president of IAAF. Several competitions take place on the day with the most common types are track and field, road running, race walking and cross country running, etc.

Foot notes:
About IAAF(International Amateur Athletic Federation):
Headquarters: Monaco
Founded: 17 July 1912, Stockholm, Sweden
Leader: Sebastian Coe

2. PNB Housing Finance Limited signs MoU with IIT Delhi to develop reusable PPE kits

• Punjab National Bank Housing Finance Limited(PNBHFL) has signed  a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Delhi to support the  research and development of a unique prototype material to be used in the manufacture of washable and reusable Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) surgical gowns and masks by using Jacquard knitting technology.
• By this MoU, the PNBHFL will support the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi in fast-tracked R&D of high-quality PPE material.

Foot Notes: About PNBHFL
Headquarters: New Delhi, India
MD & CEO: Sanjaya Gupta

About IIT Delhi:
Director: V. Ramgopal Rao

3. Iran’s parliament introduces new currency, Toman, to tackle inflation

• The Iranian Parliament has announced the decision to replace its currency "Rial" with another basic unit of currency called the "Toman." Each toman will be worth 10,000 rials under the new system. The move aims to ease the psychological impact of soaring consumer prices on a population that has endured high inflation for decades and grappled the number of zeros in government figures. 
• The move by the Iranian government aims to simplify financial transactions. Once the law is ratified, the Central Bank of Iran will have two years to implement the change. 
• The rial and the new currency is expected to overlap for between two to five years in the market. The new system was authorized to manage high inflation in the country.

Foot Notes:
About Iran
Capital: Tehran
President: Hassan Rouhani

4. Vandhe Bharat Mission: The Biggest Evacuation Exercise to evacuate citiznes  begins

• On May 7, 2020, the Government of India is to begin “Vandhe Bharat Mission”. The mission is considered as one of the biggest evacuation exercise.
• The Vandhe Bharat Mission aims at bringing stranded Indians from all over the world. More than 14,800 Indians are stranded abroad. The mission also aims at operating non-scheduled commercial flights. These commercial flights will carry people to London and Singapore and also selected places in USA. The flights are being operated based on the Standard of Procedure issued by Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Under the mission, the people evacuated are to compulsorily download “ArogyaSetu” application. After returning to India, these people are to be kept under quarantine for 14 days.

5. For the first time, India has more Internet users in  rural areas than Urban: IAMAI Report

• The Internet and Mobile Association of India recently released a report according to which the active internet users in rural India has increased by 10% as compared to that of rural India. According to the report, rural India had 227 million active internet users and urban India had 205 million internet users. This is the first time in Indian history the number of rural internet users have surpassed urban internet users. 
• The report says that around 71 million kids between age 5 and 11 go online using devices of their family members. India has also become the second largest internet user after China. In India the number of active internet users of age 5 years and above is 504 million. In China, the number is around 850 million active users. In USA, there are 280 to 300 million users.

Foot notes: 
About IAMAI(Internet & Mobile Association of India):
Founded: 2004
Headquarters: Mumbai
Head: Amit Agarwal

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6. IES Officer DPS Negi assumes charge as Director General of Labour Bureau

• D P S Negi, a 1985 batch IES (Indian Economic Services) officer has assumed charge as Director General (DG) of Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment by replacing B N Nanda. In addition, he also takes charge as Senior Labour & Employment Advisor of the ministry.
• It is for the first time a dual duty has been given to an IES officer.
• Prior to this appointment, Negi worked as Advisor of Finance, MSME(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)ministry. He also served as Director of Social Security In Ministry of Labour and Employment & Chief Executive Officer (Director and Head of Department) in the National Buildings Organization, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MHUA) from 2006-2014.

Foot Notes:
About Ministry of Labour and Employment:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Minister of State (Independent Charge)–Santosh Gangwar

7. India recorded highest internal displacement of people in 2019: UNICEF report

• In accordance with the report by UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) titled “Lost at Home: The risks and challenges for internally displaced children and the urgent actions needed to protect them”. As per the report, at the end of 2019, an estimated 46 million people were internally displaced by conflict and violence, out of which, more than 4 in 10 or 19 million were children.
• From total, almost 33 million new displacements were recorded in 2019 consisting of around 25 million were due to natural disasters and 8.5 million as consequence of conflict and violence.
• Of the above, there were 12 million new displacements involving children, including around 3.8 million of them caused by conflict and violence, and 8.2 million due to disasters linked mostly to weather-related events.

Foot Notes: About UNICEF
Headquarters–New York, United States
Executive Director– Henrietta Holsman Fore
Founded: 11 December 1946, New York, United States

8. Rabindranath Tagore's 159th birth anniversary celebrated on 7th May

• Every year May 7 is celebrated as Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti. He started writing poetry at the age of 8 and published his first collection at the age of 16.
• His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla. The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.
• He became in 1913 the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

9. Private schools in Mizoram to reduce fees by 50% during the lockdown period

• In Mizoram, all private schools have decided to reduce the school fees from the students by 50% during the lockdown period.
• This is also resolved that those schools, which have already taken full monthly fees from the students for April, will not charge fees for the month of May.
• This was decided jointly by the education department officials and representatives from student bodies and Independent School Association at a meeting chaired by the state education Minister Lalchhandama Ralte.

Foot Notes: About Mizoram
Capital: Aizawl
Governor: P. S. Sreedharan Pillai
Chief Minister: Zoramthanga

10.“Vijyant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil Hero”: a biography of Captain Vijyant Thapar, released

• Penguin Random House will publish the e-book titled as “Vijyant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil Hero”. 
• The book is “first-ever” biography giving a rare insight into the heart and mind of one of India’s bravest soldiers.  
• The book has been penned by Vijyant’s father Colonel VN Thapar and writer Neha Dwivedi, a martyr’s daughter herself.
• Captain Vijyant Thapar was only 22 when he was martyred in the Kargil war in 1999.