Current Affairs in English – May 8 2023

National Events:

First Indian Air Force Heritage Centre:

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened the country’s first Indian Air Force Heritage Centre in Chandigarh on 8 May, under a memorandum of understanding between the Indian Air Force and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
The centre spreads over 17,000 square feet and celebrates the Indian Air Force’s role in previous conflicts such as the 1965, 1971, and Kargil Wars, as well as the Balakot air strike, through murals and memorabilia.

INS Magar:

INS Magar, the oldest Landing Ship Tank (Large), was decommissioned by the Indian Navy after 36 years of service on May 06 at the Naval base in Kochi.
The decommissioning ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, as well as Air Marshal B Manikantan, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command.
Commander Hemant Salunkhe commanded the ship during its service. The event included the release of the ship’s timeline and a special postage cover.

Air force:

The air force has received its first indigenously designed and developed loitering munitions. These are capable of operating from all kinds of terrain and high altitude areas and can take down targets at a range of over 50 km, without exposing any personnel to risk.
Developed by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), the autonomous system is designed for Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) and has successfully demonstrated its capability to carry out precision strikes during trials and tests.

First Pharma Park:

The Uttar Pradesh government has approved the establishment of the state’s first Pharma Park in Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand.
The project will require the transfer of 1500 hectares of land from the Animal Husbandry Department to the Industrial Development Department.
The government has allocated a budget of Rs 1560 crore for the development and provision of necessary facilities to investors in Lalitpur Pharma Park.

KIRF:

The Higher Education Minister, R. Bindu has officially introduced the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), which is designed to evaluate the quality of higher education institutions in Kerala.
The KIRF is modeled after the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and will be implemented annually by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC).
This initiative has made Kerala the first state in India to establish a ranking framework specifically for its higher education institutions.

CIF import price:

The central government has prohibited the import of apples where the CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) import price is less than or equal to Rs 50 per kilogram.
The import policy remains “free” for those apples costing above Rs 50 per kilogram. The amendment in apple import policy will not be applicable to India’s neighbour Bhutan.

Border-Haat:

A new Border-Haat between India and Bangladesh was inaugurated in Bholaganj under the Companiganj upazila of Sylhet on 6 May 2023.
The Border Haat will function on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon.
The Bholaganj Border Haat will have 26 stalls from India and 24 stalls from Bangladesh where traditional items will be sold duty free.

Capacity building program:

In Uttarakhand, a capacity building program for civil servants of Maldives and Bangladesh is being organized by the National Center for Good Governance (NCGG) at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie from 8 May 2023.
This program will continue till 19th May. 50 administrative trainees from Maldives and 45 from Bangladesh are participating in this programme.

Airbus C295:

The first Airbus C295, a new-generation tactical airlifter, successfully completed its maiden flight for India on May 5, 2023 in Spain. India acquired 56 C295 aircraft in September 2021 to replace the (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet.
The first 16 aircraft will be assembled in Seville, Spain, and delivered to the customer in ‘fly-away’ condition.

Oil ministry panel:

India should ban the use of diesel-powered four-wheeler vehicles by 2027 and switch to electric and gas-fuelled vehicles in cities with more than a million people and polluted towns in order to cut emissions, an oil ministry panel has recommended.
India, one of the biggest emitters of green house gases, wants to produce 40% of its electricity from renewables to achieve its 2070 net zero goal.

BRO:

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 64th Raising Day on May 7, 2023 at all its detachments across the country.
The main function ‘Chief Engineers and Equipment Management Conference’ was organised at BRO School & Centre in Pune.
An MoU was signed between the BRO and GRSE for construction of indigenous Class 70R Double Lane Modular Bridges.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved posting of Women Officers of the Territorial Army along the Line of Control.
They will now serve and train under the same conditions as their male counterparts. Territorial Army had commenced commissioning of women Officers since 2019, in Ecological Task Force Units, TA Oil sector units and TA Railway Engineer Regiment.

International Events:

Chinese spacecraft:

An experimental Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on 8 May 2023 after staying in orbit for 276 days. It completed a landmark mission to test the country’s reusable space technologies.
The uncrewed spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China. The test will provide a more convenient and inexpensive way to mount future space missions.

World Thalassaemia Day:

May 8 marks World Thalassaemia Day, which is a special day dedicated to raising awareness about a genetic disorder called Thalassaemia.
This disorder causes the body to produce insufficient amounts of haemoglobin, which is essential for carrying oxygen in the blood.
Individuals with Thalassaemia inherit this condition, and it results in reduced levels of oxygen-carrying proteins in their blood.
The aim of World Thalassaemia Day is to increase understanding and knowledge about this blood disorder and show support for those who live with it.

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day:

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is celebrated annually on May 8th to honor the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, who founded the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and was the first person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a worldwide humanitarian network that operates in almost every country across the globe.
The network offers aid and support to people in need during various emergencies, conflicts, disasters, and other crises.
The movement strives to alleviate human suffering, safeguard human dignity, and promote health, peace, and overall well-being.

Neera Tandon:

On May 5, 2023, Neera Tandon, an Indian-American, was appointed as the Domestic Policy Advisor in the Biden administration.
This move was made with the presidential election in mind, which is set to take place in 2024. Tandon’s appointment is historic, as she became the first Asian-American to lead the White House Advisory Council.

Sports Events:

Praveen Chithravel:

Indian athlete Praveen Chithravel achieved an extraordinary feat by winning the men’s triple jump event at an athletics meet in Havana, Cuba, with a record-breaking national mark of 17.37m.
He surpassed the previous men’s triple jump national record of 17.30m, set by Renjith Maheswary at the third Indian Grand Prix in Bangalore in 2016.