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IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 8^th, 2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 8^th, 2019

1.      World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.

a.       This day is an annual celebration of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's principles.

b.       This year marks the 67th year of the celebration, which was first officially celebrated in 1948.

c.       Theme World Red Cross Day 2019 : “#Love”.

d.       Important Note : The day is also the birth anniversary of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s founder Henry Dunant.

i)       He won first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.

2.      Today is World Thalassemia Day. 

a.       World Thalassemia Day is celebrated every year on 8th of May to increase the awareness about this disease among common public all through the world.

b.       About Thalassemia :

c.       Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive blood disorder which gets inherited from parents to the children through genes. 

d.       It causes weakening and destruction of the red blood cells, affects the formation of hemoglobin in the body and causes mild or severe anemia.

e.       Theme of World Thalassaemia Day 2019 : “Universal access to quality thalassaemia healthcare services: Building bridges with and for patient”.

3.      Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has announced that the country will stop complying with two of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, a year after the US quit the pact. 

a.       Iran would begin to build up its stockpiles of low enriched uranium and of heavy water. 

b.       Rouhani gave the remaining signatories 60 days to meet their commitments to the deal.

4.      8-time Masters champion Tiger Woods was bestowed with Presidential Medal of Freedom, the US' highest civilian honour by President Donald Trump, at the White House. 

a.       Woods, who in April, registered his first major title victory in 11 years and his first Masters win since 2005, is the 4th and the youngest golfer to receive the honour.

5.      The ‘Team Caeli’ from India comprising of 3 Indian students namely Bharat Sundal, Aakash Bhadana and Vasu Kaushik emerged as First Runner-up (second position) in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup World Championship final held in Seattle, US. 

a.       The trio won for developing “Caeli”, which is world’s first smart automated anti-pollution and drug delivery mask.

6.      Indian-origin cosmochemist Maitrayee Bose, along with fellow Arizona State University scholar Ziliang Jin, co-founded water in asteroid Itokawa samples collected by Japanese space probe Hayabusa. 

a.       These findings suggest similar asteroids' impacts early in Earth's history could've delivered as much as half of ocean water, researchers said.

7.      Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has announced it is ending support for all versions of Windows Phone operating system after December 31. 

a.       Facebook had previously ended support for its main app, Messenger and Instagram on April 30 for Windows phones. 

b.       The move had come over Microsoft's announcement to end support for all versions of its Windows Phone in December 2019.

8.      The National Institute of Open Schooling Ministry of Human Resources Development and National Health Mission of Public Health Department of Government of Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Mumbai today.

a.       The MOU focused at offering Vocational programmes to the Health Service Providers of Providers of National Health Mission (NHM) through National Institute of Open Schooling. 

9.      Australia's Qantas Airways made the 1st-ever commercial flight from Sydney to Adelaide that produced no landfill waste. 

a.       The flight would produce 34 kilograms of waste that will be disposed off via compost, reuse or recycling, Qantas said, adding it produces waste equivalent to 80 fully-laden Boeing 747 jumbo jets, in the process of flying 50 million passengers annually.

10. India's Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for another term.

a.       Ms Pavadia has been a member of the INCB since 2015 and her current term is set to expire in 2020.

b.       Now she has been re-elected for a five-year term beginning 2nd March, 2020.

11. Kolkata-based Tata Global Beverages appointed former Axis Bank MD and CEO Shikha Sharma as an additional and independent director on its board. 

a.       Sharma, who had earlier headed ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, retired from Axis Bank in December 2018. 

12. Opener Chris Gayle has been named Windies' vice-captain for the 2019 World Cup. 

a.       The 50-over tournament will be Gayle's last in ODI cricket.