CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 8th MAY, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 8^th MAY, 2023

1. World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe on 8 May to celebrate the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It also honored 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 theme of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day of 2023 is “Everything we do comes #fromtheheart”. 
2. International Thalassaemia Day is annually celebrated on 8 May to raise awareness about a genetic disorder called Thalassaemia. The theme of International Thalassaemia Day 2023 is “Strengthening Education to Bridge the Thalassaemia Care Gap”.
3. On 5 May 2023, Neera Tandon, an Indian-American, was appointed as the Domestic Policy Advisor in the Biden administration.
4. Indian triple jumper Praveen Chithravel set a new national record with an effort of 17.37 metres on his way to winning a gold medal in the Prueba de confrontacion 2023 athletics meet in Havana, Cuba.
5. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened the country’s first Indian Air Force Heritage Centre in Chandigarh on 8 May 2023, under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Air Force and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
6. The Uttar Pradesh Government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is planning to make the state a medical hub by building Uttar Pradesh’s first Pharma Park in Lalitpur and setting up the first Medical Device Park in Gautam Buddha Nagar.
7. The first Airbus C295, a new-generation tactical airlifter, successfully completed its maiden flight for India on 5 May, 2023.
8. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis unveiled a 12-feet statue of Maratha warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mauritius’s Maharashtra Bhavan to mark the strong bond between the two nations.
9. Wakefit Innovations Private Limited, has signed actor Ayushmann Khurrana as Wakefit.co’s brand ambassador.
10. A Border Haat between India and Bangladesh inaugurated at Bholaganj in Sylhet in Bangladesh and East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya in India on 6 May, 2023.
11. In the Asian Weightlifting Championships, India’s weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga won a silver medal on 8 May, 2023 at Jinju, Korea.
12. Canadian-Sikh poet, Rupi Kaur’s debut work ‘Milk and Honey’, released in 2014 has made it to the list of 11 most banned books in US classrooms for the first half of the 2022-23 school year due to its exploration of issues related to sexual assault and violence, according to the data provided by PEN America.
13. Nepal have qualified for the Asia Cup 2023 after defeating United Arab Emirates in the final of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2023.
14. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 8 May, 2023 approved posting of Women Officers of the Territorial Army along the Line of Control.
15. The Indian Air Force has received the first batch of indigenous ALS-50 Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Loitering Munitions, made by Tata Advanced Systems LImited (TASL).  
16. On 8 May 2023, the Sahitya Akademi Award winner and popular Bengali writer Samaresh Majumdar passed away at the age of 79 in Kolkata, West Bengal.