CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 18th MAY, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 18^th MAY, 2023

1. International Museum Day is annually observed on 18 May to serve the purpose of increasing recognition for the vital role that museums play in fostering cultural exchange, enhancing diverse cultures, and fostering mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace among different communities. The theme for the 2023 International Museum Day is “Museums, Sustainability, and Well-being”.
2. World AIDS Vaccine Day, also known as HIV Vaccine Knowledge Day (HVAD), is annually observed across the globe on 18 May to create awareness about the importance of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in preventing AIDS and HIV infections.
3. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) celebrated the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on 18 May 2023, with the vision to build an inclusive society in which equal opportunities are provided for the growth and development of Persons with Disabilities so that they can lead productive, safe and dignified lives.
4. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched the trailer of the first ever movie in Tagin language of his home state Arunachal Pradesh.  
5. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched a new website, the UTSAH (Undertaking Transformative Strategies and Actions in Higher Education) Portal, and the Professor of Practice (PoP) Portal to promote quality education in India.
6. The Sea Harrier Museum on Beach Road in Visakhapatnam was inaugurated on 11 May, 2023 by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
7. The Supreme Court on 11 May, 2023 ruled that the Delhi government will have control over all services in the national capital, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), with the exception of land, police, and law and order.
8. Vedanta Ltd has appointed Sonal Shrivastava as its Chief Financial Officer with effect from 1 June, 2023.
9. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has established the Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) to streamline the process of removing companies from the MCA.
10. The book titled ‘Supreme Court on Commercial Arbitration’ by Dr. Manoj Kumar and foreworded by Shri R. Venkataramani was released on 13 May, 2023.
11. The first group of 10 start-up companies under the 50 start-ups exchange programme between India and Bangladesh returned to Dhaka after completing a successful five-day visit to India from 8-12 May, 2023.  
12. Indian-origin Captain Pratima Bhullar Maldonado has become the highest-ranking South Asian woman in the New York Police Department (NYPD).
13. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 8^th All India Pension Adalat in Delhi on 17 May, 2023. This initiative, organized by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, aims to resolve chronic pension-related cases.  
14. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) would set up a state-of-the-art ethanol plant in Jeetpur Baheri, Una district.
15. On 11 May 2023, Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu, was announced as the winner of the 2023 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, for his debut book ‘God’s Children Are Little Broken Things’, a stunning short fiction collection in English language.
16. IIT Bombay scientists developed high-performance, cost-effective Na-ion batteries which are based on a combination of transition metal oxides and organic polymers.