• World Red Cross Day, also known as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day which is observed every year on May [latex]8^{th}[/latex] is a gentle nod to all the volunteers who have made unparalleled contribution to people in duress or need.

• The global thalassaemia family, the [latex]8^{th}[/latex] of May constitutes a very special day as it is dedicated to both commemorate the thalassaemia patients who are no longer with us but are always close in our heart and to celebrate all those patients who are alive and fighting everyday for their right to a better quality of life.

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• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made an unscheduled, fleeting visit to Iraq, amid growing tensions with Iran.


• Mr Pompeo cancelled a trip to Berlin to meet with Iraqi leaders during a four-hour stop in the capital Baghdad.


• The visit came days after a US aircraft carrier was deployed to the region, which officials said was in response to threats to US forces and its allies from Iran.

Source: Cick Here

• An EU spokesperson called on Turkey's electoral body to explain the controversial decision "without delay".


• Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Mass called the re-run "incomprehensible".


• The move was also criticised by the French government and by leading MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who said Turkey was "drifting towards dictatorship".


• The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month lost the mayorship of Turkey's biggest city by a narrow margin, but Mr Erdogan refused to accept defeat.


• The AKP claims that there were irregularities that invalidate the vote. The decision to hold a new poll on 23 June sparked protests across Istanbul. Hundreds of people gathered in several districts, banging pots and pans and shouting anti-government slogans.

Source: Cick Here

• Pakistani charity in the coastal metropolis of Karachi is serving up a rare treat for the city’s Muslims ahead of their fast for the holy month of Ramzan - ostrich meat.


• Expensive and seldom eaten in Pakistan, ostrich is deemed exotic in the mainly Muslim nation of 208 million people.


• Volunteers stewed the red meat in large metal pots and served it in a chickpea curry to more than 500 residents before dawn broke, when Pakistani Muslims began their month-long Ramzan fast.

Source: Cick Here

• The US plans to hike the H-1B visa application fee to increase funding for the expansion of an apprentice programme, Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta has told American lawmakers, a move that would impose additional financial burden on Indian IT companies.


• Testifying before a Congressional committee on the annual budget of the Department of Labor for the fiscal year 2020 beginning October 1, 2019, he said that the Labour Department has also made changes to the H-1B application forms to ensure greater transparency and better protect American workers from employers seeking to misuse the programme.


• Acosta, however, did not give details of the proposed increase in the H-1B filing fee and the categories of applicants it would be enforced on.

Source: Cick Here

• The UK will have to hold European elections, despite hopes from the government a Brexit deal would be done by then, says the PM's de facto deputy.


• The vote is due on [latex]23^{rd}[/latex] May, but Theresa May said the UK would not have to take part if MPs agreed a Brexit plan first.


• Now, David Lidington says "regrettably" it is "not going to be possible to finish that process" before the date the UK legally has to take part.

Source: Cick Here

• Sri Lankan authorities have arrested or killed all the jihadists responsible for the Easter suicide bombings, but the island still faces the threat of “global terrorism”, the Prime Minister said.


• Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament that his Buddhist-majority nation was a victim of Islamist extremists and needed international support to deal with the persisting threat.


• “The danger is not over, we are now a victim of global terrorism,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. “Even if we have arrested or killed every terrorist responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks, extremists abroad can still cause trouble for us.

Source: Cick Here

• The Supreme Court held that a charge sheet had already been filed against the four suspects in the case and that two of them were already released on bail.


• The top court held that a charge sheet had already been filed against the four suspects in the case and that two of them were already released on bail.


• The high court had in 2018 set aside a special court order extending the detention of the suspects under Section 43D of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967.

Source: Cick Here

• The Odisha government Tuesday sought the Centre’s help in restoration of power and telecom services in Puri and Khurda districts, worst hit by cyclone ‘Fani’, due to shortage of skilled manpower, an official said.


• The state has to install as many as 1.56 lakh electric poles.


• According to an official, the toll in the cyclone, which hit the state Friday, rose to 37 with two more death reported in Cuttack district as the struggle to restore power, drinking water and telecom infrastructure continued.

Source: Cick Here

• An Islamic State suspect with alleged links to Riyas Aboobacker alias Abu Dujana — a member of IS’ Kasargod module in Kerala who was arrested last week — was deported from Doha evening, an Intelligence Bureau official familiar with the development said.


• The National Investigation Agency took the custody of the man, identified as Faisal, as soon as he was brought to Delhi.


• The official said, Faisal, also a native of Kerala, had been in regular touch with Aboobacker, who was arrested last week.


• The latter was allegedly planning suicide attacks in Kerala after being inspired by the mastermind of Sri Lanka bombings, Maulvi Zahran Bin Hashim, leader of National Towheed Jama’at (NTJ).

Source: Cick Here

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 poll campaign mirrors his 2014 general election debut in terms of the ground he has covered through public meetings and rallies.


• Though Modi conducted 425 rallies between September 2013 and May 10, 2014 (the last day of campaigning during the previous general election), this time around, he kick-started his rallies on March 28, addressing one in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

Source: Cick Here

• In the first phase of polling in MP on April 29 for six Lok Sabha seats, around 74.90% of the electorate cast their votes compared to 64.84% in 2014 in the same constituencies.


• Madhya Pradesh has recorded a more than 10 percentage point increase in voter turnout in the first two phases of polling that covered 13 of its 29 Lok Sabha seats, the highest for any state so far, according to Election Commission (EC) data.

Source: Cick Here

• State Bank of India is seeking to engage the services of a consultant to suggest strategies to improve Return on Assets (RoA) and pre-provisions operating profit (PPOP) by increasing income from different sources, reducing cost, and optimising the balance sheet.


• The consultant is expected to to draw up a portfolio strategy and long-term growth opportunities for India’s largest bank; and strategies for current account acquisition and increasing its balances, in addition to optimising ALM (asset-liability management) to maximise returns, and pricing optimisation for SME and retail portfolio.

Source: Cick Here

• The High Court of Kerala has declared that the introduction of Defined Contributory Pension Scheme/New Pension Scheme (NPS) in State Bank of India ‘has no legal effect’.


• State Banks’ Staff Union (SBSU), Kerala Circle, had argued in a petition that the introduction of the scheme for members joining service on or after August [latex]1^{st}[/latex], 2010 took away the right to get pension based on the pension rule in vogue in SBI.

Source: Cick Here

• Rahul Chahar starred with the ball while Suryakumar Yadav hit a classy 71 not out as Mumbai Indians defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in Qualifier 1 of the 2019 Indian Premier League at Chepauk to reach their 5th final.


• Mumbai Indians had first reached the final in 2010 when they lost to Chennai Super Kings. In 2013, 2015 and 2017, Mumbai Indians won the IPL.

Source: Cick Here

• Chennai Super Kings leg-spinner Imran Tahir has become the fourth spinner to take 300 wickets in T20 cricket.


• The 40-year-old achieved the feat during the IPL 2019 Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians, wherein he registered bowling figures of 4-0-33-2.


• Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and Shahid Afridi are the other three spinners to have taken 300 T20 wickets.

Source: Cick Here

• West Indies player John Campbell and Shai Hope created the history by making first-ever 350 plus run opening stand against Ireland.


• Both players have add 365 runs for the first wicket and also become the only opening pair to score 150 runs each in one innings of a 50-over match. The venue of the match was Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, Dublin, Ireland.


• Previously, the highest first wicket opening stand was 304 runs in ODI cricket by Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq against Zimbabwe in 2018.

Source: Cick Here

• Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has introduced two new award categories,off Women’s goalkeeper of the year and a women’s team of the year, to promote women’s football across the globe.


• These additions means and both men and women will be up for receiving accolades in the same categories at the FIFA Best ceremony 2019 in Milan.


• The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 ceremony will take place on 23 September 2019 at TeatroallaScala, Milan, Italy.


• Awards will be given out in 11 categories: The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper,FIFA Pro Men’s World 11,FIFA Pro Women’s World 11, The FIFA PuskasAward, The FIFA Fair Play Award, The FIFA Fan Award.

Source: Cick Here

• The Volleyball Federation of India appointed Serbian Dragan Mihailovic as head coach of the men’s national team in a move linked to the long term goal of Olympic Games qualification.


• Mihailovic has more than 25 years of experience as a coach.


• The VFI also announced the appointment of Pryemyslaw Gaszyoski and Valadimir Radosevic as the team’s physio trainer and physiotherapist respectively.


• All the three have been appointed for five months and will work with the team for the Asian Championships scheduled to be held in Iran during September 2019.

Source: Cick Here

• Chris Gayle has been named vice-captain of West Indies for the World Cup 2019. In what will be his last ODI tournament, the left-handed opener will be deputy to skipper Jason Holder.


• Gayle has led West Indies in the past, with his most recent appearance as skipper being in 2010.
He has been in and out of the national side in the last few years owing to issues with the cricket board, and is not a part of the side for the ongoing ODIs against England as he was busy with the Indian Premier League.

Source: Cick Here

• They have 360 battery cells that weigh 750 kilograms each and powers the permanently magnetized propulsion motor.


• They also have the Submarine Tactical Integrated Combat System (SUBTICS), sea-skimming SM 39 Exocet missiles or the heavyweight wire guided Surface and Underwater Target (SUT) torpedoes.

Source: Cick Here

• Former Indian Cue sports Player, Coach and administrator Derek Sippy, who was in his 60s, died due to a massive heart attack in Mumbai, Maharashtra.


• His death was confirmed to Press Trust of India(PTI) by Manav Panchal, Honorary Secretary of the Billiards and Snooker Association of Maharashtra (BSAM).


• He was the Indian team’s coach at 20th Under-21 Asian Snooker Championship and the 3rd Ladies Asian Snooker Championship which was held from April 27th to May 3rd, 2019 at Community Centre, Sector 19, Chandigarh.

A. Arctic Council B. World Bank C. United Nations Mission in South Sudan D. United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Answers: A

A. Narendra Modi B. Barack Obama C. Donald Trump D. Vladimir Putin Answers: B

A. Kirpal Singh B. Ajit Bedi C. NR Madhava Menon D. Vikas Grover Answers: C

A. Odisha B. Tamil Nadu C. Karnataka D. Kerala Answers: D

A. Amartya Sen B. Jagdish Bhagwati C. Gita Gopinath D. Jagjit Pavadia Answers: D

A. Germany B. Britain C. Iran D. Russia Answers: C

A. New Zealand B. Sri Lanka C. Australia D. China Answers: B

A. India B. Australia C. New Zealand D. China Answers: A

A. Justice Ramachandra Menon B. Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi C. Justice Alok Kumar Singh D. Justice Vikram Sethi Answers: A

A. 4th B. 1st C. 2nd D. 5th Answers: A

A. Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) B. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) C. NASSCOM D. Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Answers: A

A. Karnataka B. Jammu and Kashmir C. Madhya Pradesh D. Maharashtra Answers: D

A. Indian Council of Medical Research B. World Health Organisation C. Ministry of Women and Child Development D. NABARD Answers: A

A. Kolkata, West Bengal B. Bengaluru, Karnataka C. Mumbai, Maharashtra D. Cochin, Kerala Answers: D

A. Bahrain B. Saudi Arabia C. Qatar D. UAE Answers: D

A. Yellow B. Green C. Purple D. Blue Answers: B

A. Rome, Italy B. Metz, France C. Ottawa, Canada D. Paris, France Answers: B

A. Michael Jordan B. Serena Williams C. Tiger Woods D. Dwayne Johnson Answers: C

A. United States B. China C. Russia D. United Kingdom Answers: A

A. Election Commission of India B. Supreme Court C. Delhi High Court D. Central Government Answers: B

A. Ireland B. UK C. Netherland D. Belgium Answers: C

A. Swarnima Shukla B. Manisha Bhatt C. Jayshree Vyas D. Nirmala Rai Answers: C

A. State Bank of India B. ICICI Bank C. Yes Bank D. HDFC Bank Answers: C

A. Henry Dunant B. Gustave Moynier C. Louis Appia D. Guillaume Henri Dufour Answers: A

A. Iran B. Iraq C. Israel D. Egyp Answers: A

A. Shri Praveen Kumar B. Sh. Arun Kumar C. Shri Anand Kumar D. R. K. Singh Answers: C

A. Bangladesh B. Japan C. Pakistan D. US Answers: A

A. snakes B. crocodiles C. lizards D. tuatara Answers: B

A. Kerala B. Karnataka C. Rajasthan D. Maharashtra Answers: C

A. AnweshaReddy B. Dipika PallikalKarthik C. Joshna Chinappa D. Misha Grewal Answers: C

A. CPI B. INC C. BJP D. BSP Answers: A

A. SwamiVivekananda &his preaching B. Hundred and Fifty years of Mahatma Gandhi C. Tribute to Madam BhikajiCama D. India since Independence Answers: B

A. IIT Delhi B. IIT Indore C. IITKanpur D. IITBombay Answers: C

A. NASA B. Roscosmos C. JAXA D. CNES Answers: A

A. United States B. France C. Germany D. Russia Answers: B