Daily Current Affairs – May 9, 2020

World Migratory Bird Day is observed on 9 May in the year 2020. The day is globally observed on the second Saturday of May month. The day aims to bring attention to the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance. It also aims to raise awareness about the increasing need for international cooperation to conserve them. Theme: Birds Connect Our World.

Birth Anniversary of Maharana Pratap Singh I is celebrated on 9 May. PM Narendra Modi paid tributes to Maharana Pratap on his Jayanti.

State Bank of India slashed the benchmark lending rate by 15 basis points (bps). With the newly announced cut, the MCLR (Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate) reduced to 7.25%, from 7.40% with effect from 10 of May.

IIT-Delhi startup named Nanosafe Solutions has launched an antimicrobial and washable face mask that can be reused up to 50 launderings. The move comes with the increasing demand for face masks to contain transmission of coronavirus. NSafe mask is a three-layered product. It consists of an inner hydrophilic layer for comfort, the middle layer having antimicrobial activity, and the outermost layer having water and oil repellent behaviour.

Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun have found a seasonal advancement in 220 surge-type glaciers in the Karakoram Range of Ladakh through a detailed assessment of some major surging glaciers of the Karakoram range using satellite images and thermal data.

China successfully launched its most powerful rocket “Long March-5B” on its maiden voyage into orbit on 5 May. The rocket was blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan, China.

Ministry of Defence signed a contract with M/s Tata Power SED (TPSED) for Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure (MAFI) of 37 airfields for the Indian Air Force(IAF), Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on 8 May. The cost of the contract is worth around Rs.1,200 crore. The proposal regarding the contract was approved by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The contract will boost the domestic industry amid the COVID-19 situation.

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India organized the16th webinar titled “Goa-Crucible of Culture” under the Dekho Apna Desh series on 7 May 2020. The webinar presented the ‘lesser-known’ or ‘unknown’ travel experiences that India’s most popular tourist destination ‘Goa’ offers. It is bringing the participants to face to face with the unknown beauty of a place that is waiting to be discovered in Goa.

CSIR through the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) program approved a project towards the development of human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in coronavirus infected patients.