Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the first-of-its-kind Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre here . The Centre has been set up under a memorandum of understanding between the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the IAF which was signed last year.

• Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher were also present on the occasion.
• The IAF chief had visited the Indian Air Force Heritage Centre last month to review its progress.
• Spread over 17,000 square feet, this is the first heritage centre of the IAF and depicts its role in various wars, including in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war, and the Balakot air strike through murals and memorabilia.

World Red Cross Day, also known as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, is observed on May 8th each year. It is an annual commemoration of the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize. 

• The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has millions of volunteers, members, and employees spread throughout more than 190 nations, making it the greatest humanitarian network in the world.
• The theme of World Red Cross Day changes every year and is chosen to highlight the humanitarian work and services provided by the Red Cross around the world. 
• This year's theme of World Red Cross Day is, "Everything we do comes from the heart."

This year, World Thalassaemia Day will be commemorated on May 8. On this day, organizations and communities around the world organize workshops and programs to raise awareness about the disorder and explore potential treatment options.

• Thalassaemia is a genetic blood disorder inherited by children from their parents. On World Thalassaemia Day, efforts are made to dispel myths surrounding the disorder and disseminate accurate information to the public.
• Organizations and global communities work together to ensure that Thalassaemia treatment is accessible to everyone, regardless of any factors.
• The theme for this year's World Thalassaemia Day is 'Be aware. Share. Care.'

Manufacturer of mattresses, Wakefit Innovations Private Limited, has signed actor Ayushmann Khurrana as Wakefit.co’s brand ambassador.

• The company said it has roped in the actor to create resonance with the local community. 
• Ayushmann will be the face of the brand and will lead the upcoming campaigns, creating awareness and education about sleep health and its importance in modern times.
• The objective of the association is to strengthen the brand identity of the company and expand its affiliation across the country.

Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh.

• The aircraft had taken off from the Suratgarh airbase for a routine exercise before it crashed due to some technical snag in Bahlol nagar village near Pilibanga area.
• The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft and he is safe. The Air Force said that a helicopter was rushed to rescue the pilot who sustained minor injuries during the ejection.
• A probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the crash. District collector of the Hanumangarh, Rukmani Riar told Akashvani that the administration and police personal have been deployed for relief and rescue work. 

The Geological Survey of India has found India's second Lithium reserves in Degana, Rajasthan. Lithium is quite a demanding metal which is used in making mobiles, laptops and all battery-operated devices.

• The first Lithium discovery was made in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir where it is reported to have a stash of 5.9 million tonnes valued at $410 billion. It is said that further studies are required to confirm if the area is feasible for mining.
• Lithium is said to be the softest and lightest metal in the world making it usable for manufacturing chargeable electronic and battery-powered goods.
• According to reports the global value of one ton of Lithium is around Rs 57.36 lakhs. 
• So far with the absence of any reserves of Lithium in India, it was China's monopoly over the supply of the metal. 

Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff, moving closer to recovering his world No. 1 ranking. 

• The 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open in Rome.
• He converted on his first match point on Sunday after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career.
• He had also successfully defended his title in Barcelona two weeks ago.

CPM central committee member and former health minister of Kerala, KK Shailaja's autobiographical work titled 'My Life As A Comrade' published by Juggernaut Books, a Delhi-based publishing house.

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will release the book at Kerala House in Delhi on April 28. CPM central committee meeting has been scheduled on April, 28 and 29 here.
• The book is originally written in English and co-authored by Manju Sara Rajan. The Malayalam translation of the work will be done by writer S Sithara. 
• KK Shailaja said that the autobiography was written following the request made by the publishers when she served as the minister for health.

India led as the top source market for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector for the month of April 2023. India regained the top spot after six months as almost 20,000 Indian tourists arrived in the island nation last month.

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Authority figures showed that 19,915 Indians had visited the island in April over 14,656 Russian tourist arrivals.

• Russians remained the top inbound market from October 2022 to March this year. Tourist arrivals from India in 2022 stood at 1.23 lakhs with a share of 17.1 per cent.
• In April, the arrivals topped 100,000 for the fourth consecutive time since in the island taking the total arrivals in the first four months to over 4.4 lakhs.
• Sri Lanka has achieved nearly 7.2 lakh tourist arrivals in 2022. Chairman of the SLTDA Priantha Fernando had said last month that the target for tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka will be revised to 20 lakhs from the initial estimates of 15 lakhs.

One of the world’s highest Shiva temples, Tungnath is also the highest of the five Panch Kedar temples in the district of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, has now been declared as a national monument.

• The third of the Panch Kedar temples, it was declared as a monument of national importance by the Central Government in a notification dated March 27 according to Devraj Singh Rautela of Archaeological Survey of India.
• The official revealed that ASI had been trying for a long time to declare Tungnath as a national heritage and for this it had sought objections and views from the public.

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu formally launched the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), modelled on the lines of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), to assess the quality of higher education institutions in the State.

• The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) will be the implementing agency of the annual ranking exercise.
• The State has become the first in the country to establish a State-specific ranking framework for its higher education institutions by way of the initiative. 
• The ranking framework will classify the participating institutions as universities, colleges, engineering, management, architecture, medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, law and teacher education institutions. They will also compete against each other to determine overall rankings.

Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare launched the third phase of Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY) of the Health Ministry which is being supported by Coal India as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to commemorate World Thalassemia Day.

• She also launched the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana Portal.
• Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, Anil Kumar Jha, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research were also present.
• The Union Health Ministry has been implementing the TBSY since 2017 under the National Health Mission (NHM) and had recently completed its second phase in March 2023.

The Arab League welcomed back Syria's government, ending a more than decade-long suspension and securing President Bashar al-Assad's return to the Arab fold after years of isolation.

• In November 2011, the body suspended Damascus over its crackdown on peaceful protests which began earlier that year and which spiralled into a conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructure and industry.
• While the front lines have mostly quietened, large parts of the country's north remain outside government control, and no political solution has yet been reached to the 12-year-old conflict.

A School Health Program has been launched by the Urban Development Department in Uttar Pradesh and Lucknow Smart City. Under the pilot project, the School Health Program has been started by Lucknow Smart City in three schools in Lucknow.

A digital health report card for the overall physical and mental well-being of 1765 municipal school students is also being prepared under the project.

Along with this, the benefit of health insurance worth Rs 25,000 is also being given to these children.

• The program is likely to be implemented in the state's other 9 smart cities also after the successful completion of the pilot project," the statement from the state government read.
• A unique ID card will be made for each child, through which the child's parents, school and administrative officials can download this health card. Follow-up of the Digital Health Report is also done every six months.
• If a child is admitted to the hospital due to illness, then he can be treated through a health cover cashless card of Rs 25,000.

Fintech revenues are projected to grow sixfold from $245 billion to $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to a report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and QED Investors.

• The fintech sector, which currently holds a 2 per cent share of the global financial services revenue of  $12.5 trillion, is estimated to grow up to 7 per cent, of which banking fintechs are estimated to constitute almost 25 per cent of all banking valuations worldwide by 2030, the report said. 
• While the fintechs on average lost more than half of their market value in 2022, the report maintained that the plunge is a short-term correction in an otherwise long-term positive trajectory.