• World Hypertension Day is a day designated and initiated by The World Hypertension League (WHL), which is itself an umbrella to organizations of 85 national hypertension societies and leagues. The day was initiated to increase the awareness of hypertension.


• This was especially important because of the lack of appropriate knowledge among hypertensive patients. The WHL launched its first WHD on May[latex] 14^{th}[/latex], 2005. Since 2006, the WHL has been dedicating May [latex]17^{th}[/latex] of every year as WHD.

• World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on [latex]17^{th}[/latex] May since 1969, marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.

Source: Click Here

• An International crime gang which used malware to steal $100m (£77m) from more than 40,000 victims has been dismantled.


• A complex police operation conducted investigations in the US, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.


• The gang infected computers with GozNym malware, which captured online banking details to access bank accounts.


• The gang was put together from criminals who advertised their skills on online forums.

Source: Click Here

• Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing opposed countries imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and would take action.


• The Trump administration on Wednesday effectively blocked Huawei products from being used in US networks.


• The order does not name any company, but is believed to target Huawei.


• Huawei denies its products pose a security threat and says it is ready to engage with the US.

Source: Click Here

• U.S. President Donald Trump announced a proposal that will include significant changes to the way green cards are allocated, by dramatically reducing the number of family-based green cards and moving towards a points-based (“merit-based”) system that will reward, among other factors, education, skills and English language proficiency.


• The plan, which the President outlined at a Rose Garden gathering, with senior administration officials and influential Hill Republicans in attendance, sought to boost border security and tighten asylum procedures.

Source: Click Here

• Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid, is a veteran of democratic politics in the island nation and has been at the forefront of recent shifts in the balance of power in Male.


• On a brief visit to Chennai, he spoke about why the Maldives is strategically positioned to play a critical role on issues such as counterterrorism and climate change, even as it strives to address economic challenges inherited from the previous administration in Male.

Source: Click Here

• British Prime Minister Theresa May will set a timetable for her departure after a crucial vote on Brexit legislation in June, as Conservative MPs temporarily backed away from demands that she set a date for her departure this week and Boris Johnson declared his intention to enter the intra-party contest to replace her.


• Her plan will add to the significance of the vote on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill, whose crucial second reading is set to take place in the week beginning June [latex]3^{rd}[/latex], and through which the Prime Minister hopes to make a final attempt to get her Brexit plans through Parliament.

Source: Click Here

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said its probe in the Bofors case would continue in view of certain revelations made by one Michael Hershman.


• In view of Mr. Hershman's “revelations”, the agency had earlier sought the permission of the trial court to conduct further investigation in the Bofors case.

Source: Click Here

• Two days after the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, India held the 11th Consular Committee Meeting with Iran which dealt with smoothening visa and legal matters essential for bilateral ties.


• “Both sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including early conclusion of Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance on civil and commercial matters, extending longer duration of e-Visa for each other nationals on reciprocity, visa facilitation for greater people-to-people contact,” a press release issued by the MEA said.

Source: Click Here

• Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will ring the bell at the London Stock Exchange to mark the listing of the ~ 2,150 crore of masala bonds sold by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIFFB).


• Masala bonds are debt paper sold overseas by an Indian entity and denominated in rupees.


• Kerala, led by a Left Front government, is the first state to issue masala bonds, which it says would mark a new page in the state’s development. If it is successful, many debt-ridden states are likely to follow suit.

Source: Click Here

• Preparations for hosting the International Day of Yoga, a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are already underway although there is still a week to go for declaration of the Lok Sabha election results.


• Senior government officials went into a huddle at the cabinet secretariat to discuss and plan how to celebrate June [latex]21^{st}[/latex] as Yoga Day, which was instituted in 2015 to popularise the ancient physical and spiritual discipline that has its roots in India.

Source: Click Here

• The Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre and CBSE on a plea seeking ten per cent reservation for economically weaker sections in Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET), 2019.


• A vacation bench comprising justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna issued notices to the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on the plea and asked them to respond to it by July [latex]1^{st}[/latex], the next date of hearing.

Source: Click Here

• The Election Commission decided to conduct re-polling in four booths in north Kerala’s Kannur and Kasargode constituencies following complaints of bogus voting and impersonation.


• This is the first time the state is witnessing re-polling due to bogus voting.


• The re-polling will be conducted in three booths in Kasargode—booth no 19 in Pilathara AUP School in Kalliyasseri, 69 in Puthiyangadi Juma Masjid, 70 HS South Block and booth no 66 Pamburthi Mappila School in Taliparambha in Kannur constituency.


• Campaigning can be held till. Congress candidates from both constituencies have welcomed the decision.

Source: Click Here

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a vision document titled ‘Payment and Settlement Systems in India Vision 2019 – 2021’, with an aim to ensure safe, secure, convenient, quick, affordable e-payment system which do not restrict the public from accessing payment system services.


• The central bank is expecting an increase in the number of digital transactions, from 2,069 crore in December 2018 to 8,707 crore by December 2021.

Source: Click Here

• The Reserve Bank of India has asked non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) with asset size of more than ₹5,000 crore to appoint a chief risk officer (CRO) with clearly specified role and responsibilities, in view of the increasing role in direct credit intermediation of these companies.


• The RBI directive comes in the backdrop of the IL&FS imbroglio and its ripple impact on NBFCs.

Source: Click Here

• The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) entered into a tie-up with HCL. The objective of this tie-up is to improve Indian Squash.


• There will be multiple tournaments organised under the ‘HCL Squash Podium Programme’ in which both the senior and junior level.


• In recent past, very less Indian squash player has been able to make a major impact in professional squash except Dipika Pallikal, Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa.


• Recently, Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa won the Asian Championship in both men’s and women’s category held in Kuala Lumpur.

Source: Click Here

• Recently, Korea Football Association (KFA) had withdraw their bid to host Asian Cup 2023 which leave the sole other bidders China with a free run to become hosts.


• KFA announced that they are pulled out to strategically focus on a joint bid with North Korea to host Women’s World Cup in 2023.


• The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will confirm on June 4 about China’s bid to hold Asian Cup 2023 in China.

Source: Click Here

• The Council of European Chambers of Commerce(CEUCC) in India and European Union(EU) delegation will felicitate Indian actor Anil Kapoor for promoting Children’s Rights and his effort to protect the rights of girls in collaboration with Plan India and the European Union.


• Mr. Kapoor will be the Chief Guest for the celebrations. He will be accompanied by the EU Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski, EU Member states Consuls and senior representatives from the European and Indian corporate world.

Source: Click Here

• Cyril Ramaphosa’s party, African National Congress (ANC) won South African elections with majority and secured 57.51 percent votes and Cyril Ramaphosa elected as South African President.


• Last year in February 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa elected as South African President after President Jacob Zuma resigned from the post due to charges of corruption.


• This was the first time that African National Congress has got less than 60 percent votes in national polls.

Source: Click Here

• The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, announced the appointment of Ms. Padmaja as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Nauru with residence in Suva.


• She is currently serving as the High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji. She is set to take up her responsibility soon. She succeeds Vishvas Vidu Sapkal.

Source: Click Here

• NASA's Moon orbiting spacecraft has spotted the impact site of the Israeli Beresheet spacecraft on a region of the Moon called "Sea of Serenity" where it crash landed.


• SpaceIL, a non-profit organization, attempted to land its spacecraft on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the ancient volcanic field on the nearside of the Moon

Source: Click Here

• Scientists said they could be a step closer to solving the riddle behind the Moon’s formation, unveiling the most detailed survey yet of the far side of Earth’s satellite.


• In January, the Chinese spacecraft Chang’e-4 named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology became the first ever craft to touch down on the far side of the lunar surface.


• Similar to other bodies in our Solar System, the Moon is believed to have gone through a phase during its formation when it was partially or entirely composed of molten rock.

Source: Click Here

• Tributes have been pouring in, remembering him for a lifetime of designing iconic structures worldwide.


• Pei's designs are renowned for their emphasis on precision geometry, plain surfaces and natural light.


• He carried on working well into old age, creating one of his most famous masterpieces - the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar - in his 80s.

Source: Click Here

• Former Australian prime minister and Labor Party leader Bob Hawke, who dominated the country's politics in the 1980s, has died at the age of 89.


• The charismatic politician, renowned for his love of beer and cricket, served from 1983 to 1991 and is credited with modernising the economy.


• He was the centre-left Labor Party's longest-serving PM, who achieved the highest approval ratings of any leader.

A. May [latex]{18}^{th}[/latex] B. May [latex]{19}^{th}[/latex] C. May [latex]{20}^{th}[/latex] D. May [latex]{21}^{th}[/latex] Answer: B

A. May [latex]{23}^{th}[/latex] B. May [latex]{25}^{th}[/latex] C. May [latex]{27}^{th}[/latex] D. May [latex]{29}^{th}[/latex] Answer: A

A. Sir Alex Ferguson B. Sir Kenny Dalglish C. Sir Andy Murray D. Sir Alex Scott Answer: C

A. Narendra Modi B. Venkaiah Naidu C. Nripendra Misra D. Pramod Kumar Mishra Answer: D

A. May [latex]{16}^{th}[/latex] B. May [latex]{17}^{th}[/latex] C. May [latex]{18}^{th}[/latex] D. May [latex]{19}^{th}[/latex] Answer: B

A. Sachin Tendulkar B. Rahul Dravid C. Saurav Ganguly D. VVS Lakshman Answer: C

A. Kerala B. Tamil Nadu C. Karnataka D. Andhra Pradesh Answer: A

A. Ranveer Singh B. Anil Kapoor C. Anupam Kher D. Shahrukh Khan Answer: D

A. Indonesia B. Singapore C. Malaysia D. Taiwan Answer: D

A. Igor Stimac B. Ante Rebic C. Alen Halilovic D. Ivan Perisic Answer: A

A. Rajesh Kumar Agrawal B. Madan Bhimrao Lokur C. Arjan Kumar Sikri D. Prafulla Chandra Pant Answer: C

A. Japan B. Germany C. Australia D. None of these Answer: C

A. South Korea B. New Zealand C. China D. Belgium Answer: C

A. Kami Rita B. Nawang Gombu C. Tenzing Norgay D. Babu Chiri Answer: A

A. Andre Russell B. Glenn Maxwell C. David Warner D. Ben Stokes Answer: A

A. Miroslav Lajcak B. Tijjani Mohammad Bande C. Mogens Lykketoft D. Edward Ssekandi Answer: B

A. Bridging the standardization gap B. ICT: Entrepreneurship for social impact C. ICTs and improving road safety D. Women and Girls in ICT Answer: A

A. Viraj Madapp B. Rahil Gangjee C. Yosuke Asaji D. Vijay Singh Answer: C

A. HDFC ERGO General Insurance B. Bharti AXA General Insurance C. Apollo Munich Insurance D. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Answer: A

A. Dengvaxia B. Vaxchora C. MenB D. Adenovirus Answer: A

A. mVisa B. Quick response (QR) C. VPA response D. Bar response (BR) Answer: B

A. London B. Paris C. Berlin D. New York Answer: B

A. Japan B. China C. US D. Malaysia Answer: A

A. Kerala B. Goa C. Sikkim D. Rajasthan Answer: C

A. ICICI B. HDFC C. SBI D. RBI Answer: D

A. Serena Williams B. Roger Federer C. Andy Murray D. Rafael Nadal Answer: C

A. Zimbabwe B. Nigeria C. Kenya D. South Africa Answer: D

A. United Kingdom B. New Zealand C. Germany D. Poland Answer: B

A. Suresh Sharma B. Nitish Yadav C. Padmaja D. Vivek Rajan Answer: C

A. Chhattisgarh B. Himachal Pradesh C. Uttarakhand D. Rajasthan Answer: C

A. Pakistan B. New Zealand C. India D. Saudi Arabia Answer: B

A. Axis B. HDFC C. Yes Bank D. Punjab National Bank Answer: B

A. Supreme Court B. Namami Gange C. Ministry of Environment D. NGT Answer: D

A. [latex]{14}^{th}[/latex] May B. [latex]{15}^{th}[/latex] May C. [latex]{16}^{th}[/latex] May D. [latex]{17}^{th}[/latex] May Answer: D