Current Affairs One-liners — 08 May 2025

Thu, 08 May 2025

• The Conclave elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope on 8 May 2025; he took the name Leo XIV and is the first Pope from the United States of America and the first Augustinian Pope.
• Iran's Foreign Minister Dr Abbas Araghchi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 8 May 2025, in the 75th anniversary year of India–Iran diplomatic relations.
• World Thalassemia Day was observed on 8 May 2025 with the theme 'Together for Thalassemia: Uniting Communities, Prioritizing Patients'; Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy announced a 'One State, One Hospital' goal for bone marrow transplants under Coal India's Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana.
• 'Arnala', the first of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft built by GRSE, Kolkata, was delivered to the Indian Navy on 8 May 2025 at L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli.
• INS Sunayna, deployed as Indian Ocean Ship Sagar with personnel from nine Indian Ocean Region navies, returned to Kochi on 8 May 2025 after a month-long deployment in the south-west Indian Ocean.
• India and Chile signed the Terms of Reference for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on 8 May 2025, with the first round of talks set for 26–30 May 2025 in New Delhi.
• NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub held a workshop on 8 May 2025 for states on attracting investment in AI-ready datacentres, noting that India generates nearly 20% of the world's data but has just 3% of global datacentre capacity.
• The Jharkhand cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on 8 May 2025 approved 275 Anganwadi centres in PVTG areas under PM-JANMAN, seven new One Stop Centres and a rise in dearness allowance to 55%.
• The Ministry of Coal signed the Coal Gasification Plant Development and Production Agreement with Jindal Steel and Power, New Era Cleantech Solution and Greta Energy and Metal under Category II of the Coal Gasification Financial Incentive Scheme on 8 May 2025.
• Union Minister Dr Virendra Kumar distributed sanitation kits and Ayushman cards to sanitation workers under the NAMASTE scheme in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on 8 May 2025 and reviewed welfare work for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic communities at Tisgaon Tanda.
• India took part as a Country Champion at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 in Washington D.C. (5–8 May 2025), showcasing the SVAMITVA scheme and the Gram Manchitra platform.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated new buildings and hostels built at a cost of ₹57.47 crore for the Government Model School at Thuvakudi, Tiruchi, on 8 May 2025.
• A modular, adjustable cattle cage with a ramp that doubles as a door, developed by Prof. Sandip S. Patil's team at Guru Gobind Singh College of Engineering and Research Centre, Nashik, under a DST-SEED project, can ease cattle transport, the DST said on 8 May 2025.