General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

May 27, 2020

Costa Rica Celebrates First Same-Sex Weddings

The first same-sex weddings have taken place in Costa Rica, the first Central American country to equalise its marriage legislation.
A lesbian couple became the first to tie the knot in a ceremony that took place just after the new law came into effect.
President Carlos Alvarado said the law change meant Costa Rica now recognised the rights lesbian and gay people had always deserved.
The first same-sex marriage ceremony was broadcast as the culmination of a three-hour programme celebrating marriage equality.

Mexican Archaeologists Locate Wreck of 200-Year-Old Ship

Underwater archaeologists in Mexico have revealed details of the remains of a sailing ship they have located off the coast of Quintana Roo state.
They believe the ship sank more than 200 years ago after hitting a reef.
While most of the wood has rotted away, the ship's cannon and anchor are well preserved.
The wreck has been named after Manuel Polanco, the fisherman who first spotted it and reported it to Mexico's National Archaeological Institute.

May 26, 2020

Africa Day

Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day) is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963.
It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent, as well as around the world.

France Frowns on English Words

France has announced a new list of alternatives for English language terms such as clickbait, podcast and deepfake.
The Commission for the Enrichment of the French Language (CELF) published the new list in an official government newsletter.
It has released a number of recommendations over the years in a bid to stop English terms taking hold.

China's First Plateau-Focused Unmanned Helicopter Makes Maiden Flight

China's first domestically developed unmanned helicopter focused on plateau operations made its maiden flight.
Capable of conducting missions including reconnaissance, communication relay, electronic disruption and fire strike at high altitude, this versatile and easy-to-operate drone could help safeguard China's southwestern borders with India.
The AR500C unmanned helicopter, developed by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), successfully made its maiden flight at an AVIC base in Poyang, East China's Jiangxi Province, in which it conducted several maneuvers including hovering, horizontal and vertical moves.

May 25, 2020

Israeli Prime Minister Faces Jerusalem Court

Mr Netanyahu, 70, is the first standing leader to face trial in the country's history. He denies accusations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges has opened in Jerusalem, days after he began a new term in office.
Arrived at the courthouse for a brief hearing, he said the cases were aimed at "toppling him in any way possible".
He was sworn back into office as head of a rare unity government a week ago.
His political rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to share power following three inconclusive elections in under a year.

May 24, 2020

US Introduced H-1B Legislation to Give Priority to American-Educated Foreign Youths

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have for the first time introduced a legislation in both the chambers of the US Congress proposing major reforms in the H-1B work visas by giving priority to the best and brightest US-educated foreign youths, a move that could benefit Indian students already in the country.
Companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Trump Orders US Flags Lowered to Half-Staff For 3 Days to Honour Covid-19 Victims

President Donald Trump ordered US flags to be lowered to half-staff for three days in honour of Americans who have died from coronavirus.
The announcement came as the US COVID-19 death toll approaches the 100,000 mark, and follows calls by Democrats to lower the flag when it reaches that grim milestone.
"I will be lowering the flags on all Federal Buildings and National Monuments to half-staff over the next three days in memory of the Americans we have lost to the CoronaVirus," Trump tweeted.

Politicians From 23 Nations Criticise China's Plan to Impose Security Law in Hong Kong

Almost 200 politicians and legislators from 23 countries issued a joint statement criticizing China's plans to impose a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong, and warned that it could spark more protests in the city.
Signatories included Hong Kong's last colonial governor, Chris Patten, and former British foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind, as well as five U.S. senators, and lawmakers from Europe, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
China said it will introduce a law to prevent and punish any acts of secession, subversion or terrorism in the city that threaten national security.

US Senate Passes Bill to Delist Chinese Firms From Exchanges

The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation that could lead to Chinese companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc. being barred from listing on US stock exchanges amid increasingly tense relations between the world's two largest economies.
The bill, introduced by Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, and Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, was approved by unanimous consent and would require companies to certify that they are not under the control of a foreign government.
US lawmakers have raised red flags over the billions of dollars flowing into some of China's largest corporations, much of it from pension funds and college endowments in search of fat investment returns.

UN Lists Khudol of Manipur as One of Top 10 Global Initiatives to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

The United Nations (UN) has listed Manipur's "khudol" (gift) among the top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was listed by the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth.
Khudol is a crowdfunded initiative of Ya_All.
The initiative aims to ensure food supplies and health services for the people living with HIV, daily-wage earners, LGBTQI+ community, children, and adolescents.

May 23, 2020

Pakistan Plane Crashes Near Karachi; 99 Passengers on Board

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight on its way from Lahore to Karachi, crashed in the area near Jinnah International Airport.
The plane crashed at the Jinnah Ground area near the airport as it was approaching for landing. There were more than 90 passengers on board the Airbus aircraft.

UNICEF, Airtel Africa Team Up to Support Children, Families Affected by COVID-19

UNICEF announced a new partnership with Airtel Africa aimed at providing children with access to remote learning and enable access to cash assistance for their families via mobile cash transfers.
Under this partnership, UNICEF and Airtel Africa will use mobile technology to benefit an estimated 133 million school age children currently affected by school closures in 13 countries across sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The adverse effects of school closures on children's learning are well documented. Education experts warn that gains made in increasing access to learning in the previous decade are at risk of being lost, or even reversed completely. And for poor households around the world, the pandemic means a reduced or total loss of income due to the movement restrictions in place.
Remote learning, supported by digital tools, is a core part of UNICEF's response to ensure continuity of learning for those children with access to technology at home.
Airtel Africa will zero-rating select websites hosting educational content, which will provide children with remote access to digital content at no cost.

Hertz: Car Rental Firm Files for US Bankruptcy Protection

Car rental company Hertz has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US after the pandemic saw its business plummet.
The firm, which earns much of its income from car rentals at airports, said it had been affected by the sharp downturn in global travel.
It will continue to operate while restructuring its debts.
Hertz's international operations in Europe, Australia and New Zealand as well as its franchised locations in the US are not affected.
The company - which began operating a century ago in Chicago with a dozen Model T Ford cars - had already furloughed or laid off 20,000 employees, or around half of its global workforce, in response to the pandemic.

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