General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

May 10, 2020

WHO, UN Postal Agency Release Commemorative Postage Stamp on 40th Anniversary of Eradication of S...

World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN's postal agency have released a commemorative postage stamp on May 9, 2020 on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox. The head of the global health body expressed gratitude to a top Indian-origin UN official. In May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly issued its official declaration that the world and all peoples have won freedom from smallpox.
It ended after a 10-year WHO-spearheaded global effort that involved thousands of health workers around the world to administer half a billion vaccinations to stamp out smallpox. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, when WHO's smallpox eradication campaign was launched in 1967, one of the ways countries raised awareness about smallpox was through postage stamps.

Govt rejects Nepal protest on Lipulekh

New Delhi rejected Kathmanu's protest against the construction of a road to Lipulekh on the border with China, saying the region is "completely within the territory of India" and both sides can resolve boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue.
Nepal expressed regret at the inauguration of the route from Dharchula in Uttarakhand to Lipulekh, with a statement from the foreign ministry contending the road "passes through Nepali territory".
Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80-km road to curtail the time taken for the pilgrimage to Kailash-Mansarovar. The road ends at Lipulekh Pass, and will help pilgrims avoid dangerous high-altitude routes through Sikkim and Nepal.

US Lawmakers Propose Bill, 40,000 Covid-19 Health Workers Set to get Green Cards

A bipartisan group of US senators have introduced a legislation to grant 40,000 unused Green Cards to foreign nurses and physicians to fight the coronavirus epidemic.
They have proposed granting 25,000 of the Green Cards to nurses and the rest 15,000 to physicians, which include both those hired abroad or those already in the United States.
The US grants around 1 million Green Cards a year, which are subject to a per country-limit of 7%.

May 08, 2020

Largest Number of Children Displaced in 2019: UNICEF

More than five million people were internally displaced in India due to natural disasters, conflict and violence in 2019, constituting the highest number of new internal displacements in the world during the period followed by the Philippines, Bangladesh and China, according to a UN report.
The 'Lost at Home' report, published by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that almost 33 million new displacements were recorded in 2019 – around 25 million were due to natural disasters and 8.5 million as consequence of conflict and violence.
Of these, there were 12 million new displacements involving children, including around 3.8 million of them caused by conflict and violence, and 8.2 million due to disasters linked mostly to weather-related events.

Irans Parliament Introduces New Currency, Toman, to Tackle Inflation

The Iranian Parliament has announced the decision to replace its currency "Rial" with another basic unit of currency called the "Toman."
Each toman will be worth 10,000 rials under the new system. The move aims to ease the psychological impact of soaring consumer prices on a population that has endured high inflation for decades and grappled the number of zeros in government figures.
The move by the Iranian government aims to simplify financial transactions. Once the law is ratified, the Central Bank of Iran will have two years to implement the change. The rial and the new currency is expected to overlap for between two to five years in the market. The new system was authorized to manage high inflation in the country.

VE Day: Europe marks 75th Anniversary

Leaders across Europe are marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day with low-key ceremonies, as much of the continent remains under coronavirus lockdown.
The leaders of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, laid wreaths at small ceremonies.
Other events are also being held to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany, but large gatherings remain forbidden.
On 8 May 1945 Britain and its Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.

New Iraq Prime Minister after Five Months of Deadlock

Iraq's parliament has approved a new government, ending months of deadlock as the country battles an economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.
Former intelligence chief Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the third man to be nominated to replace Adel Abdul Mahdi since November, 2019 was sworn in as prime minister.

May 07, 2020

Poland's Presidential Poll Postponed Over Coronavirus

Poland governing coalition parties have agreed to postponed presidential election because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party had wanted the vote to go ahead to get Andrzej Duda, 47, re-elected.
But junior coalition partner Agreement and the opposition said PiS was putting political gain ahead of public health.

May 05, 2020

India Ranked 3rd Among Countries in Scientific Publication in 2018

In accordance with the Research and Development (R&D) Statistics At a Glance 2019-20 and S&T Indicators Tables 2019-20 based on the national Science & Technology (S&T) survey 2018 brought out by the National Science and Technology Management Information Sysytem (NSTMIS), Department of Science and Technology (DST).
India's gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 and also there is rise in scientific publications.

May 04, 2020

US Women's Equal Pay Claim Dismissed by Court

The United States women's football team's bid for equal pay has been dismissed by a court, with the judge rejecting the players' claims they were underpaid compared to the men.
The lawsuit was filed by 28 women's national team players last year (2019) against the US Soccer Federation (USSF).
They had been seeking $66m (£52.8m) in damages under the Equal Pay Act.

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