• The US has denied visit visas to three senior Pakistani officials for not taking back Pakistani immigrants who are illegally residing in America. 

• This was disclosed by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

• Washington`s move came after a warning was issued late last month by the US that the visa sanction policy might also withhold visas of Pakistani senior officials and not just of ordinary travellers. 

• The decision was taken under a law according to which countries refusing to take back deportees and visa over-stayers could be denied American visas.

 

 

• US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to protect American computer networks from foreign adversaries. 

• Mr. Trump signed an executive order which effectively bars US companies from using foreign telecoms believed to pose a security risk to the country. 

• Mr Trump does not name any company specifically in the order. However, analysts suggest it is mainly directed at Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

• A number of countries - including the US - have raised concerns that the company`s products could be used by China for surveillance. Huawei has said its work does not pose any threat. 

• The US is also embroiled in an escalating trade war with China.

 

 

• The US State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency employees from Iraq, amid rising tensions between the US and Iraq`s neighbour Iran. 

• The US Embassy in Baghdad advised such employees to leave Iraq by commercial transportation as soon as possible. 

• Referring to the embassy and the US consulate in Erbil, the State Department said that normal visa services at both posts will be temporarily suspended. 

• It has also warned its citizens against travelling to the country due to the high risk of violence and kidnapping.

• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had made an unannounced visit to Iraq last week amid escalating tensions with Iran. US Central Command had warned in a statement that Iranian-backed forces presented credible and possibly imminent threats to US forces in Iraq, without disclosing further details. 

• There were reports suggesting that US investigators believed that the sabotage of the four commercial ships in the territorial waters of the UAE was carried out by proxies of Iran.

• Saudi Arabia has also blamed the Houthi militia for the drone attack on two of its oil pumping station. Houthis are believed to be backed by Iran.

• Last week, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani had announced partial withdrawal from some of the commitments made under the landmark 2015 International Nuclear Deal. 

• The announcement came after US unilaterally decided last year to withdraw from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran.

 

 

• Austria has approved a law aimed at banning the headscarf in primary schools. However, patka head covering worn by Sikh boys or the Jewish kippa would not be affected, says the government. 

• The law was proposed by the ruling right-wing government.

• Representatives of both parts of the governing coalition, the centre-right People`s Party (OeVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), have said that the law is targeted at the Islamic headscarf.

• FPOe education spokesman Wendelin Moelzer said the law was a signal against political Islam while OeVP MP Rudolf Taschner said the measure was necessary to free girls from subjugation.

• Opposition MPs almost all voted against the measure, with some accusing the government of focusing on garnering positive headlines rather than child welfare.

• The government has admitted that the law is likely to be challenged at Austria`s constitutional court, either on grounds of religious discrimination or because similar legislation affecting schools is normally passed with a two-thirds majority of MPs.

 

 

• The opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations will be held in the China National Convention Center, Beijing where Xi Jinping, Chinese President will deliver a keynote speech.

• The Forum on Global Influence of Asian Civilizations is 1 of the 6 parallel forums of the “Conference of Dialogue on Asian Civilizations”. 

• The Forum on Global Influence of Asian Civilizations is organized by the National Radio and Television Administration of the People’s Republic of China.

• The representatives from 47 Asian and other invited countries will attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations event. The theme of the event is “Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Asian Civilizations and a Community with a Shared Future.”

• The conference will include thematic forums, an Asian culture carnival and Asian Civilization Week.

• The vice minister of the National Radio and Television Administration of the People’s Republic of China, Fan Weiping hosted the opening ceremony of the forum.

• The deputy head of Publicity Department of CPC Committee, Nie Chenxi, delivered the keynote speech.

• The theme of the forum was “Asian Values for the World,” where the speakers discussed the rich and contemporary values of Asian civilizations and also elaborated on the new missions of Asian civilizations in the present times.

• A supporting activity termed as the “Dialogue on Asian Internet Audio-Visual Broadcasting Policy and Release of Cooperation Results,” will be held in line with the forum.

 

 

• In Saudi Arabia, authorities have granted exit visas to 450 stranded Indian workers and their repatriation will begin soon. 

• This was announced by India`s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr. Ausaf Sayeed on the occasion of Iftar to share the meal with the workers. 

• He added that the  Indian Embassy is working to obtain exit visas for the remaining workers.

 

 

• US President Donald Trump has rolled out a merit-based immigration system from which foreigners, including hundreds and thousands of Indian professionals and skilled workers, waiting to get Green Cards or permanent legal residency stand to benefit. 

• He made the announcement in his Rose Garden speech. 

• President Trump said under the proposed system permanent legal residency would be given based on points for their age, knowledge, job opportunities and civic sense. 

• The proposals significantly increase the quota for skilled workers from the existing nearly 12 per cent to 57 per cent. 

• Besides, immigrants will be required to learn English and pass a civics exam prior to admission.

 

 

• The Mint Globetrotter Index was prepared by Mint’s data partner Howindialives.com which is a database and search engine for public data that took into account 25 essential spends in total, ranging from multifarious categories, namely, accommodation, shopping, leisure, market and food and came up with an index which would help general public to travel well-informed.

• For an easy comparison between different cities, the indices were benchmarked to a value of 100 for Delhiand re-based accordingly.

• This means that, Zurich has an index value of 301 (this means that the 25 items cost 201% more of what they cost in Delhi) Kathmandu has an index of 82 (the same items here cost 18% less than what they cost in Delhi).

• The ‘others’ category in the Mint Globetrotter Index comprises of 7 cities across Africa, West Asia and the Indian Ocean, among which, Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, is the most expensive with an index value of 192 and a rank of 28.

• The cost profile of Lagos is very similar to that of India and ranks 5th on the index and is the cheapest in the category.

• Dubai is much more costlier than Delhi and ranks 24 on the overall cost index.

• Cape Town, the oldest city in South Africa ranked 16 on the overall index and is 47% costlier than Delhi.

• Amsterdam is the most expensive city on the index, whereas Bali is the 9th cheapest.

 

 

• United States has reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum and the corresponding retaliatory tariffs. 

• This move is likely to ease trade tensions between the three North American countries.

• Elimination of these tariffs is expected to remove a significant barrier to passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The 1.4 trillion dollar in North American trade supports more than 12 million American jobs.

• Mr Trump in his address to the National Association of Realtors Legislative Meeting said he is pleased to announce that they have just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico. 

• He said he will be selling US product into those countries without the imposition of tariffs or major tariffs. 

• President Trump said the agreement is going to be a fantastic deal for the US. He hoped the Congress will approve the USMCA quickly.

• The steep US tariffs imposed last year -- 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum -- became a major stumbling block to ratifying a new North American trade pact negotiated last year by the three countries.

 

 

• For the first time in Asia, Taiwan’s parliament legalised same-sex marriage, as lawmakers passed a billpermitting same-sex couples to form ‘exclusive permanent unions‘ which would let them apply for a ‘marriage registration’ (under Clause Four) with government agencies.

• In 2017, Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry, but also notified that Taiwan had 2 years to make necessary changes to the law.

• The vote took place on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, that is on 17th May, 2019. 

• Taiwan has been 1 of the most progressive societies in Asia for gay rights, in the last 10 years. Taiwan had staged Asia’s biggest annual gay pride parade.

• The only places in the broader Asia-Pacific region to have passed gay marriage laws are Australia and New Zealand.

• Vietnam decriminalised gay marriage celebrations in 2015, but it did not legalise same-sex marriages.

 

 

• Senegalese parliament has approved a constitutional reform to remove the post of prime minister.

• The motion was passed with 124 MPs (member of parliament) voting in favour of the motion, while 7 MPsvoting against the motion

• The parliament also supported the legislative alterations, whose prime objective was to prevent the president from dissolving the National Assembly. In doing so, it could no longer raise a motion of no confidence against the government

• The Opposition parties have rejected the constitutional alterations.

• Macky Sall, in early April, announced the decision for the Prime Minister (Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne) to abolish his own job.

• Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne served as the Prime Minister of Senegal since 6th July, 2014. He is the 3rd prime minister appointed by President Macky Sall. President Sall reappointed Dionne as Prime Minister on 6 September 2017.

• Dionne was preceded by Aminata Toure.

• Macky Sall has been the President of Senegal since April, 2012. He was re-elected as the President in the first round voting in February 2019 Senegalese presidential election. Sall was preceded by Abdoulaye Wade.

 

 

• The World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting of developing countries will begin in New Delhi. 

• The two-day meeting is being held at a time when the multilateral rule-based-trading system is facing serious and grave challenges. 

• The meeting will provide an opportunity for the Ministers to discuss various issues and the way forward. On the first day, there will be a meeting of senior officers of the participating countries. Tomorrow, the Ministerial Meeting will be held. 

• India has convened a WTO (World Trade Organization) ministerial meeting of 16 developing and six least developed countries. Issues such as impasse on the appointment of WTO`s appellate body members and way forward on reforms at the global trade body would be discussed in the meeting of developing countries in New Delhi on May 13-14.

• The 22 countries would also try to build consensus on how to move forward on the WTO reforms, while preserving the fundamentals of the multilateral trading system.

• On the first day, there will be a meeting of senior officials of the participating countries and on the second day, the ministerial meeting will be held. Ministers from Bangladesh, Central African Republic and South Africa have confirmed their participation. Vice ministers, senior officials and ambassadors will be representing other countries.

• Participating countries include Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Chad, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.

 

 

• 131st birth anniversary of leading English haematologist, Lucy Wills who was the pioneer in tackling prenatal anaemia during pregnancy was observed on 10th May . 

• Lucy`s seminal work in India in the late 1920s and early 1930s helped identify folic acid supplementation to prevent anaemia in pregnant women. 

• Wills spent her life traveling the world and researching on the health of pregnant women until her death in 1964.

• Born in 1888, she  conducted seminal work in India in 1928 on macrocytic anaemia during pregnancy. 

• Lucy Wills observed an apparent correlation between the dietary habits of different classes of Bombay women and the likelihood of their becoming anaemic during pregnancy. 

• Poor women were the ones with both the most deficient diets and the greatest susceptibility to anemia.

• This anemia was then known as `pernicious anemia of pregnancy`. 

• However, Lucy Wills was able to demonstrate that the anemia she observed differed from true pernicious anemia. 

• The nutritional factor called the `Wills Factor` was subsequently shown to be folate, the naturally occurring form of folic acid. 

• Her observations led to the discovery of a nutritional factor in yeast which both prevents and cures this disorder. 

• It was later found to help not just pregnant mothers but also the child by helping in their brain development.

 

 

• Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai have cautioned that Indians seeking jobs in the UAE must authenticate their employment offers and permit visas before arriving in the country.

• Amid cases of duping and visa frauds, the Consulate in Dubai said that job aspirant should not come on visit visas.

• The Embassy in Abu Dhabi used its account on social networking sites to caution job hunters to follow the standard procedure, and obtain a valid work permit and employment letter before reaching the UAE.

• Government of India had earlier said that starting from January 2019, registration is mandatory for all Indian nationals holding an employment visa in all the 18-emigration check required (ECR) countries. 

• Expats with a valid employment visa have to register in the portal www.emigrate.gov.in.

 

 

• The United States government has come up with a first of its kind strategy to prevent, detect and respond to threats from infectious diseases occurring naturally or accidentally, in an effort to help improve the world`s ability to stop and contain deadly outbreaks before they spread between countries.

• The Global Health Security Strategy defines the actions the US administration will take by adopting a whole-of-government approach to health security and leveraging the strengths of different federal departments, agencies and funding streams. 

• A senior administration official told reporters after the strategy was released by the White House, that their National Security Strategy specifically identifies combating biological threats and pandemics as a cornerstone of national security. 

• Biological threats, like infectious disease outbreaks, are a national security priority. 

• The strategy outlines a coordinated US approach that focuses on three interrelated goals: strengthen partner country global health security capacities, increase international support for global health security and a homeland prepared and resilient against global health threats, the official said.

• The White House said that the US is working with international partners to help improve the world`s ability to stop and contain infectious disease outbreaks before they spread between countries.

 

 

• After a meeting of Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan and General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) Vice Minister Li Guo, India and China signed a protocol for exportation of Indian chilli meal to China.

• In the meeting both the dignitaries discussed the challenges related to trade regarding the pending Indian request for agricultural products, that wasn’t been given clearance.

• They also agreed to resolve the market access issues quite fast in order to achieve the vision of a more balanced trade.

• In order to bridge the trade deficit (which stood at 50.12 $ billion during April-February 2018-19), India is seeking larger market access in the Chinese market for its manufactured and agricultural products.

• This is why India has shared a list of 380 products with China that includes horticulture, textiles, chemicals and pharmaceutical products.

 

1            Mango             2003

2           Bitter Gourd 11th April, 2005

3             Grapes           11th April, 2005

4       Rapeseed Meal      15th May, 2015

5        Basmati Rice     21st November, 2006

6  Basmati Rice and

           Non-Basmati Rice      9th June, 2018

7    Fish meal/ fish oil      28th November, 2018

8       Tobacco leaves            21st January, 2019

9        Chilli Meal                  9th May, 2019

 

 

• Iran is likely to announce that it is partially withdrawing from the nuclear deal it struck with world powers, its state-run news agency reported. 

• The move comes a year after President Donald Trump pulled America from the accord. The terms of the withdrawal remain unclear. 

• The news agency said President Hassan Rouhani will explain Iran`s decision in letters to leaders of Britain, France and Germany that will be handed over to their ambassadors in Tehran. 

• Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif will separately write to the European Union, the agency said. 

• The United Nations` nuclear watchdog says Iran has continued to comply with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.

 

 

• One of the most prestigious international event from the world of cinema, Cannes Film Festival will begin in France. 

• Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare, who is leading Indian delegation at Cannes, will inaugurate India Pavilion tomorrow. 

• The Pavilion will showcase Indian cinema across linguistic, cultural and regional diversity, with the aim of forging international partnerships in distribution, production, filming in India. 

• Indian Delegation will also release a special poster to mark the golden jubilee of International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2019).

 

 

• Chinese Navy has commissioned two new Type 052D guided missile destroyers in Dalian, a coastal city. They are the 19th and 20th ships in the class and are named as Tangshan and Suzhou. China, at present, has 20 Type 052Ds either in active service or to be launched for service soon.

• The destroyers are fast and warships are operated for long distances. In addition, they can be used to accompany the aircraft carriers.

• The newly developed Type 052D destroyers are the upgrades of its previous version Type 052C.

• The Type 052D destroyer is a large 7500 tone destroyer. It was introduced into the People’s Liberation Army Navy(PLAN) in March 2014.

• PLAN is the World’s fastest growing Navy as it adds new vessels to the fleet every month.

• Last month, PLAN celebrated its 70th anniversary in Qingdao, China. Indian naval ships including INS Kolkata along with tanker INS Shakti participated in it.

• For the first time in its history, Chinese navy has logistics bases in Djibouti in the Indian Ocean. 

• It is developing Pakistan’s Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea and has also acquired Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port for 99 years in a debt swap.

 

• Two warships of the Indian Navy have reached the South Korean port city of Busan after participating at an international maritime parade off the coast of Qingdao in China.

• The Indian Navy said INS Kolkata and INS Shakti are in Busan as part of a deployment of the eastern fleet to the South China Sea.

• "In a demonstration of India`s Act East policy and the Indian Navy`s increasing footprint and operational reach, Indian naval ships Kolkata and Shakti have arrived at Busan, South Korea on a three-day visit as part of deployment of the Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea on April 28," it said in a statement.

• The two ships had gone to China to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR), organised to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Navy.

• The Navy said the two ships will participate in the ADMM-Plus Maritime Security Field Training Exercise (FTX) at Busan.

• The ADMM-Plus is a platform of the 10-member bloc, ASEAN, and its eight dialogue partners. The aim of the ADMM-Plus is to strengthen the security and defence cooperation among the member countries of the grouping.

• In the United States, Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden has accused President Donald Trump of abusing the powers of his office and ignoring everyone but his political base.

 

 

 

• According to the 2019 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR), rural areas continue to be in a state of crisis and threatening to slow the progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, global climate targets, and improved food and nutrition security due to hunger, malnutrition, poverty, environmental degradation. 821 mn people in the world are facing chronic food deprivation.

• The report was prepared by the Washington DC-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

• Rural transformation and revitalization have been the pre-eminent goal of India’s development efforts since independence, according to the report.

• It also points out the changing consumption patterns due to urbanization, increasing income, growing integration of food supply chains and food systems in India which offer new opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment in rural areas.

 

 

• US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate links between Russia and Donald Trump`s campaign in the Presidential elections, has submitted his resignation.

• In a letter to Mr Trump, Rosenstein said, he will leave his post on the 11th of next month. Attorney General William Barr confirmed in a statement that the letter had been submitted.

 

 

• The report titled, ‘The Belt and Road Initiative Progress, Contributions and Prospects’ released by the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative had previously listed the BCIM as a BRI project. But, owing to the fact that India had skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor ran the possibility to be excluded from the list of projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) umbrella.

• The BRI is a major initiative speared by China to reconstruct the ancient Silk Road connectivity across Eurasia and Africa.

• This has come to limelight after a document attached with the Joint Communique of the Leaders’ Roundtable of the BRF that concluded in Beijing, the website did not list the BCIM as a project under the BRI. South Asia is covered by 3 main undertakings, namely:

• the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)

• the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, inclusive of the Nepal-China cross-border railway

• the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

• For the 2nd time, India did not participate in the BRF since the CPEC passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

 

 

• INS Kolkata and INS Shakti arrived at Busan, South Korea to participate in ADMM-PLUS (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting).

• Indian Navy’s 2 warships, INS Kolkata and INS Shakti had gone to Qingdao in China to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR), which is an international maritime parade organised off the coast of China. It is celebrated to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Navy.

• After participating in the parade, the 2 warships, INS Kolkata and INS Shakti reached Busan, South Korean port city on a 5-day visit as part of a deployment of the Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea. The deployment was regarding demonstration of Act East policy of India and the Indian Navy’s rising footprint and operational reach.

• During the 5-day visit, the warships will develop professional interaction with ADMM-Plus Navies for boosting naval co-operation between the countries.

• The Indian Navy notified that the 2 warships, on arrival were welcomed into the harbour by Republic of Korea’s (ROK) Navy’s officials. The ships will participate in the ADMM-Plus Maritime Security Field Training Exercise (FTX) at Busan.

• The ships will depart on 1st May, 2019, after which they are scheduled to join a maritime security exercise with the participating navies. After the completion of this exercise, the warships will sail to Singapore to celebrate the closing ceremony of the ADMM-Plus exercise.

• The Navy also notified that INS Kolkata and INS Shakti will also participate in the International Maritime Defence Expo, IMDEX-19, and the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise, SIMBEX, both at Singapore.

• The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN, the 10-member bloc and its eight dialogue partners, namely, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russian Federation and the United States.  The prime objective of the ADMM-Plus is to strengthen the security and defence cooperation  for peace, stability and development in the region.

 

 

• The UN agency for disaster reduction has commended the Indian Meteorological Department`s almost pinpoint accuracy of early warnings that helped authorities conduct a well-targeted evacuation plan and minimize the loss of life as extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani made landfall near the coastal city of Puri. 

• Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of the Geneva-based UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Mami Mizutori said that India`s zero casualty approach to managing extreme weather events is a major contribution to the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the reduction of loss of life from such events. 

• Mizutori was referring to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda. It is a 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the state has the primary role to reduce disaster risk. 

• UN agencies are monitoring Fani`s movements closely and taking measures to protect families living in refugee camps in Bangladesh, which is on .

 

 

• Afghanistan`s president Ashraf Ghani has announced the release of 175 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture. 

• The Taliban has so far refused to engage in direct peace talks with the government. 

• The militants are negotiating directly with a US envoy in Qatar, as Washington seeks to wind up the longest war in its history, which began in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. 

• The goodwill gesture is the result of the three-day huge peace meeting held in Kabul demanding immediate and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan. 

 

 

• US lawmakers urge Trump administration not to end India`s trade privileges. 

• Twenty-four US members of Congress sent a letter yesterday to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, urging him not to end a vital trade concession for India, a day before the Trump administration is likely to announce a decision on it. 

• The lawmakers said that ending the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which allows preferential duty-free imports of up to 5.6 billion dollars from the South Asian nation, would impose “hundreds of millions of dollars annually in new taxes” on American companies. They urged the administration to continue negotiating a deal with India that would protect American jobs. 

• A decision to scrap the trade privilege comes as President Donald Trump has vowed to cut the US trade deficit and repeatedly called out India for high tariffs. India is the world’s largest beneficiary of GSP.

 

 

• Stockholm International peace research institute (SIPRI) has launched a new initiative named Global Registry of Violent Deaths (GReVD) to establish the annual number of violent deaths worldwide.GReVD will count deaths caused by all forms of violence and display these in an open-source database and enable monitoring of progress on the world’s commitment to ‘significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere’ by 2030 as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—Goal 16.

• The database will enable policymakers and researchers and the general public to track trends in violence at global, regional, national, provincial, city and municipal levels.

• GReVD will hold a single entry for every violent death, including perpetrator, time, location, victim and type of violence.

• The sources will be verifiable news reports of lethal events and processing will involve machine coding to manage the volume of entries, as well as human coding to ensure accuracy and consistency.

• The first phase of the project is financed by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development and Swedish Postcode Foundation.