 Russia launched a nuclear-powered icebreaker, part of an ambitious programme to renew and expand its fleet of the vessels in order to improve its ability to tap the Arctic’s commercial potential. The ship, dubbed the Ural and which was floated out from a dockyard in St Petersburg, is one of a trio that when completed will be the largest and most powerful icebreakers in the world. The Ural is due to be handed over to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom in 2022 after the two other icebreakers in the same series, Arktika (Arctic) and Sibir (Siberia), enter service. |
| Source- The Guardian |
 US President Donald Trump got the red carpet treatment at Japan’s Imperial Palacewhere he made history, becoming the first world leader to meet with the new emperor of Japan Naruhito. The US President is on a four-day state visit to Japan. Trump will go to the Japanese state guest house later for meetings and joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. |
| Source- All India Radio (AIR News) |
 Cyril Ramaphosa, the head of the African National Congress, was sworn in for a five-year term as South Africa’s president after being elected unopposed by Parliament following the sixth general elections. He was elected earlier this month with a majority of 57.50%, the smallest since the party came to power 25 years ago. Mr. Ramaphosa initially took over from Jacob Zuma in 2018 after Mr. Zuma was accused of corruption. Mr. Ramaphosa is the country’s fifth democratically elected president since apartheid ended in 1994. |
| Source- The BBC News |
 Sri Lankan navy has launched extra vigil on its northern seas in wake of media reports that some terrorist elements may have left the country to land on Indian shores. Earlier, several media outlets reported that a group of 15 suspected Islamic State terrorists were fleeing Sri Lanka towards the Kerala Coast. Coastal security has been beefed up across the Kerala coast in wake of reports. |
| Source- DD News |
 British Prime Minister Theresa May announces resignation from her post. She will resign on 7 June. Her announcement triggers the start of a contest to replace her as Conservative leader and Prime Minister. |
| Source- BBC |
 The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free, with no recorded cases of indigenous transmission of the disease since 2013 and 2010 respectively. Contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito, malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers. It accounted for an estimated 219 million cases from 87 countries and over 400,000 related deaths in 2017, according to WHO’s World malaria report 2018. |
| Source- The Telegraph |
 The World Bank and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) have teamed up to enable recording of secondary market bond trading using blockchain tech. The institutions announced that their successful recording of a secondary transaction for bond-i, a blockchain-operated debt instrument, on a distributed ledger shows the “vast potential” of the technology, and marks the first bond to have both issuance and trading recorded on a blockchain platform. |
| Source- Coindesk |
 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. As per 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% to 57%. |
| Source- AIR World Service |
 The Saudi government has approved for the first time a scheme that gives permanent residency to certain expatriates, allowing them to own real estate in the kingdom and reside with their families without a Saudi sponsor. The “Privileged Iqama” system will offer a permanent residence scheme and one that can be renewed annually to highly skilled expatriates and owners of capital funds. |
| Source: Livemint |
 The UN has imposed sanctions on terror group ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) for its links with Al-Qaeda and involvement in several attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is now subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. The group, formed in 2015 by a Pakistani national and a former commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, has killed over 150 people. The United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee sanctioned Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan (ISIL-K). |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
You need to login to perform this action.
You will be redirected in
3 sec
