Current Affairs 18th May 2019

Current Affairs 18th May 2019 - Important Points

• Government issues drought advisory on - 18th May 2019
• US approves missile sales to South Korea on - 17th May 2019
• Merit-Based Immigration System unveiled by -  US President
• I. M. Pei, a pillar of modern architecture, died at 102 in -  US
• First Asian country Taiwan to Legalise Same-Sex Marriage on - 17th May 2019

Current Affairs 18th May 2019 - Details

Government issues drought advisory on - 18th May 2019

The Union Government has released a drought advisory to states consisting Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu and asked them to utilise water intelligently as water storage in dams is reducing to a critical level.
The advisory was released to the state of Tamil Nadu on May 18th and parallel advisories letters were forwarded to other states in the last week. The drought advisory is released to related states when the water level in dams is 20% less than the average of live water storage statistics of the last 10 years.
Significant Highlights
Water falls under the state list and the advisory mentions states to utilise it for drinking motives only
till the dams/reservoirs are replenished.
The water storage level in 91 major dams across the nation is observed by the Central Water
Commission.
Presently, the total water storage available is 22% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs.
The sum total storage capacity of these 91 dams is 161.993 BCM. The figure was at 24% for the
week ending on May 9th.
The situation appears to be forbidding in western and southern parts of the nation.

US approves missile sales to South Korea on - 17th May 2019

The USA on May 17th, 2019 sanctioned above $600 million worth Air Defence Missile sale to South Korea and Japan, in the awaken of mounting tensions with North Korea.
The United State Department has sanctioned 94 SM-2 missiles utilised by ships against air coercions, along with 12 Guidance Systems for a sum cost of $313.9 million. The country also distinctly sanctioned the sale of 160 anti-air AMRAAM missiles and concerned guidance apparatus to Japan for $317 million.
The sales goal to support the foreign policy and national security purposes of the US by assisting significant allies. They will not change the basic military balance in the region.
Tensions with North Korea

• The North Korea allegedly last week tested 2-range missiles in its 2nd launch under a week. In
  April, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had administered the test-firing of a new type of
   Tactical Guided Weapon- according to a report by the nation's state media.
• Tests come among a standstill in negotiations between North Korea and the USA, where President
  Donald Trump had assured of putting a conclusion to the North's missile tests.
• The 2nd summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended in deadlock in
  February 2019, with the United State side declining demands to comfort sanctions until Pyongyang takes major steps to finish its nuclear programme.

Merit-Based Immigration System unveiled by -  US President

The US President Donald Trump has projected rolling out of a fresh immigration plan termed “Merit-
based Immigration System”. The declaration was done in his fresh immigration policy address speech in
Rose Garden at White House.
Significant Highlights

• The new Merit and point based immigration policy lately projected by United State President Trump will replace the present green cards issued by United State with ‘Build America’ visa.
• According to President Trump under the suggested system of merit-based immigration, the permanent legal residency would be issued grounded on the individual’s points for their age, civic sense, job opportunities & knowledge. In addition to this, all migrants smearing will be needed to clear a civics exam prior to admission and learn English.
• The suggestions will significantly upsurge quota for highly-skilled workers from present nearly 12 per cent to 57 percent.
• The merit-based immigration system will stand to advantage all the immigrants,including thousands of Indian skilled workers and working professionals, who are coming up to get Green Cards.
• The suggestions would still have to be certified by Congress where presently Democrats control the
  lower house.

I. M. Pei, a pillar of modern architecture, died at 102 in -  US

The globe-trotting, versatile, preeminent Chinese-United States architect Ieoh Ming Pei, who formed a
distinct brand of modern building design with his sharp-lines and beautiful structures, has decreased at age of 102 years.
Renowned Works of I.M. Pei

• In 1948 in United States, he started his early work of designing inexpensive housing, office buildings, and  later moved to designing mixed-utilised complexes to an international collection of municipal buildings, hotels and museums.
• Few of them are Society Hill apartment complex in Philadelphia, Mile High Centre office building in Denver, and Kips Bay Plaza Apartments in Manhattan.
• The trapezoidal addition to National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
• The chiselled towers of National Centre of Atmospheric Research that combined with reddish mountains in Boulder, Colorado.
• The multi-shaped Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that is on-shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio demonstrates he captured the spirit of rebellion.
• He revitalized The Louvre with a Giant Glass about 22 metres pyramid in Paris.
• He even designed the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, which inaugurated in 2008 to fanfare.

Did you know?
I.M. Pei was born on 26th April 1917, in Canton, China and in 1935 he entered United States to study
architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University and had plans to take part in China. But World War-II and revolution in China disallowed him from going back.

First Asian country Taiwan to Legalise Same-Sex Marriage on - 17th May 2019

On May 17th, 2019 in a landmark decision, Taiwan became the 1st nation in Asia to legalise same-sex
marriage thus giving gay couples the Right to Marry.

Significant Highlights

• The Taiwanese parliament accepted the historic step by approving a law in favour of homo-sexual
  couples and permitting them to method exclusive permanent unions.
• The bill was approved on 17th May which is observed yearly as the “International Day Against
  Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia”.
• The law comprises a clause that permits couples to apply for a “marriage registration” with the
  government agencies.
• It also suggests few adoption rights to homo-sexual couples including permitting spouses to adopt
  biological children of their partner, however, does not permits homo-sexual couples to co-adopt.
• Taiwan has long been a hub for LGBT activism. Even its yearly gay pride parade is the largest in the
  region. The Taiwanese LGBT community has now been demonstration for years to have same and equal marriage rights as hetero-sexual couples. The initiative marks a enormous victory for the community’s struggle and rights.
  Significance
  With even president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen activism for a platform of marriage equality, and the historic judgement that shadowed, this places Taiwan at the vanguard of Asia’s quickly rising gay rights movement.
  It is a better start and major step towards true equality and finishing discrimination based on sexual
  orientation.