Which country became the second nation in the world to declare a climate emergency?

US is withdrawing from the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, in response to concerns from gun rights activists that it could impinge on Americans right to bear arms. Former US President Barack Obama signed the treaty in 2013 and sent the treaty to the Senate for ratification. The Trump administration has withdrawn from a number of international agreements including the Iran nuclear deal.

Zoologists from Trinity College with partners from Halu Oleo University (UHO) and Operation Wallacea, have discovered two new bird species in the Wakatobi Archipelago of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Details of their discovery of the Wakatobi white-eye and the Wangi-wangi white-eye have been published on April 24, 2019 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

The UAE has launched its Ramzan campaign in Yemen, which will include a package of charity and humanitarian initiatives that will benefit over 2.5 million people, including 1.5 million children and 5 lakh women.

Japan is testing the fastest-ever shinkansen bullet train, capable of speeds of as much as 400 kilometers (249 miles) per hour. Called the Alfa-X, the train is scheduled to go into service in 2030. Rail company JR East plans to operate it at 360 kilometers per hour. That would make it 10 kph faster than China's Fuxing Hao, which links Beijing and Shanghai and has the same top speed.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran and Pakistan to create a joint 'reaction force' on the border between the two countries, for combatting terrorism. The announcement came during a two-day visit to Iran by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, the first of his tenure. Iran and Pakistan share a 959 km land border. Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.

Nepal successfully launched its first satellite NepaliSat-1 into space. The satellite developed by the Nepalese scientists was launched from Virginia in the United States. It is a low orbit satellite which will be in the 400-km distance from the Earth's surface. Two Nepali scientists, Aabhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha who are currently studying at Japanese Kyushu Institute of Technology, developed the satellite under the BIRDS project of their institute.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump on May 8, 2019 imposed harsher sanctions on the iron, copper, steel and aluminium industry of Iran. The move is aimed at stopping Iran from pursuing its nuclear interests and acquiring nuclear weapon and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear deal stating that it had failed to protect American national security interests and enabled Tehran's malign behaviour.

The Union Government on April 23, 2019 extended the ban on import of milk and its products, including chocolates, from China till laboratories at ports for testing the presence of toxic chemical melamine are upgraded. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification that the prohibition on import of milk, milk products including chocolates, chocolate products, candies, confectionary and food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient from China is extended until the capacity of all laboratories at ports of entry have been suitably upgraded for testing melamine. The extension of the ban was recommended by Food regulator FSSAI until all labs at ports are modernised to test the chemical.

Taiwan plans to strengthen ties with India's new government, including more official visits despite China's continuing efforts to isolate what it considers to be a wayward province. After India's general election results on May 23, the two countries will strengthen trade and cultural ties. The centre in the Indian capital operates as a de facto embassy, helping Indian and Taiwanese companies to expand business ties and easing discreet dialogue between government officials. Taiwan has opened four trade offices in India in the last few years and two-way trade has risen more than six-fold since 2000 to stand at more than $7 billion in 2018.

To boost tea trade,cultural and technical exchanges as well as global promotion of tea,the Asian Tea Alliance (ATA), a union of five tea-growing and consuming countries,was opened in Guizhou,China. The alliance was constituted with Indian Tea Association,Indonesian tea Marketing Association,China tea marketing Association,Sri Lanka Tea Board and tea Association. This Alliance was formed based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Indian tea Association and China tea Marketing Association in December 2018 to promote tea consumption in India, China, U.S., Russia, Europe and West Asia.