UN's International Labour Organization announced that Qatar is set to abolish its exit visa system for all foreign workers by the end of 2019.The country was committed to labour reform following an Amnesty international report that the 2022 World Cup host was failing to stop widespread labour abuse. Qatar has launched labour reforms since its selection as the 2022 World Cup host, with the event set in motion a huge construction plan employing foreign workers.In 2018, Qatar approved legislation to dismiss the sponsorship system or "kafala", which claimed that foreign workers obtain permission from their employers to leave the country.

Sri Lanka's first satellite Raavana l was launched into space from NASA's Flight Facility on Virginia's east shore. The satellite was designed and developed by two Sri Lankan engineers at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan. It will be shuttled to the International Space Station. The "Raavana 1" was launched into space with the assistance of the US rocket "Antares". Raavana 1 weights around 1.05 kg and is 1000 cubic centimetres in size. The minimum lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years and it is expected to be active for five years. Raavana 1 satellite's camera mission is to capture images of Sri Lanka and its neighbouring countries. The Raavana-l is expected to orbit 400 kilometres away from the earth. The satellite will achieve an active attitude stabilization which ensures that the satellite's attitude is stable under the influence of external talks. The launch of Raavana-l marks Sri Lanka's entry into the global space age.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has appealed to the international community to lift travel warnings issued after the Easter Sunday attacks.India, United States, China, UK and Australia are among the countries which issued travel warnings after Easter attacks.

India and China signed a protocol for the export of Indian chilli meal to China. This is the fourth protocol signed between the two nations over the past year allowing the export of farm commodities from India. They agreed to resolve market access issues expeditiously in order to achieve the vision of the leaders of both India and China by promoting a more balanced trade. At the end of the meeting, a protocol was signed for export of chilli meal from India to China. The protocols for export, signed since June 2018, include those for basmati and non-basmati rice, fish meal and oil and tobacco leaves.

Saudi Arabia will host the annual G20 leaders' summit on November 21-22, 2020, in its capital Riyadh. This will be the first G20 Summit to be hosted in the Arab world. Japan will host this year's G20 summit in Osaka, which will be held June 28-29, as well as ministerial meetings in eight cities. In 2018, the conference was held in Buenos Aries, Argentina and focused on the global economy, the future of labour markets and gender equality.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.