1. The Serbian lawmakers on May 21, 2019, amended the penal code to introduce a life sentence without parole, despite concerns voiced by the Council of Europe. Until now, the maximum sentence in Serbia, which seeks to join the European Union, was 40 years in prison.
2. The opposition party in Sri Lanka has submitted a no-confidence motion against the ruling government over Easter Sunday attacks as several programs were organized to mark one month of the incident which killed over 250 people including 45 foreigners.
3. Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda passed away on May 20, 2019. He was 70. One of the best-known figures in motor racing, Lauda took the title for Ferrari in 1975 and 1977 and McLaren in 1984. He is also remembered for his remarkable recovery and return to racing after being badly burned in a crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix.
4. Pakistan appointed Mueenul Haq as the High Commissioner to India. Haq succeeds Sohail Mehmood. Haq, a career diplomat, is currently serving as Ambassador to France.
5. Oman author Jokha Alharthi won the prestigious ‘Man Booker International Prize 2019’ for her novel “Celestial Bodies”. The “Celestial Bodies” novel is the story of three sisters Mayya, Asma, and Khawla. The novel confronts Oman’s history of slavery, which was abolished in the country only in 1970.
6. Google has suspended all business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services and canceled its Android license.
7. The seven-phased 2019 Lok Sabha Elections in Uttar Pradesh concluded on May 19, 2019, for 80 constituencies. Uttar Pradesh has 80 parliamentary constituencies, of which, 17 are reserved for candidates belonging to scheduled caste.
8. The RBI’s central board approved the creation of a specialized supervisory and regulatory structure for commercial banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and urban cooperative banks.
9. The Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR) began on May 20, 2019, at Andaman and Nicobar Command. For this purpose, Myanmar Navy Ship UMS King TabinShweHtee (773) and UMS Inlay (OPV-54) arrived at Port Blair.
10. The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed on May 21, 2019, every year to deepen understanding of the values of cultural diversity, as three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension.
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