The Daily Brief – 8th May 2019

Palestinian leaders in Gaza on May 6, 2019 agreed to a ceasefire with Israel to end a two-day escalation in violence that began on May 5 with rocket fire from Gaza. Egypt brokered the agreement to cease hostilities. Israel also lifted restrictions on civilian movements in communities around the Gaza border.

Justice PR Ramachandra Menon became 13^th Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court. His oath of office and secrecy was administered by state Governor Anandiben Patel at Raj Bhawan, Raipur. The Chhattisgarh High Court is located at Bodri District in Bilaspur, Chattisgarh. Justice Menon was appointed as permanent Judge of Kerala High on December 2010. The Chief Justice of High Court is appointed as per Article 217 of constitution by President with consultation of CJI and Governor of respective State.

Panama’s Electoral Court declared the centre-left candidate Laurentino Cortizo as winner of Panama’s presidential election. Cortizo is candidate for Panama’s Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), which won 33% of 95% of votes counted. The PRD was founded in 1979 by military ruler Omar Torrijos and has been out of power since 2009. Panama is a Central America country located on Isthmus of Panama (narrow bridge of land connecting North and South America).

G D Robert Govender, an Indian–origin journalist in South Africa was honoured with V K Krishna Menon Award 2019 in United Kingdom for his contribution as pioneer of decolonised journalism. He became first person to be honoured with this award posthumously. V K Krishna Menon was India’s first High Commissioner to Britain (United Kingdom). He served as Defence Minister of India from April 1957 to October 1962.

Purple frog is to be designated as Kerala’s state amphibian. The odd-looking species is endemic to Western Ghats and the title would help in protecting species fragile habitat. Scientific Name of the frog is Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis (N. sahyadrensis). It is also known as Maveli frog or Pignose Frog. For almost its entire life it lives in underground tunnels and comes out to surface for only a single day in a year to breed. Their conservation status is endangered as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 20 May, 2019. The meeting will also be attended by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting will conclude on May 22, 2019. The meeting assumes significance as it will be held ahead of the planned heads of government meeting that is PM Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan in Bishkek on June 14-15, 2019.

Mali’s president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on May 5, 2019 named a new government under Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, after his predecessor Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his entire cabinet resigned on April 18 following the massacre of around 160 members of the Fulani herding community on March 23 in the village of Ogossagou near Mali’s border with Burkina Faso. Mali President announced the new executive comprising 37 members under Prime Minister Boubou Cisse.

Desert Storm 2019, touted to be the longest Cross-Country Rally in India is set to kick off on May 8, 2019. The four-day-long Rally will see over 100 teams competing in high temperatures, treacherous dune crossings and fast technical gravel straights. It comprises 600 km of extremely harsh Special Stages in addition to over 900 km of Transport Stages. The first stage, covering a distance of 158 km, is starting from Bikaner in Rajasthan on May 8.