India begins launching “pink booths” to encourage female voting
“Pink booths” feature an all-female staff – including police and security personnel – and childcare facilities in order to encourage women to vote.
Nations
U.K. government announces ban on all plastic straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers
The ban will come into place in April 2020 and will be applied throughout towns and cities in England.
India projected to surpass Paris Agreement clean energy commitment
According to a new report from Moody’s, India will likely see the share of non-fossil fuel power generation capacity to 45% by 2022 against a commitment of 40% by the same year.
Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia
Lawmakers in Taiwan have approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the first place in Asia to pass gay marriage legislation.
187 nations signed a UN plastics waste protocol
The protocol requires countries that want to ship their waste products to other nations to first obtain the permission of the receiving nations.
Tanzania bans the use of plastic bags
In a historic conservation move the government of the United Republic of Tanzania has announced the ban on plastic bag use beginning June 1, 2019.
Germany tests its first ‘electric highway’ for trucks
Germany is testing a eHighway system with a hybrid truck receiving power from cables to keep it from using its combustion engine.
Residential solar booming in Australia: Q1 installations up 46% from 2018
A record amount of new solar capacity has been fitted to Australia’s households and businesses in the first three months of this year, an increase of 46% on the same period last year.
Ghana marks 10 years of polio-free status
The Ghana National PolioPlus Committee on Wednesday has marked 10 years of the country’s polio-free status.
Mexico plans to legalize cannabis by October 2019
Mexican lawmakers will hash out the details of a marijuana regulation bill during the upcoming summer recess, with the goal of passing the legislation ahead of an October deadline, a key committee leader said.