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  • Current Affairs 14th July 2019

    Updated : 14-Jul-2019

    Current Affairs 14th July 2019 - Important Points

    • ‘Learning Playlists’ for educational videos to be launched by - You Tube
    • 7% cap on  issuing Green Card remobed by - Bill passed in US House
    • Hajj Pilgrims to carry Zamzam Water on Flight allowed by - Air India

       Current Affairs 14th July 2019 - Details

    ‘Learning Playlists’ for educational videos to be launched by - You Tube

    YouTube will be releasing ‘Learning Playlists’, a new education feature that will contain keen landing pages for educational videos on educational topics including science, math, music and language. The feature mostly targets teen students with an emphasis on delivering distraction-free lessons. To enable the same, the landing pages will be free of YouTube suggested videos. 
    More about Playlists

    • The playlists, in fact, will have organizational features including chapters on key concepts and the
      lessons will be accessible in appropriate order, from beginner to advanced level. 
    • Further, the educational videos would not have auto-play at the end of the playlist. The measure goals to maintain the subscriber’s focus aimed at the lesson in front of them, enabling them to study
      without being side-tracked.
    • YouTube had declared in October 2018 that it was financing $20 million to fund resources for
      educational creators and groups to expand educational material via Learning Fund initiative.
    • The Google-owned platform outlines to start the educational playlists with reliable partners including Khan Academy and TED-Ed.
    • While channels including Crash Course by creators Hank and John Green are believed to teach topics including chemistry, channels including the Coding Train will teach professional skills including JavaScript.
    • There is no formal release date for the same.

    7% cap on  issuing Green Card remobed by - Bill passed in US House

    United States’ House of Representatives has sanctioned a Bill named Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019/HR 1044, by an awe-inspiring 365-65 votes in a 435 members House to eradicate 7 percent nation-cap on green card claimants. The development could finish agonising
    wait of tens of thousands of skilled experts from nations including India who have sought PR in
    United States.
    Salient Features of Bill

    • The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act Bill, when inked into law would upsurge the per-
      nation cap on Family-Based Immigrant Visas from 7 per cent of total number of such visas
      available that year to 15 percent, and will also eradicate 75% cap for Employment-Based Immigrant
      Visas.
    • It removes an offset that compact number of visas for peoples belonging to China.
    • Green Card permits a non- United States inhabitant to live and work permanently in United States.
    • Indian IT professionals, who mostly go to United States on H-1B work visas, are wickedest sufferers of existing immigration system, which levies a 7% nation quota on allocation of green card /permanent legal residency.
      Reservation
    • The Bill launches transition rules for employment-based visas from FY 2020-2022 by stockpiling
      certain percentage of EB-2 including workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability, EB-3
      including skilled and other workers and EB-5 or investors visas for people not from 2 nations with
      largest number of recipients of such visas.
    • Out of extrovert visas, not above 85 percent shall be issued to immigrants from any one nation.
    • This Bill will assist ensure that those pursuing PR will not have to suffer extraordinary wait times
      which is sometimes expected at 50 years/more for individuals from nations including China and India simply because of their nation of origin.

    Hajj Pilgrims to carry Zamzam Water on Flight allowed by - Air India

    Air India has permitted pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia after Haj to carry holy water from Zamzam within permitted baggage allowance.
    Baggage allowance on all Commercial flights running out of Saudi Arabia is consistently 40 kgs for everyone. Special 5 kgs allowance is issued to those passengers who may carry ZamZam holy water. This special allowance is completely for ZamZam only which cannot be transformed into baggage allowance.
    More about Zamzam

    • The well of Zamzam is situated in Masjid al-Haram, Mecca in Kingdom Saudi Arabia and many Haj
      pilgrims bring the holy water from the well for family and friends.
    • Every year, Millions of pilgrims visit well while performing Hajj/Umrah pilgrimages to drink its
      water.
      Did you know?
      Earlier on 1st week of July, sales team of Air India’s Jeddah office well-versed all travel agents
      stating that till 15 September due to change of aircraft and limitation of seats, Zamzam cans will not
      be permitted on some flights. Now, Air India has simplified that passengers are permitted to carry
      Zamzam cans within their permitted baggage allowance.