News Headlines - 17 May 2019

▽Taiwan gay marriage: Parliament legalises same-sex unions - BBC News

Taiwan's parliament has become the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage following a vote on Friday.
In 2017, the island's constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry.
Parliament was given a two-year deadline and was required to pass the changes by 24 May.

▽Vodafone reveals mammoth ￡6.6bn loss and slashes dividend | The Independent

Vodafone has revealed a mammoth ￡6.6bn annual loss and has cut shareholder dividends for the first time.
The mobile phone giant slashed its payout by 40 per cent, dealing a blow to millions of investors, as it sought to reduce its mountain of debt.
Vodafone swung to a huge loss from ￡2.8bn a year earlier, after it wrote down the value of some of its assets and took a hit on the sale of Vodafone India.

▽Microsoft, Sony partner on streaming games, chips and AI - Reuters

Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp on Thursday said they struck a strategic partnership in which Sony would use Microsoft’s cloud for streaming games and media and the two would work together to develop image sensors.
The deal is in its early stages, with many specifics yet to be determined. But the owners of two major consumer interactive entertainment franchises - Microsoft’s Xbox platform and Sony’s PlayStation - would collaborate to stream games and content to consumers and offer game makers new development tools.

▽UK to scrap passenger landing cards - BBC News

Landing cards are currently filled in by passengers arriving by air or sea from outside the European Economic Area.
Border Force director general Paul Lincoln, in a letter to staff, said it would "help meet the challenge of growing passenger numbers"... The Home Office had agreed to scrap them for seven countries, including the US and Australia, from June, but has now decided to go further.

▽Bulgarian boxer suspended in California for kissing broadcaster - Reuters

A Bulgarian boxer who grabbed a female broadcaster’s face and kissed her on the lips during a post-fight interview was suspended until July by the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday following tearful testimony by the interviewer... Pulev, who has only one loss in 27 fights, grabbed Jennifer Ravalo’s face and kissed her in the middle of a live interview moments after knocking out Romania’s Bogdan Dinu in the seventh round of a March fight in Costa Mesa, California.