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April 19 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Govt accepts most demands of clerics
• President Dr Arif Alvi on April 18, 2020 announced that neither the state machinery nor clerics would stop citizens from visiting mosques as almost all demands of clerics related to holding of Friday, Taraweeh and daily congregational prayers were accepted with the condition of social distancing and other precautionary measures.
• To avoid overcrowding at mosques, it was decided that people would be encouraged to observe `altekaf` at home while sehri and iftar would not be arranged at mosques.
• The decisions were taken at a national-level conference, which was attended by clerics belonging to Barelvi, Deobandi, Shia and Ahle Hadith sects as well as chief secretaries of the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan through video link.
2. Pakistan likely to miss all economic targets: IMF
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Pakistan would miss all economic targets during the ongoing fiscal year as the country is facing unprecedented health and economic shocks from the rapid propagation of the COVID-19 outbreak.
• The IMF in its latest report on Pakistan’s economic situation has noted that the budget deficit would swell to Rs4 trillion in the current fiscal year (FY20) after coronavirus situation against the early projection of Rs3.2 trillion. The primary deficit is now expected to deteriorate to 2.9 percent of GDP in FY 2020 (from 0.8 percent expected earlier) due to a 1.8 percentage point decline in tax revenue relative to the pre-virus baseline, and the needed higher spending to support the health response, social safety nets for the very poor and unemployed.
• One of the main reasons behind higher budget deficit is massive reduction in tax collection. The Fund has estimated that the government would miss the tax collection target of Rs5.55 trillion by Rs1.647 trillion during ongoing financial year. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tax collection would record at Rs3.908 trillion after COVID-19 against the initial target of Rs5.55 trillion. The FBR would also miss the revised target of Rs4.8 trillion by Rs892 billion.
3. 40 million children miss polio vaccinations due to COVID-19
• Around 40 million children missed polio drops in the country due to suspension of April’s nationwide anti-polio drive after the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) surfaced.
• According to the data of Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (PPEP) 146 polio cases were reported in 2019 while 39 have been recorded so far in 2020.
• National Coordinator (NC) on Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (EOCPE) Rana Muhammad Safdar talking to The Nation said that the nationwide anti-polio drive to be held in mid of April was suspended due to COVID-19 situation in the country.
• 40 million children were to be immunized during this campaign which couldn’t occur.
4. Pakistan extends suspension of flight operations till April 30
• Pakistan has suspended all domestic and international flight operations till April 30, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) notified on April 18, 2020.
• According to CAA, special/cargo and relief planes holding special approval will continue operations as per the permissions granted to them. “As per the decision of the government of Pakistan, the suspension of international and domestic flight operations as effected earlier has been extended up to Thursday (April 30, 2020) 11.59pm PST,” CAA said. The new directives come as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to over 7,500 with 143 deaths.
5. Ex-PHC chief justice Tariq Parvez passes away
• Former chief justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) Justice Tariq Parvez passed away on April 18, 2020.
• Born on February15, 1948 in Peshawar, Tariq Parvez got his early education in the city. He did his LLB in 1971 from the Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar. He did his Masters in Political Science in 1975 also from University of Peshawar.
• He was enrolled as an advocate of the District Courts in Peshawar in 1972. He secured a license to practice in the high court in 1975.
6. Air University to hold first-ever e-Olympiad today
• In order to eradicate the confines of quarantined minds of youth through promoting ‘e-Edutainment,’ the Air University has announced to organise Pakistan’s first-ever e-Olympiad ‘Air e-Nexus 20’.
• Total of 61 online events would be held, under the guidance and support of Air University Directorate of Student Affairs, from April 19 to 23, 2020.
• The Air e-Nexus’20 would also explore new horizons of opportunities under the concepts emerged from COVID-19 outbreak crisis, like work from home and remote learning through the effective use of online digital tools, including e-LMS. In this regard, Air University further announced to donate all proceeds from the event to the Government’s COVID-19 relief efforts
7. Global virus deaths cross 150,000 mark
• Coronavirus deaths on April 18, 2020 surged past 150,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, where new rallies against lockdown orders were being held after President Donald Trump lent his support to the protesters.
• According to a tally, more than 2,251,690 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 497,600 are now considered recovered.
• In the United States, now the epicentre of the pandemic, the death toll stood at 37,079 with 706,779 infections. At least 59,672 patients have recovered.
8. With precautions, mosques to be reopened in Ramazan
• To prevent the spread of coronavirus, the government and religious scholars on April 18, 2020 formulated a comprehensive 20-points strategy and agreed to allow conditional prayer congregations and Taraweeh during the holy month of Ramazan.
• This decision was taken during a consultative meeting of religious scholars chaired by President Arif Alvi, which formulated a 20-points strategy based on precautionary measures in consensus with the religious scholars and the provincial governments, including Azad Kashmir, to contain the spread of coronavirus.
• In his opening remarks during the meeting, the President said that Muslims had great attachment with mosques, especially during the holy month of Ramazan, therefore, a policy should be drafted by developing a consensus among the nation under the recommendations of the Ulema and the input of the government
9. Dubai opens 3,000-bed field hospital for virus response
• Dubai opened a 3,000-bed capacity field hospital on April 18, 2020 in its World Trade Centre to prepare for a potential surge in novel coronavirus cases.
• The towering event and exhibition centre is located in the heart of the city, one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates.
• The hospital will reinforce Dubai’s healthcare system and “take advantage of all resources and infrastructure to fight the COVID-19 pandemic”, said a statement from the emirate’s media office said.
• The hospital has a capacity that can be expanded quickly to over 3,000 beds, the statement added.
10. ‘First Blood’ actor Brian Dennehy dies aged 81
• Brian Dennehy, the versatile Tony and Golden Globe-winning actor known to wider audiences for blockbuster movies “First Blood” and “Romeo + Juliet,” has died aged 81.
• His career spanned four decades, including early television roles in “Dynasty” and “Dallas,” acclaimed Broadway performances such as in “Death of a Salesman,” and voice work on the Pixar hit movie “Ratatouille.”
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