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May 05, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Officials empowered to conduct raids for stopping smuggling of currency, food
• The government has empowered the authorised officials to conduct raids and search the premises of those who are allegedly involved in smuggling of currency and essential food items in a bid to control illegal flow of goods and currency from the country`s eastern and western borders.
• These powers and other measures, including penalties, will be implemented through a presidential ordinance, Covid-19 (Prevention of Smuggling), 2020, for a period of four months, which upon its expiry will become a part of the federal budget for the year 2020-21.The authorised officials can also seize goods as well as auction them in accordance with the prescribed procedures. The proceeds of the auction will be deposited in the government exchequer. The officials will exercise these powers within a distance of five kilometres from any international border or within the premises of all airports.
• The Federal Board of Revenue will notify in the next couple of days all those departments, authority and agency, including security or law enforcement agencies, officers of which will exercise such powers. These include police, the Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Federal Investigation Agency, Coast Guards, Intelligence Bureau, Frontier Constabularies, Frontier Corps, Levies and Rangers.
2. Companies Act amended to facilitate startups
• President Dr Arif Alvi has approved amendments to the Companies Act 2017 to facilitate startups in Pakistan.
• These amendments were proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to help promote startups as well as attract local and international innovators.
• The Companies Act, 2017, promulgated on May 31, 2017, was reviewed by the SECP in consultation with external and internal stakeholders who had proposals like improving protection of minority shareholders and removing anomalies in the provisions of the act.
• The changes have been enacted through Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 promulgated on April 30
3. Punjab to crack down on lockdown violators under new law
• The Punjab government has decided to crack down on violators of government restrictions and the lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus after the promulgation of the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance 2020.
• The ordinance mandates that a senior officer be appointed to identify individuals who violate the ordinance to the concerned police, and no officials below the rank of an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) may take legal action against such individuals.
• Police who had been taking legal action against lockdown violations under section 144 have now been directed to do so under the new ordinance, which the government believes will be more effective than section 144.
4. Shaista Gillani made acting chairperson of CCP
• The federal government has appointed Shaista Bano Gillani as acting chairperson of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP).
• The Finance Division on May 4, 2020 issued a notification after the federal cabinet in its meeting held on April 28 approved the appointment of Ms Gillani on the acting charge basis.
• Ms Gillani holds a master`s degree in economics for competition law from the King`s College, University of London, and a master`s degree in business administration with majors in finance from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. She is also an Associate Chartered Certified Accountant UK since 2006.
5. New US diplomat for South Asia designated
• Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas L. Vajda will look after South Asian affairs at the US State Department when current chief diplomat for the region, Alice G. Wells, retires on May 22, the department confirmed on May 4, 2020.
• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the change in a tweet on Sunday afternoon, saying: `I will miss Alice`s wise counsel and dedicated efforts to build relationships and address cha Henges across South and Central Asia.
• `I personally came to admire Ambassador Wells` dedication to our team`s mission and her dogged pursuit of American excellence. We commend her service and wish her the best,` he wrote.
6. World leaders pledge $8bn for vaccines, treatments research
• Celebrities, world leaders and philanthropists pledged some 7.4 billion euros ($8.1bn) on May 4, 2020 for research into coronavirus vaccines, treatments and testing during an EU-led videoconference that was snubbed by the United States.
• European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who hosted the conference, said a vaccine was the best chance of beating Covid-19, which has so far killed nearly a quarter of a million people around the world -140,000 of them in Europe.
• At least 3.5 million people are now known to have been infected.
• Major European powers, along with Japan and Canada, made the biggest pledges but the lack of US representation raised the prospect of an uncoordinated competition to develop and produce a vaccine
7. Air France makes masks compulsory for passengers
• French flag-carrier Air France on May 4, 2020 announced that masks would be compulsory on its flights from next week as France emerges from its lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
• May 11 will see the first easing of the lockdown in France but the government has made clear people will have to wear masks on public transport.
• `In line with French instructions making the wearing of a mask compulsory on public transport, Air France will ask its customers to wear a mask throughout their journey as from 11 May 2020,` it said in a statement.
8. Sudan to have first ambassador in US since 1998
• Sudan announced on May 4, 2020 that the United States had approved Khartoum`s pick of a veteran diplomat as ambassador to Washington, the first such envoy in over two decades.
• Ties between Khartoum and Washington had been strained during the three decade dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir, but eased after he was ousted by the army last year following mass protests.
• Sudan`s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok visited Washington in December and the two countries agreed to exchange envoys.
9. Germany paying `debt` to Israel with Hezbollah ban, says Iran
• Iran on May 4, 2020 charged that Germany is repaying a `historical debt` to Israel after Berlin banned the activities of Lebanon`s Hezbollah movement on its soil.
• Germany designated Hezbollah a `Shia terrorist organisation` on Thursday as its security forces raided mosques and associations linked to the group.
• Iran argued Germany was motivated by the grim legacy of Nazi rule and its guilt over the Holocaust, the mass murder of six million European Jews in labour and extermination camps.
• `We feel the Germans seems to have a historical debt to the Zionists and are repaying it somehow, and don`t realise that the world and Muslims might react,` said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi
10. US Supreme Court`s first teleconference arguments go well
• The US Supreme Court on May 4, 2020 heard arguments in a case by teleconference for the first time breaking tradition due to the coronavirus pandemic -in proceedings involving hotel reservation website Booking.com that went rather smoothly, with even typically silent Justice Clarence Thomas asking questions.
• The nine justices engaged in arguments in the trademark case not in a courtroom but by participating remotely using a dial-in format to combat the spread of the pathogen. The arguments which ran about 15 minutes over the scheduled one hour proceeded with only the occasional glitch, with Chief Justice Roberts playing the role of traffic cop and timekeeper.
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