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May 31, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Wearing of masks at public places mandatory now
• The government on May 30, 2020 declared wearing of masks mandatory at crowded places, markets and in public transport, as 3,067 more people tested positive for the deadly virus that claimed another 77 lives during the past 24 hours.
• The government also decided to double the number of overseas Pakistanis being brought back daily.
• The announcements were made by Special Assistants to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr Zafar Mirza and Dr Moeed Yusuf during a media briefing.
• Dr Mirza said: `As 92 per cent cases have been reported through local transmission, we have declared the use of masks mandatory in markets, shopping malls, public transport, commercial flights, trains and crowded places.
2. District courts resume work tomorrow
• The district judiciary in Punjab is going to resume its regular work from Monday (June 1), but under strict observation of the Covid-19 pandemic related guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) announced by the government.
• A circular issued by the Lahore High Court on May 30, 2020 directed all district & sessions judges of the province to ensure regular working of all the courts and presence of all the judicial officers in their respective districts from Monday.
• The LHC also directed the D&SJs to ensure strict observance of the guidelines and SOPs issued by the government to cope with the pandemic
3. First cargo ship carrying wheat, urea reaches Gwadar
• In landmark development, transit trade to Afghanistan has started through Pakistan’s Gwadar port, providing the shortest link to the landlocked country.
• Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Lieutenant General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa said the first bulk cargo ship “MV Manet” carrying wheat and urea reached Gwadar this week.
• Asim Saleem Bajwa, who is also Chairman CPEC authority, said it is a dream come true for the local economy as it will stimulate a host of business activity.
• On Friday, Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry said that Gwadar port has been made operational for Afghan transit trade under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement-2010 (APTTA).
4. Trump cuts ties with WHO as pandemic continues to spread
• US President Donald Trump said he is severing ties with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as the death toll from the disease spiked again in the United States and Brazil.
• Trump’s move signals an end to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the United Nations agency just when it needs it most, with outbreaks in many parts of the world yet to reach their peak.
• Countries in Latin America are bracing for difficult weeks ahead, especially Brazil, where the death toll shot up by 1,124 on Friday and there were a record number of new infections
5. Trump strips HK privileges, bars students in volley on China
• President Donald Trump said on May 31, 2020 he would strip several of Hong Kong`s special privileges with the United States and bar some Chinese students from US universities in anger over Beijing`s bid to exert control in the financial hub.
• In a day of concerted action, the United States and Britain also raised alarm at the UN Security Council over a controversial new security law for Hong Kong, infuriating Beijing which said the issue had no place at the world body.
• In a White House appearance that Trump had teased for a day, the US president attacked China over its treatment of the former British colony, saying it was `diminishing the city`s longstanding and proud status.` `This is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, the people of China and indeed the people of the world,` Trump said
6. UK, France, Germany `regret` latest US move on Iran
• Britain, France and Germany on May 30, 2020 strongly condemned a US decision to end sanctions waivers for companies from nations that remain in a nuclear accord with Iran.
• The waivers were part of the landmark agreement signed with Tehran in 2015 which sought to limit Iran`s nuclear ambitions in return for lifting crippling economic sanctions.
• They allowed European, Chinese and Russian companies to work on the conversion of a heavy water reactor in Arak, a major industrial city in western Iran.
• `We deeply regret the US decision to end the three waivers covering key JCPOA nuclear projects in Iran,` read a joint statement from the three European powers
7. India extends lockdown in high-risk zones, allows reopening in some areas
• India is extending its lockdown in containment zones until June 30 but will allow economic activities to restart outside these areas even though coronavirus cases continue to rise in major cities.
• The home ministry said on May 30, 2020 that places of worship, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services, and shopping malls will be allowed to reopen outside all containment zones on June 8. Subways, schools and colleges will remain shuttered nationwide.
• India reported another record single-day jump of 7,964 coronavirus cases and 265 deaths on May 30, 2020
8. Nepal`s parties show rare unity on border dispute with India
• While Nepal`s latest border dispute with India has strained relations between South Asian neighbours with centuries-old historical, cultural and economic ties, it also has brought the tiny Himalayan nation`s bickering political parties together in a rare show of unity.
• The opposition Nepali Congress party has voiced support for the government in its row with India over its inauguration of a Himalayan link road built in a disputed region that lies at a strategic three-way junction with Tibet and China.
• In response, the government of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli issued a new political map of the country that showed the disputed territory within its borders, a move that was overwhelmingly supported by Nepal`s opposition and civil society
9. NASA resumes human spaceflight from US soil with historic SpaceX launch
• SpaceX, the private rocket company of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, launched two Americans toward orbit from Florida on May 30, 2020 in a mission that marks the first spaceflight of NASA astronauts from US soil in nine years.
• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre at 3:22pm EDT (1922 GMT), launching Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on a 19-hour ride aboard the company`s newly designed Crew Dragon capsule bound for the International Space Station.
• Moments before liftoff, Hurley said: Let`s light this candle, paraphrasing the famous phrase uttered on the launch pad in 1961 by Alan Shephard, the first American launched into space.
10. West Indies cricket bosses approve England tour
• Cricket West Indies (CWI) has given its approval in principle for a test series in England, the body said on May 29, 2020. West Indies had been scheduled to visit England for three Tests in June but the tour was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is now looking at hosting the series in July.
• “CWI…received and reviewed detailed plans for players and staff to be kept in a bio-secure environment for the duration of the tour, with all matches being played ‘behind closed doors’,” it said in a statement on May 29, 2020.
• The CWI statement said it would seek permission from the various national governments in the Caribbean to facilitate the movement of players and support staff. It would also use private charter planes and conduct medical screenings and COVID-19 testing for all members of the touring party.
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