Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (April 28, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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April 28, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. Cambridge, board exams postponed amid Covid cases surge

• In view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on April 27, 2021 decided to postpone matric, intermediate and Cambridge exams.
• Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced that all board exams had been postponed till June 15 and those of Cambridge till the last quarter of the current year.
• The NCOC also made it clear that the government would not hesitate to seal more areas in the next few days if other interventions did not work.

2. Fiscal deficit at 3.5pc of GDP in eight months of current fiscal

• Pakistan`s fiscal deficit has reached 3.5 per cent of GDP (Rs1.603 trillion)in first eight months (July-February) of current fiscal year even though the government boasts of having created over Rs1.7tr worth of fresh tax demand.
• The eight-month deficit is slightly lower than 3.7pc of GDP or Rs1.613tr of same period last year when the country finally posted 8.1pc of annual budget deficit one of the highest
• In its April 2021 Monthly Economic Update and Outlook, the ministry of finance has raised concern on account of third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic threatening economic concerns and putting pressure on recovery, but said timely government decisions and small lockdown policy were helping the economy to keep it space of recovery.

3. Pak-Afghan border reopened

• Pakistan`s border with Afghanistan at Chaman reopened on April 27, 2021 after a flag meeting between officials from the two sides.
• The border was closed after Afghan security forces had objected to erection of a fence near a border village.
• Pakistan has been erecting a fence at its border with Afghanistan for more than two years and around 90 per cent work on it has been completed. The remaining work is expected to be completed in the next couple of months.
• Pakistan is also erecting a fence along the border with Iran

4. Internet freedom declined in Pakistan in 2020, says report

• Internet freedom in Pakistan declined dramatically in 2020 due to increased blocking of political, social and cultural websites by the government, beefed-up operationalisation of an undeclared policy of connectivity restrictions and increased disinformation and weaponisation of the cybercrime law as a tool.
• This is the crux of the findings of the `Annual Pakistan media legal review 2020` report launched by the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA) to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day on May 3

5. Pakistani art export grows enormously amid Covid

• The coranavirus pandemic has badly affected, in some cases destroyed, the economies of many countries. Although Pakistan has, so far, kept its head above water, the situation with another lockdown likely to be imposed is still a little difficult to control. Experts in financial matters are keeping an eye on the country`s exports upon which its economy depends to a great extent. But much to the surprise of many, pleasantly at that, something positive has emerged in terms of numbers and in a field that not an awful lot of business analysts would expect Pakistan to do well in: art.
• In the ongoing fiscal year, as per data provided by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday, the country`s export of works of art, collector pieces and antiques has increased exponentially. Even a cursory look at the figures will make practitionersand lovers of art in our part of the world feel mighty proud of ourselves

6. China, five S. Asian nations ponder over cooperation during pandemic

• Foreign Ministers of China and five South Asian countries including Pakistan on April 27, 2021 held their virtual dialogue on promoting cooperation against Covid-19 pandemic.
• The meeting was part of the series of meetings hosted by China since July last year on cooperation against the pandemic and economic revival. The meetings are being seen as Beijing`s fresh outreach to the region.
• Besides Pakistan and China, the other countries that participated in the meeting were Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

7. Guerillas capture Myanmar army base; junta replies with air strikes

• Ethnic Karen guerillas said they captured a Myanmar army base on April 27, 2021 near the border with Thailand, representing a morale-boosting action for those opposing the military`s takeover of the country`s civilian government in February.
• Myanmar`s military staged air strikes several hours later on villages in territory controlled by the Karen forces, said a guerilla spokesman, a senior Thai official and a relief worker

8. US embassy staff ordered to leave Kabul

• The United States on April 27, 2021 ordered non-essential staff to leave its Kabul embassy, citing increased threats as Washington prepares to end its 20-year war.
• The State Department in a travel advisory said it had `ordered the departure from US embassy Kabul of US government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere.

9. South Asia pushing global infections to 15m a day, says US report

• An unprecedented upsurge in Covid-19 infections in South Asia could push global infections to 15 million a day by mid-May, says an American health institute which correctly projected Covid deaths and infections in the United States last year.
• `Our latest projections show that the number of infections driven by the surge in India and perhaps also driven by the surges in Bangladesh and Pakistan will be reaching 15 million a day globally, the University of Washington`s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations (IHME) said in its latest report on the pandemic and its impact

10. Russia fines Apple $12m for `abusing` its position

• Russia has imposed a $12.1 million fine on Apple for `abusing` its dominant position in the market by giving preference to its own applications, a government regulator said on April 27, 2021.
• The move comes as Russia ratchets up pressure against Western tech companies, with authorities aiming to bring the Russian segment of the internet under state control.

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