Day by Day Current Affairs (April 04, 2020) MCQs for CSS, PMS

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April 04, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Incentives for construction sector unveiled

• Amid increasing threat of deadly coronavirus that has so far claimed 40 lives across the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 3, 2020 announced a set of incentives for those investing in the construction sector and vowed to open allied industries to strike a balance between economic activities and efforts to contain the pandemic.
• Giving the status of an `industry` to the construction sector, PM Khan unveiled the relief package that would be implemented from April 14 and under which those investing this year would not be asked about their sources of income.
• He also announced that a fixed tax would be levied on construction activities under the package while 90 per cent taxes would be waived on the construction of houses under Naya Pakistan Housing Programme. Also, Capital Gain Tax on sale and purchase of property was withdrawn

2. Shaikh Omar among four detained under public safety law

• Just a day after the Sindh High Court overturned the death penalty handed down to Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and acquitted three others in the abduction and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, the provincial government on Friday issued orders to keep the four men in custody for at least 90 days on the grounds of `public safety`, officials said.
• A notification issued by the Sindh home department endorsed the request from police authorities which claimed that the release of the four men could `create a law and order situation` and sought immediate action from the provincial government for safety measures.
• `And whereas the government of Sindh on the basis of request and considering the merits of the case is satisfied that there is serious apprehension of public safety, in case the persons are released, that they may act against the interest of the country and public and presence of Ahmed Omar Sheikh, Fahad Nasim Ahmed, Syed Salman Saqib and Sheikh Muhammad Adil at any public place is likely to prove great threat to the public safety and cause breach of peace and tranquility,` said the home department`s order

3. IHC allows govt to turn hotels into quarantine centres

• The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on April 3, 2020 gave a nod to turning three and four-star hotels into `quarantine centres` where the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has planned to keep coronavirus patients.
• Last month the NDMA had proposed to the government that the hotels in all major cities across Pakistan be converted into quarantine centres for suspected and confirmed coronavirus cases. Later with the federal government consent, the NDMA also issued directives to the management of different hotels on March 16 and March 28, to vacate the premises for the purpose.
• The NDMA order to vacate the hotels was however challenged by three-star Hotel Margalla, situated in Islamabad, through Advocate Sikandar Bashir Mohmand.IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed that the federal government had taken several measures to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus. The measures taken by the federal government and the NDMA were obviously to safeguard the public at large and their fundamental rights. The chief justice observed that since it was an extraordinary situation and it was settled law that the interest of public at large prevailed over individual rights.

4. $200m pandemic response pact signed with WB

• Pakistan and the World Bank on April 3, 2 020 signed a $200 million `Pandemic Response Effective Project` (PREP) that will help the poor and vulnerable cope with the immediate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic through social protection measures, food rations and remote learning education.
• The board of executive directors of World Bank earlier approved the $200 million package to help Pakistan take effective and timely action to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by strengthening the country`s national healthcare systems and mitigating socio-economic disruptions.
• The bank`s support will also draw on extra $38 million from eight existing projects for urgently needed medical equipment and supplies. Procurement of equipment and supplies by federal and provincial governments is under way and some equipment and supplies have arrived and being pressed into service, a World Bank press release says

5. Pakistan’s economic growth to slow down due to COVID-19 outbreak: ADB

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB), on April 4, 2020, has projected that Pakistan’s economic growth would slow down to 2.6 percent during current fiscal year due to ongoing stabilization efforts, slower growth in agriculture and the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
• “GDP growth is forecast to decelerate to 2.6% in FY2020 as ongoing stabilization efforts further curtail economic activity,” according to the ADB’s latest annual flagship economic publication, Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020. The current account and fiscal deficits will narrow further, but inflation is expected to leap briefly into double digits. Expanding social protection is crucial for ensuring inclusive growth.
• “Pakistan’s strong and decisive policy measures have started to yield positive results in reversing macroeconomic imbalances and narrowing current account deficits,” said ADB Country Director for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang

6. Google releases location data to aid Covid-19 efforts

• Alphabet Inc`s Google has published charts showing how the coronavirus has brought hard-hit Italy to a standstill, led to runs on grocery stores around the world and prompted a stark drop in going-out between Mardi Gras and St. Patrick`s Day.
• The analysis of location data from billions of Google users` phones is the largest public data set available to help health authorities assess if people are abiding with shelter-in-place and similar orders issued across the world to rein in the virus.
• The company released reports for 131 countries with charts that compare traffic from Feb 16 to March 29 to retail and recreational venues, train and bus stations, grocery stores and workplaces with a five-week period earlier this year

7. Row after French scientists suggest virus vaccine trial in Africa

• Two leading French doctors have triggered a storm of criticism after discussing on a television programme the idea of testing a vaccine for coronavirus in Africa.
• In a broadcast on Wednesday on the LCI channel, Camille Locht, head of research at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Lille, was questioned about a shield for coronavirus using the well-known BCG vaccine for tuberculosis.
• He was asked by Jean-Paul Mira, head of intensive care at the Cochin hospital in Paris, whether Africa offered better conditions for testing the vaccine.

8. Prague removes monument to WWII Soviet commander

• A district in the Czech capital, Prague, went on April 4, 2020 ahead with a plan to remove the statue of a Soviet World War II commander.
• The Russian embassy in Prague condemned the move, saying it sent a protest note to the Czech Foreign Ministry about the demolition.
• Marshall Ivan Stepanovic Konev led the Red Army forces that liberated Prague and large parts of Czechoslovakia from the Nazi occupation in 1945. His monument, unveiled in the Prague 6 district in 1980 when the country was occupied by Soviet troops, has been a source of controversy

9. Navy fires captain who sought help for virus-stricken ship

• The captain of a US Navy aircraft carrier facing a growing outbreak of the coronavirus on his ship was fired by Navy leaders who said he created a panic by sending his memo pleading for help to too many people.
• Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the ship`s commander, Capt.
• Brett Crozier demonstrated extremely poor judgment in the middle of a crisis. He said the captain copied too many people on the memo, which was leaked to a California newspaper and quickly spread to many news outlets.

10. Tunisia deploys `robocop` to tackle dreaded pandemic

• Tunisia`s interior ministry has deployed a police robot to patrol the streets of the capital and enforce a lockdown imposed last month as the country battles the spread of coronavirus.
• Known as PGuard, the `robocop` is remotely operated and equipped with infrared and thermal imaging cameras, in addition to a sound and light alarm system.
• In images and a sound track posted on the interior ministry`s website last month, PGuard calls out to suspected violators of the lockdown: `What are you doing? Show me your ID. You don`t know there`s a lockdown?` Tunisia has been under night-time curfew since March 17 and authorities imposed stricter lockdown orders from March 22

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