Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs/News (May 15, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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May 15, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Centre unveils exams policy in backdrop of Covid-19

• Almost a week after the National Coordination Committee`s decision to cancel all the board examinations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on May 14, 2020 announced the examination and promotion policy, aimed at ending restlessness among students.
• The minister revealed the policy at a press conference he addressed after attending an online Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC).
• The policy, titled `IBCC Promotion Guideline for Matric and Intermediate students`, was prepared by the Inter Board Committee Chairmen (IBCC) and Federal Education Ministry after consultation with 29 educational boards, which was approved by the IPEMC.

2. Five firms in Pakistan, India allowed to make and sell remdesivir

• To expand the drug`s access, Gilead Sciences said this week it had signed non-exclusive licensing pacts with five generic drug-makers based in India and Pakistan, allowing them to make and sell remdesivir for 127 countries.
• But health access groups claim the pacts mean cheaper forms of the drug may not become available in nations seen as non-profitable to the five drug makers.
• Remdesivir is the only drug approved to treat Covid-19 patients after promising early trial results prompted US regulators to grant emergency use authorisation on May 2.

3. Wearing face mask in public made mandatory

• The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Friday emphasised that individual and society at large be informed and educated through a robust public awareness campaign for mobilising the masses on wearing face masks as mandatory in public places.
• The NCOC meeting headed by Minister for Planning Development Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar discussed the current status of testing capacity of the country per million, stocks of ventilators available and its future demand and capacity building of the health care professionals to cope with the pandemic at different tiers.
• Earlier, the NCOC was told that a special documentary on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was successfully launched and telecast on all Wearing face mask in public dia channels. Awareness and correct usage about PPE is very important for safety and well being of those who are fighting COVID-19 in the front lines.

4. Pakistan gets license to produce medicine for virus patients

• Pakistan will soon start manufacturing breakthrough COVID-19 treatment drug Remdesivir under license from US pharmaceutical company Gilead, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza said on May 14, 2020.
• Addressing a news conference in the capital Dr Mirza said a Pakistani pharmaceutical company has concluded its voluntary licensing agreement with the US pharmaceutical company – Gilead – for the manufacture and sale of the drug. According to Dr Mirza, Pakistan is one of the five countries that the US Company has signed a licensing agreement with for manufacturing the drug. He further said that production of the medicine can commence as early as eight weeks from now, after the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained. According to the PM’s assistant this development represents an important step forward for Pakistan on health, economic and diplomatic fronts, it further helps provide the country’s citizens and frontline healthcare workers access to the latest treatment for the pandemic in a fast-tracked manner.

5. Balochistan launches My Home My School

• Balochistan government has registered 1671 learning centres under the initiative of My Home My School to continue educational activities in the province amid COVID-19 pandemic.
• As many as 8102 students were getting education in their homes due to nearby schools in the province. The officials of Real Time School Monitoring (RTSM) had started campaign to motivate the community to initiate home based schools to teach their children safely during the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative of My Home My School was started in the current month to promote education in the lockdown period due to coronavirus and would be continued till the opening of schools. In a short period of time, the parents have been showing interest to teach their children at home voluntarily, he said the officials of education department and other welfare organizations were also supporting the initiative. The programme was running in 22 districts and would be expanded across the province, he added

6. Governor Sindh approves Corona Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020

• Governor Sindh Imran Ismail on May 14, 2020 approved the Corona Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020 to provide relief to the people of the province amid the coronavirus pandemic, a private news channel reported. The Ordinance was sent to the Governor after approval of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for signature.
• Under the Ordinance, a landlord shall defer or suspend the recovery of rent payments under Rs 50,000 and slash by 50 percent if a rent amount is Rs 100,000. It shall not apply in case where the owner is a widow, differently-abled person and senior citizen

7. Domestic flight operations to resume today

• Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on May 14, 2020 announced the government decision to partially restore the domestic flight operations at five major airports of the country including Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar from May 16 (Saturday), which remained suspended for almost 56 days due to the novel coronavirus.
• “After a thorough discussion at the forum of National Command and Operation Centre with all concerned especially provincial chief executives, we have taken a unanimous decision to restore the domestic flight operations that were in suspension since March 21, 2020,” the minister made a formal announcement in a video message. “Now, we are going to start the limited flight operations from tomorrow (Saturday) to facilitate the public,” he said, adding Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Serene Air would operate flights between the five major cities.
• Initially, Sarwar said, almost 20 percent of the total pre-coronavirus flights would be operated under certain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) including screening of every passenger with thermal gun, ensuring wearing of face masks and gloves. “The planes will fly with 50 percent seat occupancy to maintain the required social distance among passengers during the travel.”

8. Even during Covid-19 India arrests Muslims for exercising right to protest: US panel

• The Indian government has arrested Muslim activists even during the Covid-19 crisis for exercising their `democratic right to protest,` the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported on May 14, 2020.
• In a series of tweets, the commission noted that most of those arrested were protesting against the country`s contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
• The USCIRF recalled that its 2020 report recommended India be designated a Country of Particular Concern for `its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom during 2019.` And `unfortunately, this negative trend has continued into 2020

9. Vietnam goes all out to avoid first virus death

• Vietnam has mounted an all-out effort to save the life of its most critically ill coronavirus patient, a British pilot who works for Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier.
• Through aggressive testing and a mass, centralised quarantine programme, the Southeast Asian country has kept its tally of coronavirus cases to just 288 and has reported no deaths.
• Little expense has been spared to try save the life of the 43-year-old man, identified only as `Patient 91`, who caught the coronavirus at a bar in the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City in midMarch, state media reported.

10. Pakistan tour of Ireland called off due to Covid-19 pandemic

• After the postponement of Pakistan`s tour to The Netherlands earlier this month, the national team`s tour to Ireland was also postponed on May 14, 2020 due to the crisis situation created by the coronavirus pandemic.
• A press release issued by the PCB on Thursday said: `Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland today decided to postpone their two-T20I series in July after the Ireland Government announced behind closed door matches can only be possible after 10 August.
• This date coincides with Pakistan`s tour to England for three Tests and as many T20Is for which the side is scheduled to depart late July.
• The matches in Dublin were planned for July 12 and 14.

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