Current Affairs MCQs | National/International (April 2020)

Which country has banned funeral ceremonies?

(a) Italy
(b) Iran
(c) Spain
(d) India
Answer: (c)

Madrid announced that “religious celebrations and civilian funeral ceremonies are postponed until the end of the alert,” which has been declared until at least April 11th and keeps the population confined. The new measures cut to just three the number of people who can attend a burial or cremation and social distancing of one to two metres must be maintained. Spain has listed 7,340 deaths from COVID-19, the second highest toll in the world after Italy, where the Catholic tradition is equally strong and funerals have also been severely restricted.

As per the latest UNCTAD report, the world economy will go into recession with the exception of which two countries?

(a) US, China
(b) China, UK
(c) India, China
(d) Japan, South Korea
Answer: (c)

The report did not give a detailed explanation as to why and how India and China will be the exceptions as the world faces a recession and loss in global income that will impact developing countries The world economy will go into recession this year with a predicted loss of trillions of dollars of global income due to the coronavirus pandemic, spelling serious trouble for developing countries with the likely exception of India and China, according to a latest UN trade report.
With two-thirds of the world’s population living in developing countries facing unprecedented economic damage from the COVID-19 crisis, the UN is calling for a $2.5 trillion rescue package for these nations.
According to the new analysis from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN trade and development body titled ‘The COVID-19 Shock to Developing Countries: Towards a ‘whatever it takes’ programme for the two-thirds of the world’s population being left behind’, commodity-rich exporting countries will face a $2 trillion to $3 trillion drop in investments from overseas in the next two years.

Which country has recommended the use of Bear bile as a cure of COVID-19?

(a) Germany
(b) France
(c) US
(d) China
Answer: (d)

The Chinese government has recommended using Tan Re Qing, an injection containing bear bile, to treat severe and critical COVID-19 cases. It is one of a number of recommended coronavirus treatments—both traditional and Western—on a list published March 4 by China’s National Health Commission, the government body responsible for national health policy. This recommendation highlights what wildlife advocates say is a contradictory approach to wildlife: shutting down the live trade in animals for food on the one hand and promoting the trade in animal parts on the other. The World Health Organization says no cure exists for COVID-19, though some medicines, such as pain relievers and cough syrup, can treat symptoms associated with the disease. Enacted in 1989, China’s wildlife protection law sees wild animals as a resource to be used for the benefit of humans. In 2016, it was amended to further legitimize the commercial use of wildlife, asserting explicitly that animals can be used for traditional Chinese medicine, Humane Society International’s China policy specialist Peter Li wrote at the time.

The World Bank and Asian Development Bank has offered how much fund for Pakistan’s COVID-19 emergency response plan?

(a) $ 500 Million
(b) $ 988 Million
(c) $ 588 Million
(d) $ 1.8 Billion
Answer: (c)

World Bank and Asian Development Bank have agreed to provide $ 588 million assistance in support for the COVID-19 emergency response plan and to address the socio-economic disruption associated with it.
The Planning Commission has cleared an amount of $238 million from World Bank funding and endorsed another $350 million funding offered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in support for the project concept titled “Pakistan National Emergency Preparedness and response Plan for COVID-19 and COVID-19 emergency response and to address the socio-economic disruption associated with it.

The World Athletics Championships has been postponed till which year?

(a) Late 2020
(b) 2021
(c) 2022
(d) Mid 2021
Answer: (c)

The World Athletics Championships have been moved back 11 months to July 2022 to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics, which has been delayed by the coronavirus outbreak, the sport’s governing body said. World Athletics confirmed in a statement that the event, which is usually held every two years, would now take place from July 15-24 in 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.The original dates of August 6-15 2021 would have clashed with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics which were last month postponed by a year from the original July-August 2020 schedule.

Who has termed Coronavirus pandemic as the most challenging crisis since World War 2?

(a) UN Secretary General
(b) WHO Director General
(c) Italian Prime Minister
(d) US President
Answer: (a)

United Nation Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the novel coronavirus was “the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War” and that aggressive medical and economic efforts were needed to thwart it.
“It is a combination, on one hand, of a disease that represents a threat to everybody in the world,” Guterres said at a press briefing Tuesday night. “And, second, because it has an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past.”

What is NASA’s mission to study Giant Solar Particle Storms called?

(a) Stormy
(b) SunRISE
(c) Sincerity
(d) Solidarity
Answer: (b)

NASA has selected a new mission to study how the Sun generates and releases giant space weather storms – known as solar particle storms – into planetary space. … The new mission, called the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE), is an array of six CubeSats operating as one very large radio telescope.

The first coronavirus drive-through testing facility has been established in which city ?

(a) Larkana
(b) Hyderabad
(c) Karachi
(d) Sukkur
Answer: (c)

Pakistan has opened its first drive through coronavirus testing facility in Karachi to cope with the increasing demand for COVID-19 tests by Sindh provincial government. The drive through lab can also be taken to any part of the city to cope with the demand of increasing number of testing. Pakistan is setting up new laboratories and also increasing the capacity of existing labs to speed up the testing for coronavirus patients as the number of coronavirus cases in the country. The drive-through testing facility has been set up by the Sindh local government and health departments. Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that it was part of the provincial government’s war against the coronavirus.
The drive-through testing facility has been established in Jahangir Kothari Parade area of Clifton. The doctors, paramedical staff, and other personnel deployed at the new testing facility in Karachi have been provided with all the necessary safety, protective equipment and gear to safeguard the virus.Citizens can call to book appointments between 9am and 5pm and the facility will collect the samples from 12pm to 3pm. Citizens should call the office for District Commissioner South at 02199203012 between 9am and 5pm. The helpline will provide a time and code for the test.

UN’s COP 26 climate summit has been postponed till 2021. Which city was scheduled to host the summit?

(a) Glasgow
(b) Birmingham
(c) Bristol
(d) Guam
Answer: (a)

The UN climate talks due to be held in Glasgow later this year have been postponed as governments around the world struggle to halt the spread of coronavirus. The most important climate negotiations since the Paris agreement in 2015 were scheduled to take place this November to put countries back on track to avoid climate breakdown. They will now be pushed back to 2021.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to delay the vital talks because of the widespread disruption caused by coronavirus, and will also delay a key preliminary meeting scheduled for Bonn, Germany, which was also expected to be derailed by widespread lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Which nation assumed Presidency of United Nations Security Council in April 2020?

(a) France
(b) Italy
(c) Spain
(d) Dominican Republic
Answer: (d)

The Dominican Republic assumed the rotating presidency of the 15-nation Council for the month of April, taking the baton from permanent and veto-welding member China.
The presidency of the United Nations Security Council is responsible for leading the United Nations Security Council. It rotates among the 15 member-states of the council monthly. The head of the country’s delegation is known as the President of the United Nations Security Council.

Which among the following tennis tournaments has been cancelled for the first time since World War II?

(a) Australian Open
(b) Wimbledon
(c) French Open
(d) US Open
Answer: (b)

The Wimbledon Championships have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the All England Club announced. It is the first time Wimbledon has been canceled since World War II in 1945. It is also the first time since the tournament began in 1877 that the event will not be played during peacetime. Wimbledon had been scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12. Wimbledon was canceled from 1915 to 1918 because of World War I and from 1940 to 1945 due to World War II.

Who has approved USD 200 million Emergency aid for Pakistan to help tackle COVID-19 pandemic?

(a) IMF
(b) WB
(c) ADB
(d) WHO
Answer: (b)

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $200 million package to help Pakistan take effective and timely action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening the country’s national healthcare systems and mitigating socioeconomic disruptions. This support will also draw an extra $38 million from eight existing projects for urgently needed medical equipment and supplies. While focusing on the COVID-19 preparedness and emergency response in the health sector, the Pandemic Response Effectiveness Project (PREP) will also help the poor and vulnerable cope with the immediate impact of the pandemic through social protection measures, food rations, and remote learning education.

Which provincial government has decided to treat critically ill coronavirus patients with Anti-Malaria Drug?

(a) Sindh
(b) Punjab
(c) KPK
(d) Balochistan
Answer: (b

Which UN body adopted a resolution calling for ‘Global Solidarity’ to defeat COVID-19?

(a) UNGA
(b) UNHRC
(c) UNSC
(d) UNEP
Answer: (a)

The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by 188 nations including India, on COVID-19, calling for intensified international cooperation to defeat the pandemic that is causing “severe disruption to societies and economies.” The resolution titled ‘Global solidarity to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)’ was the first such document on the global pandemic to be adopted by the world organisation. The resolution said the 193-member General Assembly notes “with great concern” the threat to human health, safety and well-being caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which continues to spread globally.

Which among the following country’s President was tested twice for COVID-19?

(a) United States
(b) Russia
(c) China
(d) Australia
Answer: (a)

Which country will be hosting the 3rd Asian Youth Games in 2021?

(a) Japan
(b) South Korea
(c) China
(d) Sri Lanka
Answer: (c)

The Olympic Council of Asia announced that China will host the third edition of the Asian Youth Games in Shantou from November 20 to 28 next year. The 2021 Asian Youth Games will have 18 sports: athletics, aquatics, badminton, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, dragon boat racing, football, gymnastics, golf, handball, hip-hop dance, rock-climbing, rugby, surfing, table tennis, taekwondo, wind surfing, and wushu. The Asian Youth Games were first held in Singapore in 2011 and then in Nanjing in China in 2013 when more than 2,500 athletes took part.

Tony Lewis passes away at the age of 78 on April 1, 2020. He had co-invented which popular formula?

(a) Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
(b) The Wave Equation
(c) Quantization of Radiation
(d) Duckworth- Lewis
Answer: (d)

Lewis, who passed away at the age of 78, had developed the original Duckworth-Lewis method jointly with Frank Duckworth, which was adopted by the ICC in 1999. After the retirements of Duckworth and Lewis, Steven Stern became the custodian of the method and his name was added to the system in 2014. Lewis, a graduate in mathematics and statistics from Sheffield University, retired as a lecturer of Quantitative Research Methods from Oxford Brookes University. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010.

Who has been reappointed as the managing director (M(D) of Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC)?

(a) Shahzad Shafi
(b) Farhan Shafi
(c) Umair Zia
(d) Shahzad Faisal
Answer: (b)

How many number of coronavirus cases expected by April 25, govt tells Supreme Court?

(a) 25,000
(b) 50,000
(c) 75,000
(d) 150,000
Answer: (b)

Chinese doctors advise Punjab to ensure lockdown for at least

(a) 25 days
(b) 28 days
(c) 18 days
(d) 30 days
Answer: (b)

Which among the following organization’s human rights body condemns India’s new ‘draconian’ law in occupied Kashmir?

(a) EU
(b) OIC
(c) BRICS
(d) Arab League
Answer: (b)

In a tweet, the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission said the agency condemns the promulgation of illegal ‘Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Order 2020’ by India which is an attempt to alter demographic and geographic status of the occupied territory.
The Indian government had on August 5, 2019 repealed Article 370 of its constitution, stripping occupied Kashmir of its special status. It also divided up occupied Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories; one Jammu and Kashmir, and the other the Buddhist-dominated high altitude region of Ladakh. The bifurcation of the territory came into effect on October 31 last year.

The president of which country issues partial curfew for those under 20 and shuts borders of 31 cities to halt coronavirus spread?

(a) Russia
(b) Turkey
(c) Spain
(d) United States
Answer: (b)

Queen Elizabeth II addressed the citizens of the UK in a rare message on April 5, 2020. The Queen had similarly addressed the citizens for the first time in 1991 after which major incident?

(a) First Gulf War
(b) Citizen’s Charter campaign
(c) Julin Bristol, the last UK nuclear test
(d) Invasion of Kuwait
Answer: (a)

The Ukrainian authorities reported a major fire and spike in radiation levels in the restricted zone near Chernobyl. Which year did the Chernobyl nuclear accident take place?

(a) 1991
(b) 1986
(c) 1984
(d) 1988
Answer: (b)

The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by the plant operators. It was a direct consequence of Cold War isolation and the resulting lack of any safety culture.
The accident destroyed the Chernobyl 4 reactor, killing 30 operators and firemen within three months and several further deaths later. One person was killed immediately and a second died in hospital soon after as a result of injuries received. Another person is reported to have died at the time from a coronary thrombosisc. Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) was originally diagnosed in 237 people onsite and involved with the clean-up and it was later confirmed in 134 cases.

Nadia, a four-year-old tiger tested positive for COVID-19 in this city’s Bronx zoo.

(a) New York
(b) Toronto
(c) Berlin
(d) Milan
Answer: (a)

Which among the following NASA satellites will issue volcano and earthquake warnings?

(a) CSAT
(b) CIRES
(c) STRIP
(d) PUTS
Answer: (b)

When was the World Health Organisation established?

(a) April 6th
(b) April 7th
(c) April 5th
(d) April 8th
Answer: (b)

Which nation lifted the temporary ban imposed on the export of essential drugs-Hydroxychloroquine, Paracetamol?

(a) US
(b) Japan
(c) China
(d) India
Answer: (d)

NASA’s Artemis Base Camp is expected to work as a gateway to landing humans on which planet?

(a) Venus
(b) Mars
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn
Answer: (b)

NASA is forging ahead with its Artemis program to land humans on the moon by 2024, but the agency has also just offered its first plan for what a U.S. lunar presence may look like after that milestone.
The new plan comes from a 13-page report submitted on April 2 to the National Space Council, an advisory group to President Donald Trump chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. Much of the report, titled “NASA’s Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development,” summarizes the vision NASA has laid out for justifying and accomplishing the 2024 moon landing. But the report also looks farther out to focus on what a long-term presence on the moon and in lunar orbit would permit the U.S. to accomplish.

Pakistan will receive how much amount from IMF under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to deal with the economic turmoil in the wake of coronavirus?

(a) $1.5bn
(b) $1.4bn
(c) $1.7bn
(d) $2.1bn
Answer: (b)

Who among the following has repurposed $50mn to combat coronavirus in Pakistan?

(a) WB
(b) IMF
(c) WHO
(d) ADB
Answer: (d)

Who has become the Democratic nominee for the US Presidential Elections 2020?

(a) Joe Biden
(b) Bernie Sanders
(c) Elizabeth Warren
(d) Michael Bloomberg
Answer: (a)

Who has topped the Forbes list of World’s Billionaires in 2020?

(a) Jeff Bezos
(b) Bill Gates
(c) Bernard Arnault
(d) Mark Zuckerberg
Answer: (a

Which airlines has decided to rehire 16,500 employees laid off due to pandemic?

(a) PIA
(b) Air Canada
(c) Air Asia
(d) SpiceJet
Answer: (b)

When did NASA introduce America’s first astronauts?

(a) April 8, 1960
(b) April 9, 1961
(c) April 9, 1959
(d) April 7, 1958
Answer: (c)

On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduces America’s first astronauts to the press: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr. and Donald Slayton

The global chemical weapons watchdog blamed which nation for toxic attacks?

(a) Turkey
(b) Iran
(c) Syria
(d) Israel
Answer: (c)

Which among the following the UN agency has provided Rubb Halls and housing units to the Balochistan government to support its quarantine facilities?

(a) WHO
(b) UNHCR
(c) UNESCO
(d) UNWTO
Answer: (b)

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has delivered large Rubb halls and housing units to the Balochistan Government to support quarantine facilities.
UNHCR has provided 14 self-standing and durable housing units to the provincial Health Department. These have been set up at the Balochistan Institute of Nephrology.
The large Rubb Halls that were delivered to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority in Balochistan are expected to accommodate a number of suspected COVID-19 patients. Previously, UNHCR had also donated five fully equipped ambulances to the Balochistan Government.

Who was the Pakistan’s first recovered patient from the coronavirus disease, donated his blood at the Children’s Hospital and Research Institute Karachi?

(a) Ali Raza
(b) Tahir Khalil
(c) Yahya Jaffri
(d) Muhammad Ali
Answer: (c)

When was World Homeopathy Day 2020 observed?

(a) April 7th
(b) April 10th
(c) April 8th
(d) April 9th
Answer: (b)

Homoeopathy Awareness Week is from April 10 to April 16, 2020. It is observed to celebrate the birth of Samuel Hahnemann, the father of Homoeopathy.

When was the world’s first human space flight launched?

(a) April 12, 1961
(b) April 13, 1959
(c) April 12, 1969
(d) April 11, 1960
Answer: (a)

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space when he orbited the Earth in a Vostok spacecraft on April 12, 1961. About a month later Alan Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, when he was launched aboard Mercury-Redstone 3

Who has been appointed as the Punjab’s new chief secretary?

(a) Azam Suleman
(b) Jawad Rafique Malik
(c) Yousaf Naseem Khokar
(d) Akbar Hussain Durrani
Answer: (b)

Which nation has reportedly launched its first-ever military satellite into the orbit?

(a) North Korea
(b) Japan
(c) Iran
(d) India
Answer: (c)

Iran has successfully sent into orbit its first military satellite, the country’s Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday. The satellite called Noor (Light) was put into an orbit located 425 kilometres (624 miles) above the Earth’s surface via a two-stage carrier called Qassed (Envoy).

Which among the following universities will start human trials of potential Coronavirus vaccine?

(a) Oxford
(b) Berkeley
(c) Harvard
(d) Yale
Answer: (a)

In the worldwide race for a vaccine to stop the coronavirus, the laboratory sprinting fastest is at Oxford University.
Most other teams have had to start with small clinical trials of a few hundred participants to demonstrate safety. But scientists at the university’s Jenner Institute had a head start on a vaccine, having proved in previous trials that similar inoculations — including one last year against an earlier coronavirus — were harmless to humans.
That has enabled them to leap ahead and schedule tests of their new coronavirus vaccine involving more than 6,000 people by the end of next month, hoping to show not only that it is safe, but also that it works.

The 2021 World Games, which have been rescheduled to 2022, was initially planned to be held in which city?

(a) Birmingham
(b) Glasgow
(c) Tokyo
(d) Rio De Janeiro
Answer: (a)

The World Games in Birmingham, USA, postponed to 2022. The International World Games Association (IWGA) and the Birmingham Organising Committee (BOC) have announced that the next edition of the World Games, which includes drone racing and parachuting canopy piloting, has been moved from 2021 to 2022 (7-17 July)

For the first time in 2020, April 5 is observed as which day by the United Nations?

(a) International Day of Conscience
(b) International Day of Promotion of Love
(c) International Day of Peace
(d) International Day of Promotion of culture
Answer: (a)

The International Day of Conscience is a global day of awareness celebrated on April 5, commemorating the importance of the human conscience. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on July 25, 2019 with the adoption of UN resolution 73/329.

Which nation’s Supreme Court proposed adopting social network applications to overcome regular postponement of cases?

(a) India
(b) Pakistan
(c) United Kingdom
(d) Sri Lanka
Answer: (b)

Confron¬ted with adjournment of cases on a daily basis as well as difficulties faced by litigants in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Pakistan Supreme Court has proposed adopting social network apps to overcome regular postponement of cases. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, while presiding over a two-judge bench during the hearing of a case and facing a similar problem with the absence of a counsel, suggested the use of social network applications, such as Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram or any other suitable video-conferencing platform, to deal with the situation.

When was the second G20 Finance Ministerial Meeting 2020 held?

(a) April 14th
(b) April 15th
(c) April 16th
(d) April 11th
Answer: (b)

RMS Titanic sank into the North Atlantic Ocean on which day?

(a) April 15, 1912
(b) April 13, 1912
(c) April 15, 1913
(d) April 13, 1910
Answer: (c)

Which among the following events have been re-scheduled for August 29, 2020?

(a) US Open
(b) French Open
(c) Wimbledon
(d) Tour de France
Answer: (d)

The 2020 Tour de France has been rescheduled for August 29 to September 20, the UCI and organiser ASO announced. The Tour was originally scheduled to take place from June 27 to July 19, dates that became untenable earlier this week when French president Emmanuel Macron extended the current ban on public gatherings until mid-July. The coronavirus pandemic has already seen many major sporting events postponed until 2021 or cancelled altogether. The Tokyo Olympic Games and the Euro 2020 and Copa America football tournaments have been put back to the summer of 2021, while this year’s edition of Wimbledon has been cancelled.

The US state department has accused which nation of secretly carrying out low-level underground nuclear test explosions?

(a) Iran
(b) North Korea
(c) Israel
(d) China
Answer: (d)

Beijing has accused Washington of ‘confounding black and white’ and ‘attacking the innocent’ after the U.S. State Department warned that China might be conducting small nuclear bomb tests. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasted the United States for ‘fabricating the so-called arm-control report every year’ to meddle in other countries’ military affairs. Zhao Lijian, the Ministry’s spokesperson, urged Washington to mind its own business and stop pointing fingers at other nations, reported China’s state media.