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April 25, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. SC restores all taxes on mobile phone top-ups
• The Supreme Court on April 24, 2019 restored deduction of withholding tax, sales tax and service charges on prepaid cellular scratch cards by vacating its earlier suspension order.
• `For the reasons to be recorded later this human right cell case and all interim orders are disposed of,` Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said while dictating an order after a daylong hearing. He also said the court would not interfere in revenue matters.
• On public complaints, the apex court had taken up a case relating to unreasonable deduction of tax/other charges from mobile phone pre-paid cards and easy load, besides deducting Rs40 in the form of different taxes for every Rs 100 charge.
• During the hearing, the court was told that the state had suffered a loss of about Rs90 billion since the issuance of the suspension order.
2. Report highlights online abuse experienced by women activists
• Fifty-five per cent of women journalists, social media activists and human rights defenders in digital spaces surveyed have been subjected to online abuse or harassment. Ninety-one per cent felt the abuse was gendered and mostly personal in nature. Eighty-five per cent said the online abuse hurled at them often originated from apparently fake accounts.
• These are the key findings of the report Fostering Open Spaces in Pakistan Combating Threats to Women`s Activism Online, released on April 24, 2019 by the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), an organisation working on online violence against women and online free speech issues.
• The report draws its findings from the experiences of 60 women from across the country who have witnessed or been impacted by online abuse. `The framework of intimidation against women ranges from misogyny to harassment and from stalking to surveillance. The cumulative impact of this is threatened freedom of expression, privacy and activism of women online through threats, harassment and rejection,` states the report which is available online.
3. More than 80,000 Pakistanis deported last year: NCHR report
• More than 80,000 Pakistanis were deported last year, of which half were deported from Saudi Arabia, a report on human trafficking in Pakistan by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has found.
• The Menace of Human Trafficking/ Smuggling Pakistan`s Response to the Problem has been finalised, but will be officially launched next month.
• The report also said that a large number of women and children are trafficked within Pakistan, but the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) does not have the mandate to act.
• NCHR Researcher Ghulam Mohammad, who authored the report
• Around 50 people who travelled abroad illegally were interviewed.
4. Japan provides $49 million grant
• The Japanese government has provided $49 million grant assistance for the extension of intensive care at maternal and child health care centre and children`s hospital at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and to strengthen cargo inspection capacity at dry ports of the country.
• Special Secretary (Asia-Pacific) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmad Imtiaz and Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Kuninori Matsuda signed the agreements on behalf of their respective governments in Tokyo on Tuesday in the presence of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono.
• The PIMS will get a grant of $32m. The children hospital at PIMS has been built with the assistance of Japan.
5. Pakistan`s CAD lower than regional average, but more volatile: UNDP
• Despite Pakistan`s high current account deficit (CAD), it has remained below those of regional countries, however its volatility is higher than most states, says a report of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published on April 24, 2019.
• In its analysis on the development priorities of the country in `Development Advocate Pakistan` , UNDP says that Pakistan`s current account deficit despite being higher than the regional average is still lower than that of Egypt (-3.7 per cent), Morocco (-5.4pc), Sri Lanka (-3.9pc) and Turkey (-4.8pc) while its volatility (2.5pc) is higher than majority, the report says.
• Analysing the factors behind high volatility, one issue particularly stands out Pakistan has consistently held lower foreign exchange reserves than its peers. On average, dollar stocks have been at 5.4pc of GDP, which is lower than all countries, except Egypt.
6. $500m framework for development projects signed with South Korea
• A commitment to promote greater links and economic growth between the United Kingdom and Pakistan`s tech sector was launched in the British Parliament in London on April 24, 2019.
• The initiative will seek to create a Pakistan-UK tech corridor, providing a gateway for greater connectivity between the two countries, a press release of the British High Commission said.
• The organisers `Tech London Advocates Pakistan` (TLA) a collection of tech experts and innovators brought together thought leaders, business and investors to foster greater collaboration, innovation and sharing of technical knowledge and best practices with the goal to forge stronger links between the UK and Pakistan`s tech sectors.
• Pakistan`s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, and UK Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi and Trade Director to Pakistan Elin Burns attended the launching ceremony.
April 25, 2019: International Current Affairs
7. North Korean supremo in Russia for first talks with Putin
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was looking forward to his first talks with President Vladimir Putin as he arrived in Russia on April 24, 2019 seeking support in Pyongyang`s nuclear deadlock with the United States.
• Kim`s armoured train rolled in to the Tsarist-era station in Russia`s Pacific port city of Vladivostok, where the summit will take place on April 25, 2019.
• Wearing a long black coat and fedora, Kim stepped out onto a red carpet on the station platform before making his way outside where he was received by an honour guard and military band.
8. Sharjah named 2019 World Book Capital
• The UAE city of Sharjah took up the mantle as UNESCO`s World Book Capital for 2019, launching a series of cultural programmes aimed at both locals and expatriates.
• `Sharjah aims to become a true torch for science and knowledge,` said Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al Qasimi, ruler of the city and its eponymous emirate, at a ceremony joining more than 500 artists.
• Sharjah was named this year`s World Book Capital by the UN`s cultural agency under the recommendation of The International Publishers Associations (IPA) and The International Federation of Library Association and Institutions (IFLA).
• `Sharjah has been selected by these esteemed pillars as recognition of the city`s continuous efforts in promoting books and literacy,` said a joint statement released by the three organisations.
9. UN reports increase in civilian deaths in US, Afghan operations
• In the first quarter of 2019, US and Afghan forces killed more civilians in Afghanistan than Taliban did, says a UN report released on April 24, 2019.
• The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), however, reported that this year`s casualties were the lowest for a first quarter since 2013.
• Overall, civilian casualties decreased by 23 per cent as compared to the same period last year.
• From Jan 1 to March 31, the UNAMA documented 1,773 civilian casualties 581 deaths and 1,192 injured. These included 582 child casualties as well 150 deaths and 432 injured. The report claimed that `civilian deaths attributed to pro-government forces surpassed those attributed to anti-government elements during the first quarter of 2019`.
10. Seven footballers banned over match manipulation
• Seven current and former players from various countries have been banned for life for their involvement in a match-manipulation following an investigation lasting several years, football`s governing body FIFA said on April 24, 2019.
• FIFA said the investigation centred around matches which convicted Singapore-based match fixer Wilson Raj Perumal attempted to manipulate for betting purposes.
• FIFA named the players as Karlon Murray and Keyeno Thomas fromTrinidad and Tobago, former Sierra Leone captain Ibrahim Kargho, Hellings Mwakasungula (Malawi), Seidath Tchomogo (Benin), Leonel Duarte (Cuba) and Mohammad Salim Israfeel Kohistani (Afghanistan).
• In addition, Kenyan defender George Owino Audi received a 10-year ban and a fine of 15,000 Swiss francs (13,165 euros) and Zimbabwean players` agent Kudzanai Shaba was banned for life. FIFA did not give any details on which matches they had attempted to influence. `This large-scale investigation was conducted by FIFA over several years through its integrity department and in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders and authorities,` read a FIFA statement.
