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April 3, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Three soldiers martyred in Indian firing from across LoC
• Three army soldiers and a civilian embraced martyrdom while another soldier and two civilians got injured amid unrelenting unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian troops from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), on April 2, 2019.
• `Indian troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Rakh Chikri sector in Rawalakot along the Line of Control.
• Three brave sons of soil laid [down] their lives in the line of duty and one got wounded,` said the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media affairs wing of the Pakistan army, in a brief statement.
• The martyred soldiers were identified as Subedar Muhammad Riaz, a resident of Jhang district in Punjab, Lance Havaldar Azizullah, a resident of Naushahro Feroze district in Sindh, and Sepoy Shahid Mansib, a resident of Abbottabad district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
2. Govt bans IPL matches telecast, puts BISP under Ahsas
• After facing strong resistance from within the party and drawing ire of the opposition, the government on April 2, 2019 scrapped its plan to change the name of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), but decided to place it along with other social welfare schemes under the umbrella of its new programme, Ahsas.
• In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the federal cabinet also decided to impose complete ban on the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament telecast in a tit-for-tat response to the Indian ban on the recently held Pakistan Super League (PSL).
• The government also appointed heads of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, reconstituted the boards of several government organisations and decided to create a new division/ministry.
3. As Nasa assails Indian test, Pakistan urges world to ponder over ramifications
• As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) called India`s destruction of a satellite a `terrible, terrible thing`, Pakistan said on April 2, 2019 the act should be a matter of grave concern for the international community because of its ramifications for long-term sustainability of peaceful space activities.
• Last week New Delhi destroyed one of its satellites with a missile, a move Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as one that established India `as a space power`.
• But NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told employees in Washington on April 1, 2019 that the move posed an `unacceptable` threat to astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS).
• In a statement issued in Islamabad on April 2, 2019, Pakistan`s Foreign Office expressed concern over reports that some of the space debris created by the recent Anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapon test by India had been pushed above the apogee of the ISS, increasing the risk of collision.
4. Pakistan China border reopens
• After four month`s closure, The China-Pakistan land border at Khunjerab pass reopened the other day, thus resuming the trade and travel activities between the two countries.
• According to Pakistan immigration officials, a first Northern Areas Transport Corporation bus carrying six passengers from Pakistan left for China.
• Under the protocol agreement signed by Pakistani and Chinese authorities, the border is usually closed on Nov 30 and reopens on April 1, owing to heavy snowfall.
• The Khunjerab pass is the highest paved international border at an altitude of 15,500 feet.
• There has been a daily bus service across the boundary from Sost valley of Gilgit to Kashgar in Xinjiang.
April 3, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. US halts delivery of F-35 equipment to Turkey
• The United States has halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey, markinB1g the first concrete US step to block delivery of the jet to the NATO ally in light of Ankara`s planned purchase of a Russian missile defence system.
• US officials told their Turkish counterparts they will not receive further shipments of F-35 related equipment needed to prepare for the arrival of the stealthy jet, two sources familiar with the situation said on April 1, 2019.
• The Pentagon said that the equipment delivery had been stopped.
• `Pending an unequivocal Turkish decision to forgo delivery of the S-400, deliveries and activities associated with the stand-up of Turkey`s F-35 operational capability have been suspended,` Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a Defence Department spokesman, said in a statement.
6. Tough New Zealand gun laws easily pass first hurdle
• New legislation to tighten New Zealand gun laws in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings drew overwhelming support when it was introduced to parliament on April 2, 2019.
• Lawmakers voted 119-1 in favour of the bill, which bans military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) rifles like those used in the March 15 rampage by a white supremacist which claimed 50 lives.
• Police Minister Stuart Nash said the attack by accused gunman Brenton Tarrant showed current firearms restrictions were inadequate.
• The sole holdout against the legislation was David Seymour, a conservative whose ACT Party has a single seat in parliament.
• Seymour criticised the speed with which his colleagues were handling the legislation, fast-tracking a process that usually takes months so that the law will take effect by next week.
7. NASA plans manned mission to Mars by `33
• NASA has made it clear they want astronauts back on the Moon in 2024, and now, they are zeroing in on the Red Planet the US space agency confirmed that it wants humans to reach Mars by 2033.
• Jim Bridenstine, NASA`s administrator, said on Tuesday that in order to achieve that goal, other parts of the programme including a lunar landing need to move forward more quickly.
8. Saudi Arabia gave Jamal Khashoggi’s children homes, money: Report
• Saudi Arabia has given the four children of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi “million-dollar houses” and “monthly five-figure payments” as compensation for the killing of their father, the Washington Post reported.
• The kingdom is trying to come to a long-term understanding with the Khashoggi family members to encourage them to continue to refrain from criticism in relation to their father’s killing by Saudi agents, the paper reported on April 2, 2019. Larger payouts – “possibly tens of millions of dollars apiece” – as part of “blood money” negotiations could be offered in the coming months, the paper said, citing accounts by current and former Saudi officials as well as people close to the family.
• Negotiations over further payments are expected to take place following the trials of Khashoggi’s accused killers, according to the officials and others who spoke to the paper on the condition of anonymity.
9. Google shuts failed social network Google+
• Google+, the search giant’s failed social network, will finally be laid to rest on April 2, 2019 morning.
• Launched in 2011 and competing with Facebook and Twitter, it was Google’s fourth attempt at a social network. But the platform failed to win people over, even after Google pushed it upon the thriving YouTube community.
• By the end of 2011, analysts were already writing obituaries. But Google decided to close the site only after discovering a data breach, in 2018. Google+ was launched as an invite-only platform in June 2011, before opening up to the public later in the year.
• It had many of the features typical of social networks, with the ability to post photos and status updates on individual feeds. However, Google also described it as a “social layer” designed to work across all its services.
10. Seoul, Washington back inter-Korean military accord
• South Korea and the US have reaffirmed its support to the last year’s inter-Korean military accord aimed at reducing border tensions, Korean media reported on April 2, 2019.
• The South Korean and the US defense chiefs – Jeong Kyeong-doo and Patrick Shanahan respectively – met in Washington on April 1, 2019, according to Yonhap news agency. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had agreed to Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) in their third summit and the Koreas’ defense chiefs had signed the accord in Pyongyang last September.
