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April 22, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. PM arrives in Iran, to meet Khamenei, Rouhani today
• Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 21, 2019 paid his respects at the shrine of Imam Raza during a brief stopover in Mashhad at the start of his two-day maiden visit to Iran and highlighted the importance Islamabad attached to expanding bilateral relations with Tehran in diverse fields.
• PM Khan, during his meetings with the leadership of the Khorasan-i-Razavi province, said maintaining good relations with neighbours was the cornerstone of his government policy.
• The premier, who is accompanied by two ministers, an adviser and three special assistants holding portfolios of human rights, maritime affairs, commerce, overseas Pakistanis, health services, and petroleum, will call on Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Islamic revolution, besides holding detailed discussion with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other top government functionaries on Monday.
• Mr Khan is visiting Iran on the invitation of President Rouhani.
2. Govt to go ahead with tax amnesty scheme
• Despite a change of command and internal opposition, the government`s proposed amnesty scheme for asset declaration will go ahead without any major change and will come to an end before the International Monetary Fund`s bailout programme kicks in on July 1.
• This was the crux of a special meeting on the subject presided over by new Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, on April 21, 2019. It was attended by Finance Secretary Mohammad Younas Dagha,Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar, Federal Board of Revenue chairman Dr Jehanzeb Khan and others.
• `The tenure of the amnesty scheme cannot be allowed to go beyond June 30,` a senior official told Dawn after the meeting when asked whether the business community`s demand for a longer period would be accepted or it would be made more liberal, a demand made by some leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.
• The amnesty scheme 2018 announced by then prime minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi fetched Rs124 billion in taxes from a total of 82,889 people who declared assets worth Rs2.5trillion despite legal challenges and sunset period of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government and threats by the PTI to reverse the scheme and take action against beneficlaries.
• A total of 76,960 domestic assets were declared last year, involving a total value of Rs1.460tr and tax amount of about Rs77bn.
3. Punjab Aab-i-Pak Authority established
• The Punjab Aab-i-Pak Authority has finally been established to provide safe drinking water to the whole of population in the province.
• Governor Chaudhry Sarwar has been appointed its patron-in-chief through the Act of Parliament.
• The Punjab Assembly had created the Punjab Aab-i-Pak Authority as the House passed the authority`s Bill 2019 with majority vote on March 14 amidst opposition`s objections to the governor`s role as patron-in-chief.
• The Punjab Assembly secretariat, however, delayed forwarding the Act to the Governor`s Secretariat for his assent for over a month. On the eve of Punjab Assembly`s ninth session on Sunday, the Act was forwarded to the governor.
• Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar who had recently returned from his visit abroad, immediately signed the Act making it a law applicable across the province.
4. China provides technical support to Pak infrastructure
• Chinese Academy of Sciences has provided technical support to assist Pakistan in building its infrastructure and mitigating natural disasters, Cao Jinghua, director of international cooperation at the academy said. “We hope our joint research centers and scientific projects will greatly benefit people overseas,” Cao told the Chinese media on Sunday. China, he said, also helped local governments in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Tajikistan solve their culinary water problems.
• The academy has also launched nine joint overseas research and education facilities with foreign partners around the world, with the 10th one currently being built in Pakistan.
• The centers are to serve as platforms to enhance scientific cooperation, talent training and innovation capability for China and BRI participants.
April 22, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. Over 200 die as bombs devastate Lanka on Easter
• Shock and disbelief gripped Sri Lankans on April 21, 2019 morning as eight massive explosions targeted Easter ceremonies at three churches and three five-star hotels, killing over 200 people and leaving hundreds of others wounded.
• At the time of writing, at least 207 people had been declared dead and the number of injured put at 450. Over 30 foreigners were believed to have died in the blasts, among them British, Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese and American citizens.
• Some eyewitness accounts said the final death toll could be even greater, with many still missing and several bodies possibly buried under the debris.
• Also, several of the injured were said to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
• The attacks were the worst act of violence to hit the country in the decade since the end of a bloody civil war that killed up to 100,000 people.
6. Comedian Zelenskiy wins Ukrainian presidential race by landslide
• Ukraine entered uncharted political waters on April 21, 2019 after an exit poll showed a comedian with no political experience and few detailed policies had easily won enough votes to become the next president of a country at war.
• The apparent landslide victory of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, is a bitter blow for incumbent Petro Poroshenko who tried to rally Ukrainians around the flag by casting himself as a bulwark against Russian aggression and a champion of Ukrainian identity.
• The national exit poll showed Zelenskiy had won 73 percent of the vote with Poroshenko winning just 25 percent.
7. Only 56pc of women have CNIC in rural Punjab
• A survey conducted by Punjab Commission on Status of Women here on April 21, 2019 revealed that in rural areas of Punjab only 56 per cent of young women have Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC).
• According to a survey as compared with rural peers, urban women have 64 per cent of CNICs of women age 18 years and above.
• Fewer CNICs were issued to women in Punjab (41 pc) as compared to men (59 pc), it said. In General Election 2018, 69 per cent of all young women have voted, compared to 32 per cent in the elections of 2013.It said that 69 per cent of political participation has been noted during the year 2010 to 2018 and only 39 per cent of women were aware of political parties and 1.9 per cent were active members of these political parties. About 62 per cent of young women are using cell phones in Punjab (71 pc urban) while 34 per cent have computer literacy. About 21 per cent young women have access to internet and out these 82 per cent participate in social media forums, it added. Survey stressed that NADRA should actively seek to eliminate the gender gap in CNICs and voter registration through extensive outreach campaigns especially in high schools and colleges
8. King restores citizenship of 551 Bahrainis after outcry
• Bahrain`s king on April 21, 2019 ordered the citizenship of 551 Bahrainis to be restored, after his country was harshly criticised by the UN and rights groups for revoking people`s nationalities.
• ` His Majest y King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has issued an order, reinstating the citizenship of 551 convicts whose nationality had been revoked as per court rulings,` state-run Bahrain News Agency reported.
• US ally Bahrain has been gripped by bouts of unrest since 2011, when authorities cracked down on protests demanding political reform.
• Since then, hundreds of protesters have been jailed and those convicted of terrorism offences have been stripped of their nationality.
9. Egyptians vote in second day of referendum to extend Sisi rule
• Egyptians voted for a second day on April 21, 2019 in a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments aimed at cementing the rule of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
• Sisi is widely expected to win backing for changes making it possible for him to stay in power until 2030, boosting his control over the judiciary and giving the military even greater influence in political life.
• Egyptian media outlets, tightly controlled by the state, have carried images of packed voting stations, while dissenting voices from the opposition and rights groups against the measures have been largely restricted to the internet.
• Some voters say their employers have encouraged them to vote, while others say they have received food coupons from unidentified people.
April 22, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Crawford wins by TKO when Khan doesn’t go on after low blow
• Terence Crawford knocked Amir Khan down just a few punches into their fight. The punch that finally ended it was below the belt.
• Crawford retained his welterweight title by technical knockout April 20, 2019 when Khan wasn’t able to continue after being hit with a low blow in the sixth round. Crawford threw a left hand that hit Khan on his right hip and Khan retreated toward his corner in pain. After taking a couple minutes trying to shake off the pain, his corner told the referee that Khan couldn’t continue.
