Pakistan Current Affairs
October 13, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Imran flies to Iran today on mediation mission
• Prime Minister Imran Khan will on October 13, 2019 launch his effort for defusing tensions in the Gulf by travelling to Tehran.
• Mr Khan, who announced his intentions to undertake mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, will meet Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran.
• During the meetings, Mr Khan would focus on issues relating to peace and security in the Gulf. However, he would also touch upon bilateral matters and other regional developments including Kashmir.
• There have been some last-minute changes in PM Khan`s itinerary for the trip.
2. Cabinet approval for six more ordinances sought
• Paying no heed to the ongoing criticism against the government for carrying out legislation through presidential ordinances, the law ministry has sent yet another summary to the federal cabinet to get approval for six more ordinances.
• Through the summary, the law ministry has informed the federal cabinet that it has already `prepared` six ordinances and suggested that `keeping in view the urgency involved`, these ordinances `are proposed to be promulgated immediately`.
• The ordinances, according to the law ministry`s communication, have been pending before various committees of the National Assembly in the form of bills since long.
• `As the legislative process will take substantial time, it is suggested that the bills maybe promulgated as ordinances,` writes the law ministry in its summary to the federal cabinet, which is expected to meet on Oct 16.
3. PM launches regional peace initiative today
• Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit Iran on Sunday (October 13, 2019) as part of his initiative to promote peace and security in the region.
• During the visit, the prime minister would meet with the Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and President Dr Hassan Rouhani, a PM Office statement said.
• Besides the issues relating to peace and security in the Gulf, bilateral matters and important regional developments will be discussed during the meetings.
• This will be the prime minister’s second visit to Iran this year. The prime minister also had a bilateral meeting with the Iranian president on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly session in New York last month.
October 13, 2019: International Current Affairs
4. Judge blocks Trump immigration rule, calls it `repugnant to American Dream`
• A US federal judge in New York temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule that would deny residency to aspiring immigrants deemed likely to require government assistance, calling it `repugnant to the American Dream.
• The rule, finalised in August, vastly expanded who could be considered a possible `public charge,` applying to anyone who might in the future need temporary government help such as food stamps, Medicaid or housing aid. Previously it applied to immigrants who would be primarily dependent on the government.
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule, if ultimately allowed to take effect, could be the most drastic of the Trump administration`s hardline anti-immigration policies, experts have said.
5. Acting US homeland security chief McAleenan resigns
• US President Donald Trump announced that acting US homeland security chief Kevin McAleenan has resigned, becoming the latest in a long list of top officials to leave the administration.
• `Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down,` Trump said in a tweet.
• `Kevin now, after many years in Government, wants to spend more time with his family and go to the private sector.
• Congratulations Kevin, on a job well done! McAleenan served in the role for six months, replacing Kirstjen Nielsen, who sat at the helm of the powerful agency for 1.5 years.
6. Turkish troops enter Syrian border town
• Ankara stepped up its assault on Kurdish-held border towns in north-eastern Syria on October 12, 2019, defying mounting threats of international sanctions, even from Washington.
• Buoyed by a night of steady advances in the countryside, Turkish troops and their Syrian allies entered the battleground town of Ras al-Ain, sources on both sides said.
• The Turkish defence ministry hailed its forces` capture of the first Kurdish-held town of the offensive so far. But Ras al-Ain`s Kurdish defenders denied the town had fallen and a correspondent said Turkish troops and their Syrian allies had entered it but had yet to capture it.
• The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who were the main ground partner in the US-led campaign against the militant Islamic State (IS)group, called on the United States to assume its `moral obligations` and protect them.
7. Modi to inaugurate Indian side of Kartarpur corridor on Nov 8, says aide
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor`s Integrated Check Post on the Indian side on Nov 8, reports quoted his cabinet colleague Harsimrat Kaur Badal as saying on October 12, 2019.
• She said the prime minister will visit Punjab on Nov 8 to inaugurate the corridor and also attend the religious programme organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.
• There appears to be a parallel track of events relating to the landmark anniversary, divided between Mr Modi`s Sikh allies and the Congress party`s Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The chief minister had invited former prime minister Manmohan Singh to join the visit to the Pakistan side of the event, which he has accepted
8. US bolsters Saudi defence against Iran with jets, missiles
• The US is deploying dozens more fighter jets and additional air defenses to Saudi Arabia, beefing up efforts to defend the kingdom against Iran even as President Donald Trump repeatedly insists that America must get out of endless Middle East wars.
• Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced the deployments just hours after Iran said two missiles struck one of its oil tankers traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon moves are part of a broader response to the suspected Iranian missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities on Sept. 14.
• The heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have led the US to pour about 14,000 more US troops into the region since May, including additional ships to maintain maritime security in the Persian Gulf area.
• The decision underscores the complexities of America’s Middle East policies that struggle to align Trump’s desire to pull troops out of the region with what have been persistent threats from Iran and a volatile military operation against Islamic State militants in Syria.
9. Payments giants abandon Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency
• Mastercard, Visa, eBay and payments firm Stripe have pulled out of Facebook’s embattled cryptocurrency project, Libra. Their move, first reported in the Financial Times, follows the withdrawal of PayPal, announced last week.
• It represents a huge blow to the social network’s plans to launch what it envisions as a global currency. The project has drawn heavy scrutiny from regulators and politicians, particularly in the US.
• Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg will appear before the House Committee on Financial Services on 23 October to discuss Libra and its planned roll-out. Regulators have raised multiple concerns over Libra, including the risk it may be used for money laundering.
October 13, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. National T20 Cup begins in Faisalabad from October 13, 2019
• After Pakistan`s 3-0 thrashing in the recent home series against Sri Lanka, there will be ample opportunities forthcoming for a number of contenders in the National T20 Cup in the main event that which begins in Faisalabad from October 13, 2019 vying for places in the squad to tour Australia next month.
• With the second XI sides competing at the National Stadium in Karachi, the main focus will be at Faisalabad`s Iqbal Stadium where the country`s top cricketers will be mighty anxious to impress the embattled Pakistan head coach-cum-chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq for possible inclusion in the Australia-bound touring party as well as compete for the player draft for the 2020 HBL Pakistan Super League.
• With talks of wholesale changes in the makeup of the Pakistan squad gathering momentum following the humiliation of the world`s top-ranked team, Misbah and the six regional head coaches will be keeping a close eye on the potential tourists for the three-match series in Australia.
October 12, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. UAE hands over data of Pakistanis given residence permits
• The country`s top tax machinery claims to have received data of the Pakistani nationals who have obtained residence by investments in the United Arab Emirates in a bid to hide their illegal wealth.
• The data was collected from the Dubai Land Department (DLD) at the conclusion of a three-day (Oct 8-10) meeting in Dubai. Pakistan was represented in the meeting by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Secretary for International Taxes Sajida Kausar.
• Well-placed sources told Dawn that the FBR`s international taxes wing was scrutinising the data and those identified with correct addresses and accurate identification would be served notices for tax collection.
• However, the DLD has yet to provide data about the Pakistani nationals who have obtained iqama (work permit) in order to hide their illegal wealth
2. Turkish president to visit Pakistan on 23rd
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay an official visit to Pakistan on Oct 23 to cement relations between the two countries and to extend full support to Pakistan`s stance on the Kashmir issue.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan on October 11, 2019 telephoned the Turkish president and said that Mr Erdogan would visit Pakistan `later this month`.
• According to Prime Minister Office (PMO), Mr Khan telephoned the Turkish president to exchange views on recent developments and apprised the latter that Pakistan fully understood Turkey`s concerns relating to terrorism.
3. ADB to give Pakistan $200m for social protection
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed on October 11, 2019 a loan agreement with the government for providing $200 million additional financing to support institutional strengthening of Pakistan`s flagship social protection programme.
• The ADB-financed social protection development project, approved in October 2013, has enabled the enrollment of over 855,000 women beneficiaries to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). The additional financing will ensure continuation of the ADB support to this initiative as well as help BISP to implement institutional strengthening measures.
• BISP considered one of the largest social protection programmes in South Asia is part of a larger government strategy called Ehsaas to reduce poverty and inequality. BISP, which is primarily funded by the government of Pakistan, supports Ehsaas through cash transfers, poverty graduation programs, and a targeted safety net.
4. Kabul closes its Peshawar consulate to protest flag removal
• Afghanistan closed its consulate in Peshawar for an indefinite period on October 11, 2019 to protest the removal of its national flag from a disputed property known as Afghan Market.
• `We condemn removal of our national flag from the market by police and close down the consulate in Peshawar for an indefinite period, `Afghan Consul General Muhammad Hashim Niazi said at a press conference.
• He termed removal of the flag from the `disputed` property a violation of diplomatic norms. The Afghan flag was hoisted atop the market again and its ambassador took up the matter with the foreign office
5. Woman follows in footsteps of four sisters, passes CSS exam
• In a male-dominated society, there are women who win laurels and make their parents and families proud.
• Zoha Malik Sher proved that girls are a blessing not a curse as she made her family proud by passing the Central Superior Service (CSS) written exam, following in the footsteps of her four sisters who had already passed the competitive exam and are currently holding imponant positions in the bureaucracy.
• The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) on October 10, 2019 announced the results of the written pan of the CSS exam.
• According to the FPSC, 23,403 candidates applied for the exam out of whom 14,521 appeared and only 372 could clear it with the passing percentage of 2.56.
• Rawalpindi-based Zoha was among those who passed the written examination.
6. Mehwish goodwill ambassador for girls’ rights
• Another feather to Pakistan’s leading actress Mehwish Hayat’s cap as she has been appointed a goodwill ambassador for girls’ rights by the Ministry of Human Rights.
• The recipient of the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Hayat, announced about her appointment in a video message on micro-blogging website, saying: “Delighted to be appointed by the Ministry of Human Rights as Goodwill Ambassador the rights of the girl child.”
• The ‘Load Wedding’ star – who has been vocal about humanitarian issues, said: “This is something close to me & I look forward to actively raising awareness of the issues to be addressed. Let’s give girls the better future they deserve.”
October 12, 2019: International Current Affairs
7. Ethiopian PM wins Nobel Peace Prize for mending ties with Eritrea
• Hailed as a visionary and reformer, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize on October 11, 2019 for his efforts to resolve the long running conflict with neighbouring foe Eritrea.
• Abiy was honoured `for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea, the Nobel Committee said.
• The award is seen as a welcome boost for Africa`s youngest leader as he faces worrying inter-community violence ahead of a parliamentary election in May 2020.
• `I was so humbled and thrilled when I just heard the news, Abiy told the Nobel Committee in a phone call posted online on the Nobel Prize website
8. US to deploy 3,000 more troops, boost missile defence systems in Saudi Arabia
• The Pentagon said it has approved the deployment of 3,000 additional troops and military hardware to Saudi Arabia, boosting the country`s defences after attacks on its oil installations blamed on Iran.
• US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper authorised the deployment of two more Patriot missile batteries, one THAAD ballistic missile interception system, two fighter squadrons and one air expeditionary wing, the Pentagon said in a statement.
• `Secretary Esper informed Saudi Crown Prince and Minister of Defence Mohammed bin Salman this morning of the additional troop deployment to assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia,` it said.
• `Taken together with other deployments this constitutes an additional 3,000forces thathave been extended or authorised within the last month, it said.
9. First man to perform spacewalk dies
• Alexei Leonov, a legendary Soviet cosmonaut who was the first man to perform a spacewalk in 1965, died in Moscow on October 11, 2019 aged 85 after a long illness.
• The Russian space agency Roscosmos said it was saddened to announce the death of `cosmonaut No 11` who was twice decorated with the country`s top honour the Hero of the Soviet Union. Tributes poured in from across the globe, with Western space agencies and experts praising Leonov`s contribution and admirers bidding him farewell.
10. Nasa launches satellite to explore where air meets space
• Nasa launched a satellite night to explore the mysterious, dynamic region where air meets space.
• The satellite called Icon, short for Ionospheric Connection Explorer rocketed into orbit following a two-year delay. It was dropped from a plane flying over the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Five seconds after the satellite’s release, the attached Pegasus rocket ignited, sending Icon on its way.
October 10, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Pakistan, China resolve to build shared future
• Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their resolve to `further deepen strategic communication and strengthen all-weather cooperation` aimed at building a community of shared future in the new era, as Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues during their meeting on October 9, 2019.
• At the meeting held at the People`s Great Hall of China, the Chinese president extended Beijing`s `unwavering support to Pakistan`s sovereignty and territorial integrity`.
• Recalling the Joint Statement of Nov 4, 2018, which outlined the important consensus between Pakistan and China, the two sides reaffirmed their support on issues concerning each other`s core interests.
• The Chinese president, who is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai later this week, told Mr Khan that he was watching the situation in Kashmir very closely and would support Pakistan `on all issues of its core national interest`.
• Tensions over Kashmir have risen sharply since Aug 5 when New Delhi revoked the autonomy of the disputed region and imposed a curfew.
2. Pakistan, China finalise railway project
• Pakistan and China have finalised the multibillion-dollar Main Line-I (ML-l) project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said here on October 9, 2019.
• `I held a meeting with my Chinese counterpart this morning and finalised the project,` the minister told media at Diaoyutai State Guest House.
• Mr Ahmed is pan of Prime Minister Imran Khan`s delegation currently visiting China.
• While expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking great interest in the project, he said the ML-1, an important project for the Pakistan Railways, had taken shape after 14 years.
3. Pakistan dropped three ranks on Competitive Index in 2018
• The country`s ranking on the World Economic Forum`s (WEF) competitiveness index has slipped down three ranks to 110 from 107 in 2018.
• The ranking, based on the outcome of executive surveys as well as the statistics from international organisations, deteriorated following the country`s poor performance in the areas of press freedom, life expectancy, corruption, governance, innovation, productivity and human development. The competitiveness index is part of the Global Competitiveness Report, released by Mishal Pakistan on October 9, 2019, a local partner institute of the WEF.
• Within the South Asian region, the WEF ranked India at 68th position.
• India has lost ground in the rankings despite a relatively stable score, mostly due to faster improvements of several countries previously ranked lower.
• Further, Sri Lanka`s ranking saw most improvement to 84th position Bangladesh 105th, Nepal 108th and Pakistan 110th.
4. Compliance report ready as FATF meeting approaches
• The next meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is scheduled to be held in Paris from Oct 12 to 15 and Pakistan has already prepared its compliance report, which will be presented by Minister for Economic Affairs Division Hammad Azhar.
• The Pakistani delegation is scheduled to leave for France on Oct 13 as Pakistan`s case will be taken up on Oct 14 and 15.
• Meanwhile, a report finalised by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on October 9, 2019 has said that the comprehensive guideline developed by the Commission has helped financial institutions to generate 219 Suspicious Transactions Reports (STRs) in one year, as compared to 13 STRs in eight years.
5. Peshawar police launch website
• The capital city police on Wednesday launched their website to facilitate the general public in accessing information about the police performance and the criminal elements.
• The website was launched at a ceremony held at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines. Capital city police chief Mohammad Karim Khan launched the website.
• On the occasion, Karim Khan told reporters that the website would not only facilitate general public in getting necessary information about city police but also data of criminals. He said people could also lodge complaints against police officials and share tips about anti-social, criminal and other elements using the website
6. Twitter to alert govt before suspending `official` accounts
• Two months after Pakistan specified about 200 accounts that were suspended by Twitter for posting content about Kashmir, the government has made headway in its negotiations on the matter with the micro-blogging website.
• In August, several users complained that their accounts or tweets were suspended or withheld for posting about events in India held Kashmir. The claim came from journalists, activists, government officials and fans of the military tweeting in support of Kashmir freedom. Simultaneously, #StopSuspendingPakistanis was trending on Twitter in Pakistan.
• The government then specified about 200 accounts that were suspended, accusing the platform of aiding India`s quest to silence Kashmiris and their supporters.
• The list of accounts suspended, included Twitter handles run by some government officials. In an Aug 19 letter written to Twitter vice president, Trust and Safety, Del Harvey, National IT Board chairman Shabahat Ali Shah said that users from Pakistan were shut down without warning or prior notice.
October 10, 2019: International Current Affairs
7. Pioneers of lithium-ion battery win Nobel chemistry prize
• Three researchers won the Nobel Chemistry Prize on October 9, 2019 for the development of lithium-ion batteries, paving the way for smartphones and a fossil fuel-free society.
• John Good enough of the United States at 97 the oldest person to be awarded a Nobel prize Britain`s Stanley Whittingham, and Japan`s Akira Yoshino will share the nine million Swedish kronor (about $914,000 or 833,000 euros) prize equally, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
• `This lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles…
8. Civilians flee Syrian border towns as Turkish warplanes, artillery launch offensive
• Turkey launched a military operation against Kurdish fighters in north east Syria on October 9, 2019 just days after US troops pulled back from the area, with warplanes and artillery striking militia positions in several towns in the border region.
• Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, announcing the start of the action, said the aim was to eliminate what he called a `terror corridor` on Turkey`s southern border, but European countries immediately called on Ankara to halt the operation.
• Thousands of people fled the Syrian town of Ras al Ain towards Hasaka province, held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
• The Turkish air strikes had killed two civilians and wounded two others, the SDF said.
October 10, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
9. Lankans complete T20 series whitewash as Pakistan wilt again
• The Pakistan camp has loads of work to do in every department to get in some sort of shape before next year`s ICC T20 World Cup, it was amply proven here on Wednesday night.
• The clueless Pakistan, ironically leading the ICC T20 rankings currently, suffered an unbelievably embarrassing Twenty20 International series whitewash at the hands of a young-and inexperienced Sri Lankan side who recorded a 13-run victory in front of a stunned crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium.
• Having already lost the series, Sarfraz Ahmed and his demoralised men badly needed a consolation win. It was not to be. Wrist spinner Wanindu Hasaranga once again tormented the hosts with a three-wicket burst.
10. US women romp to fifth straight world title, Biles rewrites history
• The United States women cruised to their fifth consecutive team title at the gymnastics world championships in Stuttgart, with Simone Biles becoming the event`s most decorated woman.
• The Americans hardly made a mistake in the finals, with Biles helping them to a score of 172.330 -5.801 points more than second-placed Russia.
• Italy (164.796) took third spot for its first world team medal since 1950, while China slipped off the podium for the first time since 2003.
• Biles secured her 21st world medal, overtaking Russia`s Svetlana Khorkina for the women`s record.
• Only Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus has won more world medals with 23, which Biles could surpass by the end of the individual events this week.
October 09, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Chinese firm investing in Gwadar gets 23-year tax exemption
• Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi has announced that the government has granted tax exemption to the China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC) for 23 years to facilitate establishment of its industrial units at Gwadar Port.
• Accompanied by COPHC Chief Executive Officer Zhang Baozhong and Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, Mr Zaidi told a press conference on October 8, 2019 that the COPHC that had already been operating at Gwadar Port would get tax exemption for installation of machinery and other equipment at the port.
• The initiative was a step towards relocation of the Chinese manufacturing industry in Gwadar and engaging the local labour, he said, adding that the move would ultimately boost Pakistan`s economy.
• The minister said the COPHC would also set up a desalination plant with the cost of Rs1.95 billion to provide 5,000 gallons of water per day to the people.
2. Three eminent lawyers to scrutinise quota system for CSS induction
• The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on October 8, 2019 appointed eminent lawyers Babar Sattar, Khawaja Haris and Ahmer Bilal Soofi as amici curiae for scrutiny of the quota system for induction in the Central Superior Services (CSS).
• The court on a petition filed by 34 candidates for the CSS exam from Punjab also sought comments from the federal government.
• The petitioners contended that the quota system impeded a merit-based induction. They said some of the successful candidates were students of a coaching academy where a member of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) was also teaching.
• `The petitioners have meritorious education record from reputed universities/educational institutions. They were aspirant to appear in the competitive examination held annually to all vacancies/posts in BPS-17 under the federal government.
3. 17 Law officers appointed to KPK
• President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday appointed 17 law officers to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• Among them are an additional attorney general, six deputy attorneys general and 10 assistant attorneys general.
• According to a notification issued by the law and justice division, the law officers have been appointed under the Central Law Officers Ordinance, 1970.
• Nine of them were appointed in Peshawar, three in Abbottabad, two in Bannu and Mingora each and one in Dera Ismail Khan.
• An elected member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Qazi Babar Irshad, was appointed an additional attorney general in Peshawar. He served as the additional deputy prosecutor general in the defunct Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission.
4. Australia uninterested in FTA with Pakistan
• Australia has refused to offer preferential market access to Pakistan on the grounds that the country has a very limited basket of tradable goods and services.
• The formal demand for initiation of negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) covering goods, services and investment between the two countries was made in a meeting with top Australian officials in Islamabad on October 8, 2019.
• Data show that Pakistan has higher bilateral trade in services with Australia than in goods with services imports worth $662 million in 2016-17, while exports for the same at $137m.
• The bilateral trade in goods, though less in volume, is again highly in favour of Australia as its exports to Pakistan stood at $304.6m in 2018-19 while imports were valued at $206.5m.
October 9, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. India takes first delivery of Rafale jets from France
• India received on October 8, 2019 the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets ordered from France in 2016 in a multi-billion-dollar deal that Paris hopes will unlock more sales despite being tainted by suspicion of corruption.
• Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joined his French counterpart Florence Parly for a ceremony at the Dassault Aviation factory in Merignac, near the southwestern city of Bordeaux, on the Indian Air Force`s birthday.
• Standing next to the plane, decorated in the colours of the Indianflag, Singh hailed a `historic and landmark day for the Indian armed forces`, noting the Rafale `will add to the strength of our air force` India, which in February fought air battles with Pakistan over the occupied territory of Kashmir, is seeking to renew its ageing fleet of Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi 30, and Mig 21 and 27 jets.
• It signed a deal in 2016 to buy 36 Rafales from France, but delivery has been held up by corruption allegations levelled by the opposition Congress party
6. World suffering synchronised slowdown: IMF chief
• Grinding trade disputes are undermining the global economy, which is set to see its slowest growth in nearly a decade, the new IMF chief said on October 8, 2019.
• Research shows the impact of the trade conflict is widespread and countries must be ready to respond in unison with cash infusions, Kristalina Georgieva said in her first speech as managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
• She also called for a ramp-up in carbon taxes to address the other challenge facing the global economy: climate change.
7. Al Qaeda`s S. Asia chief killed in Afghanistan
• A top Al Qaeda commander was killed in a raid by Afghan forces last month, Afghan intelligence officials said on October 8, 2019, in an operation backed by US air strikes that also killed tens of civilians.
• Afghanistan`s National Directorate for Security said in a statement on October 8, 2019 that the raid on Sept 23 killed Asim Omar along with six other Al Qaeda members in the southern Helmand province.
• Omar was the head of Al Qaeda operations in South Asia.
• Among those killed was Raihan, Omar`s courier to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the leader of the Al Qaeda network, the statement added.
8. White House blocks ambassador`s impeachment testimony
• The Trump administration on October 8, 2019 blocked an ambassador from testifying to the US House of Representatives` impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump`s dealings with Ukraine, a move top House Democrats vowed to counter with a subpoena.
• The chairmen of three House committees leading the impeachment investigation said they would compel testimony from US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a Trump donor who started his diplomatic job in July. The investigators are interested in what the ambassador knew and what his role was in Trump`s efforts to get Ukraine to probe former Vice President Joe Biden, who leads the field of potential challengers to the Republican president.
• Through his lawyer on Tuesday, Sondland said he hoped `the issues raised by the State Department that preclude his testimony will be resolved promptly.
9. Dark matter and exoplanet discoveries win Nobel Physics Prize
• Canadian American cosmologist James Peebles and Swiss astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz on October 8, 2019 won the Nobel Physics Prize for research that increases the understanding of our place in the Universe.
• Peebles won one-half of the prize `for theoretical discoveries that have contributed to our understanding of how the Universe evolved after the Big Bang`, professor Goran Hansson, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, told a press conference.
• Mayor and Queloz shared the other half for the first discovery, in October 1995, of a planet outside our solar system an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star in the Milky Way.
• `Their discoveries have forever changed our conceptions of the world,` the jury said.
• Developed over two decades since the mid-1960s, Peebles` theoretical framework is `the basis of our contemporary ideas about the Universe`.
October 9, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. World Cup winner Schweinsteiger announces retirement
• Germany`s 2014 World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger on October 8, 2019 announced his retirement at the age of 35, following the end of the American MLS season, ending an 18-year professional career.
• Schweinsteiger, who has played for Chicago Fire since 2017, is among the most decorated German footballers, having won many titles with Germany`s Bayern Munich and the national team. He is married to former tennis player Ana Ivanovic.
• A midfielder, Schweinsteiger played for Bayern Munich from 2002 to 2015, winning eight league titles, seven German Cups and the 2013 Champions League with the dominant Bundesliga team.
• He then had a brief stint at Manchester United from 2015-17 before joining Chicago Fire in the United States.
• Schweinsteiger also earned 121 caps for Germany, scoring 24 goals and crowning his international career with the 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil.
October 08, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. COAS arrives in China on key visit
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa October 7, 2019 reached China on an official visit, ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrival in Beijing.
• During the visit, which aims at enhancing the bilateral cooperation with China, the two leaders will discuss issues of regional and bilateral importance with the Chinese leadership.
• “The army chief is scheduled to meet the Chinese military leadership including the Peoples Liberation Army commander, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and commander Southern Theater Command,” said the ISPR.
• General Bajwa will also join the prime minister’s meetings with Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, the military’s media wing added.
2. PM launches Ehsaas Langar Scheme
• Prime Minister Imran Khan October 7, 2019 launched the ‘Ehsaas Langar (caring charity food) Scheme’ in Islamabad.
• Under an agreement with the Saylani Welfare Trust, Ehsaas will open 112 Langars nationwide over a 2-year period in the public private partnership.
• The Langars are meant to serve meals to the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the society, especially daily wage labourers.
• The first Langar was opened in Islamabad on October 7, 2019, where at least 600 people will be provided free meals daily. The Ehsaas scheme will now be extended countrywide with as many as 112 Langar schemes being set up over the period of two years to feed millions of people lacking food in particular in- Karachi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta and Peshawar. The Langar scheme has been designed with the ethos to contribute substantively to SDG 1 and SDG 2 i.e. No poverty and Zero Hunger respectively.
3. Govt sets up CPEC Authority, grants tax relief to Gwadar port
• President Dr Arif Alvi on October 7, 2019 promulgated two ordinances to set up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority and grant tax concessions to the Gwadar port and its free zone, sending a strong signal to Beijing that Islamabad is serious in implementing the multibillion dollar strategic initiative.
• The ordinances were promulgated on the eve of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China where he is scheduled to discuss economic and political matters of mutual interests with the friendly country’s leadership. “The CPEC Authority Ordinance 2019” and “The Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2019” are aimed to set up a new body to oversee and implement CPEC and give income tax, sales tax and custom duties exemptions to Gwadar port and Gwadar Free Zone.
4. Suri’ s NA membership restored
• The Supreme Court October 7, 2019 suspended the verdict of an election tribunal that nullified Qasim Khan Suri’s election to the National Assembly.
• A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprised Justice Faisal Arbab and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, heard the appeal filed by Qasim Suri and issued notices to the parties in the case. The decision was earlier passed by an election tribunal of the Balochistan High Court (BHC).
• During the course of proceedings, the court also suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to denotify him as a member of the National Assembly.
• The court also asked the election commission not to issue the election schedule for NA-265 (Quetta-II).
5. 4.5m new women voters registered in country
• The Election Commission of Pakistan(ECP)claims to have registered 4.5 million new female voters mostly from areas where societal values have been barring womenfolk from coming to the fore.
• `We have been launching awareness campaigns in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa`s tribal districts for the last two years to motivate women to come out to use their right to franchise. The drive has proved a success as 4.5m new female voters have so far been registered, mostly from these areas, ECP additional director general Nadeem Qasim told.
6. Acting law secretary replaced
• The Ministry of Law and Justice on October 7, 2019 got a new boss as acting charge of the secretary was withdrawn from Arshad Farooq Fahim and given to additional secretary Khashihur Rehman.
• Fahim, a senior joint secretary, was earlier working as spokesman for the law ministry.
• He has now been made an officer on special duty and was directed to report to the Establishment Division.
• He was in the limelight since last few days after he moved an application seeking acquittal in the Rs1.68 billion corruption scam related to Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) which is pending before the accountability coud of Islamabad
October 8, 2019: International Current Affairs
7. US forces start Syria border pullback, alarming Kurds
• US forces in Syria started pulling back on October 7, 2019 from Turkish border areas, opening the way for Ankara`s threatened military invasion and heightening fears of a jihadist resurgence.
• The withdrawal from key positions along Syria`s northern border came after the White House said it would step aside to allow for a Turkish operation President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned could come at any moment.
• The move marks a major shift in US policy, and effectively abandons the Kurds, Washington`s main ally in Syria during the years-long battle against the militant Islamic State group.
• The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led militia that controls much of northeastern Syria, said early on Monday in a statement that `US forces withdrew from the border areas with Turkey`.
8. Portugal`s Socialists win election, now eye alliances
• Portugal`s Socialist Party had little time on October 7, 2019 to savor its general election victory, as tough negotiations for parliamentary support loomed and the economy braces for leaner times.
• The center-left Socialists won Sunday`s general election with 36.6 percent of the vote and are preparing to govern for another four years. The main opposition Social Democratic Party came second with almost 28pc. Portugal, unlike some other European Union nadons, has not seen a surge in nationalistic, far-right or populist parties, although one such party earned a seat for the first time.
9. Three get Nobel Medicine prize for learning how cells use oxygen
• Two Americans and a British scientist won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering how the body’s cells sense and react to oxygen levels, work that has paved the way for new strategies to fight anemia, cancer and other diseases, the Nobel Committee said.
• Drs. William G. Kaelin Jr. of Harvard University, Gregg L. Semenza of Johns Hopkins University and Peter J. Ratcliffe at the Francis Crick Institute in Britain and Oxford University will share equally the 9 million kronor ($918,000) cash award, the Karolinska Institute said.
• It is the 110th prize in the category that has been awarded since 1901.
• Their work has “greatly expanded our knowledge of how physiological response makes life possible,” the committee said, explaining that the scientists identified the biological machinery that regulates how genes respond to varying levels of oxygen.
October 8, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Sri Lanka humiliate Pakistan to clinch T20 series
• Sri Lanka`s second-string side humbled Pakistan by 35 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium in the second Twenty20 International on October 7, 2019 to seal the series and leave the hosts with only pride to play for in the third match of the series on October 9, 2019.
• The defeat will hurt Pakistan, the world`s top ranked T20 side, as the loss came against a Sri Lankan team which travelled to the country without some of its biggest names.
• It also raises questions over some of the decisions made by new head coach-cum-chief selector Misbahul-Haq.
• The defeat would`ve been even more embarrassing if it hadn`t been for a 75-run partnership between Imad Wasim and Asif Ali with Pakistan at one stage reduced to 52-5 after a stunning three-wicket over by Wanindu Hasaranga as they chased 183.
October 07, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. New projects offered to China as part of CPEC
• Amid a perceived slowdown on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar on October 6, 2019 said Pakistan would engage China at the highest level for talks on several big projects in the fields of hydropower, oil refinery and steel mills.
• Mr Bakhtyar said Pakistan would start formal negotiations on additional projects, including a major overland LNG terminal, 7,000-megawatt Bunji hydropower project, Pakistan Steel Mills, oil refineries as well as joint ventures in businesses and science and technology, for agreements.
• `All the existing projects under the CPEC portfolio have been streamlined and there is no slowdown anywhere, the minister said in his opening statement.
• `In particular, about 4,300MW of energy projects are currently under construction and additional 2,500MW projects are in the planning phase,` he said, apparently in reference to recent reports that the $52bn bilateral arrangement had slowed down after Islamabad`s renewed engagements with the United States and the International Monetary Fund.
2. US senators concerned over rights abuses in held Kashmir
• A high level Congressional delegation of the United States flew into the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital on October 6, 2019 to see the ground situation and gauge public sentiment following the Aug 5 Indian actions in held Jammu and Kashmir.
• During the visit, Senators Christopher J. Van Hollen and Margaret C. Hassan, along with their staffers and US Ambassador Paul Jones, calle d on AJK President Sardar Masood Khan and Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider.
• They attended a briefing by a senior army official on the current situation along the Line of Control (LoC), said the AJK government and the ministry of foreign affairs in separate statements.
• According to the FO statement, the US Senators said they shared human rights concerns and would continue to urge India to lift the curfew and release all prisoners as a first step.
• They also expressed their resolve to remain engaged for the resolution of the dispute.
3. Cotton Day being observed today
• The first `World Cotton Day` will be observed on Oct 7 (today) to emphasise the cotton`s enormous potential and need for further research on and development of cotton.
• Cotton is considered as the lifeline of Pakistan`s economy. However, the cotton production in the country is decreasing, as during 2018-19 it was 9.8 million bales which was below 17.5per cent over the last year`s output of around 12m bales.
• The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is founding partner of World Cotton Day, alongside the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Trade Centre and the World Trade Organisation. Through its technical cooperation work, UNCTAD has assisted cotton-producing countries to improve their yields, meet international standards and attract investments in value-added industries
October 7, 2019: International Current Affairs
4. US presidential hopeful urges India to end Kashmir lockdown
• `I`m concerned about recent events in [India-held] Kashmir,` says Senator Elizabeth Warren, another Democrat seeking to contest the 2020 US presidential election.
• In a messages he tweeted on October 5, 2019, Senator Warren urged India to end the ongoing communications blackout of the occupied lands.
• `The US-India partnership has always been rooted in our shared democratic values,` she wrote. `I`m concerned about recent events in Kashmir, including a continued communications blackout and other restrictions.
• Senator Warren also attached an article about the situation in occupied Kashmir to her tweet and reminded India that `the rights of the people of Kashmir must be respected` On Aug 5, India annexed occupied Kashmir by withdrawing a constitutional guarantee of its autonomy and stripped the residents of their basic rights. The strict lockdown and communications blackout have suffocated the region into silence. And a curfew imposed on Aug 5 has continued now for 63 days.
5. North Korea breaks off nuclear talks with US in Sweden
• Working-level nuclear talks in Sweden between officials from Pyongyang and Washington have broken off, North Korea`s top negotiator said, dashing prospects for an end to months of stalemate.
• The talks, at an isolated conference centre on the outskirts of Stockholm, were the first such formal discussion since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and agreed to restart negotiations that stalled after a failed summit in Vietnam in February.
• The North`s chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, who spent much of the day in talks with an American delegation, cast the blame on what he portrayed as US inflexibility, saying the other side`s negotiators would not `give up their old view-point and attitude.
6. Islamists claim victory in vote for Tunisia`s parliament
• Tunisia`s moderate Islamist party appeared to be heading for victory in parliamentary elections, according to polling agencies, though the rival party of a jailed populist tycoon also claimed to come out on top of October 6, 2019`s voting.
• The election is seen as important for the country`s economic and social stability and as a bellwether for the upcoming presidential runoff between detained magnate Nabil Karoui and an independent law professor supported by the Islamists
7. Italian tenor Marcello Giordani dies at 56
• Tenor Marcello Giordani, renowned for a voice of beauty and heft that made him a star at the world`s top opera houses, died October 6, 2019. He was 56.
• Giordani had a heart attack following lunch at his home in Monte Tauro, a suburb of Augusta in Sicily, and could not be revived, his vocal coach, Bill Schuman, said.
• `He said he was thirsty, got up from his chair for some water and collapsed. They had a helicopter-ambulance come in, but he was already gone.` In an era when the Three Tenors waned in the 1990s and 2000s, Giordani was sought after in lyric and later spin to roles.
8. Saudi Arabia eases restrictions on women taking hotel rooms
• Saudi Arabia has lifted some restrictions on women traveling in the ultraconservative kingdom, its tourism authority said on Sunday, with new guidelines allowing women to rent hotel rooms without a male guardian`s presence, and foreign men and women to share a room without proof of marriage.
• The easing of stringent regulations governing social interactions comes after Riyadh launched its first tourist visa scheme, as part of efforts to open up the country to foreign visitors and diversify its oil-reliant economy.
• The Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage posted the new requirements on Twitter on Sunday, confirming a Friday report by the Saudi daily Okaz.
9. Israel unveils remains of 5,000-year-old city
• Israeli archaeologists on October 6, 2019 unveiled the remains of a 5,000-year-old city they said was among the biggest from its era in the region, including fortifications, a ritual temple and a cemetery.
• `We have here an immense urban construction, planned with streets that separate neighbourhoods and public spaces, Yitzhak Paz of the Israel Antiquities Authority said at the site near the Mediterranean in the country`s centre.
• He called it a major discovery in the region from the Bronze Age.
• The archaeological site known as En Esur `is the largest site and the most important from that era` in the region, said Itai Elad, another archaeologist overseeing the excavation.
October 7, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Djokovic downs Millman to win Japan Open title
• Novak Djokovic couldn`t have asked for a better tournament debut in Tokyo.
• Playing in the Japanese capital for the first time, Djokovic beat Australian qualifier John Millman 6-3,6-2inthefinal of the Japan Open on October 6, 2019, marking the 10th time the Serbian has lifted a trophy on his main draw debut at a tourlevel event. The top seeded Serb needed only 69 minutes to dispatch Millman who was playing in his maiden ATP 500 final and the 32-year-old won the title without dropping a set in the tournament.
October 06, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Mandokhail takes oath as BHC`s 20th chief justice
• Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail was sworn in as the chief justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) in a simple but impressive ceremony held at Governor House on October 5, 2019.
• Balochistan Governor retired Justice Amanullah Khan Yasinzai administered the oath to Justice Mandokhail as the BHC`s 20th chief justice.
• During his 21 years of practice at the bar, Justice Mandokhail conducted numerous constitutional, criminal, civil and service cases before the superior and subordinate judiciary. He remained on the panel of advocates for the National Bank of Pakistan and served as the additional deputy prosecutor gener al in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from 2000 to 2001 and in an honorary capacity as a lecturer in the University Law College, Quetta.
2. Abbottabad, Mardan get child protection courts
• Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth on October 5, 2019 inaugurated two child protection courts in Mardan and Abbottabad districts and said those courts would provide justice to the children in contact or conflict with the law.
• These courts have been empowered by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act, 2010, and Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018. The first child protection court was inaugurated in Peshawar on March 16.
• Both Mardan and Abbottabad child courts have colourful walls, handmade drawings, toys, books, swings, green environment and games to create a child-conducive environment.
• The high court has posted additional district and sessions judges Faryal Zia Mufti and Syed Iftikhar Shah as presiding officers to the Mardan and Abbottabad child courts, respectively.
3. Senior journalist Abul Hasanat passes away
• Senior journalist and former assistant editor Dawn Abul Hasanat passed away after a brief illness on October 5, 2019. He was 69.
• He is survived by his wife, two daughtersand a son.
• Born in Karachi in November 1950, Mr Hasanat was one of five sons of Abul Akhyar, a veteran journalist who passed away in September 2010
October 6, 2019: International Current Affairs
4. Water crisis major risk to business in South Asia: WEF
• Water crisis is the biggest risk for doing business in South Asia, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).
• In an `Insight Report` on the `Regional Risks for Doing Business, 2019`, the Davos-based forum identified ten risks for South Asia, namely: water crises, terrorist attacks, manmade environmental catastrophes, failure of urban planning, energy price shock, deflation, unemployment or under-employment, state collapse or crisis, fiscal crisis and asset bubble.
• At a country level, water crises ranked as the topmost risk in India, second in Pakistan and fourth in Sri Lanka. The issue has been described as a `problem of scarcity amid abundance` in South Asia despite major trans boundary rivers, residents in many places must queue for limited supplies of drinking water.
• According to the report, water also presents geopolitical challenges in the region; while there are bilateral arrangements on the Indus between India and Pakistan, and Ganges between India and Bangladesh, water is a potential weapon in cross-border disputes, as countries have at times threatened cutting off flows because of outbreaks of violence in disputed territories. Additionally, China, from where the headwaters of several major rivers sit, has been building hydroelectric dams that have caused political friction, particularly with India.
5. North Korean, US officials at N-talks after latest missile test
• North Korean and US officials on October 5, 2019 gathered for new nuclear talks in Stockholm after months of deadlock and Pyongyang`s defiant test of a sea launched ballistic missile this week.
• North Korea`s Kim Myong Gil and Stephen Biegun, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, are part of the teams at the talks.
• The two were to meet at a heavily guarded venue on an island off Stockholm, several hundred metres from the North Korean embassy, a correspondent said.
• The first cars with tinted windows started arriving just after 9am.
• `I am encouraged that US and (North Korean) working level delegations are currently in Sweden to hold talks,` Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde tweeted.
6. Amendment to US finance bill urges India to lift Kashmir siege
• A US Senate panel has attached an amendment to a finance bill that requires India to end its lockdown and curfew in held Kashmir and fully restore communications links to the occupied valley.
• The amendment, attached to the Foreign Appropriations Act for 2020, was moved in the Senate Appropriations Committee, and is seen as the first step towards US legislative action against India over its Aug 5 annexation of the occupied lands.
• The committee, while encouraging enhanced US engagement with India on issues of mutual interest, noted `with concern the current humanitarian crisis in Kashmir.
7. PayPal quits Facebook`s Libra body
• US payments processor PayPal Holdings Inc said it was leaving Libra Association, the entity managing the Facebook-led effort to build global digital currency Libra, making it the first member to exit the group.
• PayPal said it would forgo any further participation in the group and would instead focus on its own core businesses. `We remain supportive of Libra`s aspirations and look forward to continued dialogue on ways to work together in the future,` PayPal said in a statement.
8. NASA sets first all-women spacewalk after suit flap in spring
• The first all-female spacewalk is back on, six months after a suit-sizing flap led to an embarrassing cancellation.
• NASA announced on October 4, 2019 that the International Space Station’s two women will pair up for a spacewalk later this month. Astronauts Christina Koch and the newly arrived Jessica Meir will venture out on Oct 21 to plug in new, upgraded batteries for the solar power system.
• It will be the fourth of five spacewalks for battery work. The first is Sunday; Koch will go out with Andrew Morgan.
• Koch was supposed to do a spacewalk with another female crewmate in March. But NASA had to scrap the plan just a few days in advance because there wasn’t enough time to get a second medium-size spacesuit ready.
• The second medium was put together on board in June.
October 6, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
9. Inexperienced Sri Lanka stun Pakistan in first T20 at Lahore
• Inexperienced Sri Lanka stunned Pakistan by 64 runs in the first Twenty20 international in Lahore on October 5, 2019, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
• A heavy presence of army personnel and police was seen in and around the Gaddafi Stadium who provided security to the players and f ans.
• Sri Lanka scored 165-5 in their 20 overs with Danushka Gunathilaka scoring 57 off 38 balls, including a six and eight boundaries, for which he was awarded the Man of the Match award. Teenage Pakistan paceman Mohammad Hasnain took a hat-trick, finishing with 3-37.
• Pakistan were then bowled out for only 101 in 17.4 overs with Nuwan Pradeep and Isuru Udana taking three wickets apiece.
10. Dalilah Muhammad smashes 400m hurdles world record
• Dalilah Muhammad of the United States stormed to a world record-breaking victory in the 400 metres hurdles as hosts Qatar celebrated a gold medal for high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim here at the World Athletics Championships on October 4, 2019.
• On a night of high drama played out before a rare packed house at the Khalifa Stadium, Muhammad broke the world record for the second time this year as she powered home to win in 52.16 seconds.
• The 29-year-old Olympic champion took gold ahead of compatriot Sydney McLaughlin, while Jamaica`s Rushell Clayton took the bronze.
October 05, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Taliban met US envoy in Islamabad
• A Taliban delegation met US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on October 3, 2019, two sources told Reuters, the first known contact between the two sides since President Donald Trump called off talks last month.
• President Trump halted the talks, which aimed at a plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, following the death of a US soldier and 11 others in a Taliban bomb attack in Kabul.
• However, the sources cautioned that the meeting in Islamabad, which lasted more than an hour, did not represent a resumption of form al negotiations.
• `The Taliban officials held a meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad…all I can tell you is that Pakistan played a big role in it to convince them how important it was for the peace process,` a senior Pakistan official told Reuters, but declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak publicly.
2. Gwadar free zone exempted from provincial taxes
• The Balochistan government has exempted Gwadar Free Zone from provincial taxes for five years and decided to set up special economic zones and new industrial estates in the province.
• A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the cabinet on October 4, 2019.
• Talking to reporters after the meeting, provincial government spokesman Liaquat Ali Shahwani said a detailed discussion was held on the Reko Dig case and the government`s moves in this regard. He said the cabinet had decided to develop mineral resources of Balochistan.
• The cabinet also decided to set up a modern laboratory to analyse minerals.
3. NA body approves Islamabad Food Safety Bill
• The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on October 4, 2019 approved The Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Bill 2019.
• The committee chairman, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, did not take up any other agenda item in protest against constant absence of minister and interior secretary from the committee meetings.
• However, the committee meeting, held in the Parliament House, approved the bill which was moved by Ali Nawaz Awan.
• The basic objective of the bill is to keep a check on whole chain of food items from raw material to its sale and even from production to the sale points.
4. Pakistan to send its first astronaut to space in 2022
• SUPARCO Chairman Maj Gen Amer Nadeem said Pakistan would send its first astronaut to space in 2022 and asked space enthusiasts to pursue their career in space science and technology.
• He was speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day World Space Week being observed at the Institute of Space Technology (IST) at the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) here on October 4, 2019.
• The week is held to generate space awareness among students belonging to schools and colleges in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
• The SUPARCO chief stressed the importance of research and innovation in the fields of science and technology.
5. William-Kate Royal Pak tour unveiled
• British royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, will undertake the “most complex tour” to Pakistan this month given the logistical and security considerations.
• Citing a statement by the Communications Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the BHC said: “This is the most complex tour undertaken by the Duke and Duchess to date, given the logistical and security considerations. Pakistan hosts one of Britain’s largest overseas networks, with the British High Commission in Islamabad being one of the UK’s largest diplomatic missions in the world.”
• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will undertake an official visit to Pakistan between October 14-18, at the request of ‘The Foreign and Commonwealth Office.’ This will be their first official visit to Pakistan.
6. Common Man`s Gallery inaugurated in National Assembly
• In a bid to provide access to `Right of Information` to the citizens, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaisar on October 4, 2019 opened the doors of the lower house to the general public.
• According to the National Assembly Secretariat (NAS), a special `common man`s gallery` has been established for the first time in the parliamentary history of the country so that the common man can witness the proceedings of the house.
• The speaker inaugurated the gallery and a well-equipped reception established at the entrance of Parliament House.
• The basic idea behind the opening of the doors of the NA is to provide ease to the citizens to reach their public representatives.
October 5, 2019: International Current Affairs
7. EU allocates €300,000 for quake affectees
• The European Union is allocating €300,000 (Rs 51.4 million) to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to families affected by the earthquake that struck Pakistan’s eastern region in September.
• The funding will address the most pressing needs of around 3,000 vulnerable people in some of the hardest-hit areas.
• “We are acting fast to channel emergency aid to those most affected in Pakistan,” said the Head of the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Office in Islamabad, Bernard Jaspers-Faijer.
8. US conducts joint patrol with Turkey in northeast Syria
• The US-led coalition and Turkey conducted their third joint patrol in northeastern Syria on October 4, 2019, part of a plan designed to defuse tensions between Washingtons two allies Turkey and the Syrian Kurds.
• The patrol followed a telephone call late on Thursday between Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper during which Akar reiterated that Turkey wont accept a delay in the creation of what it calls a safe zone and would act alone if necessary to set it up.
• Akar also told Esper that Turkey would end the joint patrols if there are distractions, delays and urged the US to end its support to Syrian Kurdish fighters.
9. Helicopter downed by own fire, admits IAF chief
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed for the first time on October 4, 2019 that it shot down one of its own helicopters during skirmishes with Pakistan in February over occupied Kashmir, killing all six on board.
• `A court of inquiry was completed and it was our mistake that our missile hit our chopper,` said the head of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Bhadauria.
• `We will ensure such mistakes are not repeated in future,`he toldreporters.
• The military helicopter was downed on Feb 27 as Indian and Pakistani aircraft engaged in dogfights over occupied Kashmir in their most serious military skirmish in years.
• The helicopter crashed close to the airport on the outskirts of occupied Srinagar.
• Bhadauria said the air force is taking punitive action against two officers. He said the inquiry had found `vital gaps` in communica-tion and coordination between the ground staff and the crew of the chopper.
10. Paralysed man walks with aid of brain-controlled exoskeleton
• A man paralysed in a night club accident can walk again thanks to a brain-controlled exoskeleton in what scientists say is a breakthrough providing hope to tetraplegics seeking to regain movement.
• The French patient trained for months, harnessing his brain signals to control a computer-simulated avatar to perform basic movements before using the robot device to walk.
• Doctors who conducted the trial cautioned that the device is years away from being publicly available but stressed that it had `the potential to improve patients` quality of life and autonomy`.
• The man involved, identified only as Thibault, a 28-year-old from Lyon, said the technology had given him a new lease of life.
• Four years ago that life changed forever when he fell 12 metres from a balcony while on a night out, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralysed from the shoulders down.
October 04, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Pakistan, Taliban favour restart of peace talks
• Pakistan and Taliban on October 3, 2019 called for early resumption of Afghan peace talks as Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi laid emphasis on reduction of hostilities by all parties to the conflict.
• The call was made during a meeting between Foreign Minister Qureshi and the visiting delegation of Dohabased Taliban Political Commission (TPC), led by its head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
• A statement issued after the meeting said: `Both sidesagreed ontheneedfor earliest resumption of the peace process.
• The TPC delegation is visiting Islamabad on an invitation of the Pakistan government for a discussion on the prospects of resumption of stalled peace talks between the United States and Taliban. Simultaneously, US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is also here.
2. Narcotics ministry develops databank of criminals
• The Ministry of Narcotics Control told a parliamentary body on October 3, 2019 that it had prepared a databank about criminals to monitor their movement.
• `The new system called Aman Pakistan will help law enforcement agencies curb smuggling of drugs.
• Through Aman Pakistan, LEAs will also monitor accomplices of drug smugglers,` ministry`s secretary Amjad Javed Saleemi told the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control.
• According to Narcotics Control Minister Sheheryar Afridi, several countries in Europe and the Middle East, including the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, are seeking assistance from Pakistan toprovide particulars of certain individuals maintained in the databank.
3. India-Pakistan nuclear war could kill 100m, warn researchers
• The year is 2025 and militants have attacked India`s parliament, killing most of its leaders. New Delhi retaliates by sending tanks into Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
• Fearing it will be overrun, Islamabad hits the invading forces with its battlefield nuclear weapons, triggering the deadliest conflict in history and catastrophic global cooling, with temperatures not seen since the last Ice Age.
• This scenario was modelled by researchers in a paper published on October 2, 2019, which envisaged more than 100 million immediate deaths, followed by global mass starvation after megatons of thick black soot block out sunlight for up to a decade.
• It comes at a time of renewed tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, with both sides rapidly building up their atomic arsenals.
• They currently each have about 150 nuclear warheads at their disposal, with the number expected to climb to more than 200 by 2025.
4. PM approves premature retirement of ex-secy
• Prime Minister Imran Khan on October 3, 2019 approved the application of premature retirement of former secretary finance Younis Dhaga, a grade-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), and Establishment Division has issued the notification in this regard.
• According to the notification, “The competent authority has been pleased to accord approval to the request of premature retirement of Mr Muhammad Younus Dhaga, a BS-22 of Pakistan Administrative Service, presently posted as OSD, Establishment Division, with immediate effect.”
• Dhaga performed well as secretary water and power and lead the plan as how to resolve the issue of electricity load shedding across the country.
October 4, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. Manmohan to visit Guru Nanak celebration in Kartarpur
• In a quibble that is characteristic of the two countries, former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh will visit the Guru Nanak celebrations in Pakistan on the invitation of Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, an indirect way of saying that Pakistan`s invitation to the Indian leader was not a factor.
• An announcement to this effect was made on October 4, 2019 by the chief minister`s office.
• A subtext of the reported move could become an even more important development. Mr Amarinder Singh was quoted by the Times of India as saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Natha Kovind had accepted his invitation to be part of the event. The report was sufficiently vague about whether Mr Modi or Mr Kovind would visit Kartarpur without a form al invitation from Pakistan.
• The Kartarpur corridor is being built by India and Pakistan in Pakistan`s Kartarpur and connects to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab. The corridor aims at facilitating visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims who will just need a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib located across the Ravi river, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.
6. US reopens embassy in Somalia after 28 years
• The United States said on October 2, 2019 it had reopened an embassy in Somalia`s capital, 28 years after it was shut as the country plunged into civil war, highlighting warming ties between the two nations.
• Washington closed its embassy during the 1991 overthrow of president Siad Barre`s military regime which ushered in decades of chaos, however diplomatic relations have strengthened in recent years.
• `Today we reaf firm the relations between the American people and the Somali people, and our two nations,` said Ambassador Donald Yamamoto in a statement.
7. Gandhi`s ashes stolen, photos defaced
• In a shocking development, some of Mahatma Gandhi`s remains were stolen on what would have been his 150th birthday, BBC reported on October 3, 2019.
• The famous leader`s ashes were taken from a memorial in central India, where they had been kept since 1948 the year of his assassination by a Hindu extremist.
• The people behind the bizarre incident also scrawled the word `traitor` in green paint across photographs of the leader who is revered widely.
• Some Hindu hardliners oppose Gandhi and his views because he advocated Hindu-Muslim unity. This is despite the fact that he was a devout Hindu himself.
8. Uber makes airport helicopter taxis available to all NY users
• Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc is taking to the air in New York City where users with a little cash to spare will be able to book helicopter flights to John F. Kennedy International airport through their apps.
• The company announced its Uber Copter offer on Thursday, saying flights to and from Lower Manhattan would be available to all Uber users. Uber made the feature available to its premium members in June.
• The roughly eight-minute flight will cost between $200 and $225 per person and include ground transportation on either side of the trip. Passengers can bring along a small suitcase and have to watch a safety video before take off, similar to that on an airplane
9. Uber launches job app
• Uber is testing new ground with an app to put casual workers in touch with employers, as it faces an increasingly tough climate for its core ride-hailing business. Uber Works will allow cleaners, bar staff and warehouse workers to compare pay rates and sign up for shifts. The app, which launches on Friday, will initially only be available in Chicago.
• It will compete with a range of rival apps in the US market including Wonolo, Workpop and Shiftgig. The move comes as several parts of the world tighten regulation around Uber’s operations as a ride-hailing firm. California recently passed legislation designed to pave the way for so-called “gig workers” to become employees and gain additional rights, which is expected to increase costs for firms such as Uber. ‘Vetted and qualified’ workers. Millions of American workers use staffing agencies, Uber said in a blog post announcing the venture.
10. Scientists harness powerful light beams to decipher scrolls
• Scientists at Britain`s national synchrotron facility have harnessed powerful light beams to virtually unwrap and decipher fragile scrolls dating back some 2,000 years in a process they hope will provide new insights into the ancient world.
• The two complete scrolls and four fragments from the so-called Herculaneum library, the only one surviving from antiquity were buried and carbonised by the deadly eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 and are too fragile to be opened. The items were examined at the Diamond Light Source facility in Oxford shire, home to Britain`s synchrotron, a particle accelerator in which beams travel around a closed loop path to produce light many times brighter than the sun.
• `The idea is essentially like a CT scanner where you would take an image of a person, a three-dimensional image of a person and you can slice through it to see the different organs,` said Laurent Chapon, physical science director of Diamond Light Source
October 03, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Pakistan plays host to US, Taliban teams
• In a renewed push for a political settlement of the nearly two-decade-old Afghan conflict, Pakistan is hosting the United States and Taliban representatives to persuade the two sides to resume their stalled peace talks.
• A Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is the chief of the insurgent group`s Doha-based political bureau, arrived here on October 2, 2019 on the invitation of the Pakistan government, according to multiple sources, while the US delegation headed by Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad had arrived a day earlier. The Foreign Office in a statement confirming the visit of the Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation said it would provide an `opportunity to review the progress made under US-Taliban peace talks so far, and discuss the possibilities of resuming the paused political settlement process in Afghanistan`.
• Both delegations will remain in Islamabad for the next few days.
• They will be separately meeting senior Pakistani leaders and in case of an agreement on resumption of the negotiations, the visiting delegations could also meet each other.
2. PM okays appointment of 47 trade officers
• Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the appointment of 47 trade officers for posting in Pakistan`s missions abroad who will be tasked with promoting exports and foreign direct investment in approximately 40 countries.
• For the first time, the government has also appointed two overseas Pakistanis for the posts of trade officers as part of the new policy.
• Under the new policy, government allocated 20 per cent quota for overseas Pakistanis for posting as trade officers in Pakistan missions abroad.
• The postings were made against the posts which fell vacant following the completion of tenure. These officers were appointed in the year 2015.
• The annual cost of these postings is estimated at approximately Rs2 billion.
• Last time, the policy for posting of trade officers was changed in 2013. The policy introduced some measures to ensure merit.
3. UN provides vehicles, equipment to Balochistan police
• Inspector General of Police Mohsin Hassan Butt has said that all steps are being taken to enhance the capability of Balochistan police through training on modern lines and equipping them with latest gadgets and weapons to fight terrorists.
• Speaking after inspecting vehicles and latest weapons provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime here on October 3, 2019, the new vehicles would help Balochistan police pursue criminal cases in a professional way.
• Balochistan police needed new vehicles and equipment for collecting evidence from the crime scene during any terror attack, blast and other crimes.
4. Google remembers Pakistan`s chocolate hero
• Pakistan`s chocolate hero, Waheed Murad, was celebrated by a Google doodle on what would have been his 81st birthday.
• The doodle shows a dreamy Murad with a jacket flung on his shoulders looking on with a photograph of a woman in the background.
• According to Google, Murad`s blockbuster films electrified cinemagoers throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Born on Oct 2, 1938, in pre-partition India, Murad was the only son of distributor Nisar Murad.
• After a brief appearance in the 1959 film Saathi, he began working with his father`s Film Art Productions, becoming the youngest producer Lollywood had ever seen.
October 3, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. UK court denies Pakistan claim to £35m in Nizam case
• THE UK High Court on October 2, 2019 ruled on a drawnout battle for funds amounting to £35 million by issuing a judgement in favour of the Nizam of Hyderabad and against Pakistan, who had claimed the funds that have been lying untouched in a London bank account for 70 years. In a lengthy judgement that covers the developments of seven decades, the Royal Courts of Justice in London noted:`Nizam VII was beneficially entitled to the fund and those claiming in right of Nizam VII the Princes and India are entitled to have the sum paid out to their order.
• The judgement, handed down by Justice Marcus Smithcourt, also said: `Pakistan`s contentions of non-justiciability by reason of the foreign act of state doctrine and non-enforceability on grounds of illegality both fail.
• The claim started out years ago as a three-way battle for funds claimed by Pakistan, India and the offspring of the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad. On Wednesday, it culminated in defeat for Pakistan as the court ruled in favour of the Nizam`s descendants Prince Mukarram Jah, the titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, and his younger brother Muffakham Jah. Last year, the two princes joined hands with the Indian government in the legal battle against the government of Pakistan over the funds sitting in a NatWest account here.
6. North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of N-talks
• North Korea fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile, Seoul said on October 2, 2019, just days before Washington and Pyongyang were set to resume long-stalled nuclear talks.
• Pyongyang frequently couples diplomatic overtures with military moves, as a way of maintaining pressure on negotiating partners, analysts say, and may believe this weapons system gives it added leverage.
• A proven submarine-based missile capability would take the North`s arsenal to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a second-strike capability in the event of an attack on its military bases.
• The South`s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected a ballistic missile early on Wednesday fired in an easterly direction from the sea, northeast of the North Korean port of Wonsan
7. US successfully tests ICBM
• The US military said on October 2, 2019 it had tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with reentry vehicle from a base in California across the Pacific Ocean.
• Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:13am local time the reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles (6,750km) across the Pacific Ocean to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement.
• `Test launches are not a response or reaction to world events or regional tensions, it added.The United States has spent decades and billions of dollars developing technologies to stop an incoming ballistic missile, and is aiming to step up efforts in the face of growing threats.
8. Hidden for 21 years, Ethiopian crown set to
• A priceless 18th-century Ethiopian crown is set to be returned from the Netherlands to Addis Ababa after a onetime refugee found it in a suitcase and hid it in his apartment for two decades.
• The ornate gilded copper headgear, featuring images of Christ and the Twelve Apostles, was unearthed after refugee-turned-Dutchcitizen Sirak Asfaw contacted Dutch `art detective` Arthur Brand.
• Brand, dubbed the `Indiana Jones of the art world` for his discoveries of missing works, said the crown, which is currently being held in a secure location, would soon be handed to the Ethiopian authorities.
October 3, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
9. Openers seal series win for Pakistan against SL
• After Fakhar Zaman and Abid Ali provided a strong platform, Pakistan put the icing on the first One-day International series held in Karachi for more than 10 years with a 2-0 triumph against Sri Lanka after completing a hard fought victory by five wickets at the National Stadium Karachi on October 2, 2019.
• Pakistan headed into the final fixture on the back of their 67-run victory in the second match staged.
• But they had to really fight hard to get over the line when Iftikhar Ahmed hit Nuwan Pradeep for a six and a four to seal Pakistan`s first series win in 15 months.
10. FIFA bans former vice-president for life for taking bribes
• Former FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo has been banned for life for bribery worth millions of dollars that was exposed by a sprawling American federal investigation of corruption in international football.
• FIFAs ethics committee found the Uruguayan official guilty of taking bribes from 2004 to 2015 linked to commercial deals for South American competitions, football`s world body said on October 2, 2019.
• Figueredo was also fined 1 million Swiss francs ($1 million) but it is unclear how FIFA can enforce payment
October 02, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Cabinet approves first-ever e-commerce policy framework
• With a delay of more than three years, the Federal Cabinet on October 1, 2019 approved the much-awaited first-ever e-commerce policy framework.
• While approving the framework at the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan remarked that e-commerce will add synergy to Pakistan`s Kamyab Jawan Programme and One-Woman, One-Bank Account initiative, while proving to be a driver of youth empowerment and employment generation through digital connectivity.
• The current size of the local e-commerce industry seems to have no ballpark number.
• The only barometer to quantify is from sales proceeds. As per statistics, e-commerce sales in 2017 were Rs20.7bn, which grew by 93.7pc to Rs40.1bn in 2018.
• Compared to this, the e-commerce sales in India is $33bn, while in China it stood at $1,526bn. The e-commerce sales are very high in developed countries.
• Under the policy, there is a gradual shift of cash-on-delivery (CoD) payment method to digital payments, with a time line of September 2022 for payments beyond Rs10,000. Furthermore, efforts will be made to convert all CoD payments into digital payments preferably within 10 years (2029).
• Currently, 60pc e-commerce transactions by value are post-paid CoD transactions.
2. Pakistan receives Kartarpur draft agreement from India
• India yesterday forwarded a draft of agreement regarding Kartarpur Corridor to Pakistan.
• Pakistan, was considering to send a reply to the Indian authorities soon on the service fee issue.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the project on November 9, three days before the 550th birth anniversary Baba Guru Nanank that will be celebrated on November 12.
• Pakistan also announced to invite former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the inaugural ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the decision to invite Singh was taken after high-level consultation. However, a formal invitation will soon be dispatched to him, he added. Indian media reports said Singh was unlikely to accept the invitation.
• Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak up to the border is being constructed by India. India is constructing a bridge at the zero point and has demanded Pakistan to build a similar bridge on its side that will provide safe and secure movements of pilgrims.
3. Rawalpindi gets two new towns
• Two new towns Dhamial and Daultala have been established while status of Murree has been changed from a municipal corporation to a municipal committee under the new delimitation process for the local government elections.
• The list has been displayed at the Deputy Commissioner`s Office after the process of redefining the limits of all seven tehsils of Rawalpindi district was completed.
• The tehsils are Rawalpindi, Gujar Khan, Murree, Kahuta, Kotli Sattian, Kallar Syedan and Taxila.
• The Punjab government intends to hold local government elections under the new Local Government Act 2019 and had asked the 36 districts of the province to conduct delimitation of all tehsils.
4. Farooq elected QCCI president
• Ghulam Farooq has been elected unopposed president of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) for the year 2019-20.
• According to the election committee, Badar-ud-Din Kakar has also been elected unopposed as senior vice president and Dawood Khan Khilji as vice president
5. Gwadar Port opens for transit trade
• Gwadar Port has been opened for transit trade and the first ship in this regard is set to arrive next week, a sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs was informed on October 1, 2019.
• Officials of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs briefed the subcommittee regarding transit trade and transshipment. The body was informed that the Afghan Trade Transit (ATT) Module required some changes that have been applied and after initial testing it is ready for application.
• The senate body was informed that the first ATT shipment would arrive on Oct 8, next week at Gwadar port, which will gradually increase.
October 2, 2019: International Current Affairs
6. China celebrates 70 years of communism
• President Xi Jinping declared on October 1, 2019 that `no force` can shake China as he oversaw a huge military parade to celebrate 70 years of Communist rule, while violent clashes erupted in Hong Kong where tens of thousands of prodemocracy protesters took to the streets.
• In his speech, Xi said China `must ad here` to the one country, two systems policy governing Hong Kong and `maintain the long term prosperity and stability` of the city.
• While Xi took salutes from some 15,000 troops in the capital, pro-democracy protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong as the semiautonomous finance hub convulsed with the most sustained and widespread clashes in months.
• Running battles raged for hours across multiple locations with police firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon against hardcore protesters throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.
7. Former French PM faces trial over Pakistan arms deal
• France will try 90-year-old former prime minister Edouard Balladur over claims that he used kickbacks from a 1990s arms sales to fund a failed presidential bid, the country`s top prosecutor said on October 1, 2019.
• Balladur joins a long list of senior French politicians pursued for alleged financial wrongdoing, including deceased ex-president Jacques Chirac, Chirac`s successor Nicolas Sarkozy and two other ex-prime ministers. On the same day another court ordered former president Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial for illicit campaign financing, adding to his legal woes as he also prepares to answer charges of exerting pressure on a judge.
• Sarkozy, 64, lost his Knal appeal to the highest criminal court, and risks a year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros ($4,085) if found guilty.
8. Stolen golden coffin makes return from New York to Cairo
• Egypt displayed a gilded ancient coffin from the first century BC on October 1, 2019, which New York`s Metropolitan Museum of Art returned last week after US investigators determined it to be a looted antiquity.
• The coffin once held the mummy of Nedjemankh, a priest in the Ptolemaic Period some 2,000 years ago. It was put on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Cairo.
• Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany said the repatriation of this `unique, wonderful` artifact shows a `very strong solidarity` between Egypt and the US.
• The Met bought it from a Paris art dealer in 2017 for about $4 million and made it the centerpiece of an exhibition. The precious artifact was removed in February after proof of its theft was presented.
October 2, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
9. Pakistan to host international badminton event in November
• Shuttlers from 15 countries will compete at the International Series Badminton Tournament in Islamabad this year to receive qualification points for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a senior official of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) said on October 1, 2019.
• `The tournament, which has been approved by Badminton Asia and the Badminton World Federation (BWF), will be held at the Pakistan Sports Complex here from Nov 7 to 11,` Mohammad Azam Dar, PSB deputy director general (technical), told APP.
10. FIFA imposes life ban on ex-CONCACAF official
• FIFA has imposed a life ban for bribery on Enrique Sanz, the former general secretary of North American football body CONCACAF.
• Sanz was easily identified as an unnamed co-conspirator in US Department of Justice documents in 2015 No. 4 in the original indictment in May that year, and No. 3 in a superseding indictment unsealed that December.
• American federal prosecutors alleged that he arranged and took bribes linked to commercial deals for international soccer competitions with other officials linked to FIFA. They included World Cup qualifying games and the 2016 Copa American centenary tournament.
October 01, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Manmohan being asked to attend Kartarpur event
• The Pakistan government is inviting former Indian prime minister and veteran Congress leader Dr Manmohan Singh to the inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor in November instead of an (Indian) government leader.
• `It has been decided after consultations that we will invite former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to the opening of the very important Kartarpur corridor,` said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Q ureshi in a video statement.
• The foreign minister said a formal invitation letter was being sent to Mr Singh. He said Mr Singh was being invited as a representative of the Sikh community.
• The corridor, an initiative of the Pakistan government, is being constructed to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November. The corridor would provide Indian Sikhs visa free access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan.
2. Diplomatic Squad reordered
• Prime Minister Imran Khan September 30, 2019 replaced Dr Maleeha Lodhi with Ambassador Munir Akram as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York.
• “Ambassador Munir Akram has been appointed as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York, in place of Dr Maleeha Lodhi,” a foreign ministry statement said.
• “Muhammad Aejaz, Additional Secretary at MoFA, has been appointed as Ambassador of Pakistan to Hungary. Syed Sajjad Haider, presently serving as Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan to Pyongyang, has been posted as Ambassador of Pakistan to Kuwait,” the statement said.
• Khalil Ahmad Hashmi, presently serving as Director General UN at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN in Geneva.
• Imran Ahmad Siddiqui, presently serving as Consul General of Pakistan Toronto, has been posted as High Commissioner of Pakistan for Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ahsan KK Wagan, presently serving as Charge d’ Affaires in Niamey, Niger, has been appointed as Ambassador of Pakistan to Muscat, Oman.
• Major General Muhammad Saad Khattak (r) has been appointed as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka.
• Abdul Hamid has been appointed as Pakistan’s Consul General in Toronto. Abrar Hussain Hashmi has been appointed as Pakistan’s Consul General in Houston
3. 18 airlines told not to use plastic cutlery on flights to Pakistan
• The Aviation Division has directed 18 international airlines to stop use of plastic cutlery in flights to Pakistan.
• The airlines are also directed to ensure that the cutlery is packed in paper rather than in plastic or polythene bags.
• The information was shared by Aviation Division senior joint secretary Amjad Sattar Khokhar with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on September 30, 2019.
• Both were present at the committee room of Parliament House where a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change was scheduled at 11am.
October 1, 2019: International Current Affairs
4. Abdullah claims victory over Ghani in Afghan vote well ahead of results
• Afghanistan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory on September 30, 2019 over incumbent Ashraf Ghani in the weekend`s presidential election, far ahead of the release of any official results.
• The move is likely to stir political tensions across Afghanistan and brings to mind the election Abdullah and his top rival Ghani bitterly contested in 2014 that sparked a constitutional crisis and prompted us intervention.
5. ICC slaps war crimes charges on militant who terrorised Timbuktu
• The International Criminal Court on September 30, 2019 confirmed war crimes and crimes against humanity charges against a Malian militant accused of demolishing Timbuktu`s fabled shrines and unleashing a reign of terror.
• Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, 40, was accused of these crimes as well as being responsible for rapes and sexual slavery after fundamentalists exploited a Tuareg uprising in 2012 to take over cities in Mali`s volatile north.
• Al Hassan is the second Islamist extremist to face trial at the ICC for the destruction of the Timbuktu shrines, following a 2016 landmark ruling at the world`s only permanent war crimes court. The first one got a nine year prison term.
6. Houthis unilaterally release hundreds of detainees
• The Houthi group in control of Yemen`s capital released hundreds of prisoners on September 30, 2019 in a unilateral move, which the United Nations hoped would help revive a stalled peace process after months of failed efforts to push through a prisoner swap.
• Dozens of men in clean, new, white clothing walked out of the central prison in the capital Sanaa and lined up outside, supervised by men in military uniforms.
• `Our initiative proves our credibility in implementing the Sweden agreement and we call on the other party to take a comparable step,` the head of the Houthis` prisoner affairs committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, told reporters assembled for the release.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated the release, said 290 Yemeni nationals were transferred from the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa to their homes.
7. Oil prices dip as S. Arabia eyes non-military solution to Iran crisis
• Oil prices fell more than one per cent on September 30, 2019 after Saudi Arabia`s de facto leader said war with Iran would destroy the world economy and hinted instead at a non-military solution.
• Washington, Riyadh, Berlin, London and Paris blame Iran for attacks that damaged the Saudi oil sector on Sept 14 and forced the world`s largest crude exporter to sharply reduce production.
• Stock markets were mostly higher as traders tracked the latest twists and turn regarding the US-China trade war. The dollar was mixed against main rivals.
• `In terms of geopolitical concerns, common sense is prevailing for now in Saudi Arabia,` noted analyst Naeem Aslam at traders Think Markets, in reference to the comments by Saudi Arabia`s crown prince in an interview with CBS show 60 minutes broad castover the weekend.
• Mohammed bin Salman said war would be catastrophic for global growth.
8. Man finds 1,000-year-old coins worth $60K
• A metal detector enthusiast in England has stumbled upon a treasure trove of silver coins believed to be 1,000 years old and worth about $60,000.
• Fifty-year-old Don Crawley, a native of Suffolk, found the 99 coins, which include pennies and half pennies, after making his first visit to a farmer’s land.
9. SpaceX to launch new heavy-lift rocket into orbit in 6 months
• SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the private space company’s next-generation heavy-lift rocket Starship is expected to be launched into orbit in six months.
• Musk spoke in front of a 50-meter, 200-ton Starship prototype at the SpaceX launch facility in Texas Saturday night, revealing more details about the spacecraft designed for full “rapid reusability,” according to the SpaceX website.
• SpaceX has already completed two, low-altitude “hop” flights with the Starhopper, a stub-top, prototype cylinder with one of the Raptor engines to be used in Starship. In the coming one or two months, Starship Mk1 will have its first test flight to a sub-orbital altitude of about 65,000 feet (19,812 meters), and then Starship Mk2 will have a similar test, according to Musk.
• Starship Mk3 or Mk5, covered with full sheets of stainless steel and welded with a single weld, might be an orbital launch with the full Super Heavy booster in the coming six months, according to Musk.
October 1, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Babar`s century helps Pakistan draw first blood
• A superlative century from new Pakistan vice-captain Babar Azam marked the historic return of One-day International cricket to Karachi on September 30, 2019 as the hosts completed a resounding 67-run victory over Sri Lanka in game two of the rain-marred series at the National Stadium.
• After Friday`s opening fixture of the Inverex presents Brighto Cup three-match ODI series was washed out without a ball being bowled, Sri Lanka`s new-look side saw Pakistan ride on Babar`s supremely confident 115, which was his 11th hundred from just 73 one-dayers the third quickest to that number of centuries after the South African duo of Quinton de Kock (65 matches) and the recentlyretired Hashim Amla (66) to reach 305-6.
• Sri Lanka`s response, particularly at the start of the innings, was as feeble as it could be given the depleted makeup of their team following the withdrawals of 10 senior players from the tour. When it seemed the match would be over even before the midpoint of the chase when the top five wickets went down in the space of 10 runs in 38 deliveries with inspired Usman Khan Shinwari tal(ing a five-for as Sri Lanl(a were eventually all out for 238.
September 25, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Govt to mark Friday as Kashmir Solidarity Day
• The federal government has decided to observe coming Friday as the Kashmir Solidarity Day throughout the country under the theme “let us save the innocent children of IOK (Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir).”
• A letter written by the Ministry of Interior says that the “Prime Minister has very kindly approved observing of 27th September (Friday) as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ for holding public rallies across Pakistan to express their feelings with the people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.”
• The letter addressed to all attached departments of the ministry besides mayor Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad says that the Kashmir Cell of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recommended key social media messages including “I am terrorized; I need food, medicine and care; I want my father back, we want to play too, I deserve a childhood too, and trends including #HumanofKashmir and #ChildrenundeSeige.”
2 AJK minister disqualified for encroaching upon state land
• In a rare decision, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on September 25, 2019 disqualified a sitting minister from being the member of the Legislative Assembly for the next five years for `deliberately encroaching upon state land and thus committing contempt of a court judgment`.
• Minister for Sports, Youth and Culture Chaudhry Mohammad Saeed, who was elected from Mirpur city in 2016 polls as a PML-N nominee, was convicted and punished with imprisonment till the rising of the court in Mirpur circuit only a day after his constituency and adjoining areas were hit by a devastating earthquake.
• Mr Saeed had defeated apparently formidable PTI regional president Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry notwithstanding being a novice in electoral politics.
• On October 5, last year, one Haji Javed Akram, a resident of Mirpur, had filed an application in Mirpur circuit of the apex court, alleging that Mr Saeed had been `unlawfully occupying more than one kanal and eight marla crown land` along with his house `in an act that amounted to infringement of an apex court judgment titled Azeem Dutt and others versus Raja Khadim Hussain and others`.
3. Moeed appointed planning ceII chief
Moeed Yousuf has been appointed as chairperson of the Strategic Policy Planning Cell (SPPC), which functions under the National Security Division.
• Mr Yousuf, who has authored Brokering Peace in Nuclear Environments, was working as vice president of the United States Institute for Peace, for South Asia.
• `The competent authority is pleased to appoint Mr Moeed W. Yousuf as Chairperson, Strategic Policy Planning Cell (SPPC) under National Security Division in SPPS-l for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the post with immediate effect until further orders,` read a notification issued by the Establishment Division on September 25, 2019.
• The Establishment Division also notified the appointment of Dr Mohammad Azeem as chairman of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
4. Afghan visa now mandatory for transporters
The Afghan border police at Torkham have made acquisition of Afghan visa for all Pakistani transporters mandatory along with keeping other relevant travel documents.
• In a pamphlet distributed among the Pakistani transporters on September 25, 2019, the Afghan border police warned that none of them would be allowed to enter Afghanistan without a valid visa, driving licence, road pass and original number plate of the vehicle.
• It said that all transporters taking trade goods in their vehicles to Afghanistan were required to fulfil the requirements by the end of September as they would not be allowed to cross the border after that.
5. Sadpara becomes first Pakistani to scale Manaslu peak in Nepal
Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Mohammad Ali Sadpara along with four Sherpas scaled the 8th highest peak of the world, Manaslu, in Nepal without bottle oxygen on September 24, 2019.
• According Alpine Club of Pakistan Ali Sadpara became the first Pakistani climber to scale the eighth highest peak of over 8,000 meters of the world. Sadpara, 43, has climbed all five, 8,000-metre high peaks in Pakistan, including K2 (8,611m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m), Gasherbrum II (8,034m), Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m).
• He is the first Pakistani to have climbed Nanga Parbat in the winter. He also climbed the 8,516metre Lhotse peak and 8,485-metre Makalu peak in Nepal. Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, the managing director of Seven Summit Treks, said that Mohammad Ali Sadpara, Ngima Dorchi, Ngima Thenduk, Tenji Chhombi andNamgyaBhotereached to the summit af ter tireless effort since 21 September.
• A total of 50 climbers are taking part in the summit. Mr Sadpara was sponsored by Pakistan Army.