Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs/News (May 18, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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May 18, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Federal govt suspends Islamabad mayor

• In a significant move, the federal government on Sunday suspended Islamabad`s first elected mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz, who belongs to the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, for a period of 90 days, prompting an immediate reaction from the PML-N which termed the move `a coup d`état` and vowed to challenge it in court.
• The action taken by the federal government on the recommendations of the Local Government Commission, dominated by members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), is set to aggravate the already tense political atmosphere in the country amid allegations of political victimisation by the opposition parties.
• The government and the opposition have recently intensified their war of words over certain actions taken by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the opposition leaders, including PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif.

2. PM launches cash disbursal programme for workers today

• Prime Minister Imran Khan is launching on May 18, 2020 (today) the cash disbursal programme under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash for workers who are worst affected by the coronavirus crisis and have become jobless.
• According to the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), over 3.4 million applications of jobless people have so far been received through the Ehsaas Labour Portal. More than Rs3 billion have so far been mobilised in the PM Covid-19 Fund and the pledges continue to be realised.
• The prime minister has committed that for each rupee provided by donors, Rs4 will be committed by the government

3. Plasma helps recover first Covid-19 patient in Peshawar

• The first Covid-19 patient has recovered after transfusion of convalescent plasma immunisation at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar.
• The hospital has initiated collection of plasma from the recovered Covid-19 patients as part of the national trial to reduce mortalities during the pandemic under the leadership of Prof Tahir Shamsi of National Institute of Blood Diseases Karachi.
• A Covid-19 patient recently recovered and left the hospital after plasma immunisation. A number of other patients have also consented to become part of this trial

4. India extends lockdown till end of May

• India extended its coronavirus lockdown until the end of May on May 17, 2020 as it reported its biggest single-day jump in cases, but said some sectors would be permitted to open up to ease the economic pain.
• The lockdown affecting 1.3 billion people has been in force since late March and has been devastating for India`s poor, with millions of migrant workers losing their jobs.
• `Lockdown measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 will continue` until at least May 31, the home affairs ministry said in a statement.

5. Wear a mask or face jail in Kuwait and Qatar

• Kuwait and Qatar both said on May 16, 2020 they would start jailing people or fining them thousands of dollars for f ailing to wear a facemask to combat the novel coronavirus.
• Kuwait`s health ministry said anyone caught could face up to three months in prison, while Qatar state TV reported the maximum penalty there would be three years.
• In Kuwait the maximum fine stood at 5,000 dinars ($16,200) and in Qatar 200,000 riyals ($55,000).

6. US successfully launches unmanned reusable drone for space experiments

• The US Air Force on May 17, 2020 successfully launched its high-tech drone X-37B, placing the reusable vehicle into orbit for its sixth secretive mission in space.
• The drone, which resembles a smaller version of the manned space shuttles retired by the US space program in 2011, was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the Air Force said.
• It will spend months in orbit, remotely conducting a series of experiments.

7. Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in home

• The Chinese ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home north of Tel Aviv on May 17, 2020, Israels Foreign Ministry said.
• Israeli Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the ambassador`s death was believed to be from natural causes.
• Du Wei, 58, was appointed envoy in February in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
• He previously served as China`s envoy to Ukraine. He was found dead at the ambassador`s official residence in Herzliya

8. Ghani, Abdullah sign power-sharing deal

• Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal on May 17, 2020, ending a bitter months-long feud that plunged the country into political crisis.
• The breakthrough, which sees Abdullah heading peace talks with the Taliban, comes as Afghanistan battles a rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus and surging militant violence that saw dozens killed in brutal attacks last week.
• Pakistan welcomed the agreement and said it had created a historic opportunity that should be seized by all stakeholders `to advance the goals of peace and reconciliation` in the war-torn country.

9. 2020 list of UK`s richest shows first fall in wealth in decade

• Britain`s wealthiest people have lost tens of billions of pound s in the coronavirus pandemic as their combined annual wealth fell for the first time in a decade, the May 17, 2020 Times reported in its RichList 2020.
• The newspaper, which has produced the respected annual ranking of the country`s 1,000 wealthiest people since 1989, found the past two months had resulted in the super-rich losing 54 billion ($65 billion, 60 billion euros).
• More than half of the billionaires in Britain had seen drops in their worth by as much as 6bn, a decrease in their collective wealth unprecedented since 2009 and the financial crisis

10. Double honour for Pakistani filmmaker at German festival

• Singapore based Pakistani filmmaker Shehzad Hameed Ahmad`s documentary series on Afghanistan has won two Silver awards at the prestigious World Media Festivals 2020 at Hamburg, Germany.
• The award-winning documentary had only last month swept two awards at the recently held New York Festival 2020.
• Mr Ahmad`s insightful and captivating documentaries on the war in Afghanistan, `Caught in the Crossfire` and `The Battle for Kabul` won the awards in the Global Issues and Political documentaries category, respectively.

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