WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
June 25, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Heedless pilots, ATC blamed for PIA crash
• Presenting the preliminary investigation report of the last month`s crash of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft near Karachi airport, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan on June 24, 2020 told the National Assembly that `overconfident pilots` and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials were responsible for the tragedy as they did not follow the set procedures at the time of landing.
• According to the minister, the ill-fated aircraft was `100 per cent fit` for flying and there was no technical fault in it. Similarly, Mr Khan said the pilot and the co-pilot were experienced and `medically fit`. The air crew did not point out any technical fault even while making the final approach for landing, he added.
• However, according to the minister, the pilots were not focused at the time of landing and throughout the night they had discussed the Covid-19 issue
2. Finance bill clears Senate
• The upper house of parliament on June 24, 2020 unanimously adopted recommendations of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance on the Finance Bill 2020, containing the annual budget statement.
• The chairman of the standing committee, Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, moved the motion in the upper house, saying it has recommended 40 amendments to the Finance Bill 2020 besides 53 general consensus suggestions.
• The Senate recommended that salaries of government employees be enhanced at least 10 per cent and the centre should double the budget for education and health sectors.
3. WB approves $236 million for Pakistan
• The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $236 million in grants and credits to support Pakistan’s efforts to enhance learning and healthcare, and address COVID-19 threats to human capital accumulation.
• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Human Capital Investment Project ($200 million) and Balochistan Human Capital Investment Project ($36 million) will improve public services in education and health, which are the building blocks for human capital accumulation. The projects aim to increase the productive capacity of the workforce to bolster future economic growth in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• Apart from this loan, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on June 24, 2020 has received $1billion — $500 million each from World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to facilitate the country during its fight against coronavirus. Pakistan has received this amount under COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) program. The CARES program is facilitated by parallel co financing of $500 million each from the Asian Infrastructure Bank (AIIB) and the World Bank to support Pakistan in addressing the challenges from COVID-19.
4. IMF lowers country`s growth forecast to 1pc
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday lowered Pakistan`s growth forecast by half to one per cent for the next fiscal year as the global economy appears to have suffered greater setbacks following the Covid-19 pandemic and shows slower signs of recovery than previously anticipated.
• On April 14, the IMF had estimated Pakistan`s GDP going negative 1.5pc in the fiscal year 2019-20 and a 2pc growth rate for FY2020-21 in its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO).
• The Fund now revised its forecast to -0.4pc for the current fiscal in line with the government`s estimates.
5. China gives version of clashes, demands India`s withdrawal from Galwan valley
• China has demanded a withdrawal of Indian personnel and facilities from Galwan valley, and this was conveyed at the Corps Commander talks on June 6 and June 22, The Hindu quoted officials from China`s People`s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) as saying on June 24, 2020.
• The statements from Beijing came as both sides `agreed to resolve the existing situation peacefully,` following talks through video conference on Wednesday under the Working Mechanismfor Consultation and Coordination on border affairs, The Hindu said in a dispatch from its correspondent in Beijing.
• India`s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both sides `discussed in detail the developments in the India-China border areas in particular the situation in Eastern Ladakh.` India `conveyed its concerns` on the June 15 face-off that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and `emphasised that both sides should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC)` it stated
6. European MPs demand halt to Israel’s annexation plan
• More than 1,000 European lawmakers from 25 countries urged their leaders June 24, 2020 to step in and stop Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to kick-start the process next week, after clinching a coalition deal with his former election rival last month.
• In a letter published in newspapers and sent to European foreign ministers, the 1,080 parliamentarians said they were “deeply worried about the precedent this would set for international relations”. “Such a move will be fatal to the prospects of Israeli-Palestinian peace,” added the letter.
• “Regrettably, President (Donald) Trump’s plan departs from internationally agreed parameters and principles.”
7. Kosovo president charged with war crimes over 1990s killings
• Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been charged with 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the country`s conflict in the 1990s, a tribunal in The Hague said on June 24, 2020.
• Wartime intelligence chief and former parliamentary speaker Kadri Veseli is also accused of war crimes, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) said, adding that the charges against both men were brought on April 24 but not revealed publicly.
• `The indictment alleges that Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli and the other charged suspects are criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders,` the KSC said in a statement.
8. Mongolians vote in shadow of coronavirus
• Mongolians headed to the polls on June 24, 2020 with a host of coronavirus safety restrictions in place as debate raged over whether the elections should have been postponed. The landlocked East Asian country has seen candidates flout lockdown rules during campaigning and thousands of people stranded overseas by closed borders left unable to vote.
• A multitude of safety measures were imposed as polling stations opened early on Wednesday. Voters queued two metres apart to enter, with medical staff checking temperatures, passing out hand disinfectant and masks, and providing single-use plastic gloves to fill out ballot papers.
9. IMF predicts deeper global downturn due to virus
• The US economy will likely shrink eight per cent while France, Italy, Spain and Britain will suffer double-digit contractions WASHINGTON: The global coronavirus pandemic has sparked an economic `crisis like no other`, sending world GDP plunging 4.9 per cent this year and wiping out $12 trillion over two years, the IMF said on June 24, 2020.
• Worldwide business shutdowns destroyed hundreds of millions of jobs, and major economies in Europe face double-digit collapses in the worst crisis since the Great Depression nearly a century ago.
• The prospects for recovery post-pandemic like the forecasts themselves are steeped in `pervasive uncertainty` given the unpredictable path of the virus, the IMF said in its updated World Economic Outlook.
10. Taliban kill seven Afghan military personnel in raid on army post
• Taliban fighters killed as many as seven Afghan commandos in an hours-long attack on an army outpost, a lawmaker and the defence ministry said on June 24, 2020.
• The assault comes as Kabul authorities accuse the insurgents of stepping up attacks against security forces in recent weeks, after violence dropped across much of the country following a three-day ceasefire announced in May.
• The Taliban raided the army outpost located in northwest Bad his province late on Tuesday.
Check our daily updated ‘s Complete Day by Day Current Affairs Notes
May 2020:
[catlist name=”May 2020″]
April 2020:
[catlist name=”April 2020″]
March 2020:
[catlist name=”March 2020″]
February 2020:
[catlist name=”February 2020″]
January 2020:
[catlist name=”January 2020″]
Leave a Reply