Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (December 09, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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

December 09, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. US places Pakistan, nine others on violators of religious freedom list

• Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced on December 8, 2020 that the United States had designated Pakistan, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, North Korea, Myanmar and Eritrea as `countries of particular Concern` (CPC)under its International Religious Freedom Act.
• The statement accused these countries of `engaging in or tolerating `systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom`.

2. 62nd Gwadar Day celebrated

• The Pakistan Navy along with the people of the port city celebrated the 62nd Gwadar Day with traditional fervour on December 8, 2020.
• This day is celebrated every year to mark the merger of Gwadar with Pakistan.
• In the historical context, Gwadar was formally handed over to Pakistan in 1958 by Oman.

3. Pakistan among top 5 nations with most investment in H1 of 2020

• Pakistan for the first time has become one of the five countries in the world with the most investment in the first half-year of 2020, a World Bank report said.
• “Pakistan had the fourth-highest investment commitments–a new entrant to the top five countries this year—with $1.9 billion of investment commitments, accounting for 0.69 per cent of GDP,” the Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI) 2020 Half Yearly Report said.

4. QAU ranked top in country, 67th in Asia

• The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) has been ranked top in the country while 67th in higher educational institutions of Asia, a statement issued said on December 8, 2020.
• The statement released by the university said that the US News and World Report rankings, has placed Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) top in Pakistan, 67th in Asia, and 425th globally. In recently announced rankings with a global score of 53.3, QAU has been placed at 135th in regional research reputation, 137th in international collaboration, and 289th among institutions having a percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited globally

5. Kuwait’s emir appoints Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as PM

• The Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah assigned on December 8, 2020 Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as prime minister, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said.
• The emir also assigned him to form a government and provide a list of names for approval, KUNA said.
• During a meeting with the emir at Bayan Palace, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah expressed gratitude for the appointment, reiterating commitment to the constitution and laws to serve the best interests of the country and citizens.

6. Exporters challenge India`s Basmati GI claim in EU

• Pakistani rice exporters have formally challenged India`s claim on Geographical Indicator (GI) of Basmati rice in the European Union in a bid to prevent financial loss worth billions of rupees to the exchequer and local farming community.
• The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) formally filed a Notice of Opposition on Monday (Dec 7) in the EU against Indian claim on the GI of Basmati acting on behalf of rice exporters and farmers of Pakistan who are at the risk of losing a billion-dollars` worth of income.

7. 90-year-old gets first jab as UK starts vaccination drive

• Britain became the first Western country to start a mass coronavirus vaccine campaign on December 8, 2020 with a 90-year-old receiving the initial jab, as the number of cases in Europe hit 20 million.
• Kicking off Britain`s `V-Day` Margaret Keenan said she felt `privileged` to be given the injection, the first of millions expected to be administered in the hard-hit country over the coming months.
• The Pfizer-BioNTech jab is one of several vaccines bringing hope for an end to the pandemic that has killed more than 1.5m people worldwide and ravaged economies.

8. Biden picks first black general as Pentagon chief

• President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Lloyd Austin, who led US troops into Baghdad in 2003 and rose to head the US Central Command, as the first African American secretary of defence, US media reported on December 7, 2020.
• A veteran of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the retired four-star army general, 67, beat out the favourite for the job, former under-secretary of defence Michele Flournoy, amid pressure on Biden to nominate more minority members for positions in his cabinet

9. Earth`s highest point gets higher as China, Nepal revise Everest height

• The highest point on Earth got a bit higher on December 8, 2020 as China and Nepal finally agreed on a precise elevation for Mount Everest after years of debate.
• The agreed height of 8,848.86 metres (29,031 feet) unveiled at a news conference in Kathmandu was 86 centimetres (2.8 feet) higher than the measurement previously recognised by Nepal, and more than four metres above China`s official figure

10. World’s largest wind turbines 856 feet tall in US

• The first large-scale offshore wind farm is coming to the US and it could be the most powerful in the world. Vineyard Wind recently announced it will be placing more than 60 of General Electric’s 856-foot Haliade-X turbines some 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, a popular island destination in Massachusetts.
• When activated in 2023, the towers will generate enough energy to power 400,000 houses in New England, the company said. The 13 MW turbines are predicted to produce 312 MWh in a day, almost 10 percent more than the 262 MWh record held by a prototype wind farm in the Netherlands

Check our daily updated ‘s Complete Day by Day Current Affairs Notes

December 2020:
[catlist name=”December 2020″]

November 2020:
[catlist name=”November 2020″]

October 2020:
[catlist name=”October 2020″]

September 2020:
[catlist name=”September 2020″]

August 2020:
[catlist name=”August 2020″]