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 October 28, 2018: National Current Affairs

1. World urged to shun `double standards` on Kashmir

• The `Kashmir Black Day` was observed on October 27, 2018 across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Pakistan as well as the country`s embassies around the world to condemn the fresh wave of Indian brutalities against innocent Kashmiris being perpetuated to stop their just struggle for securing their right to self-determination.
• Participating at various events held in connection with the day observed to condemn India`s invasion of Kashmir on this day in 1947, speakers urged the international community to shun double standards on the issues of human rights and called upon them to play an active role in persuading India to resolve the lingering dispute.
• Warning that the situation in India held Kashmir was getting out of control in the wake of atrocities by Indian forces, Kashmiri leaders called upon Islamabad to extend to them `full military support` before it was too late.

2. Commercial fishing begins in Rawal Lake

• As the winter season started, commercial fishing has commenced at Rawal Lake and the contractor is preparing to enhance the harvest. But illegal netting and angling still pose a challenge to both the contractor and the authorities concerned.
• It is the last season of the two-year commercial fishing contract and to ensure a higher yield the contractor says he has introduced a large number of varieties in the water which will also help diversify the aquatic life.
• Islamabad has wide ranging temperatures from up to 40 degrees in the summer to almost zero in the winter, so varieties with higher survival rate have been introduced in the lake.
• These include Thaila, Mori, Rahu, Mahasher, Silver, Bighead, hybrid (Thaila and Rahu), Singra and Sole.

3. Pemra told to ban broadcast of foreign content beyond permissible time

• The Supreme Court on October 27, 2018 directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to ban transmission of foreign content on all private television channels beyond permissible time.
• A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, was hearing an application jointly filed by a few producers and TV actors a few months ago pertaining to the broadcast of foreign con-tent on Pakistani television channels.
• An additional attorney general informed the bench that though PEMRA was monitoring channels, it could not ban transmission of foreign content as a high court verdict restraining the ban was in place.

4. 7th World Wind Energy Conference to be held in Pakistan

• The 7th World Wind Energy Conference (WWEC) and Exhibition will be held in Pakistan under the title “Re-energizing the developing World” from November 28-29 to bring together wind and renewable community from around the world to contribute in the wind power development for energy transition.
• WWEC2018 will be held in Karachi and focus on the opportunities offered by modernization of wind energy in particular and renewable energy in general to meet growing energy demands of the developing countries without compromising on climate change risks.
• Highlighting the fact that a renewable based economy offers unique opportunities for economic growth and prosperity, wind energy experts from all over the world will gather in Karachi to discuss lessons learned and success stories in the renewable energy sector.
• The conference will be hosted by World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and Renewable Resources (Pvt) Ltd (RE2) however the organizations which will support the event include Ministry of Climate Change, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI), Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), German Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), World Bio energy Association and many others.
• A technical tour will also be arranged to Wind Farms in Jhimpir on November 30 following the conference. Earlier, this conference has been held in Sweden, Japan, Israeli, China, Cuba, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, South Korea, Canada, Argentina, India, Australia and South Africa.
• The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), an international non-profit organization headquartered in Bonn, Germany, is working in cooperation with various governments and international agencies to promote wind energy uptake worldwide.

5. President to depart on 3-day Turkey visit October 28, 2018

• President Dr Arif Alvi will leave for Turkey Sunday (October 28, 2018) on a three-day official visit, on the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• The president will attend and address the inauguration ceremony of the newly-built Istanbul International Airport.
• The ceremony would also be attended by presidents and prime ministers of other countries too.
• During the visit, the president is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with Turkish president as well as leadership from other countries

October 28, 2018: International Current Affairs

6. Oman says time to accept Israel in region, offers help for peace

• Oman described Israel as an accepted Middle East state on October 27, 2018, a day after hosting a surprise visit by its prime minister that Washington said could help regional peace efforts.
• Oman is of fering ideas to help Israel and the Palestinians to come together but is not acting as mediator, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the sultanates minister responsible for foreign affairs, told a security summit in Bahrain.
• `Israel is a state present in the region, and we all understand this,` bin Alawi said.
• `The world is also aware of this fact. Maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same [as others states] and also bear the same obligations.` His comments followed a rare visit to Oman by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which came days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid a three-day visit to the Gulf country. Both leaders met with Oman`s Sultan Qaboos.
• Oman is relying on the United States and efforts by President Donald Trump in working towards the `deal of the century` (Middle East peace), he added.

7. Sri Lankan President suspends parliament

• Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena suspended parliament October 27, 2018 to forestall a challenge against his surprise ouster of the prime minister, deepening a sudden swell of political turmoil in the island nation.
• Police cancelled all leave as tensions heightened in Colombo a day after the president dismissed Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with controversial former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse.
• The president had suspended parliament until November 16. Wickremesinghe had earlier demanded an emergency session to prove he still commanded a majority.
• Wickremesinghe continued to occupy Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, and insisted in a letter to Sirisena that he was still in office.

8. Syria summit says Idlib ceasefire must be safeguarded

• The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany on October 27, 2018 called for a ceasefire around the last major rebel-held bastion of Idlib in Syria to be preserved.
• The four nations `stressed the importance of a lasting ceasefire` according to a statement read by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the end of a major summit in Istanbul.
• Erdogan, along with Russia`s Vladimir Putin, France`s Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met to try and find a lasting solution to the Syrian conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011.
• After a joint press conference, Macron urged Russia, which supports the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to exercise `very clear pressure` on Damascus for a `stable and lasting ceasefire in Idlib`.

9. IS kills 68 US-backed fighters in eastern Syria

• The Islamic State group has killed at least 68 US-backed fighters battling to oust the jihadists from their eastern Syria holdout of Hajin, a war monitor said October 27, 2018.
• IS late October 26, 2018 dispatched suicide bombers as part of a counter-attack against the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, raising the death toll from an earlier figure of 41.
• The SDF fighters, who are backed by US-led coalition air strikes, were killed overnight, the Britain-based Observatory said.
• “The death toll has increased due to the discovery of new victims on the front line and the existence of 100 wounded,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
• A spokesman for the US-led coalition said “at this time, numbers cannot be confirmed as both sides are taking casualties as this difficult fight… continues”.

10. Microsoft upholds plan to work with US military

• US high tech firm Microsoft Corporation October 27, 2018 defended its plan to continue to work with the US military despite objections from its employees who opposed the use of Microsoft technology for warfare.
• Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in an official blog post that he and CEO Satya Nadella addressed the employees’ concerns about the company’s involvement in US military projects at a regular meeting.
• Smith said Microsoft has worked with the US Department of Defense (DOD) on “a longstanding and reliable basis” for four decades, and Microsoft technology has helped the US troops’ front office, field operations, bases, ships, aircraft and training facilities.
• “We believe in the strong defense of the United States and we want the people who defend it to have access to the nation’s best technology, including from Microsoft,” Smith said.
• Therefore, Microsoft decides to bid for the DOD’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud project called “JEDI” that will strengthen the DOD’s end-to-end IT infrastructure, he added.