Category: 2019 Current Affairs

September 2019

Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (September 14, 2020) for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date September 15, 2020
1 Comment on Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (September 14, 2020) for CSS, PMS

September 14, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Terrorist leader, three accomplices killed: ISPR

• A terrorist commander along with his three accomplices was killed during an operation near the boundary of North and South Waziristan tribal districts on September 13, 2020.
• The military`s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), termed Commander Ihsan Ullah alias Ihsan Sanray`s killing a major `breakthrough` and said that he along with his three accomplices was killed during an intelligence-based operation in the Ghariom area.
• Official sources told Dawn that when security forces raided a hideout of terrorists in the area they came under attack, triggering an exchange of hre between troops and the terrorists. The sources said the terrorists hiding in the compound also hurled hand grenades at the raiding team, but the security forces remained safe, while the four terrorists were killed in the firing

2. Schedule for reopening schools issued

• The Punjab School Education Department (SED) on September 13, 2020 issued the schedule and academic timetable to be observed in all public as well as private schools of the province when these institutions will reopen on September 15.
• Earlier, the government had announced that all the public and private schools would reopen in three phases. In the first phase, students of grade 9 to 12 will start attending their schools on Sept 15, in the second phase grade 6-8 classes will resume on Sept 23 after a review of the Covid-19 situation and the primary sections will be reopened on Sept 30.
• According to an SED notification, the chief executive officers (CEO) of the District Education Authorities (DEAs) will ensure implementation of the schedule and the academic timetable in Punjab, along with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) , in the schools.

3. Balochistan amends mineral’s law to transform state-run entities

• Balochistan government had brought changes in mineral laws to transform state-run minerals companies into vibrant and profitable entities.
• A senior officer of the Mines and Minerals Department said the move was meant to clear the path for the Balochistan Minerals Exploration Company (BMEC) and Balochistan Minerals Resource Company Limited (BMRL) to take mining lease in the province. After the amendment, it would provide legal cover to both the companies, he told APP. The initiative would lead to increase revenue generation in the province, he further said. “Now the companies can partner with the private sector organizations for joint venture in the mineral sector,” he continued.
• The officer said the government had a plan to register them with the Pakistan Stock Exchange. He said the amendment was brought after the cabinet gave green signal to do changes in the rule.

4. Pakistan, China to sign development agreement of CPEC SEZ Rashakai today

• Pakistan and China to sign Development Agreement of the First China Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Rashakai today (Monday).
• The signing of the Development Agreement of Rashakai SEZ under CPEC would realise the vision of special economic zones’ development, ultimately leading to a prosperous and industrial Pakistan, said Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Atif R. Bokhari.
• The signing ceremony will be held at the Prime Minister House and would be attended by the Federal Ministers, Officials from line ministries and KP Government and other stakeholders. Under CPEC nine SEZs have been identified with one each in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan Islamabad, FATA, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. There are two SEZs in Sindh which includes Industrial Park Pakistan Steel Mills Port Qasim and Dhabeji Special Economic Zone

5. Religious scholar Zamir Naqvi passes away

• Prominent religious scholar Allama Zamir Akhtar Naqvi passed away on September 13, 2020. He was 76.
• According to relatives, he suffered a heart attack late on Saturday night and was taken to a private hospital where he breathed his last.
• Allama Naqvi was born in 1944 in the Indian city of Lucknow where he did his graduation before migrating to Karachi in 1967. He had a PhD degree from University of Karachi and was known to have knowledge of science, philosophy, literature, culture, journalism and Islamic history

6. European MPs reject Indian bid to settle Kashmir dispute unilaterally

• The future of Kashmir cannot be determined by India unilaterally, observed lawmakers from EU and UK, who affirmed the right of the Kashmiri people as principal stakeholders of the conflict.
• With the UNGA`s 75th session scheduled in days, lawmakers, diplomats and journalists from the EU, UK, India, Pakistan and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Azad Kashmir agreed that the international community must know how Kashmir had become extremely restive since Aug 5 last year, and this comes with implications for conflict escalation in the region.

7. Muscat welcomes Manama move

• Oman welcomes Bahrain`s decision to normalise relations with Israel and hopes it will contribute to Israeli-Palestinian peace, Oman state media said on September 13, 2020.
• Bahrain on Friday became the second Gulf country to normalise ties with Israel after the United Arab Emirates said they would do so a month ago, moves forged partly through shared fears of Iran.
• `Hopes this new strategic path taken by some Arab countries will contribute to bringing about a peace based on an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and on establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital,` the government statement said

8. Bloomberg to spend $100m in Florida to help Biden

• Michael Bloomberg, who spent $1 billion of his own money on a failed 2020 presidential bid, will inject at least $100 million to help Democrat Joe Biden`s campaign against President Donald Trump in Florida.
• The billionaire`s decision comes at a critical moment in the final 51 days of the race, with polls showing a close race in the battleground state and no financial advantage for the sitting president.
• Trump`s initial financial supremacy over former Vice President Biden has evaporated after the Republican`s campaign spent freely and Democratic fundraising surged once the party`s divisive primary ended

9. Covid forces world leaders to meet virtually during UNGA session

• The 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) opens in New York on September 15, 2020, although the high-level general debate starts on Sept 22.
• The US State Department has informed all UN members that the state of New York has imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine on all persons arriving in New York This restriction applies to heads of states and governments as well.
• This will be the first virtual General Assembly since Oct 24, 1945, when the United Nations was founded in San Francisco, California. Volkan Bozkir, Turkey`s former chief negotiator for accession to the European Union, will preside over the 75th session

10. Two UAE players charged under ICC anti-corruption code

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) on September 13, 2020 formally charged UAE`s duo of Amir Hayat and Ashfaq Ahmed with five counts of breaching cricket`s anti-corruption code.
• The two players have been absent from international duty since the end of last year.
• Pace bowler Amir had been omitted from selection without explanation for the UAE squad ahead of the T20 World Cup qualifier last October, while opening batsman Ashfaq was suspended by the Emirates Cricket Board after two matches in that tournament, pending an investigation by the ICC`s anti-corruption unit

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

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

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

July 2020:
[catlist name=”July 2020″]

June 2020:
[catlist name=”June 2020″]

Tags CSS Current Affairs, Day by Day Current Affairs, FPSC MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

September 2019

Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (September 12, 2020) for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date September 14, 2020
No Comments on Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (September 12, 2020) for CSS, PMS

September 12, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Trump announces `peace deal` between Bahrain and Israel

• US President Donald Trump announced on September 11, 2020 a `peace deal` between Israel and Bahrain, which becomes the second Arab country to settle with its former foe in less than a month.
• `Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days!` Trump tweeted.
• A joint US-Israel-Bahrain statement said there would be `full diplomatic relations`.
• Bahrain has agreed to formalise the deal with Israel at a ceremony to be held on Sept 15 at the White House, where the United Arab Emirates will also sign off on its own thaw with Israel announced in mid-August.

2. World economy to shrink 3.8pc in 2020, says IIF

• The global economy is heading for a recession with GDP projected to shrink 3.8 per cent in 2020, substantially worse than the 0.4pc contraction during the 2009 global financial crisis, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said in its latest report.
• Contrary to the recovery in the aftermath of the 2009 global financial crisis, the recovery in the emerging markets from the Covid-19 shock will be `shallower and more difficult to navigate as a result,` it added.
• `We forecast a deep recession this year, with global GDP contracting by 3.8pc. The recession we forecast in advanced economies is comparable with the 2009 experience. Instead, it is China and India that account for almost all of the weaker global growth picture

3. Beijing to impose restrictions on all US diplomats

• Beijing will impose `reciprocal restrictions` on all American diplomats on Chinese soil in response to curbs on its embassy personnel in the United States, China`s foreign ministry said on September 11, 2020.
• Relations between the world`s top two economies have deteriorated in recent months, with both sides locked in fierce recriminations over trade disputes, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
• China`s latest move comes days after Washington announced new restrictions on staff working for Beijing`s foreign missions, such as a requirement to seek approval for university visits or meetings with local officials.

4. Massive blast rocks Jordan`s military arms depot

• A huge explosion rocked a Jordanian military munitions depot early on September 11, 2020 sparking a large fire, but the army said there were no casualties at the base located in an uninhabited area.
• The military said the blast was accidental and likely caused by a chemical reaction inside a shell amid a blistering heatwave in the desert country.
• `An explosion occurred in the early hours of Friday … in a warehouse containing unusable mortar bombs belonging to the armed forces,` government spokesman Amjad al-Adaileh said in a statement.

5. Pakistan, China invited to Russia war games

• Russia said on September 11, 2020 it would stage massive military drills in the Caucasus later this month with troops from several countries, including Pakistan, China and Iran, invited to participate.
• More than 12,000 troops will take part in the `Caucasus-2020` war games, which will take place in southern Russia from Sept 21 to 26 and include land and naval exercises, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin told a briefing.
• `The Caucasus-2020 drills are not aimed against other countries,` the defence ministry said in a statement

6. Swami Agnivesh, advocate of peace with Pakistan, dies

• India’s leading peace activist and a staunch advocate of friendly ties with Pakistan, Swami Aginivesh, died in a hospital here on September 11, 2020 of complications from liver failure, reports said. He was 80.
• The saffron-clad defender of India’s secular constitution was assaulted viciously by suspected activists belonging to the country’s ruling party in 2018, and his close friends said his liver never recovered from the deep injuries.
• The Swami was an active member of peace committees seeking friendship with neighbouring countries including Pakistan, and was a trenchant critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s domestic and foreign policies

7. China, India agree to disengage troops on border

• China and India said on September 11, 2020 they had agreed to de-escalate renewed tensions on their contested Himalayan border and take steps to restore `peace and tranquillity` following a high-level diplomatic meeting in Moscow.
• Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister S.
• Taishankar met in Moscow on Thursday and reached a five-point consensus, including agreements that troops from both sides should quickly disengage and ease tensions, the two countries said in a joint statement.

8. Turkey launches series of operations against 130 suspects over failed coup

• Turkish authorities on September 11, 2020 launched a series of operations across the country to detain at least 130 suspects over their alleged links to a network believed to be behind a coup attempt in 2016.
• Following the orders of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Offices in Istanbul, Ankara, Balikesir, and Konya, police launched simultaneous operations in 45 provinces, the Hurriyet daily said.
• The suspects, including military personnel, lawyers, and police officers, allegedly contacted the network headed by the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen via various means, according to Hurriyet.

9. Researchers reveal possible new COVID-19 entry points

• Since the start of the pandemic, scientists have learned that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is quite cunning. When the virus enters the body, it’s capable of turning off an entire branch of the immune system, allowing it to spread for days before the immune system can sound the alarm on the intruder.
• However, researchers still don’t know the full scope of tissues and cell types that are most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. Most research has focused on identifying genes and pathways that facilitate the virus’s entry into lung cells – yet both clinical and scientific data indicate that it can cause damage in a wide range of organs.
• Now, new Cornell research has developed potential roadmaps for how the virus infects these other organs and identifies what molecular factors could help facilitate or restrict infection.

10. Mystery of Alfred Wallace’s butterfly is finally solved

• Described by the ‘father of zoogeography’ and co-author of the theories of evolution and natural selection, the species hasn’t been reexamined since 1866.
• An over a century-long mystery has been surrounding the Taiwanese butterfly fauna ever since the “father of zoogeography”
• Alfred Russel Wallace, in collaboration with Frederic Moore, authored a landmark paper in 1866: the first to study the lepidopterans of the island. Back then, in their study, Moore dealt with the moths portion and Wallace investigated the butterflies.

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

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

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

July 2020:
[catlist name=”July 2020″]

June 2020:
[catlist name=”June 2020″]

Tags CSS Current Affairs, Day by Day Current Affairs, FPSC MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 31 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 31, 2019
No Comments on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 31 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 31, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. 128,000 deaths occur in Pakistan due to climate change every year

• Members of a parliamentary committee were shocked to learn on December 30, 2019 that 128,000 people die due to climate change in Pakistan.
• Members of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights were also told that the average age or lifespan could decreased by two to five years because of environmental pollution.
• The senators were informed that 43pc of pollution in the country is caused by low grade oil being imported and used by the transport industry and energy sector, and Pakistan cannot use environmentally friendly fuel until 2021.
• They were particularly upset to learn that Pakistan`s last oil sector policy came in 1997, and no one has formulated a new policy since that is at par with advancements in technology, development and other requirements.

2. All duties, taxes on cotton import withdrawn

• The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on December 30, 2019 waived all duties and taxes on import of cotton and allowed its import via the Torkham border land route from Afghanistan and Central Asian States to meet the growing demand of the textile value-added sector.
• The decision taken at a meeting of the ECC, headed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh, will be effective from Jan 15, 2020.
• The government had in 201415 imposed one per cent customs duty along with 5pc sales tax on cotton import. Over the next few years, its import was subject to 3pc regulatory duty, 2pc additional customs duty and 5pc sales tax. The duties were withdrawn in January/ February 2017 and re-imposed in July-August.
• On Oct 4 this year, the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee projected that cotton production at the end of the year would be 10.20 million bales as against the target of 15 million bales for the fiscal year 2019-20

3. Govt nominee for top ECP office retires today

• The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf`s (PTI) nominee for the office of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Babar Yaqub Fateh Mohammad, retires as secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on December 31, 2019.
• He will be replaced by Zafar Iqbal Hussain, currently serving as the provincial election commissioner, Punjab. A notification to this effect was issued on Monday with the approval of the acting CEC, retired justice Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi. A BPS-21 officer Mr Hussain is expected to take charge on Jan 1.
• Meanwhile, the matter pertaining to the appointment of CEC and members of the ECP has again been delayed for a week this time because of fog. The parliamentary committee on appointment of CEC and ECP members was to meet on Monday, but the meeting had to be put off for a week as some members of the panel could not reach Islamabad due to foggy weather.

4. Terror-related fatalities declined in 2019 significantly: report

• Pakistan witnessed a nearly 31 per cent reduction in terror and counterterrorism-related fatalities in 2019, according to data released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) on December 30, 2019.
• According to the research, only two militant outfits Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) splinter groups and the militant Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for 12and one attacks, respectively, but their own ranks depleted by nearly 30pc. Civilian fatalities declined by about 36pc.
• The report observed a 30.71pc drop in fatalities in 2019 (from 980 in 2018 to 679 in 2019). If Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are counted as separate regions, Balochistan still remains most affected by militancy and insurgency. The largest drop in fatalities was observed in Balochistan (44.2pc), followed by Fata (39pc), Sindh (19pc), and Punjab (11.8pc).

5. Health card facility for transgenders launched

• Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 30, 2019 launched the Sehat Insaf Card facility for the transgender community, the first in the country`s history, to provide succour to the most vulnerable segment of society.
• The prime minister regretted that previous governments never took responsibility for the most vulnerable sections of society, including transgenders.
• The present government, he said, had taken the responsibility of transgender community and would give them a sense of ownership. Pakistan was created on a great idea of sense of justice, humanity and humane feelings for the downtrodden, he added

6. Facebook curbs streaming of PBC bulletins about Kashmir

• Facebook has blocked live streaming of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation`s (PBC) news bulletins for highlighting Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir, Radio Pakistan reported on December 30, 2019.
• However, temporary arrangements have been made to continue live streaming of Radio Pakistan`s bulletins on YouTube, the report added.
• Radio Pakistan in its report included screenshots of earlier warning messages received from the social media giant, dating back to May, warning the public broadcaster of violating `community standards on dangerous individuals and organisations`.

7. China jails scientist who gene-edited babies

• A Chinese court on December 30, 2019 sentenced the scientist who claimed to be behind the world`s first gene-edited babies to three years in prison for illegal medical practice.
• He Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community last year by announcing the birth of twin girls whose genes had allegedly been altered to confer immunity to HIV, was also fined three million yuan ($430,000), Xinhua news agency said.
• He, who was educated at Stanford University, was sentenced by a court in Shenzhen for `illegally carrying out the human embryo gene-editing intended for reproduction`, Xinhua said.
• Two of his fellow researchers were also sentenced

8. Rawat becomes India`s first chief of defence staff

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s handpicked Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat was on December 30, 2019 appointed India`s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a day before he was to step down on superannuation.
• `Government has decided to appoint Gen Bipin Rawat as the CDS with effect from December 31, 2019 and until further orders and extension of Gen Bipin Rawat with effect from December 31, 2019 and till such period he holds the office of CDS.
• Gen Rawat is set to retire as the Army Chief on December 31 on completing three years of tenure and will assume charge as the CDS. Vice Chief of Army Lt Gen MM Naravane is scheduled to take over as the 28th Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

9. Croatia sentences ex-PM, Hungary energy firm boss for graft

• A Croatian court on December 30, 2019 sentenced former prime minister Ivo Sanader to six years in jail and the boss of Hungary`s MOL energy group to two years for bribery.
• Sanader already serving time for a separate graft conviction and MOL`s Zsolt Hernadi were convicted for `receiving and giving a bribe` concerning a 2009 deal after the Hungarian firm purchased shares in local oil and gas group INA, the judge said.
• Judge Maja Stampar Stipic said the deal allowed then-PM Sanader to pocket 10 million euros ($11 million)in exchange for granting the Hungarian firm control over INA.
• MOL, whose main shareholder is the Budapest government, has a 49 percent INA stake, while Zagreb holds a 44 percent stake.

10. Sudan sentences to death 27 secret agents for killing protester

• A Sudanese court on December 30, 2019 sentenced 27 intelligence agents to death for torturing and killing a protester early this year.
• It is the first time members of the security forces have been condemned to death in relation to the killing of protesters whose movement toppled veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
• The defendants were found guilty of torturing to death Ahmed al-Kheir Awadh at an intelligence services facility and sentenced to be hanged, judge Sadok Albdelrahman said.
• The teacher was beaten and tortured to death after he was arrested in late January by intelligence operatives in Kassala state in eastern Sudan, the judge said.
• Dozens of protesters from the capital`s teachers` association gathered in front of the court in Khartoum`s twin city of Omdurman, carrying pictures of Awadh.

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

December 2019:
[catlist name=”December 2019″]

November 2019:
[catlist name=”November 2019″]

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 30 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 30, 2019
No Comments on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 30 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 30, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Cap on maximum four attempts to clear MBBS courses lifted

• The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has repealed the cap of maximum four attempts to clear theoretical phases of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and empowered universities to decide about the number of attempts by students to clear their theoretical studies.
• But critics believe that it is a step to allow universities to have unlimited number of students without caring about the minimum number of faculty members.
• However, PMC President Dr Arshad Taqi claimed that the decision would help the commission keep a check on universities/ colleges violating rules.
• He said medical and dental colleges would have to retain a minimum number of faculty and cannot exceed the limit of maximum number of students.

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 29 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 30, 2019
No Comments on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 29 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 29, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Pakistan to restore Kabul embassy services today

• The Pakistan embassy in Kabul is set to restore its full consular services on December 29, 2019 (today) after a gap of nearly two months.
• The embassy made this announcement over Twitter saying: `@PakEmbKabul is happy to announce that it would be resuming its full consular services with effect from Sunday, 29 December, 2019`.
• The embassy had suspended the services on Nov 4, citing concerns about safety and security of its staff. The decision was taken after harassment of some Pakistani diplomats in the Afghan capital where embassy vehicles were hit by motorcycles.

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 28 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 28, 2019
No Comments on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 28 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 28, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Government defangs NAB through ordinance

• The Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf government made drastic changes in the country`s accountability law the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 through a presidential ordinance promulgated on December 27, 2019 that would benefit not only politicians from across the aisle but also bureaucrats as well as the business community.
• The new ordinance The National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 has made the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a `toothless` body since now it can only take up cases involving corruption or corrupt practices exceeding an amount of Rs500 million.
• The latest amendments have hit the core of the accountability law that was first promulgated by then military dictator retired Gen Pervez Musharraf soon after ousting then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a coup in 1999.
• The powers of NAB have been curtailed keeping in view frequent complaints of the bureaucracy and the business community.

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 27 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 27, 2019
No Comments on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 27 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 27, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Annular solar eclipse wows skywatchers across Asia

• Skywatchers from Saudi Arabia and Oman to Pakistan and Singapore were treated to a rare `ring of fire` solar eclipse on December 26, 2019.
• Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is not close enough to the Earth to completely obscure the Sun, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible.
• While these types of eclipses occur every year or two, they are only visible from a narrow band of Earth each time and it can be decades before the same pattern is repeated.
• Depending on weather conditions, this year`s astronomical phenomenon was set to be visible from the Middle East across Pakistan, southern India and Southeast Asia before ending over the northern Pacific.
• Pakistan witnessed the penumbral eclipse from 07:30am till 13:06pm, partial eclipse from 08:34am till 12:01pm, total eclipse from 08:37am till 11:58am while the greatest eclipse was observed at 10:18am, assistant meteorologist Dawood Khan said

2. Two Pakistani soldiers martyred in Indian firing from across LoC

• Two Pakistan Army`s soldiers were martyred and two civilians injured along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in unrelenting ceasefire violations by Indian troops.
• A befitting response by Pakistani troops had left at least three Indian soldiers dead and some others injured, added the officials.
• `Indian CFVs (ceasefire violations) along [the] LoC [continued] during the last 36 hours. Responding to CFVs, in Haji Pir Sector Pakistan Army troops damaged [an] Indian post, killing 3 Indian soldiers including a Subedar, and injuring few others,` said Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), military`s media affairs wing, in a tweet posted at 9.25am.
• `In Dewa Sector, Naib Subedar Kandero and Sepoy Muhammad Ehsan of Pakistan Army [had] embraced shahadat,` he added.

3. Former CJP Jillani awarded Clifford Wallace prize

• Former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Tassadug Hussain Jillani has been awarded the 2020 J.
• Clifford Wallace Award by the J. Reuben Clark Law Society in recognition of his extraordinary career as a judge and a jurist.
• According to a press release, the decorated career of Justice Jillani spans thirty years (1994-2014).
• He has also served as Pakistan`s representative judge at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
• Justice Jillani is the co-chair of the World Justice Project, which works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.

4. Every fourth district in Punjab to have a metropolitan corporation

• Every fourth district of Punjab will have a metropolitan corporation, taking the number of such bodies to nine from one, according to the recently promulgated Punjab Local Government Act 2019.
• Previously, only the provincial headquarters of Lahore enjoyed the status of a metropolitan corporation.
• The eight other districts added to the list now include Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal and Sargodha.
• In addition, there will be 16 municipal corporations, 134 municipal committees, 160 town committees and 136 tehsil councils in the province.
• The minimum population benchmark for a city to be classified as metropolitan or municipality has been set at a quarter million.
• According to Section 9 (1) of the local government act, an area displaying distinct urban features may either be classified as metropolitan, municipality or a town. Under Section 9 (2) all areas comprising Lahore district and the areas comprising cities of another eight districts will have a metropolitan.

5. Riyadh plans OIC FMs meeting on Kashmir

• Saudi Arabia is planning to convene a meeting of the foreign ministers of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for a discussion on the situation in India-held Kashmir.
• This was conveyed by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud during a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office.
• Prince Faisal was on a daylong visit to Pakistan to convey the Saudi leadership`s gratitude for not participating in the recently held Kuala Lumpur summit in view of the kingdom`s reservations and dispelling the impression that Riyadh`s attitude towards Islamabad was patronising. Prince Faisal also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

6. Actor Ashraf Rahi passes away

• Stage, film and TV actor Ashraf Rahi died of cardiac arrest here. He was 66.
• The actor had been facing multiple medical complications, including chronic diabetes and hepatitis C.
• Rahi was a contemporary of comedians such as Mastana and Babu Baral.
• Rahi performed in almost 3,000 stage productions, both in the country and aboard

7. Afghan consulate in Peshawar reopens today

• The Afghan consulate in Peshawar, which was closed in protest after raid by police on its property about two months ago, will reopen on December 27, 2019 (today).
• First Secretary Faridoon Khalil said in a brief statement issued here on Thursday that the consulate would start functioning from December 27, 2019 (today). He said that visa section would start issuing visas.
• The consulate was shut down in protest on October 11 when district administration along with police removed Afghanistan`s national flag from a disputed property in the city.

8. Japan executes first foreigner in 10 years in family murder

• Japan executed its first foreigner in 10 years on December 26, 2019, a Chinese man convicted in the 2003 murder and robbery of a family of four.
• Wei Wei, 40, was hanged on Thursday at a detention center in Fukuoka where he had been on death row for more than 16 years, Justice Minister Masako Mori said.
• Wei was convicted of robbing and killing a clothing store owner and his wife and two children at their home in Fukuoka. He and two Chinese accomplices dumped the bodies into the ocean after attaching weights to them, Mori said at a news conference.
• Japan has maintained the death penalty despite growing international criticism

9. Court rules Turkey violated freedoms by banning Wikipedia

• Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled on December 26, 2019 that a more than two-year block on access to online encyclopaedia Wikipedia in the country is a violation of freedom of expression.
• The ruling opens the way for lifting the website ban, which has been in place since 2017 due to entries that accused Turkey of having links to terrorist organisations.
• On its website, the court said it had ruled “that freedom of expression, which is under the protection of the 26th clause of the Constitution, had been violated.”
• Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organisation that hosts Wikipedia, had applied to Turkey’s highest court to challenge the access block

10. Erdogan paves the way for troop deployment in Libya

• President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on December 26, 2019 opened the way for direct Turkish military intervention in Libya, announcing a parliamentary vote in early January on sending troops to support the UN-backed Tripoli government against strongman Khalif a Haftar.
• Sending Turkish troops will complicate the situation in an already fragile country torn by internal dissent since the ouster and killing of dictator Moamer Qadhafi in 2011.
• `We will present the motion to send troops (to Libya) as soon as parliament resumes` on January 7, Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.
• `God willing, we will pass it in parliament on January 8-9 and thus respond to an invitation` from the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), he said

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

December 2019:
[catlist name=”December 2019″]

November 2019:
[catlist name=”November 2019″]

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 26 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 26, 2019
1 Comment on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 26 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 26, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. `Ring of Fire` solar eclipse to darken skies today

• An annular solar eclipse, said to be the last big celestial event of the year as it comes to a close, will occur on December 26, 2019 morning.
• Starting at 7.30am (PST), it is to peak at 8.37am and go on till 1.06pm. The eclipse will be visible all over Pakistan, especially in Karachi and Gwadar, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
• It said the celestial event will be visible in eastern Europe, northern and western Australia, eastern Africa, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, and much of Asia, including Pakistan.
• The solar eclipse is not a total eclipse but an annular one. This means the sun and the moon will be positioned in a way to form a `ring of fire` as the moon won`t be able to completely cover the sun. Hence its edges will be illuminated.

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 25 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 25, 2019
1 Comment on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 25 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 25, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Cabinet approves formation of Local Government Commission

• Amid a growing dispute between the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA), cabinet approved the formation of a Local Government Commission on December 24, 2019.
• The commission is a requirement under the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015. Its formation was announced in a post-cabinet briefing by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashig Awan.
• The cabinet took up the matter of sanitation workers` delayed salaries. She said the CDA chairman told the cabinet that the MCI was responsible for paying sanitation workers but did not do so, and the CDA released the funds as a result.

2. Polio markers to be imported from India

• The federal cabinet on December 24, 2019 decided to give a one-time permission for import of polio markers from India and reduce prices of 89 medicines by 15 per cent.
• The markers, which are used to mark the fingers of children after administering them polio vaccine, are approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• It is worth mentioning that after India`s Aug 5 annexation of occupied Kashmir, the Pakistan government had on Aug 9 decided to suspend all kinds of trade with India.
• However, since a large number of medicines and raw material are imported from India, the country`s pharmaceutical industry started demanding that the ban be lifted on them because otherwise Pakistan could face severe crisis of medicines, especially life-saving drugs, within a few weeks. Consequently, the government had in September lif ted the ban on import of medicines and raw material from India.

3. Dr Moeed Yusuf appointed as PM`s special assistant

• Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 24, 2019 appointed Dr Moeed Yusuf as his special assistant on national security and strategic policy planning.
• A notification issued by the Cabinet Division said that Dr Yusuf would hold the status of the minister of state.
• He would be the fourteenth special assistant to the prime minister.
• Prior to his appointment as special assistant, DrMoeed Yusuf was working as chairman of Strategic Policy Planning Cell a position that he held since Sept 26. The cell was based in Prime Minister`s Office and had been tasked to provide input on issues that fell under National Security Committee`s mandate

4. PSX appoints new chief

• Pakistan Stock Exchange has appointed Farrukh Hussain Khan as its chief executive officer, an internal memo released by the company secretary on December 24, 2019 said.
• The appointment had been made on the recommendation of the bourse`s board of directors and approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.
• `Khan will assume the charge of his office in due course of time,` the memo stated.
• Khan has been the Chief Investment Officer/ Executive Director at BMA Asset Management and has been serving for over 13 years.

5. China hosts Japan-S. Korea summit with eyes on North

• China hosted the leaders of squabbling neighbours South Korea and Japan for their first official meeting in over a year on December 24, 2019, flexing its diplomatic muscle with America`s two key Asian allies and seeking unity on how to deal with a belligerent North Korea.
• The gathering in the southwestern city of Chengdu was held with the clock ticking on a threatened `Christmas gift` from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that could reignite global tensions over its nuclear programme.
• Kim has promised the unidentified `gift` which analysts and American officials believe could be a provocative missile test if the US does not make concessions in their nuclear talks by the end of the year.

6. Putin claims Russia leads world in hypersonic weapons

• President Vladimir Putin said on December 24, 2019 that Russia has got a strong edge in designing new weapons and that it has become the only country in the world to deploy hypersonic weapons.
• Putin said that for the first time in history Russia is now leading the world in developing an entire new class of weapons unlike in the past when it was catching up with the United States.
• The Russian leader noted that during Cold War times, the Soviet Union was behind the United States in designing the atomic bomb and building strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• Now we have a situation that is unique in modern history when they are trying to catch up to us, he said. Not a single country hashypersonic weapons, let alone hypersonic weapons of intercontinental range

7. Emirates` long-serving boss to hand over controls next year

• Tim Clark will retire as the president of Emirates Airline at the end of June 2020 after more than three decades at the state-controlled business that has helped to transform Dubai into one of the world`s major travel crossroads.
• Emirates Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said on December 24, 2019 in an internal memo to staff that Clark would stay on as an adviser to the company.
• `Through wars, economic recessions, disasters natural or manmade, and various industry upheavals, Tim has ably steered and grown Emirates to its standing today as the world`s largest international airline, and an eminent player in the global airline industry,` Sheikh Ahmed said in the memo

8. India approves funds for population survey amid protests over law

• India`s federal cabinet on December 24, 2019 approved funds for a census and population survey to be conducted next year amid fears that the database could be used to build a controversial citizens` register against which there have been widespread protests.
• Hundreds of thousands of Indians have taken to the streets to protest against a new citizenship law enacted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s Hindu nationalist government that provides non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who moved here before 2015 a pathway to Indian citizenship.
• Some of these protests have led to clashes between the police and demonstrators in which at least 21 people have been killed

9. Bahrain`s Bager gets 10-match ban for racist gesture

• FIFA has banned Bahrain defender Sayed Bager for 10 matches for `discriminatory behaviour` in a World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, football`s world governing body has said.
• Bager, 25, formed a slanteyed gesture in the direction of Hong Kong supporters after a goalless draw in the city on November 14.
• The incident was captured on camera from the stands as the players left the field and the footage was posted on Twitter.
• FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Bager last month and announced that the player had also been fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($30,549.90) and warned over his conduct.

10. Cabinet approves PSB restructure

• The federal cabinet headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 24, 2019 approved restructuring of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and its executive committee, reducing the numbers of members.
• After discussing a summary moved by Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), the federal cabinet decided that PSB will be comprised of 11 members including two members from private sector.
• Well-placed sources informed that the PSB board currently comprises 37 members while the 16-member executive committee has now been reduced to five.

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

December 2019:
[catlist name=”December 2019″]

November 2019:
[catlist name=”November 2019″]

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS

December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 24 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

Post author By Shahzad F. Malik
Post date December 24, 2019
No Comments on Day by Day Current Affairs (December 24 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 24, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. HEC to introduce e-verification of documents

Tags CSS Current Affairs, December Current Affairs MCQs, FPSC Tests MCQs, MCQs for CSS, MCQs for PCS