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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
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
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
• Parliament on September 16, 2020 witnessed a significant day when the government managed to pass eight important bills, including three related to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and two others to replace the Pakistan Medical and Dent al Council (PMDC) with Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), amid ruckus in the House and boycott by the opposition.
• The bills were passed in a joint sitting of parliament that President Dr Arif Alvi had summoned to get the FATF related bills, which had been rejected in the opposition dominated Senate, passed.
• A good number of legislators turned up in the National Assembly hall and the first bill was passed with the majority of 10 votes as the number of treasury members was found 200 in the count while opposition members were said to be 190
• Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that the government will soon introduce a three-tier legislation providing for registration of sex offenders, exemplary punishment for rape and child abuse and effective policing.
• `Such incidents ruin the lives of victims and their families also have to suffer,` said Mr Khan, referring to the heart-wrenching incident on the Lahore Sialkot motorway on Sept 9. He pointed out that the main suspect in the recent gang-rape case was a history-sheeter, explaining that global data indicated that such criminals were repeat offenders and therefore maintaining their data was important.
• As the Sindh government urgently needs to mitigate the impact of flooding, the World Bank has designed the Karachi Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project (SWEEP) with a proposed allocation of $100 million. The scheme is expected to be approved next month.
• In view of widespread flooding and public health crisis after the rainy season last year and subsequent deterioration of solid waste management network this year, the bank approved the use of emergency procedures to prepare and implement the solid waste project (SWEEP)
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday inaugurated Burraq Combat Skills Training Complex in Gujranwala.
• According Inter-Services Public Relations, the Training Complex is aimed at enhancing mechanised elements’ crew proficiency in overcoming obstacles encountered during offensive operations. During the visit army chief was briefed about operational, training and administrative matters of the Central Command Formations. He also witnessed integrated training of the strike formation. All elements including Armoured, Artillery, Engineers and Mechanised Infantry demonstrated operational combat worthiness. The Army Chief appreciated operational readiness of the strike formation and high morale of troops.
• Pakistan opened another terminal for trade with Afghanistan at the Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan`s Qila Saifullah district on September 16, 2020.
• Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani inaugurated the trade terminal in the border area of Badini. Commander of Southern Command Lt Gen Mohammad Wasim Ashraf, Inspector General of Frontier Corps North Maj Gen Fayyaz Hussain Shah, provincial ministers, MPAs and other officials attended the inauguration ceremony.
• The business community, Chamber of Commerce and Industry and importers and exporters had been demanding the opening of a new terminal for trade between the two counties at Badini for a long time as the Chaman gateway was overburdened due to the Afghan transit trade, import and export and NATO supply for the US troops stationed in Afghanistan.
• Barbados has announced its intention to remove Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and become a republic by November next year, as the Caribbean island nation seeks to move fully beyond its colonial past.
• The decision was formalised in the so-called Throne Speech, delivered on behalf of Prime Minister Mia Mottley by the island`s Governor-General Sandra Mason to mark the state opening of parliament on Tuesday.
• More than half a century after attaining independence from Britain, `the time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind,` Mason said
• Venezuela`s president and top ministers are responsible for probable crimes against humanity including extrajudicial killings and the systematic use of torture, UN investigators said on September 16, 2020.
• In their first report, a team of investigators tasked with probing a slew of alleged violations in Venezuela said they had found evidence that state actors, including President Nicolas Maduro, were behind serious international crimes.
• The International Fact-Finding Mission, created by the UN Human Rights Council a year ago, `found reasonable grounds to beheve that Venezuelan authorities and security forces have since 2014 planned and executed serious human rights violations,` Marta Valinas, the mission`s chairperson, said in a statement.
• The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on September 16, 2020 cleared a total of seven development projects with a total cost of Rs57.78 billion.
• At a CDWP meeting presided over by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, four development projects with a cumulative estimated cost of Rs12.25bn were approved.
• Two other projects with a total cost of Rs33.43bn were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The meeting allowed extension in re-tendering of a Rs12.10bn hydropower project in Gilgit
• As part of Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government’s nefarious plan to Hinduise Jammu and Kashmir in shortest possible period of time, it has started executing the decision to build around 50,000 temples in the territory. In the name of rebuilding dilapidated temples, the Indian government has identified several historic mosques and monasteries where it is going to build the said temples, Kashmir Media Service reported.
• As per the notorious modus-operandi of the RSS-BJP nexus, the Indian government has claimed that these mosques were built at the site of ancient Hindu worship places. The regime was using a special segment of Kashmiri Pandits to carry out the wicked plan.
• A team of palaeontologists have discovered what they believe is the world`s oldest animal sperm, frozen in tree resin 100 million years ago inside a tiny crustacean in Myanmar.
• The oldest known examples of fossilised animal sperm were previously a mere 17 million years old, according to the team of expens led by Wang He of the Chinese Academy of Science in Nanjing.
• The sperms were found inside an ostracod a type of crustacean that has existed for 500 million years and can be found in many oceans today, they said in a paper published on Wednesday in the Royal Society`s Proceedings journal.
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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
• The National Assembly on September 15, 2020 passed a Financial Action Task Force related bill, the Anti-Terrorism Act (amendment) Bill, 2020, while another bill was laid in the house that suggested punishment of up to two years, or up to Rs500,000 fine or both for `maligning` armed forces of the country and their personnel.
• In a related development, President Dr Arif Alvi summoned a joint sitting of parliament on Wednesday (today) apparently to get the FATF-related legislation passed that was blocked by the opposition in the Senate last month, sources said.
• However, no official notification was issued in this regard till the filing of this story
• The PTI’s government in September 15, 2020’s National Assembly session introduced ‘The Criminal Law (Amendment) bill, 2020’, which is aimed to make intentionally ridiculing and defaming the Armed Forces as a punishable crime.
• According to the bill, moved by Amjad Ali Khan, the Insertion of ne section 500A, [Act XLV of 1850], “500A intentional ridiculing of the Armed Forces- Whosoever intentionally ridicules , brings into disrepute or defames the Armed forces or a member , therefore he shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to Rs 500,000”.
• According to the bill introduced in a supplementary agenda, “the offence will be punishable with two years imprisonment or Rs 0.5 million fine or with both,”.
• The British Airways on September 15, 2020 announced it will fly direct between Lahore and London four days a week, with the first flight scheduled to take off on Oct 14.
• The British High Commission in Islamabad shared a statement with the announcement that the flights will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 from London`s Heathrow to Lahore`s Allama Iqbal International Airport.
• According to the statement, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner said: `The first-ever British Airways flights to Lahore is a sign of confidence in Pakistan, and the deepening ties between our two countries. I hope it will open up even more opportunities for business links, people-to-people ties and tourism.
• A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed on September 15, 2020 during a routine mission near Pindigheb area of Punjab’s district Attock, PAF said in a statement.
• The pilot remained unhurt as “he ejected safely”, the statement added. According to PAF, no loss of life or property has been reported on the ground. “A board of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.”
• Earlier in March, a PAF F-16 fighter jet had crashed near Shakarparian Hill in the heart of Islamabad during rehearsal for the air show of March 23 parade. The pilot of the jet had got martyred in the incident
• After electric buses become operational in Islamabad, it will benefit about 48,000 commuters daily besides producing eight times less air pollution, said Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday.
• He stated this after his ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to launch the electric bus service in the capital.
• In the first phase, 30 buses are being brought into service, said the minister during his briefing about the new bus service
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on September 15, 2020 has noted that Pakistan is projected to experience a broad economic recovery in fiscal year 2021 (which ends June 30 2021) as the economic sentiment improves with the expected subsiding of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the resumption of structural reforms
• Broad economic recovery is projected for FY2021, with GDP growth estimated to rebound to 2 per cent, albeit lower than forecast of 2.6 per cent in ADO 2020, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Update noted. Pakistan’s GDP growth remained at -0.4 percent in last fiscal year FY20. This forecast assumes that the COVID-19 impact will subside by the end of 2020—the end of the second quarter of FY2021—allowing global conditions to normalize and economic sentiment to improve.
• The ADO also assumes the resumption of structural reform under an ongoing IMF Extended Fund Facility program to address macroeconomic imbalances
• The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements on September 15, 2020 for normalising relations with Israel, becoming the latest Arab states to break a longstanding taboo in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries.
• US President Donald Trump hosted the White House ceremony, capping a dramatic month when first the UAE and then Bahrain agreed to reversed ecades of ill-will without a resolution of Israel`s decades-old dispute with the Palestinians.
• In front of a crowd of several hundred people on the White House lawn, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed accords with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahrain`s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani
• Countries are set to miss all of the targets they set themselves a decade ago to preserve nature and save Earth`s vital biodiversity, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
• Humanity`s impact on the natural world over the last five decades has been nothing short of cataclysmic: since 1970 close to 70 percent of wild animals, birds and fish have vanished, according to a WWF assessment this month.
• Last year the UN`s panel on biodiversity, called IPBES, warned that one million species face extinction as man-made activity has already severely degraded three quarters of land on Earth
• Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday he was able to breathe unaided in his first public comments after his suspected poisoning in Siberia, while his aide said he planned to return to Russia once recovered.
• The 44-year-old lawyer and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin fell severely ill on August 20 on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow after a trip to support opposition candidates in local elections.
• Germany said there was `unequivocal evidence` that Russia`s most prominent opposition figure was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent but Moscow has angrily dismissed the findings, saying its doctors found no trace of poison
• President Donald Trump suggested global warming will reverse itself and dismissed climate change as a cause of the ferocious fires engulfing the west of the United States.
• As the focus of the US election campaign switched to the deadly blazes, Democratic challenger Joe Biden slammed the incumbent as a “climate arsonist” and said America would not be safe from the ravages of a warming planet unless it elects “a president who respects science.”
• Infernos across California, Oregon and Washington state have burned more than five million acres (two million hectares) this year, killed dozens of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes
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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
• Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 14, 2020 called for public hanging of those involved in sexual abuse of women and children and said habitual rapists should be physically or chemically castrated so that they could not commit such crimes in future.
• In an interview to TV channel 92 News, the prime minister said habitual sex offenders should be registered and they should remain under the vigilant eye of the police.
• Mr Khan said he received a report from the police on sex abuse and was shocked to find out that sex crimes had been increasing in the country
• The National Assembly on September 14, 2020 extended the International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Ordinance meant to facilitate convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav through a voice vote for four months.
• The ordinance that was set to expire on Sept 17 allows the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operative, who was sentenced to death by a military court for fomenting terrorism in Pakistan, to file an appeal against his conviction in a high court.
• The NA also adopted motions seeking to refer two Financial Action Task Force related bills, which were passed by the lower house and rejected by the upper house of parliament last month, to the joint sitting of parliament for consideration and passage. The bills included Anti Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Waqf Properties Bill
• Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2020 agreed on increasing the frequency of bilateral visits for strengthening the strategic relationship.
• The resolve was expressed during a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir. `Underscoring close Pak Saudi fraternal ties, the FM reaffirmed commitment to further enhance this strategic relationship,` FO spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri tweeted.
• After a six-month hiatus, educational institutions across the country are all set to open their doors to students from September 15, 2020 (today) in phases.
• From September 15, schools (Classes 9th and 10th only), colleges and universities are going to reopen in phases while ensuring compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to avoid spread of novel coronavirus disease in accordance with the last week decision of the inter-provincial education ministers` conference (IPEMC). Secondary and primary classes will resume later this month.
• All educational institutions have been lying closed since March 15, weeks after the virus outbreak in the country.
• The annual meetings of the United Nations began in New York on September 14, 2020 with Kashmir on the agenda as an unresolved dispute.
• In doing so, the world body ignored India`s efforts to remove the 72-year old issue from the UN Security Council`s agenda for this year. The council`s Resolution 47, which calls for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, was adopted on April 21, 1948.
• In his speech to the 75th UN General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Imran Khan `will once again project the cause of the Kashmiri people and call for international action to end India`s massive human rights violations, said Munir Akram, Pakistan`s permanent representative to the UN.
• Lion Air has been designated by Indonesian authorities to operate flights to Pakistan.
• The airline had been allowed to operate flights to Pakistan under the Air Service Agreement (ASA), after it approached the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), asking for permission to resume flights. However, it is yet to be decided what cities the airline will operate flights to and from.
• An air transport agreement or the ASA is a bilateral agreement allowing international commercial air transport services to operate between two countries or signatories
• Japan` chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga is set to become the country`s next prime minister after the ruling party on September 14, 2020 elected him successor to outgoing leader Shinzo Abe.
• Mr Suga easily won the vote, taking 377 of the 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, significantly ahead of his two rivals.
• Given his party`s legislative majority, he is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote Wednesday and become prime minister, succeeding Mr Abe, who is resigning for health reasons
• The atmosphere of Venus contains traces of phosphine gas which on Earth is associated with living organisms scientists said on September 14, 2020, in fresh insight into conditions on our nearest planetary neighbour.
• Conditions on Venus are often described as hellish with daytime temperatures hot enough to melt lead and an atmosphere comprised almost entirely of carbon dioxide.
• A team of experts used telescopes in Hawaii and Chile`s Atacama Desert to observe Venus` upper cloud deck, around 60 kilometres (45 miles) from the surface.
• The great grandson of Awadh`s last king Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and grandson of Nawab Birjis Qadr, Prince Kaukab Qadr Sajjad Ali Meerza, died in Kolkata on September 13, 2020 evening of Covid-19related complications, family friends said. He was 87.
• They said the last surviving great grandson of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal, had tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago.
• He is survived by his wife, Badr-unNissa Badr who belongs to Lucknow`srenowned Khandan-i-Ijtihad and is the daughter of poet Fazl Naqvi. The couple has two sons and four daughters.
• Austria`s Dominic Thiem finally claimed his maiden Grand Slam title with a stunning comeback to beat Germany`s Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a nerve-jangling battle of wills in the US Open final on September 13, 2020.
• The 27-year-old world No.3 appeared to have blown his golden chance as he fell two sets behind but hit back to become the first player to win a Grand Slam from having trailed by two sets since Gaston Gaudio at the 2004 French Open.
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• The talks between the Afghan warring factions for ending the 19-year-old conflict in Afghanistan finally got under way in Doha, Qatar, on September 11, 2020 amid calls for immediate ceasefire and preserving the gains made by Afghanistan over the past couple of decades.
• The inaugural ceremony was attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chairman of Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and senior diplomats of a number of countries, in addition to the Afghan government and Taliban delegations. Seventeen foreign ministers of different countries and heads of inter-governmental bodies virtually attended the session.
• The start of the talks after protracted delays marked a major progress towards the end of conflict in Afghanistan. The talks were to originally start on March 10 following the US-Taliban agreement, but disputes over prisoners` release kept them delaying
• Mohammad Khalid Bizenjo of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was elected to the upper house of parliament from Balochistan in a Senate by election on September 12, 2020.
• He will remain a member of the Senate until March 2021.
• The seat had fallen vacant after the death of National Party founder Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo last month.
• He was suffering from cancer.
• Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said September 12, 2020 that phase 3 trial of a Chinese vaccine for coronavirus will begin in Pakistan in ‘10 days’.
• “Pakistan will be participating in phase 3 trials of a Chinese developed vaccine for coronavirus,” tweeted the minister. He added that the “trials in Pakistan will start in about 10 days time”.
• Earlier this week it was reported, that the falling COVID-19 infection numbers in Pakistan will not affect a Phase 3 clinical trial for a potential vaccine being developed by China’s CanSino Biologics. The report had also said that trials will begin this month, according to officials running the trial.
• The two men involved in the gang rape incident on Lahore’s motorway are identified and a manhunt is underway to arrest them, police and top government officials said on September 12, 2020.
• Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the “real culprits” of motorway rape incident have been identified in less than seventy-two hours. While addressing a news conference in Lahore, he said the investigation of the case was started on a scientific line and he was personally monitoring the probe. “We have traced the accused in less than 72 hours of the incident and the investigation on scientific lines was also under way,” the chief minister said. “I have contacted the victim woman and assured her of providing complete justice.” He said the accused involved in such heinous crimes would not be spared any at cost
• Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on September 12, 2020 formally launched ‘Nai Zindagi’ and ‘Punjab Human Capital Investment Project’ at a cost of Rs53.25 billion.
• Caring behaviour is a base of humanity that realise the need of establishing a welfare state like Riyasat-e-Madinah, where, people can get access to all facilities without any discrimination besides providing relief to the poor, oppressed segment and deserving class of the society.
• Turkey’s digital airline, Pegasus, continues to expand its international network with the launch of its new Karachi – Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen flights, connecting Karachi, Pakistan to Istanbul, Turkey.
• Pegasus’ Karachi – Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen flights will commence on 25 September 2020. Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Quaid-E-Azam International Airport will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 20:35; whilst flights from Quaid-E-Azam International Airport to Istanbul SabihaGökçen Airport will depart every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 04:55 (local times apply).
• There seems to be a shift in consumer behaviour from voice to data usage and the telecom sector may require cost cutting measures in infrastructure and meet the growing demand of the internet. More submarine cable companies may soon enter the Pakistani market.
• These views have been expressed by Edotco Pakistan`s managing director Arif Hussain.
• Talking to media, he said that recent lockdowns and the Covid19 pandemic had exposed the need for reliance on data and internet use, which had increased by 25 per cent whereas the revenues from the voice traffic declined by around 10pc.
• Pharma giant Astra Zeneca and Oxford University on September 12, 2020 said they had resumed a Covid-19 vaccine trial after getting the all-clear from British regulators, following a pause caused by a UK volunteer falling ill.
• `Clinical trials for the AstraZeneca Oxford coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, have resumed in the UK following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so,` the company said in a statement.
• AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday it had `voluntarily paused` its trial of the vaccine developed alongside Oxford University after the volunteer developed an unexplained illness
• Pakistan on September 12, 2020 voiced support for China on resumption of `Code of Conduct` (CoC) negotiations in South China Sea.
• Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while virtually participating in the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum (ARF), reaffirmed `Pakistan`s support for the ongoing negotiations of Code of Conduct and underlined that the concerned parties may find solution through consensus`.
• Mr Qureshi announced that Pakistan will be co-hosting the 24th ARF Heads of Defence Universities/ Colleges/Institutions Meeting with Malaysia in 2021.
• British High Commissioner in Islamabad Christian Turner September 12, 2020 said that Pakistan’s ership had been key in getting to historic Intra-Afghan Negotiations started earlier in the day.
• The opening ceremony of the negotiations held in Doha wherein Prime Minister’s Envoy on Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq represented Pakistan and Foreign Minister Qureshi addressed the event through video link.
• On his Twitter handle, the British envoy thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Qureshi and Ambassador Sadiq as Pakistan had constantly been playing a reconciliatory role for Afghan peace.
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• The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Pakistan was among countries from whom the international community should learn how to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Former Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza told it was the recognition of Pakistan`s effort at the international level.
• WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing said Pakistan deployed the infrastructure built up over many years for pollo to combat Covid-19.
• A four-member team of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit that was on a week-long audit inspection visit to Pakistan will leave on Friday night after completing the job.
• The foreign experts carried out an operational safety audit of different departments of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), including its flight operation, ground handling, night safety and security and engineering.
• The team included a Turkish expert, two Englishmen and another European national.
• The operational safety audit is carried out every two years with the last exercise conducted in 2018.
• The United Arab Emirates said on September 10, 2020 that daily coronavirus cases had jumped five-fold compared with a month ago, and warned residents and citizens to abide by measures designed to curb the disease.
• The daily tally of cases hit 930 on Thursday, said Farida al Hosani, spokeswoman for the health sector, compared with 179 on Aug 10.
• `This is the highest number recorded in four months, she said during a televised conference.
• Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi, the Vice-Chancellor of Government College University (GCU) Lahore, has been given additional charge of the post of Vice-Chancellor, Baba Guru Nanak University.
• A notification in this regard has been issued by the Punjab Higher Education Department after the approval of Chancellor/Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar.
• On October 28, 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the University in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak.
• Prof Zaidi is an eminent social policy analyst and a recent recipient of Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. Professor Zaidi, who holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the world’s top university, the University of Oxford, is a social policy analyst and renowned researcher.
• Managers at electric carmaker Tesla on September 10, 2020 demonstrated new supercharger equipment on a Berlin research campus, saying they were looking at more target cities to attract potential buyers worried about access to charging.
• `Now, as part of our commitment to make Tesla ownership easy and convenient for everyone including those without immediate access to home or workplace charging, we are expanding out supercharging network into city centres,` said Jeroen van Tilburg,who manages charging infrastructure at Tesla.
• A company spokesman told reporters Tesla would open at least one more inner-city fast charging site in Germany this year, possibly more
• The European Union told Britain on September 10, 2020 it should urgently scrap a plan to break their divorce treaty, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson`s government refused and pressed ahead with a draft law that could sink four years of BREXIT talks.
• The European Commission said it was stepping up preparations for a messy end to Britain`s departure from the EU, and that London would be committing `an extremely serious violation` of last year`s Withdrawal Agreement if it went ahead with proposed legislation.
• After emergency talks between Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and Britain`s BREXIT supremo Michael Gove, the EU said Britain`s proposal had `seriously damaged trust` which London must now take steps to re-establish
• Arab foreign ministers failed to reach agreement on a draft resolution condemning last month`s normalisation deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the Arab League said late on September 9, 2020.
• `The meeting saw a serious and comprehensive discussion but no consensus was reached on the resolution proposed by the Palestinian delegation,` the League`s assistant secretary general, Hossam Zaki, told a Cairo news conference.
• No replacement resolution was adopted by ministers during their Wednesday videoconference, Zaki added
• The European Parliament on September 10, 2020 removed Myanmar`s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the `Sakharov Prize community` because of her `acceptance` of state crimes against the Rohingya community.
• The EU assembly awarded the former democracy campaigner its top human rights prize in 1990, a year before she received the Nobel Peace Prize, but she will no longer take part in events for laureates.
• A source close to the parliament said the prize had been awarded for Suu Kyi`s work before 1990 so it could not be withdrawn, but that this exclusion was the strongest sanction available to MEPs
• Global animal, bird and fish populations have plummeted more than two-thirds in less than 50 years due to rampant over-consumption, experts said on September 10, 2020 in a stark warning to save nature in order to save human beings.
• Human activity has severely degraded three-quarters of all land and 40 per cent of Earth`s oceans, and our quickening destruction of nature is likely to have untold consequences on our health and livelihoods.
• The Living Planet Index, which tracks more than 4,000 species of vertebrates, warned that increasing deforestation and agricultural expansion were the key drivers behind a 68 per cent average dechne in populations between 1970 and 2016
• British actress Diana Rigg, who came to fame in the cult 1960s TV show, The Avengers, and enjoyed a distinguished and varied career on stage and screen from James Bond to Game of Thrones, died on September 10, 2020 aged 82.
• Rigg won numerous Emmy, Tony and Bafta awards during her long and prestigious career, equally at home in classical theatre roles as those in popular TV shows.
• `My Beloved Ma died peacefully in her sleep early this morning, at home, surrounded by family,` her actress daughter Rachael Stirling said in a statement.
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June 2020:
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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
• The Financial Intelligence Unit of the United Arab Emirates` central bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan to combat financial crimes.
• According to the MoU reached with Pakistan`s Financial Monitoring Unit, both sides will continue promoting financial stability and combating money laundering and terrorism financing
• A marathon session of the Balochistan cabinet, held here on September 9, 2020 with Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani in chair, took various decisions while discussing an over 20-point agenda and approved ban on bonded labour, recovery of bonded labourers and their rehabilitation.
• Under an amendment to the Balochistan Bonded Labour System Bill 2020, people found involved in hiring bonded labour would undergo one-year imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs100,000.
• Under the amendment made under the International Labour Organisation convention, vigilance committees would be established at district level to monitor the situation of bonded labour.
• The Pakistan Army has shot down an Indian spying drone along the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
• `#PakistanArmy troops shot down an Indian spying #quadcopter in Chakothi Sectoralong LOC. The quadcopter had intruded 500 meters on Pakistan`s side of the #LOC. This is 11th Indian quadcopter shot down by Pakistan Army this year,` Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said in a tweet on Wednesday
• Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 9, 2020 took a significant decision of appointing experienced personnel from the open market in grades 19 and 20 and approving 88 additional posts in the Secretariat Group.
• Out of the 88 posts, 15 are in BS-21, 29 in BS-20 and 44 in BS-19.
• According to the Prime Minister`s Office, the decision to approve the 88 posts will boost promotion prospects in the Secretariat Group.
• The federal government on September 9, 2020 has generated Rs179.35 million by selling 13 more state owned-properties.
• The second phase of the auction of federal government owned Properties was held in Lahore yesterday. The auction included 13 Government Properties located in different parts of Lahore. Against the reserve price of Rs175.005 million, Privatisation Commission was successful to auction all thirteen properties and able to generate Rs179.354 million for the national exchequer.
• These include, WAPDA owned commercial property located at Nicolson Road Lahore, three shops located at M.M. Alam Road and nine apartments owned by ERRA located at Ferozpur Road, Lahore. The privatisation proceeds are primarily used for retirement of national debt and also for the poverty alleviation.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate Roshan Digital Account for overseas Pakistanis on September 10, 2020 (today) According to a Press release of PM Office Media Wing, the State Bank of Pakistan is going to launch the Roshan Digital Account, in collaboration with commercial banks.
• The initiative would enable the overseas Pakistanis to open accounts in any bank of the country easily and facilitate them in funds transfer and paying utility bills. The overseas Pakistanis will be able to open an account without visiting a bank branch, Embassy or Consulate
• The US announced a sharp cut on September 9, 2020 to troop numbers in Iraq, as President Donald Trump seeks to honour his pledge to halt the country`s `endless wars` overseas, with just two months to go until the election.
• The move, reducing the Pentagon`s footprint in Iraq from 5,200 military personnel to just 3,000, and an expected parallel announcement on Afghanistan, comes as Trump strives to cast himself as a peacemaker as he fights an uphill battle to stay in power.
• General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the US military`s Central Command, said during an event in Baghdad that the decision was `due to our confidence in the Iraqi security forces` increased ability to operate independently.` That would take the US presence there to its lowest level since Trump`s predecessor Barack Obama cut troops to a token force in 2012 in a previous attempt to end the then nine-year-old war
• Saudi Arabia told an Arab League meeting on September 9, 2020 it supports all efforts to reach a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
• But a statement released by the Saudi foreign ministry on remarks made by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud included no direct mention of a normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
• The prince said Riyadh supported the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the borders before the 1967 Middle East war, with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the statement. During the 1967 war, Israel captured territory including the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which it still occupies.
• A Pakistani-American, Shahid Khan, has emerged as the 66th richest man in the United States in 2020, with a total worth of $7.8 billion.
• Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is number one for the third year in a row, followed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates at number two.
• The Forbes list of 400 richest Americans, published on Tuesday, estimates Bezos` total worth in 2020 as $179bn. Gates has about $111bn and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has $85bn. He is the third on the list.
• Afghanistan`s vice president Amrullah Saleh sustained minor injuries on Wednesday when an explosion targeted his convoy and killed at least 10 people, as government backed negotiators and the Taliban prepared to meet in Doha for long delayed peace talks.
• The attack in the capital Kabul was quickly condemned as an attempt to frustrate the peace process, with top Afghan and foreign officials calling for an end to violence so negotiations between the two warring sides can proceed.
• In a video posted on Facebook soon after the explosion, Saleh, an outspoken Taliban critic, said he had been travelling to his office when his convoy was attacked.
August 2020:
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August 2020:
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July 2020:
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June 2020:
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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
• After having remained closed for six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, educational institutions across the country will reopen in phases from Sept 15.
• Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said that in the first phase, all higher educational institutions, including universities, professional colleges, vocational institutes, as well as secondary and higher secondary schools (classes nine till 12) would resume classes on Sept 15.
• In the next phase, on Sept 23, after a fresh review, classes six, seven and eight would be allowed to reopen, followed by primary schools on Sept 30, under the government`s standards operating procedure (SOPs), the minister announced.
• Governor Chaudhry Sarwar on September 7, 2020 presented civil awards to 16 personalities at a ceremony at Governor House.
• The governor conferred Sitara-i-Imtiaz on retired Justice Nasira Javaid Iqbal in recognition of her public services and COMSATS University`s Prof Dr Arshad Saleem Bhatti for excellence in the fields of micro-electronics, nano-science and nano-technology.
• The Presidential Pride of Performance award was conferred on nine recipients: Dr Tahir Mahmood Hayat, chief executive NESPAK, in the field of civil engineering; singers Fazal Jutt, Ghulam Abbas, Waris Baig, Saleen Zahoor Ahmad, Sahir Ali Bagga, actors Rahila Khanum popularly known as Deeba Khanum and Ghulam Mohiuddin, and Dr Musarrat Hassan in the field of painting
• Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on September 7, 2020 inaugurated five new Rescue 1122 stations established in Harbanspura near Ring Road, Shadbagh, the Walled City, Maraka and Kot Abdul Malik areas in the provincial metropolis.
• Speaking at an inaugural ceremony, Mr Buzdar said the Rescue 1122 was playing an important role in rescue activities by saving lives. He said the number of Rescue 1122 stations in Lahore had now increased to 22.
• The chief minister regretted that the board meeting of an important institution like Rescue 1122 was not called despite the lapse of many years in the previous tenure and it was held in the tenure of the incumbent government after a passage of 15 years
• A team of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which arrived in Karachi on September 6, 2020 night, started the audit of different departments of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on September 7, 2020 morning.
• Sources said the four-member audit team comprised two English men, a Turkish expert and a European national.
• The team held a meeting in the morning and then visited the cargo area of Karachi airport. They carried out a comprehensive visit of the airport apron / ramp area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded
• The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on September 7, 2020 confirmed that a mastermind of militant attacks along with four accomplices had been killed during an intelligence operation in North Waziristan tribal district on Sunday.
• The ISPR said in a statement that 10 notorious terrorists were also arrested during the operation near Mirali.
• It said the deceased terrorist, Waseem Zakeria, was the mastermind of 30 attacks, including targeted killing of government officials and security forces personnel.
• The year 2020 marks the completion of 10 years of promulgation of ethical transplantation law in the country which was designed to serve as a deterrent to unlawful and unfair practices of organ trade, states a press release issued by the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation.
• Unanimously passed by the National Assembly and later by the Senate, the landmark law mandates the formation of a high level authority and evaluation committees, for the removal, storage and transplant of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes.
• President Asif Ali Zardari had signed the human organ transplant bill into law in March, 2010, at a ceremony during which he pledged his organs for donation by signing a donor card
• China has put its homegrown coronavirus vaccines on display for the first time, as the country where the contagion was discovered looks to shape the narrative surrounding the pandemic.
• High hopes hang on the small vials of liquid on show at a Beijing trade fair this week vaccine candidates produced by Chinese companies Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm.
• Neither has hit the market yet but the makers hope they will be approved after all-important phase 3 trials as early as year-end.
• A Sinovac representative said his firm has already `completed the construction of a vaccine factory` able to produce 300 million doses a year.
• Britain said on September 7, 2020 it was seeking to `clarify` key parts of its EU divorce deal just as BREXIT trade talks reached a crucial final stage, triggering warnings that it risks damaging its international reputation.
• Alarm bells rang in Brussels after reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was planning new legislation that would override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement treaty he signed last year.
• The Financial Times said a bill to be put before parliament this week would undermine agreements relating to Northern Ireland customs and state aid
• India overtook Brazil in coronavirus infection numbers on September 7, 2020, making it second only to the United States after a record jump, but the government resumed underground train services and announced plans to re-open the Taj Mahal this month.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s government, faced with a pandemic that is showing no sign of abating, has chosen to end most curbs in a bid to resuscitate an economy in deep trouble after a severe lockdown.
• The world`s second-most populous country posted more than 90,000 cases on Monday, taking its tally past 4.2 million, more than 68,000 ahead of Brazil, which means the latter has around4.13m of cases.
• Men`s top seed Novak Djokovic was dramatically disqualified from the US Open on September 6, 2020 after accidentally striking a female lines judge with a ball in frustration during his last-16 match, sending shock waves through the tournament.
• The world number one apologised for hitting the ball in disgust after losing his serve to go 6-5 down in the first set to Spain`s 20th seed Pablo Carreno Busta inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
• Djokovic appeared to be looking the other way when he pulled the ball from his pocket and smacked it in the direction of the official, it hitting her full toss in the throat
August 2020:
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July 2020:
[catlist name=”July 2020″]
June 2020:
[catlist name=”June 2020″]