December 2019

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 20 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

December 20, 2019
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Day by Day Current Affairs (December 20 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS
Written by Shahzad F. Malik
WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY  DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2019 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS.  “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS

December 20, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Army, govt roast judge over grisly rider in Musharraf ruling

• Hours after a special court released its detailed judgement in the high treason case in which it ordered dragging and hanging of former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf`s corpse, the government and military authorities on December 19, 2019 gave an angry response to the verdict and decided to file a reference against Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), besides challenging the verdict in the Supreme Court.
• Justice Seth headed the three-judge special court.
• Both the government and the army expressed`anger`over a special paragraph 66 of the detailed judgement and termed it `unlawful`, `inhuman` and `unconstitutional`.
• Para 66 of the verdict read: `We direct the law enforcement agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the fugitive/convict [Pervez Musharraf] and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk [in front of the Parliament House], Islamabad, Pakistan, and be hanged for three days

2. Court orders ex-dictator`s hanging on five counts

• The special court hearing the high treason case against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, in its detailed verdict issued on December 19, 2019, ordered hanging of the former military dictator on five counts and directed action against all `those involved (if any) in facilitation of the escape of the fugitive accused`.
• In a strongly worded judgement, the special court head, Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth, ordered in its paragraph 66: `We direct the Law Enforcement Agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the fugitive/convict and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan and be hanged for 03 days.
• However, it turned to be a minority view as the second and third judge did not agree to this. The second judge, Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court (LHC), concurred with the death sentence awarded by Justice Seth but did not agree to the dragging of the corpse.

3. PA passes law to provide rights to Sindh`s women agriculture workers

• The Sindh Assembly on December 19, 2019 passed the Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Bill, 2019, providing rights to women who carry out agriculture and livestock activities. The law concerns their pay and minimum wages, gives them recognition and ensures measures for promotion and protection of their rights.
• The bill was presented by the chairman of the standing committee on labour and human resources, Shahid Thaheem, after detailed scrutiny of the original draft that had earlier been presented by the government in the house.
• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Chawla presented the bill clause by clause in the house with Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghariin the chair and got it passed unanimously.
• The bill offers a law to provide for the recognition of women`s work in agriculture sector, including farming, livestock and fisheries and related sectors and promotes and protects their rights to ensure their participation in decision-making and foster empowerment.

4. India has placed missile launchers in held Kashmir, UN told

• Pakistan`s civilian and military leadership on December 19, 2019 cautioned the world community about India`s aggressive and provocative design after New Delhi deployed missile launchers along the Line of Control in the disputed region of Kashmir.
• Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he had written to the United Nations recently, warning the world body of actions by New Delhi such as positioning of missile launchers in India-held Kashmir.
• In the letter, Mr Qureshi says he fears India plans to launch an attack on Pakistan to divert international attention from human rights violations in held Kashmir.
• These are Indian actions that continue to escalate tensions in an already tense environment in South Asia, he said, demanding the UN respond to the purported moves by India.

5. Muslim states should enhance financial collaboration, Malaysia summit told

• Muslim nations need to do more business among themselves, trade in each other`s currencies and keep up with non-Islamic countries to stop being left at their mercy, their leaders said on December 19, 2019 at a summit boycotted by Saudi Arabia.
• The Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Wednesday it was against the interests of the Muslim world to hold meetings outside the organisation, which has for decades acted as the collective Muslim voice.
• Both Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan have been frustrated by the OIC`s handwringing and failure to take action in support of Muslim causes.

6. US, China to sign trade deal next month

• US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on December 19, 2019 he had no doubt Washington and Beijing will sign a new partial trade agreement next month, marking a truce after nearly two years of conflict.
• `I`m very confident,` Mnuchin told CNBC. `It`s just going through what I would consider to be a technical legal scrub and we`ll be releasing the document and signing it in the beginning of January,` he said in an interview on the White House lawn.
• World stocks have rallied in relief this month after US and Chinese officials finally announced a `phase one` deal involving the cancellation and reduction of some US tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for pledges from Beijing to make some reforms and purchase more US goods and services in the next two years

7. Pro-Hezbollah figure named Lebanese PM

• Lebanon`s president on December 19, 2019 asked a university professor and former education minister supported by the Hezbollah group to form a new government, breaking a weeks-long impasse amid nationwide mass protests against the country`s political elite.
• But prime minister-designate Hassan Diab`s efforts to form a government will almost certainly hit snags in a deeply divided country facing the worst economic and financial crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.
• Michel Aoun named Diah as prime minister after a day of consultations with lawmakers in which he gained a simple majority of the 128-member parliament. Sixty-nine lawmakers, including the parliamentary bloc of the Shia Hezbollah and Amal movements as well as lawmakers affiliated with President Michel Aoun gave him their votes.

8. Afghanistan poll results expected next week, says official

• Preliminary results from Afghanistan`s delayed presidential polls will be announced in the coming days, an election official said on December 19, 2019, after a main candidate ended his boycott of a recount.
• The country has been stuck in political limbo since the vote, with the two top candidates President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah locked in a close race.
• Independent Election Commission (IEC) spokesman Zabih Sadat said the key recount and audit of votes from the Sept 28 election had been completed in all but one province.
• In Afghanistan, Saturdays mark the start of the week

9. Divided US House impeaches Trump on two charges in historic vote

• Donald Trump on December 19, 2019 became the third US president to be impeached as the House of Representatives formally charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in a historic step that will inflame partisan tensions across a deeply divided America.
• The Democratic-led House`s passage of two articles of impeachment on a mostly party line vote sets the stage for a trial next month in the Republican-controlled Senate on whether to convict and remove him from office.
• No president in the 243-year history of the United States has been removed from office by impeachment. That would require a two thirds majority in the 100-member Senate, meaning at least 20 Republicans would have to join Democrats in voting against Trump and none have indicated they will

10. Top-ranked Belgium named FIFA Team of the Year

• Belgium were crowned FIFA`s Team of the Year for the second straight time after retaining top spot ahead of world champions France in the latest world rankings released on December 19, 2019, football`s world governing body said.
• Belgium, who finished third in the World Cup in Russia last year, won all 10 of their competitive matches in 2019 and have held on to a top spot in a December table barely impacted by just 19 friendlies towards the end of the year.
• England moved up a spot to fourth place below Brazil, while Uruguay are fifth.
• Argentina (ninth) and Colombia (10th) entered the top 10 this year displacing Switzerland (12th) and Denmark (16th).

Day by Day Current Affairs (December 20 2019) MCQs for CSS, PMS

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About the author

Shahzad F. Malik

Shahzad Faisal Malik is the administrator of CSSTimes.pk and is responsible for managing the content, design, and overall direction of the blog. He has a strong background in Competitive Exams and is passionate and sharing information with others.
Shahzad Faisal Malik has worked as a Graphic Designer/Content Creator at CSSTimes in the past. In his free time, Shahzad Faisal Malik enjoys watching Cricket, writing blogs for different websites and is always on the lookout for new and interesting content to share with the readers of this website.
As the website administrator, Shahzad Faisal Malik is dedicated to providing high-quality content and fostering a welcoming and engaging community for readers. He looks forward to connecting with readers and hearing their thoughts and feedback on the website.

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