Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (August 30, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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August 30, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. Three personnel, two civilians martyred in terrorist attacks

• Three security men and two civilians were martyred in firing from the Afghan side of the border and IED (improvised explosive device) attacks in different areas of the merged districts on August 29, 2021.
• Three terrorists were killed in retaliatory fire by security forces, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
• Terrorists from inside Afghanistan opened fire on a military post in Bajaur district. Troops responded in a befitting manner. According to intelligence reports, two to three terrorists were killed and three to four terrorists got injured.

2. Points earned through remittances to be redeemed in cash

• The government has decided to allow redemption in cash of reward points earned by overseas Pakistanis for sending remittances back home through official channels under the National Remittance Loyalty Programme (NRLP) to be launched on Oct 1.
• The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
• During a discussion on the programme, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin `requested that the decision of ECC on the NRLP be ratified with the stipulation that the points/rewards earned by the remitters may also be redeemed in cash,` said the minutes of the meeting seen by Dawn.

3. 14 more cities declared high risk after Delta surge

• As the presence of Delta variant of coronavirus is being reported from across the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on August 29, 2021 decided to include 14 more cities in the list of high disease prevalence cities, enhancing the list to 27 cities.
• In these cities all commercial activities, except essential services, will close at 8pm. There will be ban on indoor dining and wedding ceremonies and outdoor dining and wedding ceremonies will be allowed till 10pm.
• Meanwhile, as people who intend to travel abroad are unaware about the vaccination certificate regarding booster shots, Director General of the Ministry of National Health Services, Dr Rana Safdar, has said that space has been created in the Nadra vaccination certificate for booster shot and people after getting booster shot just have to download the certificate again.

4. Police launch `Women Safety App`

• Punjab government spokesman Fayyaz Chohan says the government has launched a `Women Safety App` to provide them a sense of security as they move out of their homes across the province.
• In a video message on August 29, 2021, Mr Chohan said the Punjab police had launched the app to contact the police in case of emergency.
• He said the app was a great innovation to help control harassment, torture, assault and sex crime against women.
• Stressing that women should download the app for android or iphone, Mr Chohan said women would be able to contact police by pressing an app button in case of emergency

5. Japanese regions suspend use of Moderna vaccine

• Two Japanese regions suspended use of some Moderna Covid-19 shots on Sunday after more cases of contamination were spotted, the local governments said.
• The move came a day after the Japanese health ministry said it was investigating the death of two men who received doses from other tainted Moderna batches though the cause of death is unknown.
• Okinawa prefecture, in southern Japan, said it had suspended use of Moderna shots at a major vaccination centre in the city of Naha, while Gunma prefecture, north of Tokyo, also said it had paused use of contaminated lots.

6. Taliban supreme leader is in Afghanistan, says spokesman

• The Taliban`s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada who has never made a public appearance and whose whereabouts have largely remained unknown is in Afghanistan, the hardline Islamist group confirmed on Sunday.
• `He is present in Kandahar. He has been living there from the very beginning,` said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. `He will soon appear in public,` added deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi.
• The so-called commander of the faithful, Akhundzada has shepherded the Taliban as its chief since 2016 when snatched from relative obscurity to oversee a movement in crisis

7. ISIS-K threat leads to uneasy US-Taliban partnership

• The United States and Taliban now share a `common purpose` in Afghanistan, according to a top American general.
• `We share a common purpose` and `have been useful to work with` each other, Gen Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command (Centcom), said at a recent briefing. `As long as we`ve kept that common purpose aligned, they`ve been useful to work with. They`ve cut some of our security concerns down.
• As the Pentagon announced the Saturday evening drone strike that killed two ISIS-K operatives, reporters asked a spokesperson whether the Taliban provided `any intelligence or any support with this drone strike`.

8. Taliban assure 100 states over departures

• The Taliban have assured 100 countries that it will continue to allow foreigners and Afghans with foreign travel papers to leave the country `in a safe and orderly manner,` even after the US troop withdrawal ends on Tuesday, the countries said in a statement on August 29, 2021.
• The 100-nation group includes the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
• `We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorisation from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country,` the statement said.

9. UAE to resume issuing visas to vaccinated tourists

• The United Arab Emirates announced it will resume issuing visas to all tourists fully vaccinated against Covid from Monday, a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair.
• The move comes amid a drop in coronavirus infections in the oil-rich Gulf country, after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in months.
• The UAE`s decision to reopen its doors to tourists from all countries was taken in order `to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth`, the official WAM news agency reported on Saturday

10. Rebel attack on Yemeni airbase leaves 30 pro-govt troops dead

• Strikes on Yemen`s largest airbase on August 29, 2021 killed at least 30 pro government troops and wounded scores more, medical and loyalist sources said, blaming Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the attack.
• The strikes were carried out on Al-Anad airbase, located some 60 kilometres north of Yemen`s second city Aden in the south of the conflict-riven country.
• The airbase served as the headquarters for US troops overseeing a long-running drone war against Al Qaeda until they pulled out in March 2015, shortly before the Houthis overran the area

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