Day by Day Current Affairs (February 13 2020) MCQs for CSS, PMS

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February 13, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Hafiz Saeed, aide jailed for terror financing

• An anti-terrorism court (ATC) handed down on February 12, 2020 five-and-a-half-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) each to Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and his aide Malik Zafar Iqbal in two of the cases relating to terror financing.
• Imran Fazal Gill, the counsel for JuD, told journalists outside the court that the verdict would be challenged in the Lahore High Court. He claimed that the charge of fundraising for terrorism purposes was not established before the trial court, but the conviction was given under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international terror financing watchdog.
• It may be mentioned that the FATF is scheduled to meet in Paris in next few days to decide Pakistan`s grey list fate.
• ATC-I presiding judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta convicted both the JuD leaders under Section 11-N of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and sentenced them to five years RI with a fine of Rs10,000 each and six months RI under Section 11-F (2) of the Act with a fine of Rs50,00.

2. Seaspark exercise begins

• The opening ceremony of the Pakistan Navy`s major maritime exercise Seaspark-20 was held on February 12, 2020.
• The biennial exercise is steered to assess war preparedness and validate operational plans of the Pakistan Navy in cognisance to emerging regional and global challenges.
• Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi was chief guest at the ceremony.
• Exercise Seaspark-20 will be conducted in the Arabian Sea along the Pakistan coast from Jiwani to Sir Creek. All platforms and assets of the Pakistan Navy, Special Forces and Pak Marines detachments along with other elements of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force will participate in the exercise

3. Turkish president arrives on two-day visit today

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reaching Pakistan on Thursday (February 13, 2020) on a two-day trip aimed at strengthening bilateral strategic partnership and economic ties.
• The Foreign Office said the Turkish president would visit Pakistan from Feb 13 to 14 for underscoring `traditional solidarity and affinity` between the two countries and further `deepening and broadening of the nourishing Pakistan-Turkey strategic partnership` Mr Erdogan, who will be accompanied on the trip by his cabinet members, senior government officials, leading Turkish business figures, would co-chair with Prime Minister Imran Khan the 6th session of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), address a joint session of parliament on Friday for the record fourth time and speak at the Pakistan-Turkey Business and Investment Forum.
• Turkey and Pakistan are expected to sign a number of important agreements/memorandums of understanding to formalise some of the understandings that would be reached during the HLSCC meeting.

4. Govt okays rules to regulate social media

• The federal government has approved a set of rules to regulate social media in the country, under which social media companies will be obliged to disclose any information or data to a designated investigation agency, when sought, and failure to abide by any of the provision will entail a fine of up to Rs500 million.
• The information to be provided may include subscriber information, traffic data or content data.
• Under the rules which are set to open a Pandora`s box, social media platforms will be required to remove any `unlawful content` pointed out to them in writing or electronically signed email within 24 hours, and in emergency cases within six hours.
• These firms will have to establish registered offices with physical address located in Islamabad within next three months. These companies will also be required to appoint a Pakistan-based focal person for coordination with the relevant authorities within three months and establish one or more database servers in Pakistan within 12 months to record and store data and online content

5. EU opens trade door to Vietnam, closes it to Cambodia

• The European Union agreed on February 12, 2020 to open its markets wider to Vietnam, while closing its trade doors to Cambodia, rewarding Hanoi for its progress on labour guarantees and sanctioning Phnom Penh for human rights abuses.
• The moves mark the EU`s increased insistence that trading partnerships go beyond market liberalisation and be coupled with commitments to environmental, labour and social standards. On Wednesday, it displayed both its carrot and stick.
• In Strasbourg, EU lawmakers voted by 401-192 to approve a free trade agreement with Vietnam. It is the most comprehensive pact of its kind struck by the EU with a developing country, and only its second after Singapore with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (Asean).

6. UN identifies 112 firms linked to Israeli settlements

• The UN has released a list of 112 companies with activities in Israeli settlements, which are considered illegal under international law, including Airbnb, Expedia and Trip Advisor.
• The move was cheered by the Palestinians but slammed as `shameful` by Israel, where officials fear the list could be used to boycott firms with ties to the settlements.
• The UN report comes in response to a 2016 UN Human Rights Council resolution calling for a `database for all businesses engaged in specific activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory` The UN rights office said that listing companies in the database was `not, and does not purport to be, a judicial or quasi-judicial process`.
• Among the businesses on the list are a range of large international companies, including Airbnb, Alstom, Booking.com and Motorola Solutions.

7. Slavery not a crime for almost half the countries in the world

• Slavery is not a crime in almost half the countries in the world, a study of global laws said on February 12, 2020, urging nations to close legal loopholes that allow abusers to escape punishment.
• Many states lack laws which directly criminalise and punish exerting ownership or control over another person, according to the Antislavery in Domestic Legislation database, launched at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
• `Slavery is far from being illegal everywhere and we hope our research will move the conversation beyond this popular myth, said Katarina Schwarz, a researcher at the University of Nottingham`s Rights Lab, which led work on the slavery database.
• `It will surprise many people to learn that in all of these countries there are no criminal laws in place to prosecute, convict and punish people for subjecting people to the most extreme forms of exploitation.

8. Canada, Iran and England record wins

• Canada, Iran and England won their respective matches on the fourth day of the Kabaddi World Cup (indigenous style) at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on February 12, 2020.
• Canada beat Azerbaijan 40-31, Iran outplayed Germany 55-23 and England overpowered Sierra Leone 41-26.
• Canada`s Naveen was adjudged the best raider while the title of best stopper went to Canada`s Ravi Kumar in the first match.
• Iran`s Mesal Muhammadi and captain Ali Safari were declared best raider and stopper of the second match, respectively

9. Brilliant Asif fights back to claim fourth national snooker title

• Playing like a true champion with his prestige at stake, incumbent world champion and top seed Mohammad Asif fought back from a 4-7 deficit to overpower former national champion Shahid Aftab 8-7 in an agonising National Snooker Championship final to capture the title for an overall fourth time here at Karachi Gymkhana on February 12, 2020.
• Asif, who had survived Asjad scare in the semi-final on Tuesday, was in hot water again when he combined his act together to post an enthralling 21-69, 80-73, 67-20, 26-49, 42-77, 25-106, 35-69, 1-76, 116-0, 88-2, 0-107, 78-32, 72-35, 62-48, 70-28 victory as curtain fell on the 45th edition of the national event. The final lasted six hours.
• This is the fourth time Asif has laid his hands on the national trophy, the previous being in 2009, 2012 and 2018. This is also his third victory on the trot on the domestic circuit the NBP Cup, the third ranking and 45th national`s

10. US equal record lowest ODI total

• The United States were bowled out for 35 by Nepal on February 12, 2020 and joined Zimbabwe in making the lowest total in a 50-over international.
• Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was wrecker-in chief, taking six for 16 as the American side was finished off in 12 overs in the World Cup League Division Two match in Kathmandu.
• West Indies-born opener Xavier Marshall was the only US batsman to get into double figures, making 16. Spinner Sushan Bhari took the other four wickets for just five runs.
• Nepal, playing their first international series on home soil, reached the target in just 5.2 overs after losing both their openers in the second over

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