Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (July 18, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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July 18, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Pakistan welcomes UN’s decision

• Pakistan, on July 17, 2020, welcomed the designation of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Noor Wali Mehsud by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee on its ISIL and Al-Qaeda Sanctions List.
• In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said the sanctions were being implemented by Pakistan in compliance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and we hope that other countries would also follow the suit.
• She said TTP is already a “UN-designated terrorist organization and is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.”

2. Pakistan offers third consular access to Indian spy terrorist

• Pakistan on July 17, 2020 offered a third consular access to convicted Indian spy terrorist Kulbushan Jadhav.
• Officials in Foreign Office Friday revealed that India had been officially informed about the fresh offer which comes a day after Indian diplomats refused to avail the second consular access – as per International Court of Justice’s directives – at the last minute on July 16.
• On July 16, 2010, Indian Charge d’affaires reached the Foreign Office as New Delhi accepted Pakistan’s offer to give second consular access to Jadhav. The place where the agent was kept had been declared as sub-jail

3. SBP grants approval for e-commerce payment gateway ‘PayFast’

• PayFast brings the ultimate and innovative solution to address the pain points of digital payments industry of Pakistan.
• Pakistan has over 80 million 3g / 4g subscribers, and a huge potential of ecommerce, the market value is estimated at USD 2 billion with a remarkable average yearly growth of 58%. Covid has evidently caused a boom in online payments as the customer’s preference from cash has started to shift towards cashless means.

4. Balochistan CM`s liaison assistant quits

• The liaison assistant to the Balochistan chief minister and focal person for the Coronavirus Control Progarmme in the province, Sardarzada Mir Umair Jan Mohammad Hasni, resigned on July 17, 2020.
• `I have submitted my resignation to the chief minister,` he said, adding that it was not possible for him to continue work on his post any more.
• In his written resignation, Mr Hasni said: `It has been gr+eat pleaser working with the Government of Balochistan under the supervision of Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan but unfortunately, current environment does not allow me to secure the interests of my people

5. Cop gets PhD in Chemistry on the job

• A sub-inspector (SI) has completed his PhD in Chemistry from the Government College University while simultaneously fulfilling his official responsibilities.
• Dr Muhammad Irfan, who is posted as investigation in-charge at the Wahdat Colony police station, had joined the police department in 2007 as assistant sub-inspector after completing his Masters in Chemistry.
• He continued studying and enrolled himself in an MPhil programme in 2011 and later in PhD in 2016. He continued his service along with his studies. Narrating his tale, Dr Irfan said he was lucky enough to get posted in the Punjab Constabulary and later in the investigation wing. `My family and officers also played a positive role in ensuring a conducive environment for me to study,` he said.

6. UK, US and Canada accuse Russia of vaccine research hacking

• Britain, the United States and Canada on July 17, 2020 risked worsening fraught diplomatic ties with Russia by accusing Moscow-linked hackers of targeting labs in their countries conducting coronavirus vaccine research.
• The three governments pointed the finger at the Kremlin, saying that a hacking group called APT29 was “almost certainly” linked to Russian intelligence.
• In a separate claim, London said “Russian actors” sought to disrupt last year’s UK general election by circulating leaked trade documents between Britain and the United States.
• Both accusations came even before the publication in the coming days of a long-awaited British parliamentary report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 BREXIT vote.

7. China moves rocket into place for nation`s first Mars mission

• China has moved a rocket into position to launch a rover to Mars in one of three upcoming missions to the red planet, one from the US and another by the United Arab Emirates.
• The Long March-5 carrier rocket is China`s heaviest lift launch vehicle and has been used experimentally three times, but never with a payload. Dubbed Tianwen-1, China`s first mission to Mars aims to land a rover to gather scientific data.
• The rocket is due to blast off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southern island province of Hainan in late July or early August, according to state media reports Friday that quoted the China National Space Administration.

8. Erdogan says Egypt`s actions in Libya are illegal

• Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan denounced Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on July 17, 2020 for supporting forces based in eastern Libya, after Egypt`s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Libyan tribesmen who called for Cairo to intervene in the civil war.
• Turkey has been providing military aid to the Tripoli-based government in the Libya conflict, while Egypt, the UAE and Russia have backed its foes in a rival administration based in the east.
• Recent weeks have seen dramatic military advances by the government, which drove back forces of the eastern commander Khalifa Haftar who had launched an assault on the capitallast year

9. Google bans ads on coronavirus conspiracy theory content

• Alphabet Inc`s Google said on July 17, 2020 it would prohibit websites and apps that use its advertising technology from running ads on `dangerous content` that goes against scientific consensus during the coronavirus pandemic.
• The world`s largest search engine updated its policy as the health crisis has continued to rage throughout the United States, and digital advertising giants like Google and Facebook Inc have faced calls to do more to clamp down on misinformation.
• Content not allowed to make money from ads include debunked conspiracy theories, such as the notion that the novel coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab as a bioweapon, that it was created by Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates, or that the virus is a hoax, Google said in a statement.

10. Real clinch 34th La Liga title with game to spare

• There was Zinedine Zidane again, being thrown into the air by his Real Madrid players in another title celebration.
• With the Frenchman back in charge, Real are back to collecting major trophies.
• Real were crowned La Liga champions for the 34th time on Thursday after Karim Benzema scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Villarreal which clinched the title with one game to spare.

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