Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (July 23, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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

July 23, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Hafeez dropped from reconstituted NFC

• In a major politico legal retreat, the federal government on July 22, 2020 denotified the adviser to the prime minister on finance and revenue and the finance secretary as members of the National Finance Commission (NFC) and gave up a number of its terms of reference (ToR).
• The decision was taken after the government`s May 12 notification about constitution of the 11-member NFC faced legal challenges in various high courts, along with a long list of ToR envisaging fresh specific responsibilities and expenses to be shared by the provinces.
• A fresh notification for the nine member NFC and revised ToR was submitted to the Islamabad High Court on the basis of which the court disposed of a petition of the opposition PML-N challenging the locus standi of Adviser to the PM on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and the finance secretary as NFC members

2. 73 years on, gurdwara restored to Sikhs in Quetta

• The Balochistan government on July 22, 2020 handed over a 200-year-old gurdwara to the Sikh community.
• The Siri Guru Singh Gurdwara located on Masjid Road in the centre of the city has been used as APWA Government High Girls School for 73 years since the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
• `Restoring gurdwara as a place of worship for the Sikh community is a historical decision of the Balochistan government,` said Denesh Kumar, provincial parliamentary secretary and Adviser to the Chief Minister on Minority Affairs

3. For now, Bahawalpur Circuit House to house South Punjab Secretariat

• The South Punjab Secretariat has been set up at the local Circuit House as a board depicting the establishment of the secretariat was installed outside the Circuit House on Ahmedpur East Highway on July 22, 2020.
• The establishment of the secretariat and the installation of its office board was a surprise for the local residents. A majority of locals welcomed the secretariat through social media posts who described the establishment of the secretariat as a step forward towards the creation of the proposed South Punjab province.
• Dawn learnt that the Circuit House will serve as South Punjab Secretariat temporarily till the establishment/construction of a permanent secretariat here. The additional chief secretary (ACS) who assumed charge here in the beginning of July announced sitting in his Bahawalpur office for three days a week while he will also work for another three days in his Multan secretariat

4. PA passes bill protecting foundation of Islam

• The Punjab Assembly on July 22, 2020 passed the Punjab Tahaffuz Bunyad-e-Islam (protecting the foundation of Islam) Bill of 2020 making publishing of objectionable and/or hate-material punishable.
• The bill, which needs the governor`s seal to become a law, was introduced after complaints of using inappropriate or insulting words for Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), his family and companions.
• The new law makes desecration of any prophet, any of the four divine books, family and companions of Prophet Hazr at Muhammad (SAW), as well as abetting or glorification of terrorists, promotes sectarianism in any book punishable with a maximum of five-year jail terms and up to Rs500,000 fine

5. SAPM Shahzad, adviser Aslam get their titles changed

• Prime Minister Imran Khan on July 22, 2020 made a slight change in his cabinet by appointing Special Assistant to the PM (SAPM) on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar his adviser with the same portfolio.
• On the other hand, Adviser to the PM on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has been made SAPM on climate change.
• According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Mr Akbar `shall cease to hold the office of the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior` consequent upon his appointment as adviser.
• Mr Akbar`s appointment as adviser came on Prime Minister Imran Khan`s advice to President Dr Arif Alvi.

6. AllB approves $250m loan to fight Covid-19 impact

• The Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AllB) said on July 22, 2020 it would lend $250 million to Pakistan to help the country deal with the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
• The project will be co-financed by the World Bank and will bolster a Pakistan government programme to strengthen health infrastructure, social safety nets, investment in human capital and economic growth, the AllB said in a statement.
• The AllB previously approved a loan of $500 million for Pakistan`s response to Covid-19.
• Both loans are part of the AllB`s $10 billion funding facility to help public and private sectors fight the outbreak.

7. India cancels Amarnath Yatra amid mounting virus cases

• Indian-held Kashmir on July 22, 2020 imposed a strict lockdown for a week as authorities warned of rising coronavirus cases, one day after cancelling a major annual Hindu pilgrimage.
• India, which has recorded almost 1.2 million infections and is the world`s third-most infected nation, had significantly eased a months-long shutdown to revive its shattered economy.
• But numerous states across the nation of 1.3 billion people have reimposed restrictions in recent weeks as case numbers exploded, sparking fears of overwhelmed healthcare systems.

8. US asks China to close Houston consulate as tensions soar

• The United States has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston and accused it of ramping up spying operations, dramatically escalating diplomatic tensions between the feuding superpowers.
• July 22, 2020`s announcement infuriated Beijing, which vowed to retaliate as the two countries squabble over a slew of issues ranging from trade to the coronavirus pandemic and China`s policies on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.
• `We have directed the closure of PRC Consulate General Houston in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans` private information, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters during a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Denmark

9. UK to open citizenship path to Hong Kongers from January

• Britain`s government announced on July 22, 2020 that it will open a new special pathway to obtaining UK citizenship for eligible Hong Kongers as of January, taking another step towards solidifying a policy denounced by China.
• In a statement, the Home Office said holders of the British National Overseas passport and their immediate family members can move to the UK to work and study. The change to immigration rules was introduced after Beijing imposed a new, sweeping national security law on Hong Kong.
• Today`s announcement shows the UK is keeping its word: We will not look the other way on Hong Kong, and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said

10. Humans lived in America 30,000 years ago, earlier than thought: study

• Tools excavated from a cave in central Mexico are strong evidence that humans were living in North America at least 30,000 years ago, some 15,000 years earlier than previously thought, scientists said on July 22, 2020.
• Artefacts, including 1,900 stone tools, showed human occupation of the high-altitude Chiquihuite Cave over a roughly 20,000 year period, they reported in two studies, published in Nature.
• `Our results provide new evidence for the antiquity of humans in the Americas,` Ciprian Ardelean, an archeologist at the Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas and lead author of one of the studies, said

Check our daily updated ‘s Complete Day by Day Current Affairs Notes

June 2020:
[catlist name=”July 2020″]

June 2020:
[catlist name=”June 2020″]

May 2020:
[catlist name=”May 2020″]

April 2020:
[catlist name=”April 2020″]

March 2020:
[catlist name=”March 2020″]

February 2020:
[catlist name=”February 2020″]

January 2020:
[catlist name=”January 2020″]