Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs/News (May 14, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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May 14, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. Rs442bn accord for construction of dam signed

• The government on May 13, 2020 signed a Rs442 billion contract with a joint venture of China Power and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.
• The Chinese state-run firm holds 70 per cent and the FWO, a commercial arm of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, 30pc share in the consortium. The contract covers construction of a diversion system, main dam, access bridge and the 21MW Tangir hydropower project.
• The eight million acre feet (MAF) reservoir with 272metre height will be the tallest roller compact concrete (RCC) dam in the world. It will have a spillway, 14 gates and five outlets for flushing out silt. The diversion system involves two tunnels and a diversion canal all three having one kilometre length each. The bridge a box girder structure under the contract will be constructed downstream of the dam structure while the 21MW power plant will be built to meet energy requirements of the project during construction

2. Trade resumes with Iran after Zero Point opens in Taftan

• Trade activities between Pakistan and Iran resumed on May 13, 2020 after two more trade crossing points were reopened in Taftan following a decision taken by the National Command and Operations Centre last month.
• According to official sources, these trade gateways were closed two-and-ahalf months ago after the coronavirus outbreak in Iran and later their closure was extended as the pandemic penetrated in Pakistan as well.
• As many as 17 Iranian trawlers loaded with food items and LPG gas tankers arrived in Pakistan through transit gate, besides import of edible commodities commenced after the reopening of Zero Point Gate in Taftan

3. Shehryar elected Kashmir committee chairman

• Shehryar Afridi was elected chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir in a controversial move following walkout of members from three mainstream opposition parties on May 13, 2020.
• It was for the first time in the country`s parliamentary history that consensus could not emerge over the election for the committee`s head.
• The opposition was of the view that the chairman of the committee should be an experienced person with comprehensive knowledge of the Kashmir issue

4. Gill named as PM`s special assistant on `political communication`

• Two weeks after shuffling his media team, Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 13, 2020 appointed Dr Shahbaz Gill as his special assistant on `political communication`.
• The Cabinet Division promptly issued an notification this regard.
• Mr Gill is the 15th person to have been appointed as special assistant to the prime minister and it is the first federal cabinet in the country`s history to have such a large number of special assistants.

5. Pakistan retains emerging market status

• Pakistan managed to hold on to its position in the MSCI Emerging Market, belying fears of a downgrade to the `Frontier Market` category. The May 2020 semi-annual index review was announced past dawn on May 13, 2020. It would be effective from June 1.
• Pakistan currently has three constituents in MSCI EM: Habib Bank, Oil and Gas Development Company and MCB Bank Ltd. There was no deletion or addition, which was in line with the market consensus.
• However, there were two additions and two deletions from Pakistan Small Cap index: Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) and Mari Petroleum Ltd (Mari) were added to the index whereas Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) and Nishat Mills Ltd (NML) were deleted. Market strategists believed that the foreign passive funds (that have longer investment horizons against active funds) were likely to enhance their holding in PPL and Mari, while offloading SNGPL and NML

6. S. Arabia to enforce round-the-clock virus curfew at Eid

• Saudi Arabia will enforce a round-the-clock nationwide curfew during the five-day Eidul Fitr holiday later this month to fight the coronavirus, the interior ministry said, as infections spike.
• The kingdom, which has reported the highest number of virus cases in the Gulf region, is scrambling to limit the spread of the deadly disease.
• A full lockdown will be reimposed around the country from May 23-27, the ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The period coincides with the Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramazan.

7. Mauritius says battle `won` as all virus patients discharged

• Mauritius on May 13, 2020 declared wary victory in its first battle with coronavirus, saying it had `zero` active patients and had not documented a single new case in 17 days.
• The Indian Ocean island nation initially surged ahead of other eastern African countries in terms of caseload, hitting a peak of 332 just shy of six weeks into its outbreak. Ten people died.
• It imposed one of the first and strictest lockdowns in Africa, going so far as to initially shut supermarkets for 10 days, a measure that has been extended until June 1.

8. Over 300 lawmakers worldwide urge IMF, WB to cancel poor countries` debt

• Over 300 lawmakers from around the world on May 13, 2020 urged the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to cancel the debt of the poorest countries in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and to boost funding to avert a global economic meltdown.
• The appeal came in a letter delivered to the heads of the World Bank and the IMF, as well as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders amid growing concern that the pandemic will devastate developing countries and emerging economies. They asked the institutions to respond in 15days.Widespread shutdowns aimed at containing the virus are taking a huge toll on the global economy, and especially poor countries with weak health systems, high debt levels and few resources to manage the dual health and economic crises

9. Women`s golf starts up in South Korea without fans

• The South Korean women`s golf tour is starting up again with the KLPGA Championship opening on May 14, 2020, an event that will be played without fans on the course.
• Women`s golf in South Korea joins Korea`s professional baseball and football leagues, which have already restarted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
• `The priority is the safety of the players, tournament officials and golf fans and [the event] will be broadcast,` organisers said in a statement

10. Babar Azam named new ODI captain as Amir, Wahab lose central contracts

• The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on May 13, 2020 handed more responsibility to prolific batsman and T20 skipper Babar Azam by naming him as the new ODI captain in place of Sarfraz Ahmed while also announcing the central contracts for 18 Pakistan players for the year 2020-2021.
• Young fast bowler Naseem Shah and all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed featured in that list of 18 players but the marked omissions were three pacers Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali who were completely left out According to the information gathered, the process to decide the amount of monthly stipends for the players is still in progress. The PCB has said that there might be some increase in the salaries but there is no move under consideration to cut down the amount due to the prevailing situation created by Covid-19.
• Sarfraz, who was earlier removed from the Test and T20 format has lost the ODIs captaincy as well. However, contrary to the rumours that he will be left out of the list altogether or may be relegated to C category, he still features in the B category of the central contracts. He previously featured in the `A` category.

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