Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (October 03, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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October 03, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. GB won`t seek Army`s help for Nov 15 polls

• The caretaker government of Gilgit-Baltistan on October 2, 2020 announced that Pakistan Army`s support would not be sought for the upcoming general elections, as besides Pakistan Rangers and police personnel, GB scouts would be deployed for security.
• `All arrangements have been completed for fair, transparent elections,` said caretaker Chief Minister Mir Afzal while addressing a press conference here in Gilgit on Friday.
• The general elections would be held on November 15 as per notification, said the caretaker chief minister.

2. Inflation rises to 9pc in September

• Inflation went up to nine per cent in September, from 8.2pc in August, on the back of a hefty jump in prices of food products, shows the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on October 2, 2020.
• The new fiscal year started with 9.3pc inflation in July, which eased to 8.2pc in August. However, it rebounded in September mainly led by increase in prices of perishable products

3. Voter gender gap shrinks for first time

• The gender gap among voters has narrowed down to 12.41 million for the first time in recent electoral history as the number of total voters across the country has surged to over 115 million.
• The total 115.57m voters include 64.07m (55pc) male and 51.66m (45pc) female voters.
• The data of voters obtained by Dawn in July this year showed total number of voters at 112.39m, including 62.55m (55.66pc) male and 51.66m (44.34 pc) female voters, translating into a gender gap of 12.72m

4. ECC approves import of 180,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia

• The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on October 2, 2020 approved the import of 180,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia on a government-to-government basis and waived all taxes and duties.
• The Ministry of National Food Security and Research has nominated Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) as the official procurement agency to import wheat from Russia, and negotiate terms and conditions with the relevant Russian department

5. Ex-KE chief appointed as PM`s aide on power

• Prime Minister Imran Khan raised the number of his cabinet members to 50 on October 2, 2020 by appointing former chairman of Karachi Electric (KE) Tabish Gauhar as his special assistant on power.
• A notification issued by the Prime Minister Office said: `The prime minister has been pleased to appoint Mr Tabish Gauhar as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power with immediate effect.

6. Exports jump 6pc in September

• Pakistan`s exports bounced back in September following a steep fall in the previous month, data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed on October 2, 2020.
• The new fiscal year started on a positive note as export proceeds grew 5.8 per cent in July but fell over 19pc in August. A steep fall was seen in exports since March when the government imposed lockdowns to contain the spread of coronavirus.
• During the third month of FY21, export proceeds were reported at $1.872 billion, as against $1.769bn over the corresponding period of last year, showing a growth of 5.8pc

7. US hits Belarus with sanctions as Minsk retaliates against EU measures

• The United States imposed sanctions on eight Belarusian officials on October 2, 2020, accusing them of involvement in rigging President Alexander Lukashenko`s re-election victory in August or the violent crackdown on protests that followed.
• The move came after the European Union announced sanctions on 40 people, including the interior minister and the head of the election commission, achieving a breakthrough on the issue at summit talks in the early hours of Friday morning

8. Karabakh`s main city hit as Armenia says it`s ready for mediation

• Armenia accused Azerbaijani forces of striking the main city in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on October 2, 2020 as fighting raged for a sixth day.
• Yerevan said it was ready to work with mediators for a ceasefire but Azerbaijan fired back and said that Armenia must first withdraw its troops.
• Baku and Yerevan have for decades been locked in a simmering conflict over the ethnic Armenian province that broke away from Azerbaijan in a bitterly fought war in the 1990s

9. S. Arabia to reopen holy sites for Umra after 7-month pause

• Saudi Arabia will reopen the holy places for the year-round Umra pilgrimage on Sunday, scaled back and with extensive health precautions, seven months after coronavirus prompted its suspension.
• Umra usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year
• It will be revived in three stages, with the initial phase seeing just 6,000 citizens and residents already within the kingdom allowed to take part each day.

10. Macron unveils plan to fight `radical Islam` in France

• President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a plan on Friday to `defend` France`s secular values against `radical Islam`, announcing stricter oversight of schooling and better control over foreign funding of mosques.
• Describing Islam as `a religion in crisis` worldwide, Macron insisted that `no concessions` would be made in a new drive to eradicate `extremist religious teaching in schools and mosques`.

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