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October 18, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. PM launches loan scheme for youth
• Prime Minister Imran Khan on October 17, 2019 launched the first phase of `Kamyab Jawan Programme` under which merit-based loans amounting to Rs100 billion will be disbursed among the youth coming up with innovative and practicable business ideas.
• Speaking at the launching ceremony of the scheme here at the Convention Centre, he said that Rs25bn of the total amount had been allocated for women. Cheerful youth in the jampacked galleries kept on chanting slogans of Allah-o-Akbar as the prime minister promise d to follow the model of state of Madina established by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and urged them to repeatedly study the Prophet`s life to be successful.
• Giving outline of the programme, he said there would be three categories of loans.
• The loans of up to Rs100,000 will be interest-free and will be disbursed among the weaker segments of society in 45 districts of the country.
2. MoU signed for tram service in Lahore
• A European firm has shown interest in launching a tram service in the metropolitan on a 25-30km stretch of the Canal Road (from Thokar to Jallo) in the first phase.
• The project will be launched under public-private partnership (PPP) in a joint venture (JV) of two companies one European and the other Chinese and Punjab transport department.
• The Lahore Transport Company (LTC) will have a regulatory role on behalf of transport department, according to a senior official.
3. PM approves Customs Authority to curb goods smuggling
• Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved establishment of Customs Authority to curb smuggling of goods, worth billions of rupees taking place on the borders of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa every year.
• She gave details of a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on finalizing a strategy against the menace of smuggling. During the two-hour long meeting attended by representatives of relevant ministries, different measures were considered to stop smuggling and discourage illegal trade through a roadmap and practical steps, she said adding customs check posts in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan would be improved.
• The strategy to stop smuggling would lead to a new phase of progress and prosperity after 72 years
4. GDA`s Abbasi wins by-election to Sindh Assembly
• Grand Democratic Alliance`s (GDA) candidate Moazzam Ali Abbasi won the by-election held for the Sindh Assembly`s constituency PS-11 (Larkana-II) on October 17, 2019, according to unofficial results.
• While Mr Abbasi bagged 31,557 votes, his rival Jamil Soomro of the Pakistan Peoples Party could get 26,021 votes, according to the unofficial results received from all the 138 polling stations that were set up for the by-election.
• The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had announced the re-election after the Supreme Court unseated Mr Abbasi, who had won the seat in the 2018 general election.
5. IMF satisfied with 35 percent reduction in trade deficit
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed satisfaction over the reduction in trade deficit of Pakistan by around 35 percent in first quarter (July to September) of the current fiscal year.
• The visiting team of the IMF met Prime Minister’s Advisor on Commerce, Textile, Industries and Production and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood on October 17, 2019.
• Commerce Secretary Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera and other senior officials were also present in the meeting. An official of the commerce ministry informed that Pakistani officials briefed the Fund on the measures taken to control the soaring trade deficit of the country.
• IMF was told that Pakistan’s trade deficit was recorded at $5.73 billion in July to September period of the year 2019-2020 as compared to $8.79 billion in the corresponding period of last year, showing reduction of 34.85 percent
6. Honorary doctorate for Sania Nishtar
• Kings College London has conferred the prestigious Doctorate of Science Honoris Causa on Dr Sania Nishtar in London on October 17, 2019.
• Dr Nishtar is a Kings` alumna and already has got a PhD from the institution, says a press release received here on Thursday.
• The college gave this honour in recognition of her work and contribution in the fields of global health and development.
• Ms Nishtar is the only Pakistani woman with both a PhD and a DSc.
October 18, 2019: International Current Affairs
7. Qatar approves minimum wage law
• Qatar`s government said on October 17, 2019 it adopted a new minimum wage law and will scrap mandatory exit visas for all workers, part of a broad labour reform programme ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
• The Gulf state, which relies on about two million migrant workers for the bulk of its labour force, is also planning to ease curbs on changing employers, Qatar`s administrative development, labour and social affairs ministry said.
• Qatar, along with other wealthy Gulf Arab states, has come under fire for what rights groups describe as poor labour conditions. The statement said the cabinet had adopted new legislation related to the draft law on a minimum wage, though it did not disclose what level the wage could be.
8. Turkey agrees to end Syria operation after talks with US VP
• US Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday he had reached a deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for a ceasebre in northern Syria to end an eight-day old Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led forces.
• Speaking after crisis talks with Erdogan in Ankara, Pence said that under the deal all military operations would be paused to allow a pullback of Kurdish YPG militia over a 120-hour period. The Turkish military operation would end once that withdrawal was complete, Pence told a news conference.
• `Today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria,` Pence told a news conference after more than four hours of talks at the presidential palace in Ankara.
• `The Turkish side will pause Operation Peace Spring in order to allow for the withdrawal of YPG forces from the safe zone for 120 hours,` Pence said.
9. World`s fastest ant clocks nearly one metre per second
• It`s official: The Saharan silver ant is the fastest of the world`s 12,000 known ant species, clocking a blistering 855 millimetres nearly a metre per second, researchers said on October 17, 2019.
• Measured another way, the six-legged sprinter covers 108 times its own body length per second, a feat topped only by two other creatures, the Australian tiger beetle and the California coastal mite.
• To run 100 times his body length as quickly, the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, would need to sprint the 200metre dash in less than a second.
• Making the exploit even more remarkable, the Saharan silver hits top speed racing at midday across desert sands that reach 60 degrees Celsius, the researchers reported in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
October 18, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Brilliant Asif bounces back to annex ranking snooker title
• Trailing 3-4 in the best of 13 final and down by 48 points in the eighth frame, seasoned cueist and top seed Mohammad Asif staged a remarkable comeback to post a 7-4 victory over equally competent Mohammad Sajjad to win the Jubilee Insurance third national ranking snooker championship at the Karachi Gymkhana on October 17, 2019.
• Final scores were 61-53, 64-62,36-78, 13-89, 83-27, 11-54, 38-61, 69-49, 69-64, 55-13, 68-14.
• `Sajad missed a red ball at thecentre pocket in the eighth frame that proved to be a turning point and changed the complexion of the match,` a jubilant Asif told Dawn after the victory.
• Paying compliments to his opponent he said Sajjad has made a comebacl( on the circuit after a bad patch and added the match could have gone either way had the latter availed his chances.
