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October 28, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. IMF team arrives to review Pakistan`s performance under $6bn package
• A staff mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has arrived in Islamabad to conduct the first quarterly review of Pakistan`s performance under its $6bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF) finalised in May this year.
• The successful completion of the first review would enable Islamabad to draw about $453 million from the Fund in first part of December this year, taking the total amount to almost $1.44bn. The IMF had made in July this year an upfront disbursement of $991 million on completion of all prior actions committed by Pakistan before signing the fund programme.
• The visiting team led by Mission Chief to Pakistan Ernesto Ramirez-Rigo will hold technical discussions with authorities from all the ministries, divisions and departments concerned to examine the latest data before winding up its trip on Nov 7 with policy-level talks with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan Dr Reza Baqir.
2. PM to launch Clean Green Pakistan Index on 30th
• Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam announced on October 27, 2019 that the Clean Green Pakistan Index (CGPI) would be launched on Wednesday (Oct 30).
• It would encourage competition among cities on various indicators, including public access to drinking water, safe sanitation, effective solid waste management and tree plantation.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan would launch the Clean Green Pakistan Index, adding that key representatives of provincial governments, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, federal and provincial ministers, senior officials, ambassadors of various countries, university teachers and students and senior representatives of local and international nongovernmental organisations would attend the ceremony
3. Pakistan refuses use of airspace to Modi
• Pakistan on October 27, 2019 said it denied Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi permission to fly through its airspace due to `ongoing grave human rights violations` in India-held Kashmir.
• It is the third time in recent weeks that Islamabad has refused to allow Indian leaders to use it sair space.
• According to a Foreign Office statement, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the decision was taken in view of the observance of the Kashmir Black Day on Sunday and the ongoing gross human rights violations in India held Jammu and Kashmir.
4. FATF report highlights dubious role of shell firms
• Anonymous shell companies are one of the most widely used methods for laundering the proceeds of crime and corruption, says the latest report by the Paris-based international financial agency Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• Its latest report identifies `best practices` to help countries `get rid of the cloak of secrecy` concerning the ultimate owner of a company, foundation, association or any other legal person, and prevent their misuse for crime and terrorism.
• `Transparency of beneficial ownership is essential to prevent the misuse of companies, associations or other entities for money laundering or terrorist financing,` the report says.
• A beneficial owner is a legal term to describe a person who enjoys the benefits of ownership even though the title to that property or business is in another name
October 28, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. US looking for fresh start in ties with Pakistan
• The Trump administration believes in extensive high level engagements for rebuilding its ties with Pakistan, replacing the structured dialogue introduced by the Obama administration, says a senior US official.
• At a recent briefing in Washington, the official also welcomed the establishment of a hotline between the Director Generals of Military Operations of the Indian and Pakistani armies and urged them to use it.
• `The structured dialogue was a diplomatic architecture that was created under the Obama administration.
• And so, that was how the Obama administration approached its relationship with Pakistan,` said the US official when asked if Washington had plans to revive its structured dialogue with Pakistan.
6. Abu Bakr Baghdadi eliminated in US raid: Trump
• Fugitive leader of the militant Islamic State (IS) group Abu Bakr al Baghdadi died `whimpering and crying` in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria, President Donald Trump announced on October 27, 2019, in what he called a major victory over the terrorist outfit.
• Baghdadi killed himself during the raid by detonating a suicide vest after fleeing into a dead-end tunnel, Trump said in a televised address from the White House.
• He was positively identified by DNA tests 15 minutes after he died, the president said.
• The death of Baghdadi is a severe blow to IS, which has been in disarray and has no declared successor as leader yet. But the group has in the past proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years
7. Facebook and Twitter are not `neutral bulletin boards`
• Facebook and Twitter are not the neutral bulletin boards they claim to be, but are instead carefully created hierarchies of intervention made by those who run these tech giants, said Senator Sherry Rehman during a panel discussion at the London edition of the Lahore Literature Festival (LLF) this weekend.
• The session, which discussed the dark side of social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, also featuredas panelists the popular Turkish author Elif Shafak as well as the illustrious Alan Rusbridger, a former editor of the Guardian who is now the principal of Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University.
• The talk was moderated by BBC journalist Yalda Hakim. The theme, `Negotiating the imperative of liberty`, touched on an assessment of whether and how citizens and journalists can defend civilliberties in a new world order of fake news and information overload
8. Kurd forces pull out from entire length of Turkish border
• Kurdish forces said on October 27, 2019 they will redeploy away from the entire length of Syria`s northern border in compliance with a Russian-Turkish agreement that will see them replaced by Damascus-backed forces.
• The Kurd-led Syrian Democratic Forces `is redeploying to new positions away from the Turkish-Syrian border` in accordance with the deal signed in Sochi last week, they said in a statement.
• `Syrian border guards affiliated with the central government will deploy along the entire length of Syria`s border with Turkey,` the statement added.
• The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has said Kurdish-led SDF started pulling out of some areas at the eastern end of the border on Thursday.
9. Lebanese protesters form 170-km nationwide human chain
• Tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters successfully formed a human chain running north-south across the entire country on October 27, 2019 to symbolise newfound national unity.
• Demonstrators joined hands from Tripoli to Tyre, a 170-kilometre chain running through the capital Beirut, as part of an unprecedented cross-sectarian mobilisation.
• Tension has mounted in recent days between security forces and protesters, who have blocked roads and brought the country to a standstill to press their demands for a complete overhaul of the political system.
• Lebanon`s reviled political elite has defended a belated package of economic reforms and appeared willing to reshuffle the government, but protesters who have stayed on the streets since October 17 want more.
October 28, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Netherlands crush Pakistan`s Olympic dreams with 6-1 demolition
• Pakistan came into the game hopeful and optimistic. The Netherlands left them bruised and battered.
• A day after stunning the hosts with a 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Olympic qualifier, Pakistan came crashing down to earth on Sunday as the Netherlands thrashed them 6-1 to seal a 10-5 aggregate victory and punch their tickets to Tokyo for next year`s Games.
• The Dutch were devastating on Sunday, racing into a 4-0 lead at halftime with Mink van der Weerden scoring twice and Bjorn Kellerman and Mirco Pruijser both firing home glorious backhand efforts.
• Terrance Pieters and Jip Janssen then scored in the space of four minutes in the third quarter to effectively end the contest altogether before Rizwan Ali`s drag-flick conversion gave Pakistan a consolation goal seven minutes from time.
Check our daily updated ‘s Complete Day by Day Current Affairs Notes
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