Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (September 16, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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September 16, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. Troops from China, Pakistan, two other countries end exercise

• China`s armed forces concluded their first multinational peacekeeping exercise on September 15, 2021, showing off their combat prowess with drones and mine-clearing robots while seeking to project a more benign image.
• As the Asian giant modernises and beefs up its military by pumping hundreds of billions of dollars annually into its defence budget, it has also strived to assure other countries that its military is a force for good, not a threat.
• About 1,000 troops from China, Pakistan, Mongolia and Thailand participated in the 10-day exercise at a People`s Liberation Army training base in Queshan county in the central province of Henan.

2. Seven soldiers martyred in S. Waziristan gunfight with terrorists

• Seven soldiers were martyred and five terrorists killed during an intense exchange of fire in the Asman Manza area of South Waziristan tribal district on September 15, 2021, said Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
• Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Asman Manza area after reports were received that terrorists were present there.
• According to the statement released by the military`s media affairs wing, five terrorists were killed in the operation. During the intense exchange of fire seven soldiers embraced shahadat

3. ECC okays Rs44bn financial aid for PIA

• Within first quarter of the new fiscal year, the Economic Coordination Committee (CCI) of the Cabinet on September 15, 2021 approved Rs28 billion supplementary grants to Ministry of Defence and about Rs44bn to Pakistan International Airlines.
• Presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, the ECC also allowed 70 million cubic feet of imported gas to two Punjab-based fertiliser plants for the upcoming Rabi season and ordered a review of overall requirements to conclude if urea imports would be required.

4. S. Korea tests sub-launched ballistic missile after North fires two into sea

• South Korea successfully test-fired a submarine launched ballistic missile on Wednesday, becoming only the seventh country in the world with the advanced technology and raising the prospect of a regional arms race.
• The test, supervised by President Moon Jae-in, came hours after nuclear-armed North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea, according to the South`s military prompting Washington to brand Pyongyang`s action a provocative `threat` to Asian neighbours.
• South Korea`s test is a strategic advance for Seoul. It has been strengthening its military capabilities to counter the threat posed by the North, which is under international sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes

5. UN withdraws peacekeepers from African state over sex abuse claims

• The UN will withdraw Gabon`s 450-strong peacekeeping contingent from the Central African Republic over sexual abuse aHegadons, a scourge that has long tarnished UN interventions, Gabon`s defence ministry said on Wednesday.
• `In recent weeks, exceptionally serious acts that go against military ethics and the honour of the armed forces, committed by certain elements in the Gabonese battalions have been reported,` the ministry said

6. Taiwan drills military as concerns grow over China

• The F-16 screeched across the sky on Wednesday before landing on a highway cut through pineapple fields in southwestern Taiwan to refuel quickly and take off again.
• The Taiwanese military exercise envisioned a Chinese attack taking out the island`s main airfields, necessitating the use of rural roads as runways to carry on the fight.
• War is not imminent, but as China has grown increasingly assertive in both the East China and South China Seas, Taiwan is stepping up its defence. Across the region, the United States and its alhes are deepening military cooperation and strategising over an effective response.

7. UN calls for moratorium on AI systems that threaten human rights

• The UN called on September 15, 2021 for a moratorium on artificial intelligence systems like facial recognition technology that threaten human rights until `guardrails` are in place against violations.
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned that `AI technologies can have negative, even catastrophic effects if they are used without sufficient regard to how they affect people`s human rights.
• She called for assessments of how great a risk various AI technologies pose to things like rights to privacy and freedom of movement and of expression. She said countries should ban or heavily regulate the ones that pose the greatest threats.

8. Macron meets key Gulf ally Abu Dhabi crown prince in historic chateau

• French President Emmanuel Macron on September 15, 2021 held talks with the crown prince of the UAE`s Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, one of Paris` closest allies in the Middle East region.
• The two met for a working lunch at the historic Fontainebleau Chateau outside Paris, where the United Arab Emirates has played a key role in restoration works, correspondents said.
• France has close military, political and cultural ties to the UAE. Abu Dhabi has in the last month served as a hub for the evacuation by Paris of French nationals and Afghans from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

9. $12m seized from former Afghan officials

• Afghanistan`s central bank said on September 15, 2021 that the Taliban had seized more than $12 million in cash and gold from the homes of former government officials, as a financial crunch threatens the Islamists` rule one month after they took back power.
• Most government employees have yet to return to work and in many cases salaries had already not been paid for months leaving millions scrambling to make ends meet.
• Even those with money in the bank are struggling, as branches limit withdrawals to the equivalent of $200 a week with customers having to queue for hours

10. IAEA complains to Iran over `harassment` of women inspectors

• The UN nuclear watchdog on September 15, 2021 condemned as `unacceptable` incidents involving its inspectors in Iran following a news report that Iranian guards had harassed female agency staff.
• The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that guards at Iran`s main nuclear facility, Natanz, physically harassed female International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors in several incidents since early June. The incidents allegedly included inappropriate touching and orders to remove clothing, the report said, citing diplomats. The United States condemned the incidents. `Harassment of IAEA inspectors is absolutely unacceptable and any repeat of such conduct would be of serious concern,` said US Charge d`Affaires Louis L Bono.
• `The safety and well-being of IAEA inspectors must be one of this Board`s highest priorities

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