Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (September 18, 2020) for CSS, PMS

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September 18, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. WB tribunal issues stay in Reko Dig case

• The World Bank`s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has granted a stay on the enforcement of a penalty awarded against Pakistan in the Reko Dig mining lease dispute.
• `This is a success for Pakistan and its legal team,` said a statement issued by the Attorney General office on September 17, 2020.
• In July 2019, an ICSID tribunal had slapped a whopping $5.97 billion award against Pakistan for denying the mining lease to Australian company Tethyan Copper Company (TCC).

2. 18 markets to be set up along borders with Iran, Afghanistan

• The government has decided to establish 18 markets along Pak-Afghan and Pak-Iran borders with a view to boosting trade with the two countries and curbing the menace of smuggling.
• The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 17, 2020. He also gave the nod to a plan for setting up three border markets as a pilot project two in Balochistan and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These three markets will start operation by February next year.
• The meeting decided that stern steps would be taken to check smuggling. Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and other high officials attended the meeting.

3. PTV chairman, six directors, DRAP chief shown the door

• Pakistan Television chairman Arshad Khan, six directors of the PTV board and the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) were sacked by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on September 17, 2020.
• After the court order, the ministry of information and broadcasting issued a notification to de-seat Arshad Khan. As per the notification, Information Secretary Akbar Durrani has been given the charge to look after the PTV board till the appointment of a regular chairman.
• An IHC bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani passed a judgement on the appointments of the PTV chairman and board members while another bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb dealt with the DRAP CEO`s appointment case.

4. LHC bans polythene bags in Punjab

• The Lahore High Court on September 17, 2020 directed the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce ban on the manufacturing, sale and use of polythene bags in entire Punjab.
• Justice Shahid Karim was hearing a public interest petition when petitioner`s counsel Abuzar Salman Niazi said at present the ban on plastic bags was enforced in Lahore, Gujranwala and Faisalabad districts.
• He said except three, the bags were being used in all districts of the province which was a great hurdle to achieve the real purpose of the ban on environmentally hazardous polythene bags

5. Pakistan re-elected to key UN body

• Pakistan has been elected to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) by securing 52 votes from the 54-member Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• `This overwhelming support constitutes 96 per cent of the total tally,` said a spokesperson for Pakistan`s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
• `Pakistan`s re-election is a resounding validation of its meaningful engagement within the United Nations as well as its contributions in the areas of international economic cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the spokes person added.

6. Buzdar announces 500-Kanal South Punjab Secretariat in Multan

• Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on September 17, 2020 announced that a 500-Kanal South Punjab Secretariat would be built on Matti Tal Road.
• The chief minister made this announcement while chairing a meeting of provincial secretaries deployed in South Punjab here at Circuit House. The Secretariat in Multan will have the offices of law, home, housing and urban development, education, health, police, forest, fisheries and wildlife as well as agriculture departments.
• The CM disclosed that the design for the secretariat had been approved and a five-storey building would be built for the secretariat. He further said the approval for Multan Gymkhana had also been given while Nishtar-11 project would be accomplished and made functional soon

7. Rich nations have cornered half of future Covid-19 vaccine supply: Oxfam

• A group of wealthy nations representing 13 percent of the global population have already bought up more than half of the promised doses of future Covid-19 vaccines, according to a report by Oxfam on September 16, 2020.
• The non-governmental organisation analysed deals struck by pharmaceuticals and vaccine producers for the five leading vaccine candidates currently in late-stage trials, based on data collected by the analytics company Airfinity.
• `Access to a life-saving vaccine shouldn`t depend on where you live or how much money you have,` said Robert Silverman of Oxfam America

8. US likely to name Qatar as major non-Nato ally

• The United States hopes to move forward with naming Qatar as a major non-Nato ally, a status that provides foreign nations with benefits in defence trade and security cooperation, a senior official said on September 17, 2020.
• `We`re going to move ahead, we hope, with designating Qatar a major non-Nato ally,` Timothy Lenderking, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for Gulf affairs, told reporters in a conference call.
• A number of officials, including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, met in Washington earlier this week.

9. Sony reveals new PS5 costs $499

• More than one million people from around the world tuned into Sony’s virtual PlayStation 5 showcase event to learn more details of the highly-anticipated gaming console – specifically its price and release date.
• Sony announced the system with a disc drive costs $499 and the digital edition $399, both will be ship on November 12, 2020 in North America, along with Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
• The rest of the world can mark their calendars for November 19 when they are set to receive their shipments, but pre-orders worldwide start September 22.

10. United Airlines rolling out a robot to help deep clean airplanes

• Robots have become key players during the coronavirus pandemic and United Airlines is using one to disinfect planes with the hopes of encouraging people to take flight again.
• The firm has designed a 100-pound robot to disperse an antimicrobial spray that forms a long-lasting bond on surfaces and hinders the growth of microbes. Called Nova Rover, the system is equipped with an omnidirectional nozzle atop a poll that sprays the fine mist in six directions as it rolls down the aisle

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