WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2019 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
September 16, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Pakistan asks Afghanistan not to play in Indian hands
• Pakistan has asked Afghanistan not to play in the hands of India amid tensions in the region.
• Senior government officials told that Pakistan had reminded Afghanistan about the peace efforts by Islamabad and the shelter Pakistan had provided to millions of refugees after the Soviet invasion.
• “We have asked Afghanistan to keep the border peaceful to avoid any strong reaction by Pakistan. We cannot tolerate attacks from across the border. Afghanistan has been asked not to play in the hands of India. We (Pakistan) understand India is misguiding them (Afghanistan),” said one official.
• Another official said that Pakistan had warned Afghanistan that “our leniency should not be mistaken for weakness.” Pakistan, he said, reserved the right to respond.
2. Terminal to make round-the-clock Afghan trade possible
• The National Logistics Cell (NLC), in coordination with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has completed arrangements for round-the-clock trans-border trade with Afghanistan through Torkham border terminal which is expected to open next week.
• The terminal has been operating 24/7 on a trial basis and will be formally opened at a ceremony to be held at Torkham.
• The work to upgrade the terminal began after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, on his last visit in June, requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to ease trade between the two countries through the border crossing.
3. NHS ministry forms advisory committee on PMDC
• Just two weeks after the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Ordinance was rejected in Senate, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has constituted an eight-member advisory body on the PMDC made up almost entirely of former PMDC council members.
• The PMDC council stopped functioning after the ordinance was rejected by the upper house.
• NHS Secretary Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik said the committee was set up to advise Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on NHS Dr Zafar Mirza, who has the status of a state minister, and will be consulted in the event of any confusing regarding the council.
• It adds that the committee will be chaired by Prof Aamer Zaman Khan and will count Dr Amir Bilal, Dr Saeed Hameed, Maj Gen Dr Saleem Ahmed, retired Lt Gen Dr Azhar Rashid, Dr Shahnaz Nawaz, Dr Aneesur Rehman and Dr Zafarullah Chaudhry as members.
4. 258m remained out of school in 2018: Unesco
• New data published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) on the world`s out-of-school children reveals little progress over more than a decade as roughly 258 million children, adolescents and youth were out of school in 2018 around one-sixth of the global population of school-age children aged 6 to 17 years.
• Even more worrying is the fact that unless urgent measures are taken, 12m primary school-age children will never set foot in an institution, warns the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), which released the data the other day. In view of such figures, it will be difficult to ensure inclusive quality education for all, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the international community for 2030, the data shows.
• It confirms recent UNESCO projections showing that, at the present rate, one in every six children will still be out of primary and secondary school in 2030, and that only six out of 10 young people will complete secondary education.
• The data also highlights the gap between the world`s richest and poorest countries.
September 16, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. Leaders of Turkey, Russia, Iran set to tackle Syria turmoil
• The leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran meet on September 16, 2019 to try to secure a lasting truce in northwest Syria following attacks by the government that risk deepening regional turmoil and pushing a new wave of migrants towards Turkey.
• The summit in Ankara, bringing together countries whose Syrian allies are combatants in a ruinous eight-year-old war, will focus on the Idlib region, the last remaining territory held by rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani have backed Assad against the rebels. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, along with the United States, European and Arab allies, has supported different rebel factions in the conflict.
• Turkey set up 12 military observation posts in northwest Syria
6. Indian SC to hear pleas on Article 370 today
• The Indian SC is scheduled to hear on September 16, 2019 (today) pleas challenging abrogation of provisions of Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, validity of imposition of President’s rule and the related restrictions imposed in the state.
• A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde and S Abdul Nazeer will be also hearing a bunch of fresh petitions, including the one filed by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad seeking permission to visit his family members and relatives.
• Azad, who had tried to visit the state twice after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions in Jammu and Kashmir but was sent back from the airport by the authorities, has sought a nod from the top court to visit his family members. Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference party led by Sajjad Lone has also challenged the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 and the validity of the state Re-organization Bill.
7. Syrian president decrees amnesty, reduces sentences
• Syria`s President Bashar al-Assad on September 15, 2019 issued a decree to release or decrease the punishment of various prisoners, including some detained under the war-torn country`s `terrorism law` The so-called `general amnesty` is the latest in a line of such decrees, including one in 2014 that saw thousands released.
• September 15, 2019`s decree also promised to reduce sentences of some detainees.
• It would include freeing some prisoners detained under a 2012 `terrorism law`, using a catch-all term for anti-government activists, rebels and jihadists.
• Those imprisoned under the 2012 law over `conspiracy` or failing to inform the authorities of an act of `terrorism` are to be released, according to the decree.
8. Afghan, US forces kill two Taliban `shadow governors`
• Afghan security forces, backed by US air strikes, killed two of the Taliban movement`s `shadow provincial governors on September 15, 2019, as fighting stepped up in the wake of collapse of the talks aimed at ending war in Afghanistan, officials said.
• The operations, launched on September 14, 2019 night, were aimed at foiling attacks planned by the Taliban on Afghan forces, said a senior security official in the capital Kabul, adding that clashes have escalated following the collapse of diplomatic talks between the United States and the Taliban.
• In a statement the defence ministry said at least 85 Taliban fighters were killed in a joint ground and air operation in southern Paktika province on Saturday night.
• The figure was rejected by the Taliban, who said seven fighters had been killed and 11 wounded while casualties among the security forces were over 20.
9. Israel approves new settlement two days before polls
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s government approved a new settlement in the occupied West Bank on September 15, 2019, two days ahead of a closely fought election as he seeks to boost turnout among his right-wing base.
• The approval came as Netanyahu and his main opponent Benny Gantz vied to mobilise supporters, with final rallies planned for September 15, 2019 evening.
• Netanyahu has made a flurry of announcements in recent days as part of his efforts to continue his reign as Israel`s longest-serving prime minister.
• On September 15, 2019, the cabinet agreed to turn the wildcat settlement of Mevoot Yericho in the Jordan Valley into an official settlement, the premier`s office said.
• All settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel distinguishes between those it has approved and those it has not.
10. Tunisia votes in second free presidential election since Arab Spring
• Tunisian voters turned out in large numbers on September 15, 2019 to choose from a crowded field of candidates after a divisive campaign in the country`s second free presidential poll since the 2011 Arab Spring.
• Prominent candidates, in the absence of opinion polls, included media mogul Nabil Karoui, behind bars due to a money laundering probe, Abdelfattah Mourou, heading a first-time bid for Islamist inspired party Ennahdha, and Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.
• Some 13,000 polling booths opened across Tunisia at 8am and Mourou smiled broadly as he cast his ballot, while Chahed said he was `proud of this great event`, after voting.
• `The world is watching. By tonight or tomorrow, Tunisia will be in good hands,` the premier said.
