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December 8, 2018: National Current Affairs
1. Chinese team arrives for military exercises
• A contingent of Special Forces of the People`s Liberation Army of China reached here on December 8, 2018 to participate in the joint counterterrorism drills, Warrior-VI 2018.
• Troops of the Special Services Groups from both armies will participate in the three-week-long exercise.
• This year`s drills would be the sixth in a series of exercises held annually and alternately in the two countries. Pakistan last hosted the exercises in 2016.
• The drills are held as part of bilateral military cooperation and have complemented the growth of defence relations between the neighbours.
2. In a historic first, President House opened to public
• For the first time in the country`s history, President House on December 8, 2018 opened its doors to the public as part of the government`s plans to allow the people to access state-owned buildings.
• Earlier, the government had opened Governor Houses in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and a state owned rest house in Murree to the public.
• A large number of people from twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad visited the highly secured building of Aiwan-i-Sadr
3. ADB agrees to provide Rs27bn for Nalong dam
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide Rs26.6 billion for the construction of the much-delayed Naulong dam in Balochostan after the provincial government agreed to issue an NOC next week allowing the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to execute it.
• `ADB has agreed to fund the project, as it has included it in its business plan,` a spokesman for the bank told while confirming the development.
• The bank is of the view that the provincial government doesn`t have the capacity to execute the project in a professional manner. And if WAPDA executes this, it is ready to fund it.
• After this development, the Naulong dam project is no more in the funding ambit of the federal government`s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP.
• Located on Mula River-about 30km from Gandava Town in Balochistan`s Jhal Magsi district, the 4.4-megawatt Naulong project was planned to be launched in 2009 with completion in 2012. However, the project-a zoned earth fill dam with 186 feet height and gross and live storage capacity of 242,163 and 199,956 acres feet-remained stuck for about nine years and became a shuttlecock between the Planning Commission and the provincial government on various issues related to funding, capacity, execution etc. Wapda, which was too engaged in the process, was also directed in the past to explore financing avenues for the project.
• However, the international donors, especially the ADB didn`t agree to fund the project if it executed by the Balochistan government.
4. World Bank sees moderate growth in remittances
• While remittances to South Asia are projected to increase by 13.5 per cent in 2018, the growth of remittances in Pakistan is projected to remain moderate at 6.2pc due to significant declines in inflow from Saudi Arabia, the largest remittance source for the country.
• The new World Bank report, `Regional Trends in Migration and Remittance Flows`, released on December 8, 2018, says that the remittances to Pakistan is expected to touch the figure of $20.9bn in 2018, which is 6.9pc of GDP. India remains on top with the figure of $79.5bn.
• After slow growth of 2.4pc in 2016, remittances remained nearly flat in 2017 largely due to significant declines in inflows from Saudi Arabia, and this trend continued into early 2018, the report says.
• Bangladesh remained at third position with $15.9bn followed by Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldives. Remittances to South Asia are projected to increase by 13.5pc in 2018, a faster pace than the 5.7pc growth seen in 2017.
• In the GCC countries, which host a significantly larger per capita share of foreign workers, the deployment of workers from South Asia has been declining.
5. Seven more economic zones recommended in Punjab
• The Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) has recommended that the provincial government approve another seven special economic zones (SEZs) in Punjab.
• The total investment size of the projects recommended is estimated to be around Rs27 billion which will attract manufacturing concerns, leading to import substitution and creation of around 400,000 direct and indirect jobs.
• At a meeting presided over by Minister for Industries, Commerce & Investment Mian Aslam Iqbal it emerged that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) include: Rahim Yar Khan Industrial Estate, Bhalwal Industrial Estate, Vehari Industrial Estate by PIEDMIC, Rachna Industrial Park by National Industrial Parks, North Star Textiles Ltd (Zaamin Group), Roshan Sun Tao Paper Mills Ltd and Frontier Oil Company (Frontier Works Organization).
December 9, 2018: International Current Affairs
6. Trump nominates new US military chief
• US President Donald Trump on December 8, 2018 nominated an Afghan war veteran, Gen Mark Milley to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Gen Joe Dunford.
• The nomination has to be confirmed by the US Senate.
• Gen Milley is a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and has served as the US Army`s top officer since August 2015.
• Gen Dunford, a former commandant of the Marine Corps, is expected to serve out his term as Joint Chiefs chairman, which ends next Oct 1.
• Gen Dunford originally was nominated for the Joint Chiefs position by former President Barack Obama, serving an initial two-year term.
• President Trump re-nominated him in 2017 for a second term
7. Russia calls for common list of terror organisations
• Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin called on December 8, 2018 for the creation of a common list of terrorist organisations to avoid double interpretation of the latter’s actions.
• The politician stressed that it was extremely important for the international community to establish cooperation to curb the spread of terrorist and extremist ideology.
• Volodin believes that the format and experience of the struggle of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) against terrorism can be used in the framework of the meetings of the Russia, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.
8. Former Colombian president dies at 95
• Colombia’s former President Belisario Betancur Cuartas, known for carrying out democratic reforms and for his efforts to bring an end to the government’s conflict with rebel groups, died aged 95 in the country’s capital of Bogota on December 7, 2018
• Betancur was in office between 1982 and 1986 after three unsuccessful bids to secure a presidential term.
• The politician initiated peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army and other guerrilla groups. However, his presidency was overshadowed by an attack on the Palace of Justice in Bogota by the M19 guerrilla group, during which over 300 people were taken hostage by the rebels and over 100 people were subsequently killed during the government forces’ assault on the palace
9. China mission launches to far side of Moon
• China has launched the first mission to land a robotic craft on the far side of the Moon.
• The Chang’e-4 mission will see a static lander and rover touch down in Von Kármán crater, located on the side of the Moon which never faces Earth. The payload blasted off atop a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
• The mission will pave the way for the country to deliver samples of Moon rock and soil to Earth.
• The landing will not occur until early January, when the probe will descend on thrusters and touch down on the rugged terrain of the lunar far side. Von Kármán crater is of interest to scientists because it is located within the oldest and largest impact feature on the Moon – the South Pole-Aitken Basin. This was probably formed by a giant asteroid impact billions of years ago.
10. Nasa’s InSight lander hears Martian winds
• Nasa’s InSight lander, which touched down on Mars last week, has provided the first ever “sounds” of Martian winds on the Red Planet, said Nasa on other day.
• InSight sensors captured a haunting low rumble caused by vibrations from the wind, estimated to be blowing between 10 to 15 mph (5 to 7 meters a second) on Dec. 1, from northwest to southeast, according to Nasa. The winds were consistent with the direction of dust devil streaks in the landing area, which were observed from orbit, said Nasa. “Capturing this audio was an unplanned treat,” said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. “But one of the things our mission is dedicated to is measuring motion on Mars, and naturally that includes motion caused by sound waves.” According to Nasa, two very sensitive sensors on the spacecraft detected these wind vibrations: an air pressure sensor inside the lander and a seismometer sitting on the lander’s deck, awaiting deployment by InSight’s robotic arm.