Day by Day Current Affairs (August 12, 2018) | MCQs for CSS, PMS, NTS

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August 12, 2018

1. Final NA tally shows Imran in convincing lead

• The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf`s tally reached 158 members in the National Assembly af ter the joining of nine independents and bagging 33 seats reserved for women and minorities.
• Out of the 60 reserved women seats, the PTI has clinched 28, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) with 16 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party(PPP) nine seats, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) two seats and one seat each by Balochistan Awami Party (BAP),Balochistan National Party (BNP), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q).
• Similarly, out of the 10 reserved seats for minorities, the PTI has won five, followed by two each by the PPP and PML-N and one by the MMA.If the votes of the PTI and its allied parties are counted, the total comes to 184 in the house of 339. In addition to this, four independent MNAs-elect are also poised to support the PTI and, therefore, the total number of the membersbelonging to the PTI and its allies comes to 188. But the PTI will still not be facing a weak opposition as the strength of its arch-rival PML-N and its allies also comes to 151.
• The prominent women who have been notified as MNAs on reserved seats are Dr Shireen Mazari, Munaza Hassan and Andaleeb Abbas of the PTI; Tahira Aurangzeb, Shaista Pervez, former information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, the wife of former special assistant to the PM on foreign affairs Tariq Fatemi, Mussarat Asif Khawaja, the wife of Khawaja Asif, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, former religious affairs minister Shagufta Jummani, Shazia Marri and former senator Rubina Irfan.
• The National Assembly has a total of 342 seats, including 272 general seats, 60 seats reserved for women and 10 reserved for minorities. Elections on July 25 were held in 270 constituencies as polls in NA-60 Rawalpindi had been postponed following the disqualification of PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi days before the polling while elections in NA-103 (Faisalabad) had been put off after the death of a candidate.

2. Table of Contents

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   Balochistan Assembly to meet tomorrow, Punjab PA session set for 15^th

• The inaugural sessions of the provincial assemblies of Balochistan and Punjab are set to be held on Aug 13 and 15, respectively.
• The newly-elected members of the two assemblies will be administered the oath by the outgoing speakers.
• Outgoing Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal will administer the oath to the MPAs-elect. The session of the 17th provincial assembly will begin at 10am.
• The election to the posts of speaker and deputy speaker will be held on Aug 16, or as scheduled by the speaker. The chief minister`s election will be held a day after the speaker`s election and the new chief minister`s oath-taking ceremony will be held at Governor House.

3. Pakistan prepares 11 outcomes to comply with FATF recommendations

• To comply with 40 recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan’s key institutions have come up with a comprehensive plan by devising 11 immediate outcomes for avoiding further down gradation through upcoming evaluation by the Asia and Pacific Group (APG) from the next week.
• A delegation of the APG is scheduled to visit Pakistan from August 13 and will stay here for one week to evaluate the country’s progress. Pakistan will have to show progress on FATF instructions to avoid slipping from grey to blacklist.
• A list of 11 immediate outcomes has been exclusively shared with The News by top officials who said that all the key stakeholders including the Ministry of Finance, FMU, SBP, Nacta, FIA and FBR’s Intelligence and Investigation will have to play important role during the next week’s visit of the APG.

4. More than 90pc Form-45 not signed by polling agents

• It is official now that over 90 percent Form-45 displayed on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s website do not bear the signatures of the polling agents.
• Although the ECP spokesperson has admitted that many Form-45 have not been signed by the polling agents, according to him it was not a requirement of the Form-45 as there was no space for polling agent’s signature. However, the Section 90 (12) of the Elections Act 2017 clearly says that the presiding officer shall obtain signature of the polling agent on the form.
• The Section 90 (12) of the Elections Act 2017 says, “The Presiding Officer, after preparation of the Result of the count and the Ballot Paper Account, shall sign them and obtain thereon the signatures of the senior-most Assistant Presiding Officer and an accredited observer, a candidate or his election agent or polling agents as may be present in token of the said documents having been prepared in their presence and if any such person refuses to sign it, the Presiding Officer shall record a note on the result of the count and the ballot paper account to that effect.

5. China delays mosque demolition after protest

• Authorities in northern China delayed the demolition of a massive mosque on August 11, 2018 after thousands of people demonstrated to stop its destruction.
• Across China, officials have sought to limit religious freedoms for Muslims as part of a widespread attempt to bring believers in line with the dictates of the ruling Communist Party.
• Videos posted on social media in recent days showed protesters gathering in front of the building as police with riot shields stood by.

6. WB to issue world’s first blockchain bond

• The World Bank is taking a step into the brave new world of digital finance to sell the first-ever bond to be issued entirely using blockchain technology.
• More than just funds, the World Bank aims to gain experience using blockchain — a digital public registry of transactions — that could lead to “a golden future” for financial services for developing nations.
• The technology is most often associated with cryptocurrencies — like bitcoin — which often raise suspicion about their reliability and volatility, as well as their use for criminal purposes.
• But because there as yet is no central bank-backed digital currency in existence, the two-year blockchain bond will rely on real-world money: Australian dollars.

7. Russia’s economy grows further in 2Q

• Russia’s economy saw year-on-year growth of 1.8 percent in the second quarter benefitting from rising oil prices and despite increasingly harsh US sanctions
• Russia’s economy expanded by 1.3 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period of 2017, after two years of recession in 2015 and 2016.
• The return to growth seen in 2017 has continued this year despite the announcement in April of new US sanctions over Russia’s alleged meddling in 2016 presidential elections won by Donald Trump

8. Afghan forces in control of Ghazni

• Security forces were in control of the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni on August 11, 2018, more than a day after Taliban fighters launched a major onslaught on the provincial capital, as reinforcements continued a clearance operation targeting the militants.
• Fresh reinforcements had arrived in the area and were battling Taliban fighters north of Ghazni, and that the insurgents were in no position to take control of the city.

9. Nasa postpones for 24 hours launch of historic spaceship to Sun

• Nasa postponed the launch of the first ever spacecraft to fly directly toward the Sun on a mission to plunge into our star`s sizzling atmosphere and unlock its mysteries.
• The reason for the delay was not immediately clear, but was called for after a gaseous helium alarm was soundedin thelastmoments before liftoff, officials said.
• Engineers are taking utmost caution with the $1.5 billion Parker Solar Probe, which Thomas Zurbuchen, head of Nasa`s science mission directorate, described as one of the agency`s most `strategically important missions`.
• By coming closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in history, the unmanned probe`s main goal is to unveil the secrets of the corona, the unusual atmosphere aroundthe Sun.
• Not only is the corona about 300 times hotter than the Sun`s surf ace, but it alsohurls powerful plasma and energetic particles that can unleash geomagnetic space storms, wreaking havoc on Earth by disrupting the power grid.
• These solar outbursts are poorly understood, but pack the potential to wipe out power to millions of people.

10. Indian women pilots flying around the world in 90 days

• Indian women pilots have set off to circumnavigate the globe,
• Two women are set to become India’s first women pilots to circumnavigate the globe. Aarohi Ashok Pandit and Keithair Gilroy Misquitta in a motor glider reached Karachi on the first leg of their journey around the world in 90 days.
• The expedition which started from Bhuj on August 7 will cover three continents, 21 countries in 90 days covering 40,000 km across the globe. The women pilots were received by Air Adviser Group Captain JT Kurien, who wished them blue skies on their onward journey