WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 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
1. Pakistan`s tallest woman passes away
- Zainab Bibi, who was declared the tallest woman by the Guinness Book of World Record in 2003, died of head attack here on July 19, 2018 after a protracted illness. She was 46.
- Zainab`s height started increasing rapidly when she was 15 and by the time she was 20, it reached 7 feet and 2 inches. She had six sisters.
- She first got noticed when she was invited to the PTV`s popular show Neelam Ghar hosted by Tariq Aziz in 1998.
- In 2003, she was declared the world`s tallest woman by the Guinness Book of World Record. After that, she was invited to different countries and visited 15 of them, including UK, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
2. Sulaiman appointed PSX chairman
- Sulaiman S. Mehdi has been appointed the chairman of Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), on July 19, 2018.
- Mr Mehdi replaces Hussain Lawai who stepped down last week from the post on the directives of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) after money laundering charges were pressed against him.
- Although a PSX board of directors meeting held on July 10 was uncertain in dealing with the matter, the SECP the very next day directed the PSX to remove Mr Lawal and appoint a new chairman.
- Mr Mehdi has 17 years of experience working with financial services groups in senior positions in the areas of investments, operations, marketing, legal and corporate affairs.
- Presently, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Cyan Ltd.
- Among his prominent achievements is the acquisition of Hubco from National Power on June 13, 2012.
3. Xi arrives in Abu Dhabi after China signs deals with UAE
- President Xi Jinping arrived in Abu Dhabi on July 19, 2018 for a three-day visit, after the announcement of oil and trade deals between China and the UAE.
- This is a historic visit and represents a new stage of cooperation in all fields, which will bring growth, development and prosperity to the people of our nations.
- Abu Dhabi is the first stop on Xi`s tour, which also includes Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa.
- The survey is to search for oil and gas in onshore and offshore sites covering an area of 53,000 square kilometres (20,463 square miles).
- The UAE`s state-owned DP World also announced an agreement by the two countries to build a new trade zone in Dubai.
4. Airbus conducts first test flight of its new `whale in the sky`
- European aerospace giant Airbus conducted on July 19, 2018 the first test flight of the giant new Beluga XL, an even bigger version of the company`s workhorse transport plane which has been in service since the mid 1990s.
- The A330-743L Beluga XL has grown six meters (20 feet) longer and one metre wider from the Beluga ST, stretching its carrying capacity by 30 per cent.
- The five planes being developed will be used to ferry around parts for building Airbus`s other range of planes at its production sites across Europe.
- Two wings of the A350 long-haul passenger jet can now be carried, instead of just one previously, for a maximum distance of 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles).
5. Knesset adopts law defining Israel as Jewish nation-state
- Israel`s parliament on July 19, 2018 adopted a law defining the country as the nation state of the Jewish people, provoking fears it could lead to blatant discrimination against Arab citizens.
- Arab lawmakers and Palestinians called the law `racist` and said it legalised `apartheid` following a tumultuous debate in parliament. Others said it neglects to specify equality and Israel`s democratic character, implying that the country`s Jewish nature comes first. The European Union expressed concern and called for the rights of minorities to be respected.
- The legislation, adopted by 62 votes to 55, makes Hebrew the country`s national language and defines the establishment of Jewish communities as being in the national interest. Arabic, previously considered an official language, has been granted only special status.
- The law, passed, speaks of Israel as the historic homeland of the Jews and says they have a `unique` right to self-determination there, according to copies of the final text quoted by Israeli media.
- However, a deeply controversial clause that had been seen as more specifically legalising the establishment of Jewish-only communities was changed after it drew criticism, including from President Reuven Rivlin.
- The legislation becomes part of the country`s basic laws, which serve as a de facto constitution.
6. NAB arrests additional director NTS
- NAB Rawalpindi has arrested the accused Tahir Maqbool Khakwani, Additional Director/Member consultants hiring committee of the National Testing Service (NTS).
- Some unscrupulous elements in the top management of the NTS have been found involved in corruption and corrupt practices and are intentionally playing with the future of the candidates.
- They are involved in maladministration and financial irregularities and have caused loss of more than Rs158 million to the organisation. The accused person in connivance with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NTS Haroon Rashid allegedly recruited fake consultants through the regional heads for misappropriating/embezzling huge chunks of amounts from the NTS funds and have used these amounts for personal gains/benefits.
7. Peru’s judiciary head resigns over corruption scandal
- Peru’s Supreme Court president Duberli Rodriguez offered his resignation on July 19, 2018 after the publication of a series of audio recordings sparked a growing scandal over the sale of sentences and influence peddling.
- “Given the institutional crisis that the judicial branch is going through, I present my irrevocable resignation from the post,” said Rodriguez in a short letter published on the Supreme Court’s Twitter account.
- The reasons for his resignation would be explained during a Supreme Court extraordinary session. He had been under pressure from Supreme Court colleagues demanding he resign so someone else — completely untouched by the scandal — could be tasked with reorganising the judicial system.
- Peru’s judicial branch had announced a 90-day emergency on July 18, 2018, signed by Rodriguez and published in the El Peruano newspaper.
8. US troop remains to be repatriated from N Korea
- The repatriation of remains of US troops killed during the Korean War should begin shortly.
- Starting a process agreed by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pompeo said during a meeting at the White House.
- Repatriating remains of US soldiers who perished during the 1950-53 conflict was part of a written agreement signed by Kim and Trump during their landmark summit in Singapore last month.
- North Korean and US military officials met Sunday at the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border to discuss the repatriation.
9. KSA to buy five warships from Spain’s Navantia
- Saudi Arabia’s state-owned defence company has forged a deal with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia for a joint venture to build five warships.
- The agreement with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) for the design and construction of five Avante 2200 corvettes warships will start this autumn, with the last unit to be delivered by 2022, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
- The agreement appears part of a framework agreed in April during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Spain for Navantia to provide warships to the Gulf state for around two billion euros ($2.3 billion).
- On July 19, 2018 the agreement announced will generate up to 6,000 jobs for five years, including 1,100 direct jobs, SPA reported.
10. Japan start-up plans 2020 meteor shower
- A Japanese start-up developing “shooting stars on demand” says it will be ready to deliver the world’s first artificial meteor shower in a spectacular show over Hiroshima in early 2020.
- ALE, based in Tokyo, is in the final stages of developing two micro-satellites that will release tiny balls that glow brightly as they enter the atmosphere, simulating a meteor shower. The first satellite will hitch a ride into space on a rocket being launched by Japan’s space agency by March 2019.
- The second will be launched in mid-2019 on a private-sector rocket. “We are targeting the whole world, as our stockpile of shooting stars will be in space and can be delivered across the world,” ALE chief executive Lena Okajima told.
- Each satellite will be able to carry 400 tiny balls whose chemical formula is a closely-guarded secret.
- Ejected from the satellite, the balls will glow as they plunge through the atmosphere.
- The 400 balls will be enough for 20-30 events, according to the company, and the satellites will be able to stay in space for around two years.