Day by Day Current Affairs (July 29, 2018) | MCQs for CSS, PMS, NTS

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Juy 29, 2018

1. Zubair steps down as Sindh governor

• With the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf poised to form a government in Islamabad, Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair, who belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, stepped down on July 28, 2018.
• Mr Zubair was sworn in as the 32nd governor of Sindh on Feb 2 last year, three weeks after the demise of his predecessor, retired Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui.
• Since 2012, Mr Zubair had served in various positions, including as chairman of the Privatisation Commission.

2. Two NA and PA constituencies record low women turnout

• The turnout of women voters remained lower than the minimum permissible percentage in two National Assembly and one provincial assembly constituency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjoining erstwhile tribal areas.
• These constituencies include NA-10 Shangla, NA-48 North Waziristan and PK23 Shangla I.
• Under the law, the Election Commission of Pakistan is empowered to order re-polling in any polling station or declare the entire polls void in a constituency if the number of the women votes cast are less than 10 per cent of the total votes polled.
• According to the provisional results compiled by the relevant returning officer (Form 47), the votes cast by women in NA-10 Shangla were 12,663, which was 9.8 percent of the total 128,302 votes cast in the constituency.
• In PK-23 Shangla I, 3,505 of the total women voters exercise their franchise, which was only 5.01 percent of the total 69,827 votes polled there.
• In NA-48 North Waziristan, which was recently merged withKP, only 6,364 women turned up to cast vote, which was 9.95 per cent of the total 63,954 votes cast there. A total of 57,600 men cast vote in that constituency.

3. India welcomes Pakistan`s election, puts hopes in new govt

• India has officially welcomed Pakistan`s general elections, seen as a significant but unspoken overture to the winner of the contest, and clearly marking its distance from opposition calls for a repoll.
• They quoted India`s foreign ministry spokesperson as hoping that the new government would work for peace and a terror-free South Asia.
• `We welcome that the people of Pakistan have reposed their faith in democracy through general elections,` the Indian spokesperson said in response to questions from the media on July 27, 2018.
• In his first press conference after declaring victory in the Pakistan elections, Mr Khan had touched upon the Kashmir dispute, saying the only way to solve the decades-old crisis was through dialogue with India.
• The cricketer-turned-politician said he was one of those Pakistanis who wanted good relations with India.

4. UN chief congratulates Pakistan

• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated the people of Pakistan on the July 25 general elections.
• “By exercising their constitutional right to vote, the people of Pakistan have reaffirmed their commitment to a democratic Pakistan,” Guterres said in a statement issued.
• “The secretary-general commends the Electoral Commission of Pakistan for the organization of the elections, noting positive initiatives related to training and efforts to enhance the inclusion of women, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups, as well as first-time voters, in the electoral process,” said Dujarric.
• “The United Nations is committed to continue to support the Electoral Commission,” he added.

5. Teenage girls make history by scaling Manglesser peak

• Three young Pakistani girls made a world record by climbing the 6,080-metre Manglesser peak in the Shimshal valley in the Karakoram mountain range.
• The conquerors of Manglesser peak 13-year old Amina Hanif,14-year-old Maryam Bashir and 15-yearold Siddiga Batool, all residents of the Hushey valley in Gilgit-Baltistan-are granddaughters of famous local climber Little Karim.
• The young climbers accompanied by their grandfather Little Karim, Mohammad Hanif and nine other climbers, including four foreigners, succeeded in putting their feet on the summit of the Manglesser peak on July 24.

6. G20 agriculture ministers express concern about `protectionist` measures

• Agriculture ministers from the G20 countries said on July 28, 2018 they were concerned about the increasing use of protectionist non-tariff trade measures inconsistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
• The ministers from countries including the United States and China, in Buenos Aires for the G20 meeting of agriculture ministers, said in a joint statement they had affirmed their commitment not to adopt `unnecessary obstacles` to trade, and affirmed their rights and obligations under WTO agreements.
• The meeting came amid rising trade tensions that have rocked agricultural markets. China and other top US trade partners have placed retaliatory tariffs on American farmers after the Trump administration put duties on Chinese goods as well as steel and aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
• Last week, the Trump administration said it would pay up to $12 billion to help US farmers weather the trade war.

7. Black holes don’t have a ring of fire

• A new study is challenging the idea that black holes are surrounded by ring of fire that incinerates anything in their path.
• According to new calculations, black holes may act more like balls of string, meaning they accumulate more and more ‘fuzz’ as objects are pulled in.
• The scientists say this means the fuzzy surface would extend to meet the object well before it reaches the hottest part of the black hole.
• According to the researcher, the reality may be far more complex than the firewall theory accounted for.

8. Mahoor wins badminton title

• Mahoor Shahzad, Pakistan`s national champion, won the Annapurna Corporate Invitational International Badminton Tournament in Kathmandu.
• Players from India, Bangladesh Pakistan and Nepal participated in the event held from July 23 to 28.
• Mahoor, who won the women singles title at the 2017 Pakistan International Series in Islamabad, beat Rashila Maharajan of Nepal 21-15, 21-10 in the final.
• Meanwhile, Badminton Asia Confederation has selected Mahoor in their Asia Olympic Project (AOP) for the preparations of the next Olympic Games.

9. Dressel books Pan Pacs berth with 100m fly victory

• Caeleb Dressel finally bagged his first victory of the US Swimming Championships on July 28, 2018, powering home to win the 100m butterfly in 50.50sec and punch his ticket to the Pan Pacific Championships.
• Dressel, who joined Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to win seven titles at a single World Championships with a stunning campaign in Budapest last year, also set himself up for next year’s Worlds in South Korea, with this meet and Pan Pacs serving as qualifiers for the biggest international meeting before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
• The 21-year-old, who signed his first professional sponsorship deal with Speedo this month after departing the amateur US collegiate ranks, had endured a frustrating start to the championships in Irvine, south of Los Angeles.

10. Google bans crypto-mining in Play Store

• Google has followed the lead of Apple by banning crypto-mining apps from its Play Store. An update to the company’s developer policy reads:
• “We don’t allow apps that mine crypto-currency on devices.” The company had previously banned crypto-currency mining extensions on its Chrome browser.
• The move marks another step by banks and tech companies get to grips with the practicalities of crypto-currencies. The ban does not extend to all software involved with mining virtual cash. Google, like Apple, said it would allow people to make apps that let them manage mining being done elsewhere – such as on cloud computer platforms