Day by Day Current Affairs (June 09, 2018) | MCQs for CSS, PMS, NTS

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June 9, 2018

1. Top security body okays plan to be submitted to FATF

• The National Security Committee (NSC) on June 8, 2018 reaffirmed its commitment to cooperate with an international watchdog tasked with countering illicit financing, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), for addressing shortcomings in the country`s anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing regimes.
• The committee reaffirmed the commitment of the country to work with FATF and other international organisations in achieving common goals and shared objectives.
• It was the first NSC meeting that was chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk.
• Pakistan would be placed on the FATF `grey list` because of certain shortcomings identified by the watchdog. However, before Pakistan is put on the list an action plan has to be negotiated outlining the steps the country would be required to take. The action plan has been in the works for weeks now, but it is yet to be adopted.
• The NSC approved the presentation of the proposed plan to the FATF at its upcoming meeting.
• The NSC statement effectively constitutes the high-level political commitment that FATF requires from the country to implement the legal, regulatory and operational reforms needed.

2. Askari, Marri sworn in as Punjab, Balochistan caretaker CMs

• Prof Hasan Askari Rizvi took oath of the office of caretaker chief minister of the Punjab at the Governor’s House on June 8, 2018. In Quetta Alauddin Marri took oath as interim chief minister of Balochistan.
• In Lahore, the ceremony was held at the Governor’s House where Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana took oath from Hasan Askari.
• Hasan Askari Rizvi was presented a guard of honour on his arrival at the Chief Minister’s Office after taking oath of the office. A smartly-turned contingent of police presented him the guard of honour.
• In Quetta, Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai administered oath to the caretaker chief minister at a ceremony also attended by former Balochistan chief minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari, bureaucrats and senior lawyers.
• Alauddin Marri was chosen by the Election Commission of Pakistan after the Opposition and the government failed to reach consensus on any name for the interim chief minister.

3. 7-member Sindh cabinet sworn in

• A seven-member caretaker cabinet was administered oath by Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair in a ceremony held at the Governor House.
• The ceremony was attended by Caretaker Chief Minister Fazul-ur-Rehman, Sindh IG AD Khowaja, P&D Chairman Muhammad Waseem, other senior sitting and retired bureaucrats, and members of civil society. Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon conducted oath-taking ceremony at the Governor House.
• The caretaker ministers who took oath include Khair Muhammad Junejo, Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, Jameel Yusuf, Dr Junaid Shah, Col (r) Dost Muhammad Chandio, Dr Sadia Virk Rizvi and Simon John Daniel.

4. ECP issues revised schedule for elections 2018

• The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on June 8, 2018 issued a revised schedule for the upcoming general elections, setting June 19 as the last date for scrutiny of nomination papers of electoral candidates instead of June 14.
• The third modification in the election schedule following its announcement on May 31 appears to have been prompted by realisation that the time for scrutiny was too short for the meaningful scrutiny that the ECP had been striving for.
• Under the original schedule, the nomination papers were to be filed by the candidates from June 2 to 6. The dates were revised to June 4-6 under a notification issued on June 3. Following the Lahore High Court verdict setting aside nomination forms for electoral candidates, the ECP had asked returning officers not to receive nomination papers from the candidates.

5. President Mamnoon in China to attend 18th SCO summit

• President Mamnoon Hussain arrived in the coastal city of Shandong province on June 8, 2018 to attend the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of States of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
• Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and Ambassador to China Masood Khalid were also present to receive the president.
• President Hussain is attending the SCO summit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping who will chair the meeting. Besides addressing the high profile gathering, Mr Hussain will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to discuss ties and ways of further enhancing the cooperation.
• Pakistan saw the SCO as an important framework for regional cooperation and it had played a vital role in safeguarding peace and security in the region.

6. China honours Putin with first `friendship medal`

• President Xi Jinping gave China`s first friendship medal to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on June 8, 2018 as the neighbouring giants touted their close ties amid diplomatic and economic challenges from the US.
• Xi placed the large golden medal around Putin`s neck at the grandiose Great Hall of the People in front of dignitaries from both countries.
• China`s `highest honour` is bestowed on foreigners who have made `outstanding contributions` to the country`s modernisation drive and helped maintain world peace.
• `This medal of friendship represents the Chinese people`s lofty respect for President Putin, and symbolises the profound friendship between China and Russia.
• The most powerful Russian and Chinese leaders in decades, Putin and Xi have forged closer ties as US President Donald Trump has labelled both countries economic rivals that challenge US interests and values. Before the medal ceremony, Putin said the two heads of state had enjoyed `fruitful` talks.

7. UN Assembly picks five new SC members

• The United Nations General Assembly elected Indonesia, Germany, Belgium, South Africa and the Dominican Republic as members of the Security Council on June 8, 2018 for a two-year term starting on Jan 1 next year.
• The 15 member council is the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions and has the power to impose sanctions and authorise the use of force.
• Indonesia outscored the Maldives 144-46 in the race for a solitary Asia-Pacific seat, while the other four candidates ran unopposed. Candidates running unopposed need to win more than two-thirds of the overall General Assembly vote to be elected.
• There were 190 ballots in June 8, 2018`s vote.
• Germany received 184 votes, Belgium 181, South Africa 183 and the Dominican Republic 184 after the first round of voting.
• In a typical year, the General Assembly elects five new members, which join the five elected the previous year and the five permanent, veto-powers the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.
• The five members giving up their seat at the end of this year will be the Netherlands, Sweden, Ethiopia, Bolivia and Kazakhstan.

8. Philippine`s Maria Ressa awarded Golden Pen of Freedom Award

• The annual press freedom award of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WANIFRA) has been awarded to Maria Ressa, Co-founder, CEO and Executive Editor of online news site Rappler.
• The Golden Pen of Freedom award during the opening ceremony of the 70th World News Media Congress and 25th World Editors Forum in Portugal recognised Ms Ressa`s unwavering commitment to the values of a free press, as well as her determination to continue exposing stories of vital importance for democracy in the Philippines amidst intense pressure from the government and its supporters.

9. WWII photographer David Duncan dies at 102

• David Douglas Duncan, who helped change the role of war photography by exposing the anguish of soldiers in Korea and Vietnam, has died at age 102.
• Duncan died in a French hospital from complications from a lung infection, according to longtime friend Jean-Francois Leroy, director of the Visa pour l’Image photography festival.
• Yet Duncan’s most influential work was as a combat photographer. Instead of portraying soldiers as heroes, he portrayed them as ordinary humans, tormented or courageous on the battlefield, exhausted or fearful behind the scenes.

10. Celebrity chef, television show host commits suicide

• Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN`s food-and-travel-focused `Parts unknown` television series, killed himself in a French hotel room on June 8, 2018. He was 61.
• Bourdain, whose career catapulted him from washing dishes at New York restaurants to dining in Vietnam with President Barack Obama, hanged himself in a hotel room near Strasbourg, France, where he had been working on an upcoming episode of his programme.
• His death comes three days after American designer Kate Spade, who built a fashion empire on her signature handbags, was found dead of suicide in her New York apartment on June 5, 2018.
• Suicide rates rose in nearly every US state from 1999 to 2016, according to data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on June 7, 2018. Nearly 45,000 people committed suicide in 2016, making it one of three leading causes of death that are on the rise, along with Alzheimer`s disease and drug overdoses.