Day by Day Current Affairs (June 10, 2018) | MCQs for CSS, PMS, NTS

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June 10, 2018

1. Taliban agree to unprecedented Eid ceasefire

• The Taliban announced their first ceasefire in Afghanistan since the 2001 US invasion on June 9, 2018, with a three-day halt in hostilities against the country’s security forces that was greeted with relief by war-weary Afghans.
• But the group warned the suspension of fighting for the first three days of Eid did not extend to “foreign occupiers”, who would continue to be targeted by the militants.
• The unexpected move came two days after the Afghan government’s own surprise announcement of a week-long halt to operations against the Taliban.
• It is the first time in nearly 17 years of conflict that the militants have declared a ceasefire, albeit a limited one.
• “All the mujahideen are directed to stop offensive operations against Afghan forces for the first three days of Eidul Fitr,” the Taliban said in a WhatsApp message to journalists. But it added that “if the mujahideen are attacked we will strongly defend (ourselves)”.

2. Pakistan, China agree to boost strategic ties: Mamnoon meets Xi as SCO summit begins in Qingdao city

• President Mamnoon Hussain held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on June 9, 2018 in Qingdao, where he is participating in the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council Heads of State Meeting.
• The two leaders held in-depth discussions related to Pakistan-China relations and regional and global issues of mutual interest. They also agreed that as all-weather strategic cooperative partners and close friends, had always stood by each other and would continue to further strengthen this time-tested relationship, said a press release.
• Agreeing that Pakistan-China relations are a pillar of stability, the two presidents reiterated their resolve to maintain close engagement on all issues of regional and global importance.
• Xi said China attached importance to its relations with Pakistan which would continue to remain a priority for China.

3. Pak Navy rescues Iranian crew at sea

• Pakistan Navy Sea King helicopters successfully rescued crew members of sunken Iranian Dhow in North Arabian Sea (NAS).
• After receiving information about distressed Dhow (AL RAMANI) bearing flag of Islamic Republic of Iran, 11 crew members (fishermen) onboard, Pakistan Navy promptly responded and launched search and rescue operation. Two Pakistan Navy Sea King helicopters were immediately directed to search, locate and rescue distressed boat crew.
• Helicopters equipped with search and rescue gear along with para-medical staff swiftly reached deep sea area at South West of Karachi in shortest possible time and conducted aerial search for fishing boat. After rigorous search efforts in prevailing rough sea and low visibility conditions at open sea, survivors were located by helicopter aircrew. The operation was amicably augmented by Pakistan Navy ship NASR, which was already present in NAS on routine patrol.

4. Germany, Belgium, Dominican Republic, S Africa, Indonesia become non-permanent members of UNSC

• The UN General Assembly elected Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa on June 8, 2018 to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two years starting in January.
• All but three of the 193 UN member states cast paper ballots. Germany and the Dominican Republic each obtained 184 votes. South Africa got 183 votes, Belgium 181 and 144 went to Indonesia.

5. G7 summit fails to heal trade rift as Trump exits early

• The leaders of the G7 on June 9, 2018 failed to heal a tariff dispute that has pushed them to the brink of trade war, as Donald Trump quit their summit early warning Canada, Japan and Europe that “the gig is up.”
• Trump had come to Quebec insisting on his long-standing claim that America has been exploited for too long by existing trade arrangements – and he was met by counterparts equally determined to protect the “rules-based” international system.
• The US president left on June 9, 2018 for Singapore and a historic summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, claiming he had made progress convincing the other G7 leaders that trade between their countries must be better balanced or halt altogether. “I guess they’re going to go back to the drawing board and check it out, right?” he said, warning that if his fellow six leaders make good on their threats to take retaliatory measures, they could find themselves shut out of American markets.

6. UNGA meeting on Gaza called for June 13, 2018

• The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency meeting on June 13, 2018 at 3:00 pm (19:00 GMT) to vote on an Arab-backed resolution on Gaza.
• The resolutaion will condemn Israel, and will be similar to one vetoed by the United States in the Security Council last week, which called for protecting Palestinians from Israeli aggression, according to diplomats. It comes as four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on the Gaza border, as weeks of deadly clashes with protesters continued.
• Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly have no binding value, unlike those passed by the Security Council.
• Arab countries turned to the General Assembly in December after the US vetoed a Security Council vote on a resolution to condemn its decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
• Fourteen members of the Security Council backed the December resolution, though the US as well as the council’s four other permanent members retain a right to veto.
• The measure then received 128 votes out of 193 in the General Assembly.

7. Sculpted head of mystery biblical king found in Israel

• An enigmatic sculpture of a king`s head dating back nearly 3,000 years has set off a modern-day mystery caper as scholars try to figure out whose face it depicts.
• The 5-centimetre (2-inch) sculpture is an exceedingly rare example of figurative art from the Holy Land during the 9th century BC, a period associated with biblical kings.
• Exquisitely preserved but for a bit of missing beard, nothing quite like it has been found before. While scholars are certain the stern bearded figure donning a golden crown represents royalty, they are less sure which king it symbolises, or which kingdom he may have ruled.
• Archaeologists unearthed the diminutive figurine in 2017 during excavations at a site called Abel Beth Maacah, located just south of Israel`s border with Lebanon, near the modern-day town of Metula.

8. Chinese govt hackers steal trove of US Navy data

• Chinese government hackers have stolen a massive trove of sensitive information from a US Navy contractor, including secret plans to develop a new type of submarine-launched anti-ship missile, the Washington Post reported on June 9, 2018.
• Investigators told the newspaper that breaches were executed in January and February by a division of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, operating out of the Chinese province of Guangdong.
• The contractor, which was not named in the report, works for the Naval Undersea Warfare Centre, based in Newport, Rhode Island.
• It conducts research and development for submarines and underwater weapons systems.

9. First Iraq-flagged oil tanker in 3 decades leaves port

• An Iraq-flagged tanker carrying two million barrels of crude oil has set sail for the US, the first such trip in nearly three decades on June 9, 2018.
• Iraq, which has been ravaged by a series of wars since the 1980s, is the oil cartel OPEC’s second biggest producer with 153 billion barrels of proven crude reserves.
• Under late dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq went to war with Iran between 1980 and 1988 and invaded Kuwait in 1990, before being expelled by a US-led coalition.
• Since an American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the country has been blighted by long periods of chaos, culminating in a three-year battle against Islamic State group insurgents.

10. Halep achieves ‘dream’ first Slam title with French Open win

• Simona Halep fought back from a set and a break down to finally achieve her “dream” of winning a Grand Slam title, beating Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a gruelling French Open final on June 9, 2018.
• The world number one had lost all three of her previous major finals, including two at Roland Garros, and said she struggled to contain her emotions after staging a thrilling comeback.
• It was the perfect way for the Romanian to banish the demons of her painful final defeat by Jelena Ostapenko 12 months ago, when she blew a lead of a set and 3-0.
• Only the second Romanian to win a Slam after Virginia Ruzici who won the 1978 French Open.