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June 21, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. COAS reaches London on official visit
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS) reached London on an official visit on June 20, 2019.
• The COAS will interact with senior British civil-military leadership to discuss matters of mutual interest including evolving geo-strategic environment, defence and security.
2. Govt formally launches Insaf Rozgar Scheme
• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government formally launched Insaf Rozgar Scheme, a self-employment programme, for youthof newly merged tribal districts of former Fata on June 20, 2019.
• Chief Minister Mahmood Khan gave sanction letters of loans under the scheme to deserving youth at a ceremony. The programme is aimed at provision of sustainable source of income to unemployed youth.
• The scheme would not only provide youth with sustainable means of livelihood but would also stir economic activities in the terrorism-struck tribal districts.
• The letters were also provided to female youth from the tribal districts who intend to initiate businesses.
3. Pakistan Navy conducts Annual Safety Review
• Pakistan Navy conducted Annual Safety Review with an aim to create safety awareness and inculcate a culture of safety among naval personnel.
• Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi was the chief guest on the occasion.
• Pakistan Navy had come a long way in adopting a comprehensive safety regime.
4. 500m youth risk poverty if govts fail to take action: UN
• Around half of the youth population in the developing countries 500 million are at the risk of falling below the poverty line if the countries fail to implement effective policies and invest in the future of these individuals, says the `2019 Rural Development Report`.
• The youth mostly live in rural areas and they are prone to poverty and inequality and are held back by a series of constraints, including lack of training and skills, limited access to land and credit, scarce availably of inputs and restricted links to social networks, says the report published by Rome-based UN agency, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• This number rises to 780 million when semi-rural and peri urban areas are also included.
June 21, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. Taliban hold talks in China as part of peace push
• China recently played host to a Taliban delegation as part of efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
• Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban representative in Qatar, and some of his colleagues had recently visited China, though he did not say exactly when.
• Chinese officials met them to discuss the Afghan peace process and counterterror issues, Lu told the briefing, without saying who met the delegation.
6. US Senate votes to block Saudi arms sales
• The Republican-led US Senate voted on June 20, 2019 to block $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other allies, as legislators delivered a symbolic rebuke to President Donald Trump.
• Seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting each of three resolutions that would prevent the controversial sales announced earlier this year by Trump.
• The measures would block 22 separate sales of aircraft support maintenance, precision-guided munitions and other weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan at a moment of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
7. India creates new ministry to tackle water crisis
• India`s government has created a new ministry to respond to a growing water crisis, with more than 60pc of the country`s 1.3 billion people dependent on farming and favourable monsoon rains.
• Indian President Ram Nath Kovind told Parliament on June 20, 2019 that the new Ministry of Water Power will tackle water conservation and management.
• Traditional water conservation practices are disappearing as ponds and lakes are filled to build houses and other developments, and that vanishing water sources have worsened the crisis for the poor.
• Millions of people have been forced to rely on water from tank trucks in Tamil Nadu state, which had a 62pc shortfall in monsoon rains last year.
8. Xi, Kim reboot alliance with talks and mausoleum visit
• Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un have held talks at the start of the Chinese president’s trip to North Korea, rebooting a troubled alliance as the pair face their own challenges from Donald Trump.
• Xi’s two-day visit is the first by a Chinese leader to North Korea in 14 years, after relations between the cold war-era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang’s nuclear provocations and Beijing’s subsequent backing of UN sanctions.
• The leaders held their first round of talks soon after Xi landed in Pyongyang with his wife, Peng Liyuan, the foreign minister, Wang Yi, and other officials.
• Xinhua did not provide details, but North Korea’s nuclear programme is expected to top the agenda, months after Kim’s second denuclearisation summit with Trump ended in failure.
9. Tensions in Gulf soar as Iran shoots down US drone
• Iranian forces shot down a US surveillance drone on June 20, 2019 for allegedly violating Iran`s airspace, an incident that brought the two countries closer to an open conflict in the world`s busiest oil shipping lane.
• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had brought down the unmanned Global Hawk surveillance aircraft as it was `violating Iranian airspace` over the waters of Hormozgan province.
• President Donald Trump told Iran it had made a `big mistake` by shooting down the unmanned aircraft.
• `They made a very big mistake, Trump told reporters at the White House following the strike near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. `This country will not stand for it, that Ican tell you,` he said.
June 21, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Warner century against BD sends Aussies top
• David Warner`s century paved the way for Australia to beat Bangladesh by 48 runs at Trent Bridge on June 20, 2019 as the reigning champions went top of the World Cup table.
• Warner made Bangladesh pay for dropping him on 10 with an innings of 166 -the left-handed opener`s second century of the World Cup -in a total of 381-5.
• Bangladesh, needing to surpass Ireland`s World Cup record chase of 329-7 against England in 2011, struggled to keep up with the required run-rate.
• Mushfigur Rahim hit a fine 102 not out but the wicket-keeper`s entertaining fifth-wicket stand of 127 with Mahmudullah (69) came too late to alter the course of the match as Bangladesh finished on 333-8 after their 50 overs.
