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October 31, 2019: National Current Affairs

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1. Pakistan wants IMF to separate FATF from programme

• Pakistan has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to relax conditionalities under the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) relating to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and issuance of sovereign guarantees to help raise over $4bn from domestic and international markets.
• Pakistan has budgeted about $3bn bonds (about Rs450bn) Islamic Sukuk and Eurobond to be launched in the international capital markets during the current fiscal year to meet targets under the EFF for foreign inflows. Separately, the government has planned to raise about Rs200bn from domestic Islamic banks for the power sector to scale down circular debt.
• `We are dying to complete these transactions at the earliest,` a senior official told, adding that the capital market conditions were never as conducive as at present. He said the return on bonds had plummeted to almost zero in the international capital markets and investors were finding it hard to secure profits on secured papers. `This provides an ideal opportunity for Pakistan to tap international capital markets to secure sovereign bonds at a minimal interest rate, the official said.

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2. Coin issued to commemorate Guru Nanak`s 550th birth anniversary

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October 30, 2019: National Current Affairs

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1. Ministry withdraws Islamabad Health Facilities Management Bill presented to cabinet

• A draft bill that was presented in the federal cabinet after significant brainstorming was withdrawn by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on October 29, 2019 because it needed improvement.
• The Islamabad Health Facilities Management Bill 2019 aims to create a referral system among primary, secondary and tertiary care facilities.
• It would also establish an integrated system and allot a unique identity to every Islamabad resident so their medical history would be available at any health facility.
• The Ministry of NHS claimed it was decided that more input would be sought from the medical community before the bill is approved.

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2. Use of drones banned for two months

• The district administration on October 29, 2019 imposed a ban on use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, in the city for a period of two months, sources told Dawn.
• According to a notification issued from the office of district magistrate, “it has been informed that certain segments of the public operate UAVs in Islamabad which pose a unique threat to the precarious security situation of the Islamabad Capital Territory.”
• These UAVs can be used by miscreants to conduct terrorist acts in areas that have been secured and safeguarded against ground attacks, it added

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3. Trump aide`s testimony in impeachment probe shakes White House

• A top adviser to President Donald Trump on Ukraine testified on October 29, 2019 that after listening to Trump ask Ukraine`s president to investigate a domestic political rival he was so alarmed that he reported the matter to a White House lawyer out of concern for US national security.
• Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs on the National Security Council, arrived at the US Capitol clad in his military dress uniform as he became the first current White House official to testify in the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry against Trump.
• Vindman, a Ukraine-born American citizen and decorated Iraq War combat veteran, also became the first person to testify who listened in on the July 25 call at the heart of the Ukraine scandal.

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4. Lebanese PM resigns after two weeks of street pressure

• Lebanon`s prime minister on October 29, 2019 submitted his government`s resignation, bowing to nearly two weeks of unprecedented nationwide protests against corruption and sectarianism.
• Saad Hariri`s express and sombre televised address was met by cheers from crowds of protesters who have remained mobilised since October 17, crippling the country to press their demands.
• `It has become necessary for us to make a great shock to fix the crisis. I am going to the Baabda Palace to submit the government`s resignation, said Hariri, who had already stepped down twice from the same post.
• He said his decision comes `in response to the will of many Lebanese who took to the streets to demand change` in protests he called `historic`.
• The move which marks the most significant win by demonstrators yet will restart the complicated task of parliament forming a new government if it is accepted by the president.

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5. US military puts `Baghdadi`s body into sea`

• US officials have said the body of the chief of the militant Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was buried at sea, as fresh details surfaced about the US special forces operation that led to his death over the weekend.
• Syrian Kurds claimed to be a key source of the intelligence that led Americans to Baghdadi after years of tracking the man behind a five-year reign of terror across much of Iraq and Syria.
• And an unnamed US military dog became an unlikely hero of the raid, incurring injuries as it chased Baghdadi down a dead-end tunnel underneath his northwestern Syria hideout, where the jihadist blew himself and three children up with a suicide vest.

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6. Likely al-Baghdadi successor terminated: Trump

• President Donald Trump said the US military killed the person who likely would have replaced ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as head of the terrorist organization.
• “Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops,” Trump said on Twitter. “Most likely would have taken the top spot.”
• Trump didn’t specify who he was referring to, but the United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, a spokesman for ISIS and also a high-ranking figure in the organization, Reuters reported.
• A US official told The Wall Street Journal that al-Muhajir “would have been one of the potential successors” to al-Baghdadi, adding that “it could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks” before ISIS confirms a new leader

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7. Telescope tracks 35M galaxies in Dark Energy hunt

• A super telescope has begun the most detailed survey of the Universe ever undertaken.
• The aim of the five-year programme is to shed light on Dark Energy – the mysterious force thought to drive an accelerated expansion of the Universe.
• The instrument effectively contains 5,000 mini-telescopes. Each one can image a galaxy every 20 minutes.
• In just one year scientists will have surveyed more galaxies than all the other telescopes in the world combined.

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8. IndiGo orders 300 Airbus jets

• Indian airline IndiGo has placed an order for 300 A320neo family aircraft, Airbus said on October 29, 2019, in one of its largest-ever orders from a single firm, worth over $33.2 billion at catalogue prices.
• The leading Indian airline said the order would help it to keep growing fast while cutting costs.
• The Airbus order stands in stark contrast to the situation faced by its direct rival, Boeing`s 737 MAX airliner, which has been grounded since March following two crashes that killed a total of 346 people

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9. Nepali climber claims new record after scaling 14 highest peaks

• A Nepali mountaineer on October 29, 2019 smashed the speed record for summiting the world`s 14 highest peaks, racing up all `8000ers` in just six months and six days, organisers said.
• The previous record for the 14 mountains above 8,000 metres completed by Nirmal Purja at 8.59am on Tuesday was almost eight years.
• `MISSION ACHIEVED! says @nimsdai from the summit of #Shishapangma,` read a post on Purja`s Facebook page, while a statement quoted the former British elite soldier as being `overwhelmed and incredibly proud` af ter his 189-day feat.
• `It has been a gruelling but humbling six months, and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief and positivity,` the 36-year-old said.

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10. ICC slaps two-year ban on Shakib for breaching anti-corruption code

• Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was banned from all cricket for two years with two year of that suspended on October 29, 2019, after the star all-rounder was found to have breached the International Cricket Council`s Anti-Corruption code.
• The ban came after Shakib `accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code`, the sport`s governing body said in a statement.
• These included failing to disclose to the ICC`s Anti-Corruption Unit full details of approaches or invitations made in relation to the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Tri-Series in January 2018 as well and a 2018 Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab, it said.
• The 32-year-old`s ban came as a blow to Bangladesh`s preparations for next month`s tour of India where the all-rounder was set to lead the team for a two-Test series and three Twenty20 Internationals.

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[catlist name=”October 2019″]