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WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
• Parliament on September 16, 2020 witnessed a significant day when the government managed to pass eight important bills, including three related to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and two others to replace the Pakistan Medical and Dent al Council (PMDC) with Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), amid ruckus in the House and boycott by the opposition.
• The bills were passed in a joint sitting of parliament that President Dr Arif Alvi had summoned to get the FATF related bills, which had been rejected in the opposition dominated Senate, passed.
• A good number of legislators turned up in the National Assembly hall and the first bill was passed with the majority of 10 votes as the number of treasury members was found 200 in the count while opposition members were said to be 190
• Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that the government will soon introduce a three-tier legislation providing for registration of sex offenders, exemplary punishment for rape and child abuse and effective policing.
• `Such incidents ruin the lives of victims and their families also have to suffer,` said Mr Khan, referring to the heart-wrenching incident on the Lahore Sialkot motorway on Sept 9. He pointed out that the main suspect in the recent gang-rape case was a history-sheeter, explaining that global data indicated that such criminals were repeat offenders and therefore maintaining their data was important.
• As the Sindh government urgently needs to mitigate the impact of flooding, the World Bank has designed the Karachi Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project (SWEEP) with a proposed allocation of $100 million. The scheme is expected to be approved next month.
• In view of widespread flooding and public health crisis after the rainy season last year and subsequent deterioration of solid waste management network this year, the bank approved the use of emergency procedures to prepare and implement the solid waste project (SWEEP)
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday inaugurated Burraq Combat Skills Training Complex in Gujranwala.
• According Inter-Services Public Relations, the Training Complex is aimed at enhancing mechanised elements’ crew proficiency in overcoming obstacles encountered during offensive operations. During the visit army chief was briefed about operational, training and administrative matters of the Central Command Formations. He also witnessed integrated training of the strike formation. All elements including Armoured, Artillery, Engineers and Mechanised Infantry demonstrated operational combat worthiness. The Army Chief appreciated operational readiness of the strike formation and high morale of troops.
• Pakistan opened another terminal for trade with Afghanistan at the Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan`s Qila Saifullah district on September 16, 2020.
• Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani inaugurated the trade terminal in the border area of Badini. Commander of Southern Command Lt Gen Mohammad Wasim Ashraf, Inspector General of Frontier Corps North Maj Gen Fayyaz Hussain Shah, provincial ministers, MPAs and other officials attended the inauguration ceremony.
• The business community, Chamber of Commerce and Industry and importers and exporters had been demanding the opening of a new terminal for trade between the two counties at Badini for a long time as the Chaman gateway was overburdened due to the Afghan transit trade, import and export and NATO supply for the US troops stationed in Afghanistan.
• Barbados has announced its intention to remove Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and become a republic by November next year, as the Caribbean island nation seeks to move fully beyond its colonial past.
• The decision was formalised in the so-called Throne Speech, delivered on behalf of Prime Minister Mia Mottley by the island`s Governor-General Sandra Mason to mark the state opening of parliament on Tuesday.
• More than half a century after attaining independence from Britain, `the time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind,` Mason said
• Venezuela`s president and top ministers are responsible for probable crimes against humanity including extrajudicial killings and the systematic use of torture, UN investigators said on September 16, 2020.
• In their first report, a team of investigators tasked with probing a slew of alleged violations in Venezuela said they had found evidence that state actors, including President Nicolas Maduro, were behind serious international crimes.
• The International Fact-Finding Mission, created by the UN Human Rights Council a year ago, `found reasonable grounds to beheve that Venezuelan authorities and security forces have since 2014 planned and executed serious human rights violations,` Marta Valinas, the mission`s chairperson, said in a statement.
• The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on September 16, 2020 cleared a total of seven development projects with a total cost of Rs57.78 billion.
• At a CDWP meeting presided over by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, four development projects with a cumulative estimated cost of Rs12.25bn were approved.
• Two other projects with a total cost of Rs33.43bn were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The meeting allowed extension in re-tendering of a Rs12.10bn hydropower project in Gilgit
• As part of Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government’s nefarious plan to Hinduise Jammu and Kashmir in shortest possible period of time, it has started executing the decision to build around 50,000 temples in the territory. In the name of rebuilding dilapidated temples, the Indian government has identified several historic mosques and monasteries where it is going to build the said temples, Kashmir Media Service reported.
• As per the notorious modus-operandi of the RSS-BJP nexus, the Indian government has claimed that these mosques were built at the site of ancient Hindu worship places. The regime was using a special segment of Kashmiri Pandits to carry out the wicked plan.
• A team of palaeontologists have discovered what they believe is the world`s oldest animal sperm, frozen in tree resin 100 million years ago inside a tiny crustacean in Myanmar.
• The oldest known examples of fossilised animal sperm were previously a mere 17 million years old, according to the team of expens led by Wang He of the Chinese Academy of Science in Nanjing.
• The sperms were found inside an ostracod a type of crustacean that has existed for 500 million years and can be found in many oceans today, they said in a paper published on Wednesday in the Royal Society`s Proceedings journal.
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WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
• The National Assembly on September 15, 2020 passed a Financial Action Task Force related bill, the Anti-Terrorism Act (amendment) Bill, 2020, while another bill was laid in the house that suggested punishment of up to two years, or up to Rs500,000 fine or both for `maligning` armed forces of the country and their personnel.
• In a related development, President Dr Arif Alvi summoned a joint sitting of parliament on Wednesday (today) apparently to get the FATF-related legislation passed that was blocked by the opposition in the Senate last month, sources said.
• However, no official notification was issued in this regard till the filing of this story
• The PTI’s government in September 15, 2020’s National Assembly session introduced ‘The Criminal Law (Amendment) bill, 2020’, which is aimed to make intentionally ridiculing and defaming the Armed Forces as a punishable crime.
• According to the bill, moved by Amjad Ali Khan, the Insertion of ne section 500A, [Act XLV of 1850], “500A intentional ridiculing of the Armed Forces- Whosoever intentionally ridicules , brings into disrepute or defames the Armed forces or a member , therefore he shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to Rs 500,000”.
• According to the bill introduced in a supplementary agenda, “the offence will be punishable with two years imprisonment or Rs 0.5 million fine or with both,”.
• The British Airways on September 15, 2020 announced it will fly direct between Lahore and London four days a week, with the first flight scheduled to take off on Oct 14.
• The British High Commission in Islamabad shared a statement with the announcement that the flights will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 from London`s Heathrow to Lahore`s Allama Iqbal International Airport.
• According to the statement, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner said: `The first-ever British Airways flights to Lahore is a sign of confidence in Pakistan, and the deepening ties between our two countries. I hope it will open up even more opportunities for business links, people-to-people ties and tourism.
• A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed on September 15, 2020 during a routine mission near Pindigheb area of Punjab’s district Attock, PAF said in a statement.
• The pilot remained unhurt as “he ejected safely”, the statement added. According to PAF, no loss of life or property has been reported on the ground. “A board of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.”
• Earlier in March, a PAF F-16 fighter jet had crashed near Shakarparian Hill in the heart of Islamabad during rehearsal for the air show of March 23 parade. The pilot of the jet had got martyred in the incident
• After electric buses become operational in Islamabad, it will benefit about 48,000 commuters daily besides producing eight times less air pollution, said Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday.
• He stated this after his ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to launch the electric bus service in the capital.
• In the first phase, 30 buses are being brought into service, said the minister during his briefing about the new bus service
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on September 15, 2020 has noted that Pakistan is projected to experience a broad economic recovery in fiscal year 2021 (which ends June 30 2021) as the economic sentiment improves with the expected subsiding of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the resumption of structural reforms
• Broad economic recovery is projected for FY2021, with GDP growth estimated to rebound to 2 per cent, albeit lower than forecast of 2.6 per cent in ADO 2020, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Update noted. Pakistan’s GDP growth remained at -0.4 percent in last fiscal year FY20. This forecast assumes that the COVID-19 impact will subside by the end of 2020—the end of the second quarter of FY2021—allowing global conditions to normalize and economic sentiment to improve.
• The ADO also assumes the resumption of structural reform under an ongoing IMF Extended Fund Facility program to address macroeconomic imbalances
• The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements on September 15, 2020 for normalising relations with Israel, becoming the latest Arab states to break a longstanding taboo in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries.
• US President Donald Trump hosted the White House ceremony, capping a dramatic month when first the UAE and then Bahrain agreed to reversed ecades of ill-will without a resolution of Israel`s decades-old dispute with the Palestinians.
• In front of a crowd of several hundred people on the White House lawn, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed accords with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahrain`s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani
• Countries are set to miss all of the targets they set themselves a decade ago to preserve nature and save Earth`s vital biodiversity, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
• Humanity`s impact on the natural world over the last five decades has been nothing short of cataclysmic: since 1970 close to 70 percent of wild animals, birds and fish have vanished, according to a WWF assessment this month.
• Last year the UN`s panel on biodiversity, called IPBES, warned that one million species face extinction as man-made activity has already severely degraded three quarters of land on Earth
• Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday he was able to breathe unaided in his first public comments after his suspected poisoning in Siberia, while his aide said he planned to return to Russia once recovered.
• The 44-year-old lawyer and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin fell severely ill on August 20 on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow after a trip to support opposition candidates in local elections.
• Germany said there was `unequivocal evidence` that Russia`s most prominent opposition figure was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent but Moscow has angrily dismissed the findings, saying its doctors found no trace of poison
• President Donald Trump suggested global warming will reverse itself and dismissed climate change as a cause of the ferocious fires engulfing the west of the United States.
• As the focus of the US election campaign switched to the deadly blazes, Democratic challenger Joe Biden slammed the incumbent as a “climate arsonist” and said America would not be safe from the ravages of a warming planet unless it elects “a president who respects science.”
• Infernos across California, Oregon and Washington state have burned more than five million acres (two million hectares) this year, killed dozens of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes
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August 2020:
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• Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 14, 2020 called for public hanging of those involved in sexual abuse of women and children and said habitual rapists should be physically or chemically castrated so that they could not commit such crimes in future.
• In an interview to TV channel 92 News, the prime minister said habitual sex offenders should be registered and they should remain under the vigilant eye of the police.
• Mr Khan said he received a report from the police on sex abuse and was shocked to find out that sex crimes had been increasing in the country
• The National Assembly on September 14, 2020 extended the International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Ordinance meant to facilitate convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav through a voice vote for four months.
• The ordinance that was set to expire on Sept 17 allows the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operative, who was sentenced to death by a military court for fomenting terrorism in Pakistan, to file an appeal against his conviction in a high court.
• The NA also adopted motions seeking to refer two Financial Action Task Force related bills, which were passed by the lower house and rejected by the upper house of parliament last month, to the joint sitting of parliament for consideration and passage. The bills included Anti Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Waqf Properties Bill
• Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2020 agreed on increasing the frequency of bilateral visits for strengthening the strategic relationship.
• The resolve was expressed during a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir. `Underscoring close Pak Saudi fraternal ties, the FM reaffirmed commitment to further enhance this strategic relationship,` FO spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri tweeted.
• After a six-month hiatus, educational institutions across the country are all set to open their doors to students from September 15, 2020 (today) in phases.
• From September 15, schools (Classes 9th and 10th only), colleges and universities are going to reopen in phases while ensuring compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to avoid spread of novel coronavirus disease in accordance with the last week decision of the inter-provincial education ministers` conference (IPEMC). Secondary and primary classes will resume later this month.
• All educational institutions have been lying closed since March 15, weeks after the virus outbreak in the country.
• The annual meetings of the United Nations began in New York on September 14, 2020 with Kashmir on the agenda as an unresolved dispute.
• In doing so, the world body ignored India`s efforts to remove the 72-year old issue from the UN Security Council`s agenda for this year. The council`s Resolution 47, which calls for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, was adopted on April 21, 1948.
• In his speech to the 75th UN General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Imran Khan `will once again project the cause of the Kashmiri people and call for international action to end India`s massive human rights violations, said Munir Akram, Pakistan`s permanent representative to the UN.
• Lion Air has been designated by Indonesian authorities to operate flights to Pakistan.
• The airline had been allowed to operate flights to Pakistan under the Air Service Agreement (ASA), after it approached the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), asking for permission to resume flights. However, it is yet to be decided what cities the airline will operate flights to and from.
• An air transport agreement or the ASA is a bilateral agreement allowing international commercial air transport services to operate between two countries or signatories
• Japan` chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga is set to become the country`s next prime minister after the ruling party on September 14, 2020 elected him successor to outgoing leader Shinzo Abe.
• Mr Suga easily won the vote, taking 377 of the 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, significantly ahead of his two rivals.
• Given his party`s legislative majority, he is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote Wednesday and become prime minister, succeeding Mr Abe, who is resigning for health reasons
• The atmosphere of Venus contains traces of phosphine gas which on Earth is associated with living organisms scientists said on September 14, 2020, in fresh insight into conditions on our nearest planetary neighbour.
• Conditions on Venus are often described as hellish with daytime temperatures hot enough to melt lead and an atmosphere comprised almost entirely of carbon dioxide.
• A team of experts used telescopes in Hawaii and Chile`s Atacama Desert to observe Venus` upper cloud deck, around 60 kilometres (45 miles) from the surface.
• The great grandson of Awadh`s last king Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and grandson of Nawab Birjis Qadr, Prince Kaukab Qadr Sajjad Ali Meerza, died in Kolkata on September 13, 2020 evening of Covid-19related complications, family friends said. He was 87.
• They said the last surviving great grandson of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal, had tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago.
• He is survived by his wife, Badr-unNissa Badr who belongs to Lucknow`srenowned Khandan-i-Ijtihad and is the daughter of poet Fazl Naqvi. The couple has two sons and four daughters.
• Austria`s Dominic Thiem finally claimed his maiden Grand Slam title with a stunning comeback to beat Germany`s Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a nerve-jangling battle of wills in the US Open final on September 13, 2020.
• The 27-year-old world No.3 appeared to have blown his golden chance as he fell two sets behind but hit back to become the first player to win a Grand Slam from having trailed by two sets since Gaston Gaudio at the 2004 French Open.
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• A terrorist commander along with his three accomplices was killed during an operation near the boundary of North and South Waziristan tribal districts on September 13, 2020.
• The military`s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), termed Commander Ihsan Ullah alias Ihsan Sanray`s killing a major `breakthrough` and said that he along with his three accomplices was killed during an intelligence-based operation in the Ghariom area.
• Official sources told Dawn that when security forces raided a hideout of terrorists in the area they came under attack, triggering an exchange of hre between troops and the terrorists. The sources said the terrorists hiding in the compound also hurled hand grenades at the raiding team, but the security forces remained safe, while the four terrorists were killed in the firing
• The Punjab School Education Department (SED) on September 13, 2020 issued the schedule and academic timetable to be observed in all public as well as private schools of the province when these institutions will reopen on September 15.
• Earlier, the government had announced that all the public and private schools would reopen in three phases. In the first phase, students of grade 9 to 12 will start attending their schools on Sept 15, in the second phase grade 6-8 classes will resume on Sept 23 after a review of the Covid-19 situation and the primary sections will be reopened on Sept 30.
• According to an SED notification, the chief executive officers (CEO) of the District Education Authorities (DEAs) will ensure implementation of the schedule and the academic timetable in Punjab, along with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) , in the schools.
• Balochistan government had brought changes in mineral laws to transform state-run minerals companies into vibrant and profitable entities.
• A senior officer of the Mines and Minerals Department said the move was meant to clear the path for the Balochistan Minerals Exploration Company (BMEC) and Balochistan Minerals Resource Company Limited (BMRL) to take mining lease in the province. After the amendment, it would provide legal cover to both the companies, he told APP. The initiative would lead to increase revenue generation in the province, he further said. “Now the companies can partner with the private sector organizations for joint venture in the mineral sector,” he continued.
• The officer said the government had a plan to register them with the Pakistan Stock Exchange. He said the amendment was brought after the cabinet gave green signal to do changes in the rule.
• Pakistan and China to sign Development Agreement of the First China Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Rashakai today (Monday).
• The signing of the Development Agreement of Rashakai SEZ under CPEC would realise the vision of special economic zones’ development, ultimately leading to a prosperous and industrial Pakistan, said Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Atif R. Bokhari.
• The signing ceremony will be held at the Prime Minister House and would be attended by the Federal Ministers, Officials from line ministries and KP Government and other stakeholders. Under CPEC nine SEZs have been identified with one each in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan Islamabad, FATA, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. There are two SEZs in Sindh which includes Industrial Park Pakistan Steel Mills Port Qasim and Dhabeji Special Economic Zone
• Prominent religious scholar Allama Zamir Akhtar Naqvi passed away on September 13, 2020. He was 76.
• According to relatives, he suffered a heart attack late on Saturday night and was taken to a private hospital where he breathed his last.
• Allama Naqvi was born in 1944 in the Indian city of Lucknow where he did his graduation before migrating to Karachi in 1967. He had a PhD degree from University of Karachi and was known to have knowledge of science, philosophy, literature, culture, journalism and Islamic history
• The future of Kashmir cannot be determined by India unilaterally, observed lawmakers from EU and UK, who affirmed the right of the Kashmiri people as principal stakeholders of the conflict.
• With the UNGA`s 75th session scheduled in days, lawmakers, diplomats and journalists from the EU, UK, India, Pakistan and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Azad Kashmir agreed that the international community must know how Kashmir had become extremely restive since Aug 5 last year, and this comes with implications for conflict escalation in the region.
• Oman welcomes Bahrain`s decision to normalise relations with Israel and hopes it will contribute to Israeli-Palestinian peace, Oman state media said on September 13, 2020.
• Bahrain on Friday became the second Gulf country to normalise ties with Israel after the United Arab Emirates said they would do so a month ago, moves forged partly through shared fears of Iran.
• `Hopes this new strategic path taken by some Arab countries will contribute to bringing about a peace based on an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and on establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital,` the government statement said
• Michael Bloomberg, who spent $1 billion of his own money on a failed 2020 presidential bid, will inject at least $100 million to help Democrat Joe Biden`s campaign against President Donald Trump in Florida.
• The billionaire`s decision comes at a critical moment in the final 51 days of the race, with polls showing a close race in the battleground state and no financial advantage for the sitting president.
• Trump`s initial financial supremacy over former Vice President Biden has evaporated after the Republican`s campaign spent freely and Democratic fundraising surged once the party`s divisive primary ended
• The 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) opens in New York on September 15, 2020, although the high-level general debate starts on Sept 22.
• The US State Department has informed all UN members that the state of New York has imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine on all persons arriving in New York This restriction applies to heads of states and governments as well.
• This will be the first virtual General Assembly since Oct 24, 1945, when the United Nations was founded in San Francisco, California. Volkan Bozkir, Turkey`s former chief negotiator for accession to the European Union, will preside over the 75th session
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) on September 13, 2020 formally charged UAE`s duo of Amir Hayat and Ashfaq Ahmed with five counts of breaching cricket`s anti-corruption code.
• The two players have been absent from international duty since the end of last year.
• Pace bowler Amir had been omitted from selection without explanation for the UAE squad ahead of the T20 World Cup qualifier last October, while opening batsman Ashfaq was suspended by the Emirates Cricket Board after two matches in that tournament, pending an investigation by the ICC`s anti-corruption unit
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• The talks between the Afghan warring factions for ending the 19-year-old conflict in Afghanistan finally got under way in Doha, Qatar, on September 11, 2020 amid calls for immediate ceasefire and preserving the gains made by Afghanistan over the past couple of decades.
• The inaugural ceremony was attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chairman of Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and senior diplomats of a number of countries, in addition to the Afghan government and Taliban delegations. Seventeen foreign ministers of different countries and heads of inter-governmental bodies virtually attended the session.
• The start of the talks after protracted delays marked a major progress towards the end of conflict in Afghanistan. The talks were to originally start on March 10 following the US-Taliban agreement, but disputes over prisoners` release kept them delaying
• Mohammad Khalid Bizenjo of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was elected to the upper house of parliament from Balochistan in a Senate by election on September 12, 2020.
• He will remain a member of the Senate until March 2021.
• The seat had fallen vacant after the death of National Party founder Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo last month.
• He was suffering from cancer.
• Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said September 12, 2020 that phase 3 trial of a Chinese vaccine for coronavirus will begin in Pakistan in ‘10 days’.
• “Pakistan will be participating in phase 3 trials of a Chinese developed vaccine for coronavirus,” tweeted the minister. He added that the “trials in Pakistan will start in about 10 days time”.
• Earlier this week it was reported, that the falling COVID-19 infection numbers in Pakistan will not affect a Phase 3 clinical trial for a potential vaccine being developed by China’s CanSino Biologics. The report had also said that trials will begin this month, according to officials running the trial.
• The two men involved in the gang rape incident on Lahore’s motorway are identified and a manhunt is underway to arrest them, police and top government officials said on September 12, 2020.
• Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the “real culprits” of motorway rape incident have been identified in less than seventy-two hours. While addressing a news conference in Lahore, he said the investigation of the case was started on a scientific line and he was personally monitoring the probe. “We have traced the accused in less than 72 hours of the incident and the investigation on scientific lines was also under way,” the chief minister said. “I have contacted the victim woman and assured her of providing complete justice.” He said the accused involved in such heinous crimes would not be spared any at cost
• Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on September 12, 2020 formally launched ‘Nai Zindagi’ and ‘Punjab Human Capital Investment Project’ at a cost of Rs53.25 billion.
• Caring behaviour is a base of humanity that realise the need of establishing a welfare state like Riyasat-e-Madinah, where, people can get access to all facilities without any discrimination besides providing relief to the poor, oppressed segment and deserving class of the society.
• Turkey’s digital airline, Pegasus, continues to expand its international network with the launch of its new Karachi – Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen flights, connecting Karachi, Pakistan to Istanbul, Turkey.
• Pegasus’ Karachi – Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen flights will commence on 25 September 2020. Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Quaid-E-Azam International Airport will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 20:35; whilst flights from Quaid-E-Azam International Airport to Istanbul SabihaGökçen Airport will depart every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 04:55 (local times apply).
• There seems to be a shift in consumer behaviour from voice to data usage and the telecom sector may require cost cutting measures in infrastructure and meet the growing demand of the internet. More submarine cable companies may soon enter the Pakistani market.
• These views have been expressed by Edotco Pakistan`s managing director Arif Hussain.
• Talking to media, he said that recent lockdowns and the Covid19 pandemic had exposed the need for reliance on data and internet use, which had increased by 25 per cent whereas the revenues from the voice traffic declined by around 10pc.
• Pharma giant Astra Zeneca and Oxford University on September 12, 2020 said they had resumed a Covid-19 vaccine trial after getting the all-clear from British regulators, following a pause caused by a UK volunteer falling ill.
• `Clinical trials for the AstraZeneca Oxford coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, have resumed in the UK following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to do so,` the company said in a statement.
• AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday it had `voluntarily paused` its trial of the vaccine developed alongside Oxford University after the volunteer developed an unexplained illness
• Pakistan on September 12, 2020 voiced support for China on resumption of `Code of Conduct` (CoC) negotiations in South China Sea.
• Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while virtually participating in the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum (ARF), reaffirmed `Pakistan`s support for the ongoing negotiations of Code of Conduct and underlined that the concerned parties may find solution through consensus`.
• Mr Qureshi announced that Pakistan will be co-hosting the 24th ARF Heads of Defence Universities/ Colleges/Institutions Meeting with Malaysia in 2021.
• British High Commissioner in Islamabad Christian Turner September 12, 2020 said that Pakistan’s ership had been key in getting to historic Intra-Afghan Negotiations started earlier in the day.
• The opening ceremony of the negotiations held in Doha wherein Prime Minister’s Envoy on Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq represented Pakistan and Foreign Minister Qureshi addressed the event through video link.
• On his Twitter handle, the British envoy thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Qureshi and Ambassador Sadiq as Pakistan had constantly been playing a reconciliatory role for Afghan peace.
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WELCOME TO CSS TIMES DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS, YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR UP-TO-DATE AND DAILY TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS 2020 FOR PREPARATION OF CSS, PMS, BANKING, NTS, RAILWAYS AND ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS. “DAY TO DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS” BASICALLY IS TOP 10 NEWS SUMMARY ON CURRENT HAPPENINGS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL EXAMINATIONS
• US President Donald Trump announced on September 11, 2020 a `peace deal` between Israel and Bahrain, which becomes the second Arab country to settle with its former foe in less than a month.
• `Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days!` Trump tweeted.
• A joint US-Israel-Bahrain statement said there would be `full diplomatic relations`.
• Bahrain has agreed to formalise the deal with Israel at a ceremony to be held on Sept 15 at the White House, where the United Arab Emirates will also sign off on its own thaw with Israel announced in mid-August.
• The global economy is heading for a recession with GDP projected to shrink 3.8 per cent in 2020, substantially worse than the 0.4pc contraction during the 2009 global financial crisis, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said in its latest report.
• Contrary to the recovery in the aftermath of the 2009 global financial crisis, the recovery in the emerging markets from the Covid-19 shock will be `shallower and more difficult to navigate as a result,` it added.
• `We forecast a deep recession this year, with global GDP contracting by 3.8pc. The recession we forecast in advanced economies is comparable with the 2009 experience. Instead, it is China and India that account for almost all of the weaker global growth picture
• Beijing will impose `reciprocal restrictions` on all American diplomats on Chinese soil in response to curbs on its embassy personnel in the United States, China`s foreign ministry said on September 11, 2020.
• Relations between the world`s top two economies have deteriorated in recent months, with both sides locked in fierce recriminations over trade disputes, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
• China`s latest move comes days after Washington announced new restrictions on staff working for Beijing`s foreign missions, such as a requirement to seek approval for university visits or meetings with local officials.
• A huge explosion rocked a Jordanian military munitions depot early on September 11, 2020 sparking a large fire, but the army said there were no casualties at the base located in an uninhabited area.
• The military said the blast was accidental and likely caused by a chemical reaction inside a shell amid a blistering heatwave in the desert country.
• `An explosion occurred in the early hours of Friday … in a warehouse containing unusable mortar bombs belonging to the armed forces,` government spokesman Amjad al-Adaileh said in a statement.
• Russia said on September 11, 2020 it would stage massive military drills in the Caucasus later this month with troops from several countries, including Pakistan, China and Iran, invited to participate.
• More than 12,000 troops will take part in the `Caucasus-2020` war games, which will take place in southern Russia from Sept 21 to 26 and include land and naval exercises, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin told a briefing.
• `The Caucasus-2020 drills are not aimed against other countries,` the defence ministry said in a statement
• India’s leading peace activist and a staunch advocate of friendly ties with Pakistan, Swami Aginivesh, died in a hospital here on September 11, 2020 of complications from liver failure, reports said. He was 80.
• The saffron-clad defender of India’s secular constitution was assaulted viciously by suspected activists belonging to the country’s ruling party in 2018, and his close friends said his liver never recovered from the deep injuries.
• The Swami was an active member of peace committees seeking friendship with neighbouring countries including Pakistan, and was a trenchant critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s domestic and foreign policies
• China and India said on September 11, 2020 they had agreed to de-escalate renewed tensions on their contested Himalayan border and take steps to restore `peace and tranquillity` following a high-level diplomatic meeting in Moscow.
• Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister S.
• Taishankar met in Moscow on Thursday and reached a five-point consensus, including agreements that troops from both sides should quickly disengage and ease tensions, the two countries said in a joint statement.
• Turkish authorities on September 11, 2020 launched a series of operations across the country to detain at least 130 suspects over their alleged links to a network believed to be behind a coup attempt in 2016.
• Following the orders of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Offices in Istanbul, Ankara, Balikesir, and Konya, police launched simultaneous operations in 45 provinces, the Hurriyet daily said.
• The suspects, including military personnel, lawyers, and police officers, allegedly contacted the network headed by the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen via various means, according to Hurriyet.
• Since the start of the pandemic, scientists have learned that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is quite cunning. When the virus enters the body, it’s capable of turning off an entire branch of the immune system, allowing it to spread for days before the immune system can sound the alarm on the intruder.
• However, researchers still don’t know the full scope of tissues and cell types that are most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. Most research has focused on identifying genes and pathways that facilitate the virus’s entry into lung cells – yet both clinical and scientific data indicate that it can cause damage in a wide range of organs.
• Now, new Cornell research has developed potential roadmaps for how the virus infects these other organs and identifies what molecular factors could help facilitate or restrict infection.
• Described by the ‘father of zoogeography’ and co-author of the theories of evolution and natural selection, the species hasn’t been reexamined since 1866.
• An over a century-long mystery has been surrounding the Taiwanese butterfly fauna ever since the “father of zoogeography”
• Alfred Russel Wallace, in collaboration with Frederic Moore, authored a landmark paper in 1866: the first to study the lepidopterans of the island. Back then, in their study, Moore dealt with the moths portion and Wallace investigated the butterflies.
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