DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
January 1, 2018
1. Pakistan, India NSAs hold secret dialogue
 The National Security Advisers (NSAs) of the two
countries were meeting secretly in Bangkok on
Dec 26, possibly to avoid more serious missteps
2. More suicide bombings in 2017 than previous
two years
 The report compiled by the Pakistan Institute for
Conflict and SecurityStudies (PICSS) shows that
terrorists carried out 23 suicide attacks in
different parts of the country in 2017, whereas
2016 and 2015 had witnessed 17 and 18 such
incidents, respectively
3. FBR misses tax collection target by Rs50b
 The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected
Rs1722 billion during first half (July to
December) of the current fiscal year, missing the
target by a wide margin
4. Pakistan says it needs no financial assistance
from US
 Foreign Office has said that the country needs
no financial assistance from the US, which it
accuses of ignoring Pakistan’s effective
operations in the war on terror
5. Interpol rejects Pak request to arrest ETPB’s ex-
chief
 Exactly one year ago, the Pakistan embassy in
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) planned to hire
a Middle East-based law firm at a heavy fee for
extradition of former Evacuee Trust Property
Board (ETPB) chairman Syed Asif Hashmi to
Pakistan from Dubai
6. Palestinians recall envoy to US for consultations
 The Palestinian envoy to the United States has
been recalled for consultations in a move that
follows US president Donald Trump's
recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
7. S. Korea seizes another ship suspected of
providing oil to North
 South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-
flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil
products to North Korea in violation of
international sanctions
8. China's Xi vows to support UN, boost living
standards
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 China will play its part in defending the
international order and combating climate
change while working to raise living standards
for its own people, President Xi Jinping pledged
in a speech
9. Five Indian troops among eight dead in Held
Kashmir attack
 Suspected freedom fighters stormed a
paramilitary camp in Indian-occupied Kashmir
on December 31, 2017 leaving eight dead,
capping off the deadliest year in a decade for
the disputed territory
10. Pakistan U-19 clinch cricket series against
Australia
 Pakistan under-19 team defeated Australia's
under-19 in the third one-day match played at
Melbourne on December 31, 2018 to clinch the
three ODI series 2-0
January 2, 2018
1. Trump’s ‘no more’ tantrum trumped
 Taking an exception to a provocative statement
from President Donald Trump, Pakistan
summoned US Ambassador David Hale to lodge
a protest and made it clear the country was not
prepared to take dictation from anyone
anymore
 On January 1, 2018, Mr Trump tweeted his
warning to Pakistan: `The United States has
foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion
dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they
have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking
of our leaders as fools
2. SECP bans funding for JuD`s charity wing
 Notification issued following high-level meeting
led by PM; JuD, FIF officials not officially
informed of decision
 SECP: The Securities and Exchange Commission
of Pakistan
3. Malala tops list of most searched Pakistanis on
Wikipedia
 According to a report by the Pakistan affiliate of
The Wikimedia Foundation, Mala Yousufzai`s
Wikipedia page had over 2.5 million views the
previous year
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 Other personalities who were among 25 most
searched Pakistanis on Wikipedia in 2017
included politicians, social workers and people
from the entertainment industry
 Mahira Khan, the actress was the second,
Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, came on
third, on fourth position came the page of Saba
Qamar, Imran Khan`s page with fifth position,
ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif`s followed it
on sixth position, Actor Fawad Khan came on
seventh position, on eighth position late Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan attracted people
4. Commodore Abdul Basit Butt promoted to rank
of rear admiral
 Rear Admiral Abdul Basit Butt was
commissioned in Operations Branch of Pakistan
Navy in 1989. During his illustrious career, he
has served on various Command and Staff
appointments
5. S. Arabia, UAE levy VAT in first for Gulf
 Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
introduced value-added tax from January 1,
2018, a first for the Gulf which has long prided
itself on its taxfree, cradle-to-grave welfare
system
6. Federal govt introduces new promotion formula
 Following the Supreme Court orders, the federal
government has introduced new promotion
formula, and decreased performance evolution
reports marks from 70 per cent to 50 per cent,
and increased the training evolution report
marks from 15 per cent to 35 per cent.
Interestingly, no change could be made in the
Central Selection Board’s 15 per cent marks
7. Swaraj rules out cricket with Pakistan
 Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
has hinted that any bilateral cricket series
between India and Pakistan is unlikely unless
Pakistan stops alleged cross-Line of Control
terrorism and firing
8. 25pc of Earth will be drier even if warming cut
to 2°C: study
 More than a quarter of Earth`s land surface will
become `significantly` drier even if humanity
manages to limit global warming to two degrees
Celsius, the goal espoused in the Paris
Agreement
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 At 1.5 C, parts of southern Europe, southern
Africa, central America, coastal Australia and
South East Asia-areas home to more than a fifth
of humanity `would avoid significant
aridification` predicted under two degrees
Celsius, said study co-author Su-Jong Jeong of
the Southern University of Science and
Technology in Shenzhen, China
9. 13 killed as Iran sees worst day of unrest
 A policeman was shot dead as fresh protests
broke out in Iran on January 1, 2018 while the
authorities moved to crack down on days
ofunrest across the country
10. Israel finds 2,700-year-old ‘governor of
Jerusalem’ seal
 Israeli archaeologists unveiled on January 2,
2018, a 2,700-year-old clay seal imprinted with
images and Hebrew words that may have
belonged to a biblical governor of Jerusalem
January 3, 2018
1. Civil-military brass won`t `react in haste` to
Trump tweet
 National Security Committee, Corps
Commanders meetings discuss regional, global
strategy
 Rejecting US President Donald Trump`s
antiPakistan tweet as `unwarranted`, the
country`s top civil and military brass on January
2, 2018 vowed not to act in haste, while
agreeing to remain committed to the peace
process in Afghanistan
 The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister
Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal,
Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir, Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Zubair
Mehmood Hayat, Chief of the Army Staff Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa, Naval Chief Admiral Zafar
Mahmood Abbasi, Air Chief Marshal Sohail
Aman, PM`s Adviser on Finance Miftah Ismail,
National Security Adviserretired Lt Gen Nasser
Khan Janjua, Pakistan`s Ambassador in
Washington Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, and other
senior civil and military officials.
2. China defends Pakistan after Trump`s outburst
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 China has reiterated that Pakistan had made
enormous sacrifices for the fight against
terrorism and the international community
should acknowledge its outstanding
contributions to the global cause of
counterterrorism
3. 14 MPAs file no-trust motion against
Balochistan CM
 Zehri sacks home minister, special assistan;
PkMAP chief achakzai says movers of no-
confidence motion should not play into the
hands of non-democratic forces
 The motion was signed by former chief minister
and Balochistan National Party chief Sardar
Akhtar Jan Mengal and its MPA Mir Hamal
Kalmati, deputy opposition leader Engineer
Zamarak Khan Piralizai, Mir Abdul Quddus
Bizenjo, Mir Amanullah Notezai, Dr Ruquyia
Hashmi and Mir Abdul Karim Nusherwani of the
PML-Q, Mir Mohammad Khalid Langove of the
National Party, Abdul Malik Kakar, Khalil-ur-
Rehman Domar, Shahida Rauf and Husan Bono
Ralchsani of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Agha
Muhammad Raza of the MWM and Mir Tariq
Magsi (independent).
4. US confirms new Pakistan aid cuts

The White House has confirmed suspending
$255 million of military aid to Pakistan, a move
seen as the first step to implementing President
Donald Trump`s pledge to tighten economic
restrictions on Pakistan
5. PM`s health programme to cover 15 more
districts
 The Prime Minister`s National Health
Programme that is being implemented in 23
districts of the country will be extended to
another 15 districts within a month
 Minister for National Health Services (NHS):
Saira Afzal Tarar
6. Pakistan, India share data on N-facilities
 Pakistan and India, who regularly trade gunfire
in the disputed Kashmir region, are sticking to a
20-year-old agreement to exchange information
on their nuclear installations and facilities
 The 1988 agreement required each country to
hand over the list on Jan 1 each year.
7. Door open to yuan-based trade with China: SBP
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 The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) made it clear
that all arrangements for using Chinese yuan for
bilateral trade as well as financing investment
activity between Pakistan and China are already
in place
 Minister for Planning and Development: Ahsan
Iqbal
 Governor State Bank: Tariq Bajwa (July 7, 2017)
8. Jakarta launches airport train to tackle gridlock
 Jakarta launched the first train connecting its
international airport to the city centre on
January 2, 2018
9. France to put phones in prison cells in bold shift
 France plans to install landline phones in prison
cells across the country to cut down on rampant
cellphone trafficking behind bars
10. Six countries enter UN Security Council
 Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru,
Poland and the Netherlands formally joined the
ranks of the non-permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council on January 2,
2018
 The UN Security Council has 15 members,
including five with permanent seats who have
the power to veto resolutions - Britain, China,
France, Russia and the United States
January 4, 2018
1. American statements detrimental to Pak-US
relationship: cabinet
 The federal cabinet observed that recent
statements by the American leadership were
detrimental to the Pakistan-US relationship that
had developed over generations
 The cabinet unanimously endorsed the stance of
the NSC which had expressed deep
disappointment over the statements of the US
leadership
2. SC to focus on human rights cases this year
 Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar outlined the
Supreme Court`s agenda for 2018 and said the
court would be focusing on human rights issues
 The chief justice explained the court`s agenda
during the hearing of a suo motu case about
quarrying and cutting of trees in the Margalla
Hills area of the federal capital
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
3. CII supports punishment for triple divorce `in
one go`
 Though it is legal and in accordance with the
Hanafi school of thought, the Council of Islamic
Ideology (CII) on January 3, 2018 supported the
imposing of punishment for triple talaq in one
sitting.
 Chairman CII: Dr Qibla Ayaz
4. Navy test-fires anti-ship missile
 In an impressive firepower display, live weapon
firing was conducted by Pakistan Navy’s newly
commissioned Fast Attack Craft (Missile), PNS
Himmat in the North Arabian Sea on January 3,
2018
 The missile accurately hit the target, signifying
the impressive capabilities of Harbah naval
weapon system.
 Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Zafar
Mahmood Abbasi
5. NLC to build new border terminal at Angoor
Adda
 The National Logistic Cell (NLC) is planning to
construct new border terminal at Angoor Adda,
South Waziristan, besides upgrading the existing
terminals with neighboring countries
 Constructing new terminals and upgrading the
existing terminals will help restricting the
movement of terrorists and curb illegal trade
across the borders
6. India limits visitors to save Taj Mahal
 India is to restrict the number of daily visitors to
the Taj Mahal in an attempt to preserve the
iconic 17th-century monument to love, its
biggest tourist attraction
 In future only 40,000 local tourists will be
allowed to enter the historic complex per day
 The restrictions will not apply to foreigners
 The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife
Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth in 1631
7. Norway suspends arms sales to UAE over Yemen
war
 Norway has suspended exports of weapons and
ammunition to the United Arab Emirates over
concerns they could be used in the war in
Yemen
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 The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition formed
in 2015 to fight the Iranaligned Houthi group
that controls most of northern Yemen and the
capital Sanaa
8. Trump to Kim: My nuke button bigger than
yours
 US President Donald Trump warned Kim Jong-
Un he has a `much bigger` nuclear button than
the North Korean leader, as Washington
dismissed the prospect of high-level talks
between Pyongyang and Seoul
9. Pakistan needs to earn the money it gets, says
US
 The US State Department has said that Pakistan
needs to earn the money it gets from
Washington while the White House warned that
President Donald Trump can follow through his
pledge to stop US assistance to Pakistan if it
does not change its Afghan policy
10. Head of Iran Guards declares ‘end of sedition’
 Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief announced
the “end of the sedition” Wednesday as tens of
thousands rallied in a show of strength for the
country’s Islamic rulers after days of deadly
unrest
January 5, 2018
1. America suspends entire security aid to Pakistan
 The Trump administration announcedon January
4, 2018 it is suspending its entire security
assistance to Pakistan until it proves its
commitment to fight all terrorist groups
operating in the region.
 The cut-off is not permanent and only affects
military assistance
 Under the new approach, funds would be
allocated to a particular purpose identified with
the allocation and would be released only after
that targetis achieved
2. Jadhav slams Indian diplomat`s treatment of his
wife, mother
 Sparring between Pakistan and India over
convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav
continued on January 4, 2018 as the Foreign
Office released a video message in which Jadhav
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
accused Indian authorities of intimidating his
mother and wife during their trip to Islamabad
 In his video message, Jadhav thanked both
Islamabad and New Delhi for working together
to make the meeting happen, but noted that he
was saddened to see his mother under duress.
`My mother was under shock,he said while
sharing his impressions from the nearly 40
minutes he spent with his family in the first
meeting since being seized in Balochistan in
March 2016
3. Pakistan, Iran ministers discuss unrest in region
 Pakistani and Iranian defence ministers on
January 4, 2018 agreed to hold `frequent
discussions` over the evolving situation in the
region
 The consensus was reached during a telephonic
conversation between Defence Minister
Khurram Dastgir Khan and his Iranian
counterpart Brig Gen Amir Hatami
4. With 8000 CCTV cameras installed Lahore as
“Safe City” Project inaugurated
 Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif innaugrates the
Safe City Project (Punjab Police Integrated
Command, Control and Communication Centre)
on January 4, 2018
 It had been completed with Rs12bn and the
funds had been provided by the Punjab
government
 `As many as 8,000 CCTV cameras have been
installed under the project to make Lahore one
of the safest cities in the world
 Automatic system of identification of vehicles
registration number plates, e-challan, red light
monitoring as well as the latest communication
system have been put in place under this
composite system,`
 The work had been started to launch the project
in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala,
Sargodha and Bahawalpur
5. Pakistan, Japan pledge to reinvigorate ties
 This was the upshot of Japanese Foreign
Minister Taro Kono`s two-day visit to Pakistan
during which he called on Prime Shahid Khagan
Abbasi, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief
of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa
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 `It is a good indicator that how two countries
can mutually benefit through expanded business
cooperation,: PM Abbasi
6. Qatar allows full ownership for foreign investors
 Qatar has approved legislation allowing 100 per
cent ownership for foreign investors in most
sectors of the economy in a bid to boost
nonenergy revenues
 The move comes at a time of political crisis in
the Gulf, with Qatar under an economic and
diplomatic boycott by neighbouring countries
for the past seven months
 It is also an attempt by Qatar, the third largest
economy in the Gulf, to secure new revenues to
finance a budget deficit due to the slump in oil
prices since mid-2014
7. Zubaida Aapa passes away
 Cooking expert Zubaida Aapa, a household
name across the country, passed away on
January 4, 2018
8. PAF on high alert to confront any violation by US
 Pakistan Air Force has been put on extreme high
alert to give a befitting reply to the US upon any
violation of Pakistan airspace
 PAF Air Chief Marshal: Sohail Aman
9. Iran at UN accuses US of ‘grotesque’ meddling
 Iran has angrily accused the United States at the
United Nations of meddling in its domestic
affairs after President Donald Trump backed
anti-government protests
10. Saudi-led strikes on Yemen kill dozens
 Saudi-led air strikes have killed dozens of rebels
and civilians in Yemen’s flashpoint province of
Hodeida
January 6, 2018
1. Pakistan renews pledge to work for regional
peace
 In response to US suspension of security aid,
Foreign Office says unilateral pronouncements
and shifting goalposts are counterproductive
 Pakistan was allocated $134 million under the
security assistance head for 2018 in addition to
around $900m in CSF reimbursements
 Pakistan is currently the only and the first
country to be placed in this newly constituted
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
category in the annual report of US Commission
on International Religious Freedoms
2. First Pakistani air chief Asghar Khan passes away
 Former chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and
leading political figure of yesteryear retired Air
Marshal Asghar Khan died at the Combined
Military Hospital on January 5, 2018 morning
after a long illness. He was 96
3. Eminent poet Rasa Chughtai died on January 5,
2018,
 He was 89. Rasa was born in 1928 as Mirza
Mohtashim Ali Baig in Sawai Madhupur district
of the Indian state of Rajasthan. He was stuck in
an Indian camp in 1950 and arrived in Karachi
several months later in 1951 because of the
volatile situation both in India and Pakistan.
4. Russia accuses US of `interfering` in Iran
 Russia accused the United States on January 5,
2018 of interfering in Iranian affairs as the UN
Security Council prepared to hold a meeting at
Washington`s request on deadly protests in Iran
 `The United States continues to interfere both
openly and covertly in the internal affairs of
other countries
 Russia`s Deputy Foreign Minister: Sergei
Ryabkov
5. Six airlines ready to take off in 2018
 As many as six new private airlines have applied
for regular public transport (RPT) licence to Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) and are likely to start
their flight operations during the first half of this
year
 These airlines are Liberty Air, Go Green Airways,
Askari Air Pakistan, Army Welfare Trust (AWT),
United Airways Pakistan Limited, Air Sial, Afeef
Zara Airways
6. Trump faces new crisis with book questioning
his fitness for office
 US President Donald Trump faced a new public
relations crisis Friday with the publication of a
tell-all book that depicts him as mentally
unstable and in over his head, after his lawyers
failed to block its release
 Michael Wolff, the author of “Fire and Fury:
Inside the Trump White House” said he spent
three hours with Trump during the presidential
campaign and in the White House, rebutting
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Trump’s claim he never spoke with the writer
for the book
7. Erdogan accuses US, Israel of ‘meddling’ in
Pakistan, Iran
 A total of 21 people died and hundreds were
arrested in the week-long protests which were
the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since
the 2009 mass demonstrations
 Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
spoke in a call in which the Turkish leader gave
his support for the return of “peace and
stability” to Iran
8. North, South Korea agree to first talks in two
years
 North and South Korea agreed on January 5,
2018 to hold their first talks in more than two
years, hours after Seoul and Washington
decided to defer joint military exercises which
always infuriate Pyongyang until after the
Winter Olympics
 The meeting, the first since December 2015, will
take place in Panmunjom, the truce village in
the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that
divides the peninsula
9. S Arabia intercepts Yemen rebel ballistic missile
 Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2018 intercepted a
ballistic missile fired from Yemen into the
kingdom’s south, as Riyadh and its allies said the
attack “proved” Iran’s support for Yemen’s
Huthi rebels
10. Pak, China economic, defence ties to boost after
Trump’s outburst
 US President Donald Trump's recent outburst on
Pakistan will further boost economic and
defence ties between Islamabad and Beijing,
including China acquiring a Pakistani military
base close to Iran's Chabahar port
January 7, 2018
1. Furore in India as news website calls Jadhav
RAW spy
 With Pakistan-India bickering on spy
Kulbhushan Jadhav reaching new levels, the
Foreign Office (FO) on January 06, 2018
chided India on press freedom
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 Indian digital news platform The Quint
removing a story on Jadhav`s career with
India`s premier intelligence agency Research
and Analysis Wing -under pressure from the
Indian government. The story that chronicled
how Jadhav`s choice for operations in
Pakistan was opposed by atleast two heads of
the Indian intelligence agency strengthened
Pakistan`s claim that he (Jadhav) was actually
a spy, who had been involved in espionage,
terrorism and sabotage in Pakistan.
 Chandan Nandy, who filed the story, came
under severe attack on Indian media
platforms with people calling into question
his motive for writing a report that went
against the country`s interest
 The website displayed an announcement that
it had retracted the Jadhav story for
`rechecking some of the information
mentioned in the article`.
2. Pentagon still in touch with Pakistani military:
Mattis
 US Defence Secretary James Mattis said that
the Pentagon was maintaining its
communication with the Pakistani military
establishment, including with Army Chief Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa, even after suspending its
security assistance to Pakistan
 As commander of the US Central Command,
Gen Votel is directly responsible for US war
efforts in Afghanistan where Washington still
maintains about 14,000 troops and other
military assets.
3. Saudi king orders new allowances to offset
rising cost of living
 Saudi Arabia`s King Salman ordered a
monthly payment of 1,000 riyals ($267) to
state employees over the next year in
compensation for rising cost of living after the
government hiked domestic gas prices and
introduced value-added tax (VAT).
4. 11 Saudi princes arrested for palace protest
 Saudi authorities detained 11 princes after
they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh in a
rare protest against austerity measures that
included suspending payment of their utility
bills, Saudi media reported
 Saudi Arabia,the world`s top oil exporter, has
introduced reforms that included cutting
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subsidies, introducing value added tax (VAT)
and cutting perks to royal family members to
try to cope with a drop in crude prices that
has caused a budget deficit estimated at 195
billion riyals in 2018
5. Arabs seek recognition for Palestinian state
 Jordan said the Arab League would seek
international recognition of the Palestinian
state with east Jerusalem as its capital after
Washington recognised the Holy City as
Israel`s capital
 Jerusalem`s status is among the most
contentious issues in the Israeli Palestinian
conflict
6. Govt introduces new formula for promotions
 The federal government has introduced a new
promotion formula to do good to the officers
of the Pakistan Administrate Group as the
Central Selection Board will take up
promotion cases from January 9
 The CSB will review promotions of over 400
officers of grade-19 and grade-20 of different
services groups in the light of the new
promotion formula in its four days huddle
7. Top Indian politician jailed for corruption
 Key Indian opposition leader Lalu Prasad
Yadav was jailed for three and a half years
over his role in a multi-million dollar
corruption case
 Yadav, 69, is a former railways minister and
ex-chief minister of the impoverished eastern
state of Bihar where he enjoys huge popular
support for championing lower castes
 Last month the anti-corruption court found
Yadav guilty of fraudulently withdrawing
nearly $140,000 from the state treasury in a
larger fraud dubbed the “fodder scam”, which
was worth about 10 billion rupees ($157
million)
8. Marketing of artificial hormones banned
 Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan banned
marketing of artificial hormones following
Supreme Court orders
 The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan
(DRAP) chief Dr Aslam Afghani
 All federal inspectors of drugs in federal and
provincial governments are being conveyed
the decision, that no marketing and sale of the
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
artificial hormones for increasing milk
production in animals would be allowed
9. Bomb blast kills four Indian cops in Held
Kashmir
 Four Indian policemen were killed in a bomb
blast set off by suspected militants in
Occupied Kashmir, marking a deadly start to
the new year in the restive valley
10. Svitolina bags title, Kyrgios enters final
 Elina Svitolina secured her first WTA title in
Australia with a straight-sets victory in the
Brisbane International final on January 6,
2018
 While Nick Kyrgios moved a step closer to
claiming his first ATP title on home soil with a
semifinal win over defending champion
Grigor Dimitrov
January 8, 2018
1. Pakistan considers blocking US supplies
 Pakistan is considering blocking supplies to the
US forces in Afghanistan through the Pak-
Afghan border as retaliation to Washington’s
hostile attitude
 This option is on the table and is being discussed
by the diplomats, the civilian leaders and the
military. We will reach a decision soon
 Reports said the US was “watching for Pakistan’s
next moves” as the two countries struggle to
retain the relationship. President Donald
Trump’s decision this month to withhold
military aid to Pakistan shocked Islamabad
2. Pakistan, US are no longer allies
 Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said that
Pakistan does not have an alliance with the
United States.
 `We do not have any alliance, `This is not how
allies behave’
3. Punjab`s cement industry to be regulated after
three decades
 The unfettered cement industry in Punjab is
once again being brought under the regulatory
control of the provincial government after 29
years, allowing it to function and expand under
a strictly monitored legal and administrative
regime
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 The decision to once again regulate the cement
industry was taken during a marathon meeting
of a committee which was presided over by
Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed
4. Turkey reopens iconic `Iron Church` after
revamp
 The leaders of Turkey and Bulgaria on January 7,
2018 reopened the Bulgarian St Stephen`s
Church in Istanbul after seven years of
restoration
 Made out of cast iron, the iconic ornate building
has been dubbed the `Iron Church`.
 The Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, a
historic Istanbul neighbourhood on the shores
of the Golden Horn traditionally home to
Christians and Jews, was built in 1898 after its
originalwooden structure was destroyed in a fire
5. TTP still biggest threat despite decline in
violence: Report
 Despite a 16 per cent decline in terrorist attacks
in 2017, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
and its associated groups remain the most
potent threat followed by nationalist insurgent
groups, said a security report issued by Pakistan
Institute of Peace Studies
 What has been quite alarming is the increasing
footprint of ISIS, especially in Balochistan, Fata
and Northern Sindh, carrying out the deadliest
attacks
 The PIPS compiled its findings on the basis of its
multi-source database, coupled with interviews
and articles by subject experts
6. Iran bans English in primary schools after
leaders` warning
 Iran has banned the teaching of English in
primary schools, after Islamic leaders warned
that early learning of the language opened the
way to a Western `cultural invasion`.
 `Teaching English in government and non-
government primary schools in the official
curriculum is against laws and regulations,`
Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the staterun High
Education Council,
7. Netanyahu calls for closure of UN Palestinian
refugee agency
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
called for the closure of the United Nations
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
agency for Palestinian refugees, days after US
President Donald Trump threatened to cut
Palestinian aid
 Israel has long viewed the UN agency, known as
UNRWA, as biased against it, an allegation the
agency strongly denies, saying it is only
providing necessary services to Palestinians
 UNRWA is an organisation that perpetuates the
Palestinian refugee problem
8. India to build 14,000 bunkers along Pak border
 India will build over 14,000 community and
individual bunkers along the Line of Control
(LoC) and the International Border (IB) for
border residents facing Pakistani shelling in
Jammu division
 While 7,298 bunkers would be constructed
along the LoC in the twin districts of Poonch and
Rajouri, 7,162 underground bunkers would be
constructed along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and
Samba districts
9. Trump willing to talk with North Korean leader
 US President Donald Trump said he would be
willing to speak directly with Kim Jong-Un,
voicing hope that rare talks between North and
South Korea could help deescalate the crisis
over Pyongyang’s nuclear drive
 Trump’s remarks were a further pivot from his
often-bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and Kim,
with whom he has engaged in a war of words
that raised fears of nuclear war as Pyongyang
carried out missile and nuclear tests
10. Ahmadinejad ‘arrested for inciting unrest
against govt'
 Former president of Iran Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad has been arrested for inciting
unrest against the government
 The ex-leader was apprehended during a visit to
the western city of Busehehr on December 28
January 09, 2018
1. US conveys ‘concrete’ steps for Pakistan
 The United States has told Pakistan what it must
do if it wants Washington to resume paying out
hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid
 “Our expectations are straightforward,”
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning
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 “Taliban and Haqqani leadership and attack
planners should no longer be able to find safe
haven or conduct operations from Pakistani
soil.”
2. Sufi Mohammad freed from jail
 In a surprise move, the Peshawar High Court
granted bail to Tehreek Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-
Mohammadi chief Sufi Mohammad
 Sufi is father-in-law of Maulana Fazlullah, the
fugitive chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP)
3. Kashmir bloodshed: Why India not on ‘watch
list’, Pakistan asks US
 Pakistan has asked the United States why India
was not on Washington’s ‘special watch list on
the issue of religious freedom’ despite unending
bloodshed in held Kashmir and grave violation
of minorities’ rights
 Pakistan had presented its case to the US,
challenging the ‘discriminatory’ watch list
 “If someone has to be put on that list, it is India
4. Macron endorses China’s Silk Road
 French President Emmanuel Macron urged
Europe to take part in China’s massive Silk Road
infrastructure project but warned against
“hegemony”, both sides should share the
benefits.
 Macron, on the first day of a state visit, also
called on Europe and China to team up on
curbing climate change in the face of the US
decision to withdraw from the Paris accord.
5. KP cabinet approves stipend for prayer leaders
 The KP cabinet on January 8, 2018 approved Rs
10,000 as monthly stipend for prayer leaders of
jamia mosques in the province
 This decision will take effect from February
2018. This stipend will be given to the prayer
leaders having proper degrees from any of the
five recognised boards of deeni madaris
(seminaries)
6. Saudi Arabia invites bankers to pitch for Aramco
listing roles
 Saudi Aramco has invited banks pitching for
roles in its stock market listing, including Citi and
Goldman Sachs, for meetings in the kingdom in
the coming weeks to make their case
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
7. China opposes US statements linking terrorism
to Pakistan
 In the face of mounting US pressure against
Pakistan, China has opposed the idea of linking
terrorism to any country and placing the onus of
responsibility of counter-terrorism on a certain
country
 Referring to the recent statements of US
President Donald Trump and other US officials,
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang
said that ‘pointing fingers’ at each other is not
conducive to the global counter-terrorism
efforts.
8. Key Indian N-submarine damaged
 A Russian-designed Indian nuclear submarine,
considered a key platform in the country`s
second strike capability, has suffered major
damage and has been undergoing repair for
over 10 months
 It said the damage to INS Arihant may have
been caused by a possible human error and the
vessel had not sailed now for months
9. Iran warns world to prepare for US nuke deal
withdrawal
 Iran warned the world on January 8, 2018 to
prepare for the possible withdrawal of the
United States from the landmark nuclear deal
agreed in 2015
 “The international community must be prepared
for the US possibly pulling out of the JCPOA,”
said deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi
10. Three Billboards wins big at Golden Globes
 Dark drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri was the big winner with four Golden
Globes awards
 Mother-daughter comedy Lady Bird was named
best comedy film
 The indie A24 movie`s star Saoirse Ronan won
for comedy actress.
 Gary Oldman was named best drama movie
actor for his role as British wartime leader
Winston Churchill in Focus Features` Darkest
Hour
 Frances McDormand took home the award for
drama actress for her role as an angry mother
seeking vengeance in Fox Searchlight`s Three
Billboards
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 James Franco won the comedy actor award for
his cult movie homage The Disaster Artist, also
from A24
 Mexican director Guillermo del Toro won best
director for magical fantasy The Shape of Water
January 10, 2018
1. Uncertainty grips Balochistan as Zehri bows out
 Political uncertainty loomed over Balochistan
after Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri
chose to resign from office instead of contesting
a no-trust motion on January 09, 2018.
 Mr Zehri`s resignation came before the
muchhyped session of the Balochistan Assembly
in which the joint opposition were set to table
the no-trust motion against the CM
 With the acceptance of his resignation by
Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, the
provincial cabinet stood dissolved and all
advisers and special assistants removed from
office
2. Government appointed first revenue minister
 Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on
Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan has been elevated
to the status of federal minister for revenue on
January 09, 2017
 This is the first time in the country`s history that
a federal minister for revenue has been
appointed
3. Bashir Virk appointed federal law minister
 MNA Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk was
appointed federal law minister by the
government on January 09, 2017
 President Mamnoon Hussain administered the
oath of office of federal minister at a special
ceremony in the Presidency
 Hailing from Gujranwala, Mr Virk is a seasoned
politician of the ruling party PMLN
 The slot of law minister fell vacant after Zahid
Hamid resigned last November
4. FIA`s Sindh launches cybercrime complaint
portal
 The Sindh chapter of Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA) on January 09, 2017 launched its
web portal for registration of complaints related
to cybercrime, becoming the first province to
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
take the initiative with a promise to protect user
identity
 `In 2017, 76% of the total complaints relating to
social media were registered by our cybercrime
wing,` he said, adding that 150 million people in
the country were using mobile phones of which
50m were broadband subscribers
5. Chaudhry Sultan Haider Ali wins Chakwal by-
election
 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won Chakwal`s
by-election by a heavy margin on January 09,
2017
 According to unofficial results of all 227 polling
stations, PMLN`s candidate Chaudhry Sultan
Haider Ali got more than 75,000 votes against
PTIs Raja Tariq Mehmood Afzal`s 45,500
6. CJ suggests uniform education system across
country
 The growing disparity and discrimination in the
education system caught the attention of the
Supreme Court when Chief Justice Mian Saqib
Nisar questioned on January 09, 2017 why the
concept of `one textbook, one school bag and
one uniform` in our educational institutions
cannot be launched
 `If we cannot enforce Article 25A of the
Constitution in its true spirit then it`s a mere
showpiece in the green book, regretted the
chief justice while holding the Constitution in his
lef t hand
 Article 25A of the Constitution obligates the
state to provide free and compulsory education
to all children of the age of five to 16 years
7. British PM`s cabinet reshuffle marred by
resignation
 British Prime Minister Theresa May`s
longawaited government reshuffle was branded
ineffectual and shambolic after she promoted
few fresh faces to her top team and a minister
resigned rather than accept a new post
 Most of senior ministers also kept their jobs in
the reshufne, including Foreign Secretary Boris
Johnson, Brexit minister David Davis and finance
minister Philip Hammond
 May hoped the shakeup would help her reassert
authority ahead of crunch Brexit negotiations
this year, and following a torrid 2017 in which
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she lost her parliamentary majority in a snap
election last summer
8. Israeli air strikes hit Syria; govt bombardment
kills 24
 The Israeli army carried out air strikes and fired
rockets at targets in Syria, causing damage near
a military position
 Israel`s military has carried out several attacks
on the Syrian army and its ally Lebanese Shia
movement Hezbollah since the start of the
conflict in Syria in 2011
 Syrian air defences intercepted one rocket, but
several more hit `near a military position,
causing material damage`, it added.
9. North Korea to attend Olympics in rival South
 North Korea will send its athletes to the Winter
Olympics in the South, the rivals said on January
09, 2018 after their first formal talks in more
than two years following high tensions over
Pyongyang`s nuclear weapons programme
 The two sides also decided to hold military talks
and to restore a military hotline closed since
February 2016
 Seoul and Olympic organisers have been keen
for Pyongyang which boycotted the 1988
Summer Games in the South Korean capital to
take part in what they repeatedly proclaimed a
`peace Olympics` in Pyeongchang next month
10. Swiss never verified $200b ‘stashed in Pakistanis
accounts’
 The government on January 9, 2018 backtracked
from its statement that Pakistani nationals had
over $200 billion stashed in Swiss banks, by
saying that the figure has not been verified by
the Switzerland authorities
 Former finance minister Ishaq Dar informed the
National Assembly in 2014 that at least $200
billion of “Pakistani money” was stashed away in
Swiss banks
 However, Minister of State for Finance and
Economic Affairs Rana Afzal Khan on January 09,
2018 informed Senate Standing Committee on
Finance that the Swiss authorities had never
verified that Pakistani nationals had over $200
billion stashed in their banks
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
January 11, 2018
1. Federal cabinet approves Abdul Majeed Dasti as
Sindh police chief
 The federal cabinet approved on January 10,
2018 the appointment of Abdul Majeed Dasti as
the new inspector general of police (IGP) for
Sindh as per the recommendations of the PPP-
led provincial government
 The cabinet, which met with Prime Minister
Shahid Khagan Abbasi in the chair, had also
considered the names of Mehr Khalig Dad Lak
and current Punjab IG retired Captain Arif Khan
for the key position
 The Sindh government through a letter dated
Jan 6, had recommended the three names to
the federal government but, the sources
claimed, it had been insisting on the
appointment of Mr Dasti, who will replace
incumbent IGP Allah Dino Khowaja, known as
A.D. Khowaja
2. Rage over rape and murder of a little angel
 The murder after rape of a little girl sparked
violent protests in Kasur which claimed at least
two more lives on January 10, 2018. The
brutalisation of seven-year-old Zainab also sent
ripples of anger and anguish across the whole
country
 Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa
directed the army to assist the civil
administration of Kasur in tracking down the
serial killer
3. Banned INGOs allowed to work till decision on
appeals
 Succumbing to international pressure, the
government on January 10, 2018 allowed the
previously banned international non-
governmental organisations (INGOs) to continue
to work in the country till a final decision on
their appeals against the government`s decision
to cancel their registration
 According to an official announcement issued by
the ministry, the decision had been made in the
lightof the directives issued by Interior Minister
Ahsan Iqbal `keeping in view the country`s
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image at international level and operational
affairs of the INGOs`
 The directive came after the minister`s meeting
with a delegation of ambassadors from
important countries, including the United States
and the European Union
4. Flood risk for Pakistan will double by 2040
 Global warming is expected to unleash more
rain, exposing millions more people to river
flooding, particularly in the United States and
parts of Asia, Africa and central Europe,
researchers said on January 11, 2018
 The study in the journal Science Advances
calculates how much more flood protection will
be needed to keep the risks of high-end floods
constant in the next 25 years
 Asia would get hit the hardest, with the number
of people affected by flooding projected to go
from 70 to 156 million by 2040
 For instance, Pakistan, which is already prone to
flooding, `will observe almost a doubling in high-
end flood risk,` with 11m people at risk of floods
unless protective measures are taken by 2040
5. Ishrat Husain nominated for IMFC chair
 The government has nominated Dr Ishrat
Husain, former SBP governor as Pakistan`s
candidate for the coveted position of chairman
International Monetary and Financial
Committee (IMFC)
 The IMFC is the highest policy-making body of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is
responsible for advising and reporting to the
IMF Board of Governors on matters pertaining
to the supervision and management of the
international monetary and financial system
 The position fell vacant on Dec 1, 2017
6. Over 100 bureaucrats promoted
 More than 100 bureaucrats of the Pakistan
Administrative Service (PAS) were
recommended for promotion to BS-20 and BS-
21 by the Central Selection Board (CSB) on
January 10, 2018
 The board, headed by the chairman of the
Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), had
also recommended promotion of 52 officers of
the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and ex-cadre
officials
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 It recommended promotion to BS-21 of the PAS
officers. They are: Qaiser Majeed Malik, Fazeel
Asghar, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Siddique
Sheikh, Ishrat Ali, Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, Farhan
Aziz Khawaja, Imran Nasir Khan, Ijaz Ahmed
Khan, Dr Tanveer Ahmed Qureshi, Dr Raheel
Ahmed Siddiqui, Kamran Ali Afzal, Mohammad
Asad Islam Mahani, retired Capt
MohammadKhurram Agha, Syed Asif Hyder
Shah, Syed Waqarul Hassan, Ambreen Raza,
Javed Akbar, Akhtar Nazir, Waheeduddin,
Mathar Niaz Rana, Shaukat Ali, Irum Bukhari,
Zulfiqar Haider Khan, Arif Anwar Baloch,
Mohammad Salim, Hazrat Masaud Mian, Sher
Alam Mahsud, Dr Kazim Niaz, Dr Arshad
Mahmood, Waseem Mukhtar Chaudhry, Dr
Mohammad Sohail Rajput and Dr Mohammad
Usman Chachar.
 The board had considered 89 PAS officers of BS-
20 for promotion to BS-21. It also recommended
79 PAS of ficers of BS-19 for promotion to BS-20
7. Newfatwa says azaan can be recited before
newborns are bathed
 Religious scholars on January 10, 2018 passed a
fatwa that the azaan can be recited to newborns
before they have been bathed
 The religious verdict was passed after reports of
200,000 newborns dying in a year due to
pneumonia due to the misconception that the
azaan can only be recited to them after they are
bathed
 Briefing religious scholars at a National Ulema
Conference, Dr Atif Butt of the International
Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) said five
million children are born in Pakistan every year
and that 55 out of every 1,000 babies die in the
first month.
8. Economic growth to pick up pace in Pakistan,
WB report
 The World Bank says that economic growth in
Pakistan is forecast to increase to 5.5 per cent in
the fiscal year 2017-18, and reach an average of
5.9 per cent over the medium term on the back
of continued robust domestic consumption,
rising investment and a recovery in exports
 However, the main risks to the outlook are
domestic, including fiscal slippages, increasing
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liabilities related to infrastructure projects,
slippages relating to upcoming generalelections
andweaktaxrevenues that can derail fiscal
consolidation efforts, warns the Global
Economic Prospects report pubbshed by the
bank on Wednesday.
 The report says that in Pakistan growth
accelerated in fiscal year 2016-17 to 5.3 per
cent, somewhat below the government`s target
of 5.7 per cent, as industrial sector`s growth was
slower than expected
 In the first half of fiscal year 201718, the activity
continued to grow, driven by robust domestic
demand and supported by strong credit growth
and projects related to the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor
9. US updates threat assessment for Pakistan,
other countries
 The US State Department on January 10, 2018
issued four new levels of threat assessments for
its citizens from normal precautions to no travel
but kept Pakistan in the third category of
`reconsider travel`
 Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are
placed in the `do not travel` category due to
terrorism. Azad and Jammu Kashmir (AJK) is also
listed in this category `due to terrorism and the
potential for armed conflict`
 Under the new system, every country has a
travel advisory and is placed in one of these four
categories
 India is in level two where US citizens are
required to `exercise increased caution due to
crime and terrorism`
 But India-held Kashmir except the eastern
Ladakh region and its capital, Leh is categorised
as a `do not travel` area
10. Trump open to talks with North Korea
 President Donald Trump is open to talks
between the United States and North Korea,
while remaining determined to apply `maximum
pressure` over Pyongyang`s nuclear programme
 During a phone call with his South Korean
counterpart Moon Jae-In, Trump expressed his
openness to holding talks with Pyongyang `at
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
the appropriate time, under the right
circumstances
January 12, 2018
1. Spat aside, US-Pakistan dialogue channels
remain open
 Pakistan and the United States are keeping
channels of communication open in a bid to cool
the row over terror sanctuaries that worsened
with President Trump`s baffling New Year Day
Twitter tirade
 `The two sides continue to communicate with
each other on various issues of mutual interest
at different levels,` Foreign Office spokesman Dr
Muhammad Faisalsaid
 The US State Department had after President
Trump`s tweet about getting nothing from
Pakistan except `lies and deceit` despite paying
$33 billion over the past 15 years suspended all
military assistance for Pakistan. The freeze is
likely to affect up to $900 million that Pakistan
was to get this year from US in security aid
 But, soon after the announcement of the aid
suspension, US Defence Secretary James Mattis
disclosed that the Centcom Commander, who
oversees the war effort in Afghanistan, was
talking to Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa.
2. 30 percent surge in crimes against children in
2017
 The data on the crimes committed against
children in Punjab puts a big question mark on
the performance of police in the largest
province of the country
 Over 750 cases were registered against suspects
in 2017 for committing crimes against children,
including girls and boys, mostly aged between 3
and 15 years
 Most of such crimes were reported in Lahore,
Faisalabad, Gujranwala,Kasur and Rawalpindi
 However, during initial analysis, they found out
that the crimes against children across the
provinceregistered 30 percent surge in 2017 as
compare to 2016
 According to the report, total 6,793 children
were kidnapped from various cities of the
province during the last six years.The police
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high-ups claimed that the most of the cases of
children`s abduction had been resolved
3. China issues sweeping guidelines to push yuan
for Belt and Road business
 The People`s Bank of China (PBC) has
announced a raft of new measures to push a
greater cross-border role for the yuan that aim
to `contribute to opening up on all fronts`
 The measures go far beyond yuan settlement of
cross-border trade. In a notice posted on its
website, the PBC lists five seperate measures to
be pursued. The list is reproduced below
4. Ecuador grants nationality to Assange
 Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange after more than five
years of living in asylum at the nation`s embassy
in London
 Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said
officials accepted Assange`s request for
naturalisation in December, and they continue
to look for a long-term resolution to a situation
that has vexed officials since 2012
 Ecuador gave Assange asylum after he sought
refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to
Sweden for investigation of sex-related claims
 Sweden dropped the case, but Assange has
remained in the embassy because he is still
subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail. He
also fears a possible US extradition request
based on his leaking of classified State
Department documents
5. European powers urge Trump to preserve Iran
nuclear deal
 Britain, France and Germany called on Donald
Trump on January 11, 2018 to uphold a pact
curbing Iran`s nuclear ambitions on the eve of a
sanctions ruling by the US president they fear
could torpedo an accord he has relentlessly
criticised
 Hailed by its admirers as key to stopping Iran
from building a nuclear bomb, the deal lifted
economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran
limiting its nuclear programme. It was also
signed by China, France, Russia, Britain,
Germany and the European Union
 The US Congress requires the president to
periodically certify Iran`s compliance and issue a
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
waiver to allow US sanctions to remain
suspended.
6. Brilliant Asim, prolific Shabnam clinch National
TT titles
 Veterans Asim Qureshi and Shabnam Bilal
recaptured men`s and women`s singles titles,
both for an overall sixth time, in the 54th Jubilee
Insurance National Table Tennis Championship
which concluded at the Islamia Club`s Majeed
Khan gymnasium on January 11, 2018
 Experienced prevailed as top seed Asim
prevailed over second seed and much younger
Mohammad Rameez 11-9, 6-11, 5-11, 11-2, 11-
7, 11-7 in the best of seven final that fell short of
expectations

The men`s singles title had fallen vacant after
last year`s champion Saleem Abbas called it a
day
7. US House passes crucial spying law
 The US House of Representatives passed a
crucial surveillance law January 11, 2018 that
reinforced the ability of the country’s spy
agencies to intercept and make use of
Americans’ private communications
 The national security establishment saw the
reauthorization of the expiring Section 702 of
the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as
essential, warning that they would not be able
to detect terror plots without it
8. Israel approves over 1,100 new West Bank
settlement homes
 Israel has approved more than 1,100 new
settlement homes in the occupied West Bank,
the Peace Now NGO said January 11, 2018, the
latest in a raft of such moves by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government
 The approvals were given by a defence ministry
committee with authority over settlement
construction
9. Pakistan’s GDP to remain at 5.5pc in current
fiscal year: WB
 While lowering down GDP growth projections,
the World Bank (WB) has estimated that
Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would
touch 5.5 percent for the current fiscal year
2017-18 against officially envisaged target of 6
percent
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 According to WB’s report titled “Global
Economic Prospects” for 2018 released stated
that Pakistan’s GDP growth was projected to go
up to 6 percent medium term by touching 5.8
percent by FY2019 and 6 percent by FY 2020
10. PML-Q’s Bizenjo nominated as Balochistan chief
minister
 Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)
members of provincial assembly jointly
nominated former Balochistan Assembly's
deputy speaker Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo as
the chief minister of the province.
 Abdul Quddus would submit his nomination
papers for the post of chief minister to the
provincial assembly
January 13, 2018
1. No US plans for unilateral action, Pakistan told
 The United States has assured Pakistan that no
unilateral action on its territory is being planned
despite the suspension of military aid and a
flurry of hostile statements
 The assurance was extended to Army Chief Gen
Qamar Bajwa during his telephonic conversation
with Centcom Commander Gen Joseph Votel
 Military`s public affairs division Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) released the details of
Gen Bajwa`s recent contacts with the US leaders
 The army chief, it is said, was contacted by Gen
Votel and an unnamed senator to defuse
tensions after President Donald Trump`s New
Year Day tweet accusing Pakistan of lying and
being deceitful towards the US
2. First key step taken towards Fata mainstreaming
 The National Assembly made history on January
12, 2018 by abolishing the Frontier Crimes
Regulations (FCR), an oppressive colonial-era
law imposed in the tribal areas, in order to pass
legislation that would extend the jurisdiction of
the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High
Court (PHC) to the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (Fata) a long-standing demand of the
people of the fron-tier tribal region
 The bill titled Supreme Court and High Court
(extension of jurisdiction to Fata) Act 2017 was
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
unanimously passed by the lower house of
parliament
 The historic legislation extends the jurisdiction
of the apex court and the PHC to the tribal areas
under the Fata Reforms Package.
 The proposed merger of Fata with Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and the development of Fata will
also be carried out under the package.
 The bill will now be sent to the Senate where it
will become law after its passage by the upper
house.
 `The Supreme Court of Pakistan shall have, in
relation to the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas, the same jurisdiction as it has in relation
to the province of KP.
 The Peshawar High Court shall have, in relation
to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the
same jurisdiction as it has relation to the
province of the KP,`
3. Roadmap for new internal security policy
approved
 A high-level meeting held on January 12, 2018
with Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in the chair
approved the roadmap for a new internal
security policy.
 The plan includes three rounds of consultation
sessions involving key stakeholders and a
national conference on internal security.
 The policy framework identified political parties,
policymakers, academics, analysts,
educationists, journalists, religious scholars,
legal experts, civil society organisations and
representatives of marginalised groups youth,
minorities, women who will be engaged during
the process of policy formulation as major
stakeholders.
 The key inputs required from the government
departments include an assessment of the
initiatives that have been effective in ensuring
security and those that are now redundant as
well as assessment of key bottlenecks and
blockages that impede optimal performance
and suggestions to remove the impediments
and make government departments and law
enforcement agencies more effective
4. SC dissolves PMDC, substitutes it with nine-
member ad hoc council
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 The Supreme Court on January 12, 2018
dissolved the 35-member Pakistan Medical and
Dental Council (PMDC) and substituted it with a
nine-member ad-hoc council headed by one of
its former judges, Shakirullah Jan
 A three-judge SC bench headed by Chief Justice
Mian Saqib Nisar also ordered that the nine-
member council will immediately takeover and
run the affairs of the PMDC.
 The first meeting of the council is to be
convened on Jan 18 whereas the present
registrar of the council, Wasim Hashmi, will
continue to of ficiate in his current position.
 The decision, the detailed reasons of which will
be announced later, came on a set of petitions
challenging the Dec 7, 2017Lahore High Court
(LHC) judgment which also dissolved the council
and declared the council`s admissions
regulations of 2016 and the central induction
policy of 2016 illegal
5. President Widodo to address joint sitting on
26th
 President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko
Widodo will address the joint sitting of the
Parliament (Majlis-e-Shoora) on January 26
(Friday)
 Joko Widodo will be the 17th foreign dignitary,
who will address the National Assembly and
Senate's joint sitting
 President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko
Widodo will be the second president of
Indonesia who will address the joint sitting of
the Parliament. Earlier, President of Indonesia
Dr Ahmed Soekarno had addressed the National
Assembly of Pakistan on June 26, 1963
 Tayyip Erdogan has the honour to address the
joint sitting of the Parliament thrice
6. Trump cancels Britain trip, blames Obama for
London embassy deal
 US President Donald Trump cancelled a trip to
London scheduled for next month to open a
new embassy
 More than a year into his presidency, Trump has
yet to visit London, with many Britons vowing to
protest against a man they see as crude, volatile
and opposed to theirvalues on arange of issues
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 The decision to move the US Embassy from its
current Grosvenor Square location in the
upmarket Mayfair area of London and to a
siteon the south bank of the Thames was agreed
in 2008 under the presidency of George W.
Bush.
7. India sends its 100th satellite into space
 India launched its 100th satellite on January 12,
2018 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to
project the country as a global low-cost provider
of services in space
 A total of 31 small satellites were launched into
space on January 12, 2018. More than half of
the micro and nano satellites were for the
Unites States, and the remainder for India,
Canada, Finland, France, South Korea and the
United Kingdom
 India will use its latest satellites for better
border surveillance and obtaining high
resolution images of the earth
 PSLV-C40 is a highly sophisticated surveillance
tool to keep an eye on Indian borders and will
help the government track progress of
infrastructure projects
8. Saudi women attend football game for the first
time
 Saudi Arabia allowed women to enter a football
stadium for the first time to watch a match on
January 12, 2018, as the ultra-conservative
kingdom eases strict decades-old rules
separating the sexes
 The new measure comes after Riyadh, long
known for imposing harsh restrictions on
women, announced it was lifting a ban
prohibiting them from driving, as well as
reopening cinemas
 The first football match women are being
allowed to attend is a clash between Saudi
Premier League clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Batin in the
Red Sea city of Jeddah
9. Netanyahu to start six-day India visit on Jan 14,
2018
 Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu will
begin a six-day visit to India on January 14, 2018
and the event will be closely watched by
Pakistan in the neighbourhood and by Iran and
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Saudi Arabia in the Middle East where India has
gained in profile in recent months
 India needs Iran to counter Pakistan in
Afghanistan through the Chahbahar port route,
but it has a difficult balancing act to perform
given Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s
personalised ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel
10. Trump keeps Iran nuclear deal, for now
 US President Donald Trump said he was keeping
alive the Iran nuclear deal by waiving sanctions
for a third time.
 He, however, pointed out that he would end the
agreement unless it was amended to
permanently block a potential outlet to build
nuclear weapons
January 14, 2018
1. Bizenjo becomes Balochistan CM for five
months
 Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, the consensus
candidate of all but two parties in the
Balochistan Assembly, comfortably won the
election of the new chief minister of the
province against Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami
Party`s Syed Liaquat Agha on January 13, 2018.
 Mr Bizenjo, who was elected an MPA in May
2013 from Awaran on a Pakistan Muslim
League-Q (PML-Q) ticket by bagging 544 votes,
was along with 14 provincial ministers sworn in
as the CM by Balochistan Governor Muhammad
Khan Achakzai.
 The size of the new CM`s cabinet comes to 18 as
he also appointed four advisers.
 The assembly previously saw the election of two
chief ministers during the past four-and-a-half
years.
2. PM inaugurates National Incubation Centre in
Peshawar
 Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited
(PTCL), Pakistan’s leading telecommunications
services provider, and LMKT, an award-winning
full-service technology company based out of
Islamabad, announced the formal inauguration
of National Incubation Center (NIC), Peshawar,
Which has been funded by the Ministry of IT&T
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
and Ignite Fund (formerly known as National ICT
R&D Fund).
 The launch ceremony was graced by Prime
Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as chief guest,
along with Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Minister of IT&T Anusha
Rahman.
3. UN report finds Iran in violation of Yemen arms
embargo
 Iran has violated a UN arms embargo by failing
to block supplies to Yemen's Huthi rebels of
ballistic missiles that were fired at Saudi Arabia,
UN panel of experts.
 The report seen by AFP does not identify the
supplier but makes clear that missile debris
inspected by the experts were of Iranian origin
 "The panel has identified missile remnants,
related military equipment and military
unmanned aerial vehicles that are of Iranian
origin and were introduced into Yemen after the
imposition of the targeted arms embargo"
4. ‘Nuclear bluff’ remark shows Indian army chief’s
immaturity
 The Director General of Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor Saturday
responded to the Indian army chief’s ‘nuclear
bluff’ assertion saying that such statements
were unbecoming from a person of a
responsible stature
 Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on January
12, 2018 said the force was ready to call
Pakistan’s ‘nuclear bluff’ and cross the border to
carry out any operation if asked by the
government, according to Indian media outlets
5. China blows up illegal mega-church
 Authorities in northern China have demolished a
Christian mega-church in a move denounced by
a religious rights group as Taliban-style
persecution
 China`s officially atheist Communist authorities
are wary of any organised movements outside
their control, including religious ones
 The huge evangelical Jindengtai (Golden
Lampstand) Church, painted grey and
surmounted by turrets and a large red cross,
was located in Linfen, Shanxi province
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6. Iran trashes Trump’s demand for changing
nuclear deal
 Iran on January 13, 2018 rejected any
modification of its nuclear deal with world
powers after US President Donald Trump
demanded tough new measures to keep the
agreement alive
 Iran “will not accept any amendments in this
agreement, be it now or in the future, and it will
not allow any other issues to be linked to the
JCPOA,” the foreign ministry said in a statement,
using the 2015 deal’s technical name.
7. Govt to announce tax amnesty scheme very
soon
 Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance,
Revenue and Economic Affairs, Dr Miftah Ismail
said that Fixed Tax Regime (FTR) for the
construction sector was a good move and the
present government will provide all possible
facilities to this sector because the government
wants to create new avenues of jobs for the
people
8. London store Harrods to remove Diana statue
 Luxury department store Harrods said it was
taking down a statue of the late Princess Diana
and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed and returning it
to former owner Mohamed Al Fayed
 Al Fayed commissioned the bronze statue,
which shows his son and Diana holding hands
and releasing a bird, after they were killed in a
Paris car crash in 1997
9. Punjab govt launches “100 Days of Business
Reform” plan
 Punjab Government has launched the 100 Days
of Doing Business Reform Plan to facilitate
businesses and start-ups to improve the
investment environment in the province.
 The plan is devised by keeping in view the
Punjab Growth Strategy 2018 which sets the
target of achieving 8 percent economic growth.
 According to Census 2017, Punjab is home to
approximately 53 percent of Pakistan’s total
population. It is the second largest province
with a population as high as 110 million. The
rapidly growing population necessitates the
creation of approximately 1 million quality jobs,
according to the Punjab Growth Strategy 2018.
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
10. Rabada becomes world’s highest-ranked Test
bowler
 South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada has become the
number-one ranked bowler in the ICC Test
Player Rankings
 Rabada, who was one of the stars in South
Africa’s successful campaign in the ICC U19
World Cup in the UAE in 2014, returned figures
of three for 34 and two for 41 against a star-
studded India batting line-up.
January 15, 2018
1. Israeli PM Netanyahu kicks off historic India tour
in Delhi
 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in
New Delhi on January 14, 2018 for the first visit
by an Israeli leader to India in 15 years,
promising closer ties with the regional power.
 The visit marks 25 years since India and Israel
established diplomatic relations, but comes just
weeks after India voted in favour of a United
Nations resolution denouncing United States
President Donald Trump's recognition of
Jerusalem as Israel's capital
 In July 2017 Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi made history when he became the first
Indian leader to visit Israel
2. Khuda Babar appointed CM`s adviser
 The new chief minister of Balochistan, Mir Abdul
Quddus Bizenjo, appointed Khuda Babar on
January 14, 2018 as his adviser for the Gwadar
Development Authority and Balochistan`s
Coastal Development Authority.
 The decision was made with the consultation of
the governor
 Four other advisers have already been
appointed by the chief minister
 Dr Ruquyia Saeed Hashmi is the only woman to
be appointed as adviser. She will help run the
finance ministry.
3. Pakistani woman Farhat wins N-Peace Award
 Farhat Asif, a Kashmir-born Pakistani activist has
won this year’s N-Peace Award given by UNDP
in partnership with the Government of Canada
and the Institute for Inclusive Security,
Washington DC in Bangkok Thailand
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 Farhat Asif received this award in the category
“Campaign for Action” for her tireless services
as a prominent academic who brings together
government officials, NGOs, think-tanks and
educational institutions to raise the importance
of women’s involvement in peace negotiations.
 This award recognises individuals who have
worked at the policy and decision-making levels
to advance the Women, Peace, and Security
(WPS) Agenda, specifically at the sub-national
levels
4. India`s army chief wants political solution to
Kashmir issue
 A day after stirring the pot with comments
resembling the US president`s `my nuclear
button bigger than yours` claim, Indian Army
Chief Gen Bipin Rawat appeared to row back by
giving space to political initiatives to bring peace
to India-held Kashmir
 Political initiative must go `handin-hand` with
military operations to bring peace to Jammu and
Kashmir
5. Afghan officials meet Taliban in Istanbul
 Officials of the Afghan government reportedly
held an `unofficial` meeting with Taliban`s
representatives in Istanbul on January 14, 2018
and discussed with them `mechanisms` that
could pave the way for initiating a formal peace
dialogue
 The meeting was arranged in cooperation with
theTurkish government
6. US-led coalition to build 30,000-strong border
force in Syria
 The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State
group said it was working to create a 30,000-
strong border security force in northern Syria,
drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey
 With the offensive against IS winding down, the
coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic
Forces alliance were beginning to shift their
focus to border security
7. Sri Lanka restores ban on women buying alcohol
 Sri Lanka’s president on January 14, 2018
reimposed a four-decade-long ban on women
buying liquor, just days after his finance minister
had lifted the restriction
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to
revoke his decision last week to overturn the
1979 law prohibiting the sale of any type of
alcohol to women
8. Iran removes block on Telegram
 Iran has lifted restrictions imposed during
recent protests on the country's most popular
social media app Telegram.
 AFP journalists were able to access the service
on January 14, 2018 and officials confirmed it
has been restored
9. No polio case reported in Fata during 2017
 Fata has reported no polio case in 2017 and the
first anti-polio campaign of the year 2018 starts
from January 15, 2018 with the zeal to help
keep zero polio case status in Fata
 The anti-polio vaccination campaign will
continue from January 15, 2018, to January 17,
2018, followed by a catch-up of missed children
 Total of 1.25 million children below the age of 5
years will be vaccinated with vaccines by 4365
teams comprising of 3980 mobile teams, 285
fixed teams and 100 transit teams
10. UBL clinch Departments Cricket One-Day Cup
 Younus Khan-led United Bank Limited (UBL)
clinched the PCB Departments One-Day Cup
after overwhelming Wapda by 6 wickets in the
final played at UBL Ground No 1, Karachi on
January 14, 2018
 UBL captain Younus Khan received winning
trophy and Rs 1 million cheque while Wapda
captain Salman Butt got runners-up trophy and
Rs 500,000
 Hammad Azam of UBL was named man of the
final, Shan Masood of UBL the best batsman
(632 runs), Sadaf Hussain of KRL the best bowler
(18 wickets) and Kamran Akmal of Wapda
outstanding player (532 runs, 12 dismissals)
January 16, 2017
1. US moots enhanced intelligence sharing with
Pakistan
 The United States on January 15, 2018 proposed
enhanced intelligence cooperadon to Pakistan
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as their diplomats sat down in an effort to fix
their frayed relationship
 The two sides looked to be having a consensus
on the need to work together for stabilising
Afghanistan as US Acting Assistant Secretary of
State Alice Wells opened her visit to Islamabad
 The assistant secretary`s visit follows military-
level contacts between the two countries for
cooling the row. Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa
was earlier contacted by Centcom Commander
Gen Joseph Votel and a US senator
2. 17m children are infected with worms: survey
 An estimated 17 million children between the
ages of five and 15 have Soil Transmitted
Helminths (STH), according to the first STH
survey, which was held in 40 districts across the
country
 The survey was conducted by the World Health
Organisation, the Ministry of National Health
Services, Indus Health Network and other
organizations
 The report, which was launched on January 15,
2018, suggests widespread de-worming in the
country
 The survey was conducted in five districts of
Punjab, six of Sindh, 16 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
one of Balochistan, five of Gilgit Baltistan, four
in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and three agencies
in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
3. Russian central bank, SBP sign MoU
 The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) on
bilateral central banking cooperation with the
Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBRF)
 SBP Governor Tariq Bajwa visited the CBRF
headquarters in Moscow on Jan 15
 This was the first-ever visit of an SBP governor
to the CBRF. Mr Bajwa and CBRF Governor Elvira
Nabiullina signed the document
4. Sindh Assembly allows govt to delegate colonial-
era powers to its officers
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 The Sindh Assembly on January 15, 2018
amended a colonial-era law to empower the
provincial government, or its authorised
officers, to exercise executive magistracy
powers with regard to application of Section 144
of the criminal procedure code
 The same powers were earlier exercised by
district nazims under the now repealed Sindh
Local Government Ordinance 2001
5. India and Israel sign nine agreements
 Israel and India on January 15, 2018 signed nine
agreements covering cooperation in cyber
security, space and oil and gas exploration
 Israel has given initial approval for Indian energy
companies to explore oil and gas in the eastern
Mediterranean, in the first such move by Indian
firms in that region.
 Bilateral trade has jumped from $200 million in
1992, when the two countries opened
diplomatic relations, to $4.16 billion in 2016,
largely in favour of Israel
6. UNSC team visits Kabul in solidarity move
 Representatives of the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC), including US ambassador Nikki
Haley, held talks with Afghanistan`s top leaders
during a three-day visit to the war-torn country
that ended on January 15, 2018
 The 15-member council talks focused on
political, security, socio-economic and human
rights issues in Afghanistan. It was the first visit
by the full council since 2010
7. China deplores Indian army chief`s remarks
 China has hit out at Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin
Rawat for calling Doklam a disputed territory
 Gen Rawat suggested on January 13, 2018 that
India needed to shift focus from its border with
Pakistan to that of China and spoke of pressure
being exerted by Beijing along the Line of Actual
Control (LAC)
 `Donglang is China`s territory. China will
continue to exercise its sovereignty rights in
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accordance with the historical convention and
steadfastly uphold its territorial sovereignty,` Mr
Lu Kang said
8. Turkey will destroy US-backed Syria ‘terror
army’
 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
threatened to destroy a planned US-backed
30,000-strong border security force in northern
Syria, describing it as an “army of terror”
 Turkey fears that the mooted new force will be
comprised of the Kurdish People’s Protection
Units (YPG) militia, whom Ankara accuses of
being terrorists and have been a constant bone
of contention in Turkey-US ties
 The new upsurge of tensions between Ankara
and Washington also comes as Erdogan has
repeatedly threatened that Turkey could launch
a cross-border operation to oust the YPG from
the Kurdish-held town of Afrin in northern Syria
9. Sexual assaults in 2017 as compared with 2016
 A total of 12,661 cases of raping girls, boys and
women were reported during the period 2014-
17 in Sindh, Punjab and KP
 Sindh also recorded 38 per cent rise in sexual
assault cases during 2015 when compared with
2014, while both Punjab and Sindh experienced
1 per cent increase during the same year.
Punjab has the best system to compile record of
crimes in the country
 237 rape cases were reported in Sindh during
2014 and 326 in 2015, meaning a 38 per cent
increase. The figures in Punjab for the two years
were 2,711 and 2,737 respectively, which means
there was a 1 per cent increase in sexual
assaults in 2015 against the previous year
 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the other hand,
recorded 136 cases in 2014 and 138 in 2015,
again representing a 1 per cent increase.
Similarly, Sindh witnessed 271 cases in 2016
against 326 in 2015, representing a 17 per cent
decrease
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
10. Army keep national basketball title to jihad without the consent of the state, as un-
 Army outclassed Wapda 71-45 in the National Islamic
Basketball Championship final to retain the title  The counter-narrative also holds that the use of
on January 15, 2018 force against the state of Pakistan in the name

January 17, 2018

of Sharia is unIslamic and prohibits the use of
force against the government
 Signed by 1,829 religious scholars from nearly all
1. US renews call for steps against `externally
mainstream sects in the country, the document
focused terrorists`
was compiled throughthe efforts
 The first diplomatic engagement between
oftheInternational Islamic University Islamabad
Pakistan and the United States after the mini-
 The document concludes by expressing support
crisis created by President Donald Trump`s
for military operations `initiated to strengthen
tweet ended with Washington renewing its
the security and stability of Pakistan
demand for Islamabad to clear its territory of
3. Cabinet approves stricter penalties for Ehteram-
`externally focused terrorists``Ambassador
i-Ramazan violators
[Alice] Wells urged the government of Pakistan
 The federal cabinet on January 16, 2018 gave its
to address the continuing presence of the
assent to enhancement of punishments over
Haqqani network and other terrorist groups
violations of the Ehteram-i-Ramazan Ordinance
within its territory,` said a US embassy
 Increasing penalties for violating the sanctity of
statement at the conclusion of a two-day visit by
the holy month and mandating the closure of
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells
cinemas and theatres during fasting hours
 Her visit followed the US military`s outreach to
 The cabinet, which met with Prime Minister
Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa to contain the
Shahid Khagan Abbasi in the chair, ratified the
damage caused by the Trump tweet which
recommendations of the Cabinet Committee for
accused Pakistan of `lies and deceit`
Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) in respect of
 Pakistanis too expressed their desire for a
Ehteram-i-Ramazan (Amendment) Bill, 2017
continuation of the relationship, but at the same
 The Ehteram-i-Ramazan Bill had been
time conveyed a message that the tiescould
introduced in the Senate by Senator Chaudhry
progress towards normalisation only if there
Tanvir Khan of the ruling Pakistan Muslim
were mutual trust and respect.
League-Nawaz (PML-N) exactly a year ago on
2. The government on January 16, 2018 launched
Jan 16. It sought amendments to the Ehteram-i-
Paigham-i-Pakistan
Ramazan Ordinance 1981 to provide measures
 A document that offers a counter-narrative to
to observe sanctity in Ramazan
extremist ideas by collating edicts that declare
4. Cabinet approves amendment in FIA Act
all kinds of terrorism against the spirit of Islam
 The federal cabinet approved amendment in the
 Launched by President Mamnoon Hussain, the
schedule of the Federal Investigation Agency
document declares sev-eral anti-state actions,
Act, 1974
including rebellion, attacks and suicide attacks
 After the amendment, certain offences under
against the state, spreading of sectarianism and
the Pakistan Penal Code committed through
anarchy in the name of religion, or issuing a call
cyber, electronic means or information

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
technology systems would be included in the
schedule of the FIA Act, 1974
5. Indian PM launches $6.8bn refinery in Rajasthan
 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
January 16, 2018 launched the construction of a
$6.8 billion refinery in the western state of
Rajasthan, in the hopes of meeting the rising
fuel demand
 By 2030, India`s demand for petrol and diesel is
expected to go up by two-thirds to 170bn litres,
as an expanding middle class spends on cars and
air travel
 The 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery and
petrochemical project is being built by the
country`s third-biggest state refiner Hindustan
Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) in a tie-up with the
state government
6. India to buy guns worth $553m for border
troops
 India will buy more than 160,000 guns worth
$553 million for troops on its disputed, high-
altitude borders
 The country`s defence acquisition council
cleared the purchase of 72,400 assault rifles and
93,895 carbines for $553 million
 The weapons will be bought to `enablethe
defence forces to meet their immediate
requirement for the troops deployed on the
borders,`
7. Govt offers cash prize to bureaucrats for giving
ideas on how to improve governance
 The government has announced ‘Idea Award
Scheme’ for asking bureaucrats to send
suggestions for improving governance and
decision-making process by offering them even
cash prizes
 Top bureaucrats pointed out that Establishment
Division invited suggestion from serving and
retired bureaucrats aimed at bringing
improvement in governance through adopting
merit based decision-making process
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 An official circular issued by Establishment
Division to ministries/divisions and attached
departments
8. NA speaker addresses Parliamentary Union of
Islamic Countries in Tehran
 Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq
has said that 13th meeting of the Parliamentary
Union of Islamic Countries was opened at a time
when Muslim communities across the globe are
passing through a saga of pain and prosecution
 The Speaker said that war in Syria, fighting in
Yemen, terrorist surge in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Pakistan and the bleeding wounds of the
Palestinians, Kashmiris and the Rohingiya
Muslims are a constant reminder for us
9. Romania set for third premier in seven months
 Romania’s ruling Social Democrats on January
16, 2018 put forward European Parliament
lawmaker Viorica Dancila to become prime
minister, after power struggles within the party
forced out the second premier in seven months
 "Mrs. Dancila has been an MEP since 2009, she
is respected in Brussels, she doesn’t seek
conflict, is communicative and has good
relations with the (European) Commission," PSD
leader Liviu Dragnea said after a party meeting
in Bucharest.
 Assuming Dancila, 54, is approved by President
Klaus Iohannis, she will also become the first
woman to head the government of the
European Union’s second-poorest country after
Bulgaria
10. India ends decades-old subsidy for Haj pilgrims
 India`sHindunationalist government is ending a
decadeslong policy of offering discounted
airfares to Muslims embarking on the Haj
pilgrimage
 The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party has
accused its opponents in the Congress party
who introduced the Haj assistance scheme in
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
the 1950s of trying to woo Muslim voters discovering he had an unauthorised notebook
through handouts that had the identities of undercover US spies
 Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi  Lee, a naturalized US citizen also known as Zhen
said the government wants to assist India`s Cheng Li, was arrested after he arrived at JFK
roughly 175 million Muslims without resorting International Airport in New York
to political `appeasement` along religious lines  The Department of Justice said Lee, 53, grew up

January 18, 2018

in the United States and served in the US Army
before joining the Central Intelligence Agency as
a case officer in 1994.
1. Success eludes intra-Afghan peace talks in
 He served in unnamed overseas locations and
Islamabad
left the agency in 2007, later apparently taking a
 A delegation from the Qatar Office of the
job in Hong Kong
Afghan Taliban arrived in Islamabad last week to
4. PM announces plans for foreign assets amnesty
kick-start the long-stalled intra-Afghan peace
scheme
talks, but failed to break the ice
 Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi
 The delegation, which included Shababuddin
announced on January 17, 2018 the
Dilawar and Malawi Rasool, came from Qatar to
government`s intentions
explore prospects of resuming talks
toofferanamnestyschemeforPakistanis to
 `They are sticking to their past stance. They
declare their foreign assets, and reduce tax
want to negotiate with the US through the
rates to broaden the tax base and address
Qatar Office, but refused to negotiate with the
challenges on the external and fiscal fronts,
Afghan government
ahead of next year`s budget and the upcoming
 While Pakistan supported and encouraged the
general elections
Taliban to resume talks in Afghanistan, it
 The government was working on a scheme to
avoided engaging with the Taliban in the wake
allow Pakistanis to declare their assets abroad
of current strained relations with Washington
 Another way could be the use of technology,
2. State Bank launches systemic risk survey
with the help of the National Database and
 State Bank of Pakistan on January 17, 2018
Registration Authority (Nadra) to identify
launched Systemic Risk Survey (SRS) to gauge
prospective taxpayers to address the country`s
the views of market participants and experts
fiscal challenges
about various existing and emerging risks, that
 Former State Bank governor Dr Ishrat Hussain
potentially undermine stability of the financial
also advised the government to follow the
system
Indonesian example, which materialised $30-40
 The survey aims at evaluatingthe
billion by offering an amnesty scheme to attract
respondents`conHdence in the stability of the
people to declare their foreign assets
financial system as a whole and banking system
5. Saudi Arabia announces $2b bailout for Yemen
in particular
govt
3. Former CIA agent arrested with secret
 Saudi Arabia announced on January 17, 2018 it
information
would transfer $2 billion to Yemen's central
 US authorities had arrested a former CIA agent,
bank, following desperate calls for a financial
Hong Kong resident Jerry Chun Shing Lee, after

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
rescue from the beleaguered government it has
supported militarily for nearly three years
 The bailout aims to curb the fall in value of the
Yemeni riyal, which has plummeted as the war
between the Saudi-backed government and
Huthi Shiite rebels who control the capital Sanaa
and much of the north has dragged on
 The riyal currently trades at 500 to the dollar,
down from around 215 before the war, a serious
depreciation for a country that relies heavily on
imports of basic foodstuffs
6. Brazil great Ronaldinho retires from football
 Ronaldinho, `the ever-smiling magician` of
Barcelona, as described by his former club, has
ended his professional career
 Ronaldinho played his last professional match in
2015 for Brazilian club Fluminense
 Ronaldinho`s decorated career also includes one
World Cup title (2002), one Champions League
victory (2006) and two La Liga titles with Barca,
and two FIFA world player of the year awards
(2004 and 2005).
 He played 101 matches and scored 35 goals for
Brazil from 1997 to 2013
7. US freezes funding for Palestinian refugees
 The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned
it faced its worst funding crisis ever after the
White House froze tens of millions of dollars in
contributions, a move Palestinian leaders
decried as cruel and blatantly biased
 The agency provides Palestinian refugees and
their descendants across the Middle East with
services including schools and medical care, but
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long
accused it of hostility toward Israel and called
for its closure.
 Some five million Palestinians are eligible for its
services. The United States held back $65 million
that had been destined for the agency, two
weeks after President Donald Trump threatened
future payments
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 The United States is the largest contributor to
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine refugees (UNRWA)
8. Import of fresh fruit, vegetables from
Afghanistan banned
 The Pakistan Customs and Food Department
banned import of food items from Afghanistan
and stopped loaded truck at Torkham border
 The Customs officials put forward seven
conditions for importing fresh and dry fruits,
cooking oil and ghee from Afghanistan
9. Tensions grow: China’s aircraft carrier sails by
Taiwan
 China’s sole operational aircraft carrier passed
through the Taiwan Strait on January 17, 2018,
the island’s defence ministry said, as Beijing
steps up pressure on its democratic rival
 It comes weeks after Taiwan’s President Tsai
Ing-wen warned against what she called China’s
"military expansion"- the increase of air and
naval drills around the island since she came to
power in May 2016
10. Internet surveillance; US Senate advances bill to
renew NSA’s programme
 The US Senate advanced a bill to renew the
National Security Agency’s warrantless internet
surveillance programme, as a final push by
privacy advocates to derail the measure came
up one vote short
 The vote marked a disappointing end to a years-
long effort by a coalition of liberal Democrats
and libertarian-leaning Republicans to redefine
the scope of US intelligence collection in the
wake of the 2013 disclosures of classified
surveillance secrets by former NSA contractor
Edward Snowden
 The legislation just cleared the procedural 60-
vote threshold required to limit debate in the
Senate and was expected to earn the simple
majority required to officially pass through the
chamber sometime later this week
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018

January 19, 2018

 Since two Americans were also among those
killed in the failed attempt, the FBI is legally
bound to continue to seek the suspects until
1. Pakistan, US engaged in quiet diplomacy
they are either brought to the United States for
 Beyond the apparent stalemate over terror
trial or their death is confirmed
sanctuaries, Washington and Islamabad are
3. Nuclear physicist Dr Ishfaq Ahmad is no more
quietly engaged in diplomacy to address their
 Renowned nuclear physicist Dr Ishfaq Ahmad
fast deteriorating relationship
passed away in Islamabad on January 18, 2018.
 Foreign Office spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal
He was 87
disclosed that Pakistan and the United States
 Dr Ahmad served as the chairperson of the
were engaged in negotiations, which are
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1991
`ongoing and outside public domain` and that
to 2001 the tenure during which Pakistan
cooperation with the US has remained
conducted its nuclear test in 1998
unaffected despite recent developments
 He also worked as adviser to the prime minister
 US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice
for strategic and scientific programmes. In
Wells this week visited Pakistan during which
recognition of his services in the field of nuclear
she renewed the demand for clearing Pakistani
physics, Dr Ahmad was awarded three of the
territory of alleged terror sanctuaries
highest civil awards of Pakistan Sitara-i-Imtiaz,
 Earlier US Centcom chief Gen Joseph Votel had
Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Nishan-i-Imtiaz
reached out to Chief of the Army Staff Gen
4. India to set up $350m fund to finance solar
Qamar Bajwa for calming the frayed nerves at
projects
General Headquarters (GHQ)
 India will set up a $350 million fund to finance
2. 32 years on, FBI re-launches search for Pan Am
solar projects, as the country steps up efforts to
hijacking suspects
achieve its ambitious target of adding 175GW in
 The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
renewable energy by 2022
renewed its pledge on January 18, 2018 to catch
 India will need at least $125bn to fund a plan to
four hijackers of the Pan Am Flight 73, almost 32
increase the share of renewable power supply in
years after the failed attempt at Karachi airport
the country`s grid by 2022, underlining the
 The attack, which occurred aboard Pan Am
immense financing challenge ahead
Flight 73 during an airport stopover in Karachi
 The country, which receives twice as much
on Sept 5, 1986, resulted in the death of 20
sunshine as European nations, wants to make
passengers and crew. The victims included
solar central to its renewable expansion
citizens of the United States, India, Pakistan,
5. Turkey `not satisfied` with US assurance over
Britain, Italy, Denmark, Ireland and Mexico
Syria force
 The FBI has age-progressed photos of the four
 Turkey described as far from satisfactory US
hijackers Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz al-Turki,
assurances playing down plans to create a
Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah
border force in northern Syria made up of
Khalil Hussain ar-Rahayyal and Muhammad
Kurdish militia forces deemed as `terrorists` by
Ahmed alMunawar to enable people to identify
Ankara
them
 Washington said it is training a 30,000-strong
border force on Syria`s northern frontier with

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
Turkey, comprised of the Kurdish People`s
Protection Units (YPG) militia, whom Ankara
accuses of being a terror group.
6. India test-fires its longest-range missile
 India tested its longest-range intercontinental
missile on January 18, 2018
 The 5,000km range Agni missile was tested from
an island in India`s eastern coast in the Bay of
Bengal
 The Agni-V is an advanced version of the
indigenously built Agni, or Fire, series, part of a
programme that started in the 1980s. It has
been tested previously. A long-running dispute
over the Himalayan border with China has flared
in recent years
 According to a report, the missile brings the
whole of Asia and China as well parts of Europe
and Africa within its nuclear strike envelope
7. Turkey `not satisfied` with US assurance over
Syria force
 Turkey described as far from satisfactory US
assurances playing down plans to create a
border force in northern Syria made up of
Kurdish militia forces deemed as `terrorists` by
Ankara
 Washington said it is training a 30,000-strong
border force on Syria`s northern frontier with
Turkey, comprised of the Kurdish People`s
Protection Units (YPG) militia, whom Ankara
accuses of being a terror group
 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted
furiously to the announcement of the plan over
the weekend, denouncing the force as an `army
of terror`
8. Pak-Iran train services to resume by September

Pakistan and Iran have decided to resume a
fortnightly passenger train service between
them by September this year due to
improvement in the security situation
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 The decision was taken at a meeting of railway
officials from the two countries on January 19,
2018
 Zahedan Railways director general Majid Arjouni
led the Iranian delegation and Railways Board
secretary Zubair Shafi Ghauri chaired the
meeting
 The passenger train service will run between
Quetta and Mashhad or Qom, and will largely
cater to the needs of pilgrims during Muharram
9. AD Khawaja to retain Sindh IG post, rules SC
 The Supreme Court January 18, 2018 ruled that
Sindh Police Inspector General AD Khawaja
would retain his post till further order,
suspending federal and provincial government
moves to transfer and replace him
 A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice
Mian Saqib Nisar accepted Sindh government
appeal against the Sindh High Court verdict,
which had ruled that Khawaja would continue as
the provincial police chief
 The government had nominated Sardar Abdul
Majeed Dasti, a grade 22 officer, as Khawaja’s
replacement. However, the apex court said:
“Khawaja is to retain his post”
10. Japan, Australia push for defence pact
 The prime ministers of Japan and Australia said
they would push to seal a major security
agreement “as early as feasible,” in the face of
tensions over North Korea
 The agreement on joint defence operations and
exercises was at the centre of talks between
Malcolm Turnbull and his Japanese counterpart
Shinzo Abe during a one-day visit by the
Australian leader
January 20, 2018
1. Prominent writer Munoo Bhai passes away
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 Renowned journalist, playwright and poet
Munoo Bhai passed away on January 19, 2018.
He was 84
 Munoo Bhai was born on Feb 6, 1933 in
Wazirabad. His real name was Munir Ahmed
Qureshi
 As one of the major and pioneering playwrights
of the PTV, he has to his credit popular plays
such as Sona Chandi, Jhok Siyal, Jheel, Dasht,
Ashyiana and Ye Khanai Nahin
 Munoo Bhai also wrote long plays for the PTV,
Gumshuda and Khoobsurat being prominent
among them
2. No support for anti-Pakistan campaigns: US
 The United States has assured Pakistan that it
does not support any group threatening the
country`s territorial integrity, a traditional US
position re-emphasised following a recent
advertising campaign targeting Islamabad
 Pakistan reacted strongly to the campaign,
raising it with the State Department as well as
with other US government agencies that
assured Pakistan that the groups behind these
campaigns had no support from any US agency
 Similar advertisements had appeared in London
and Geneva and Pakistan was able to get them
removed
 Pakistan`s ambassador in Washington, Aizaz
Ahmad Chaudhary
3. Poet Saqi Faruqui dies
 Renowned Urdu poet Saqi Faruqui passed away
in London on January 19, 2018. He was 81.
 Faruqui was born on Dec 21, 1936 in Gorakhpur,
India. In 1952, his family migrated to East
Pakistan (now Bangladesh)and a few years later
shifted to Karachi. Here he did his BA and
became the editor of a monthly magazine
Nawai-i-Karachi. Later, he went to England
where he settled for good
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 Faruqui was a prolific poet who was known for
his aggressive attitude both towards life and
literary appreciation
4. Pentagon terms China, Russia bigger threat than
terrorism
 Countering China`s rapidly expanding military
and an increasingly aggressive Russia are now
the US military`s top national security priorities,
outpacing the threat of terrorism, the Pentagon
said
 A new national defence strategy says that
competition with China and Russia has
threatened America`s military advantage around
the world. And it will require increased
investment to make US forces more lethal, agile
and ready for war
5. China snubs India, claims sovereignty over
Doklam
 China on January 19, 2018 claimed sovereignty
on Doklam, a border site where it recently had a
tense showdown with Indian troops
 Donglong [Doklam] always belongs to China and
is alwaysunder China`s effective jurisdiction.
There is no dispute in this regard
6. Russia warns against revoking nuclear deal with
Iran
 Russia has warned that the collapse of the
Iranian nuclear deal will send an `alarming`
message to the world
 Commenting on US President Trump`s
threatening tone to withdraw from the deal,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a
press conference at the United Nations on
Friday that: `We cannot for the benefit of
political agendas of certain countries abandon a
genuine achievement of international diplomacy
 Russia is one of the six world powers along with
the United States that signed the deal with Iran
7. Trump appointee quits over anti-Muslim rants
 A US official appointed by President Donald
Trump resigned after CNN posted excerpts of
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
him making racist and Islamophobic comments
on a radio show he used to host
 Carl Higbie resigned from his post as external
affairs chief at the Corporation for National and
Community Service,
8. Shahid Mahmood gets senior position in ADB
 The federal government has appointed Shahid
Mahmood, a retired BS-22 officer of Pakistan
Administrative Services, as Executive
Director/Alternate Executive Director on the
Board of Director of Asian Development Bank,
Manila, for a period of four years starting from
February 1, 2018
 The Establishment has issued a notification in
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
 China's Communist Party proposed on January
19, 2018 to engrave President Xi Jinping's
guiding philosophy in the country's constitution,
further cementing his status as its most
powerful leader in decades
 Xi's eponymous "thought" was already
enshrined in the Communist Party constitution
at the 19th Party Congress in October, elevating
him to the same status as modern China's
founder Mao Zedong
 The architect of China's economic reforms, Deng
Xiaoping, is the only other leader whose name
appears alongside his guiding principle in both
the state and party constitutions

January 21, 2018

this regard. The federal government has also
appointed Muhammad Zubair, a BS-20 officer of
Secretariat Group, as Member Finance, Heavy
1. US, Afghanistan, India gang up against Pakistan
Industries Taxila (HIT) Board
at UNSC
9. Pakistan shuts Radio Free Europe's Pashto-
 The United States, Afghanistan and India ganged
language station
up against Pakistan at a meeting of the UN
 Pakistan shut down the US-funded Radio Free
Security Council, with US Deputy Secretary of
Europe/Radio Liberty's Pashto-language station
State John Sullivan claiming that Washington
in the country January 19, 2018 for airing
could not work with Islamabad if it `continued
content "against the interest of Pakistan"
to give sanctuary to terrorist organisations`
 The office of RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal in the
 Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi forcefully countered
capital Islamabad was ordered closed by the
the charges levelled at Pakistan and said that
ministry of interior, which said Inter Services
Afghanistan and its partners, especially the US,
Intelligence (ISI) -- Pakistan's top spy agency --
needed to address `the challenges inside
had found its programmes to be "in-line with (a)
Afghanistan rather than shif t the onus for
hostile intelligence agency's agenda"
ending the conflict onto others`
 The Pashto-language Radio Mashaal was
2. UN sanctions monitoring team due next week
launched in 2010 to help undermine Islamist
 The United Nations Security Council`s sanctions
militants. RFE/RL, founded in 1950 to beam
monitoring team will visit Islamabad on a two-
programmes into the communist bloc, is funded
day trip for an assessment of Pakistan`s
by a grant from the US Congress, according to its
compliance with the world body`s sanctions
website. It currently broadcasts in 25 languages
regime
and aims to "serve as a 'surrogate' free press in
 `The monitoring team of the UNSC 1267
23 countries where the free flow of information
Sanctions Committee will be here on Jan 25 and
is banned or not fully developed”
26`
10. China to enshrine Xi's name in state constitution

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 The visit is taking place amid increasing pressure
on Pakistan from the United States and India
with respect to the alleged inade-quate
implementation of the sanctions on Hafiz Saeed
and entities linked to him
3. Public varsities barred from issuing affiliation to
law colleges
 Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar
on January 20, 2018 restrained all public
universities from awarding affiliation to law
colleges till further orders, and constituted
commissions for each province to inspect
standard of the institutions and education
imparted by them
 The CJP was hearing a petition of Pakistan Bar
Council (PBC) about standard of legal education
in the country and establishment of inferior
private law colleges. Justice Ijazul Ahsan joined
him on the twojudge bench at the Lahore
registry
4. PAF pilot who downed Israeli jet in 1974
 Retired Air Commodore Sattar Alvi, a celebrated
fighter pilot of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and
veteran of the 1973 ArabIsrael war. In 1974, he
shot down an Israeli Mirage aircraft while flying
a Syrian Air Force MiG-21, becoming the only
pilot in history to have committed the rare feat
 On this act of gallantry, Mr Alvi was awarded
aSitara-i-Jurat by the government of Pakistan,
and Wisaam Faris and Wisaam Shujaat by the
government of Syria
 Mr Alvi presented the flying coverall (suit) of the
deceased Israeli pilot (Capt Lutz) to the PAF
Museum on the occasion
5. Proposed changes to KP prosecution law finally
gets cabinet`s nod
 The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has finally
approved the muchdelayed amendments to the
KP prosecution law, which binds the police to
seek the opinion of prosecutors before the
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registration of FIRs besides sharing their case
diary with them
 The proposed amendments, which the cabinet
approved in a meeting lately and are likely to be
tabled in the provincial assembly for approval
for enforcement, were cleared by the law
department in June 2016 but remained in limbo
due to the police department`s strong
reservations about some of them
 They were first drafted in light of the decision of
the cabinet`s 46th meeting in order to properly
combat militancy
6. ADB to help develop economic corridors
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will assist
Pakistan to realise the potential of economic
corridor development with a view to boost
industrial productivity, exports and job creation
and thereby contribute to sustained, increased
and equitable economic growth
 The technical assistance is part of the Pakistan
Economic Corridors Programme (PECP) financed
by the Department for International
Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom and
jointly delivered by ADB and DFID to promote
regional trade and connectivity.
 Funding for the technical assistance will be
provided by British government
7. India opens ports for used steel imports
 India has increased the number of ports that can
handle imports of non-prime steel to a total of
six, with the addition of three new ports, the
ministry of commerce and industry said
 A ministry notification dated Jan 18 and made
public on Jan 20 implies all types of steel can be
imported through the new ports. The minis-try
is set to encourage foreign purchases of
nonprime category steel
8. Turkey launches operation against Kurdish
militia in Syria
 Turkey on January 20, 2019 launched a new air
and ground operation to oust Kurdish militia
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
from a northern Syrian enclave, defying US from Badar Munir (57), Riasat Khan (48) and
warnings that the action risked destabilising the captain Nisar Ali (47)
area  Ramesh then led the run chase as India
 Turkey had in recent days sent dozens of overhauled the target with eight balls to spare
military vehicles to the border area and readied to retain the trophy that they won in 2014 after
pro-Ankara Syria rebels in preparation for the beating the same opponents in Cape Town

January 22, 2018

operation against the People`s Protection Units
(YPG) militia which Turkey deems to be a terror
organisation
1. Night-long siege of Kabul hotel leaves 30 dead
 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly
 Gunmen in army uniform, who stormed Kabul`s
vowed that Turkey would root out `nests of
Intercontinental Hotel late on January 20, 2018
terror` in Syria, despite warnings that the
and battled Afghan Special Forces through the
operation could be militarily tough and
night, killed more than 30 people and wounded
complicate relations with Washington and
many more, although the final toll might still be
Moscow
higher
9. US govt shutdown continues as Congress
 19 bodies had been talken to hospitals, with six
struggles to end stalemate
identified as foreigners
 The US federal government shut down on
 However, the death toll was over 30 and might
January 20, 2018 after the Trump administration
climb higher
and Democrats locked horn over a proposal that
 The dead included hotel staff and guests as well
could keep or evict hundreds of thousands of
as security personnel who fought the attackers.
immigrants who came to America as children
All the five attackers were also killed
 This is the first shutdown to have happened
 Pakistan condemned the attack and expressed
while one party, the Republicans, controls both
grief over the loss of precious lives
Congress and the White House
2. NACTA to counter abuse of internet, social
 The Republicans want funding for border
media
security including a wall onthe border with
 National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)
Mexico and immigration reforms, as well as
has developed an online reporting portal, aimed
increased military spending
at countering online extremism, abuse of
 The Democrats are demanding protection from
internet and social media
deportation for more than 700,000
 “Surfsafe” is an online reporting portal for
undocumented immigrants who entered the US
Pakistanis to report extremist online-content
as children
freely, securely and anonymously as well
10. India edge Pakistan to retain Blind World Cup
title  The other purpose of responsive web portal is to
create eyes and ears in cybersphere to counter
 Sunil Ramesh slammed a superb 93 as India
radical and extremism ideology in online realm.
defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by two wickets in a
thrilling final to retain the Blind Cricket World  The implementation status (NACTA Review -
December 2017) of National Action Plan (NAP)
Cup title on January 20, 2018
on January 21, 2018 revealed that the mission of
 Batting first, Pakistan amassed 308-8 in the
surfsafe is to counter online extremism, map
stipulated 40 overs with useful contributions

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
and eliminate extremist content, help victims of
extremism by regaining space for values of
moderation, love and fraternity in cyber-sphere
through community participation and ultimately
make internet a safer place for everyone
3. Pakistan to head Group of 77
 Pakistan has assumed the chairmanship of the
Group of 77 (G77) and China Group of
Developing Countries in Geneva for 2018
 Ambassador James Alex Msekela of Tanzania
relinquished the chair to Ambassador Farukh
Amil in the presence of United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) secretary general Mukhisa Kituyi and
other UN officials
 At the ceremony hosted by UNCTAD at the
United Nations office in Geneva, Ambassador
Amil urged the reinvigoration of the G77 and
China; and for the UNCTAD to address
contemporary challenges. He encouraged
developing countries to adapt to and focus on
emerging technologies which have far-reaching
implications on economic and social
development
4. Pakistan won’t allow direct access to Hafiz
Saeed, entities
 Pakistan will not allow the United Nations
Security Council’s sanctions monitoring
committee any direct access to Jamaatud Dawa
chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed or his entities this
week
 The UNSC team, one official said, will visit
Pakistan to discuss ‘official information’ on
issues relating to the banned outfits and
implementation of the UN sanctions.
 Hafiz Saeed has been blamed for masterminding
attacks in Held Kashmir and the 2008 Mumbai
carnage that killed 166 people.
 The JuD chief denies the allegations saying he
was only engaged in charity works. The White
House has already warned that there would be
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repercussions unless Islamabad takes action to
detain and charge Saeed
 The United States Department of the Treasury
designated Saeed as a specially designated
global terrorist in May 2008. The JuD chief was
also individually designated a terrorist by the
United Nations under UNSC R1267 in December
2008 following the November 2008 Mumbai
attack in which six American citizens were killed
5. Saudi Arabia calls for oil producers to extend
cooperation
 Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia called for
extending cooperation between OPEC and non-
OPEC producers beyond 2018, after a deal to cut
output succeeded in shoring up prices
 The call, the first explicit invitation by Riyadh for
long-term cooperation between oil producers,
came with oil prices topping $70 a barrel thanks
to the deal, after they dove below $30 a barrel
in early 2016
 Oil producers from inside and outside the
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
signed a landmark agreement in November
2016 to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day
to fight oversupply and lift sagging prices
6. Mega oil city to be developed at Gwadar
 The government will develop a mega oil city at
Gwadar under the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor and 80,000 acres of land is being
acquired for the purpose
 The infrastructure for the oil city will be
provided by the Government of Pakistan but it
will be developed by private investors
 A Chinese company is working on the Model
City Plan and it will be ready by August 14, 2018
 Director-General Gwadar Development
Authority (GDA): Dr Sajjad H Baloch
7. Pence arrives in Israel as Trump`s Jerusalem
move reverberates
 US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Israel
on January 21, 2018 for a visit that will see him
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
warmly welcomed by Israeli leaders but
snubbed by the Palestinians, deeply angered by
the White House`s Jerusalem policy
 The visit, initially scheduled for December
before being postponed, is the final leg of a trip
that has included talks in Egypt and Jordan as
well as a stop at a US military facility near the
Syrian border
 Controversy back home over a budget dispute
that has led to a US government shutdown has
trailed Pence, and he sought to blame
Democrats for the impasse during a speech to
troops at the military facility
 Arab outrage over President Donald Trump`s
recognition of Jerusalem as Israel`s capital on
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
limited in scope and duration and scrupulous to
avoid civilian casualties"
10. World XI bag series after Lahore clash ends in 3-
3 stalemate
 Demonstrating determination, Pakistan U-18
team hit back twice to hold fancied World XI to
an exciting 3-3 draw in the second and last
match of the series here at the National Hockey
Stadium on January 21, 2018
 The result of the match however ended the
landmark two-game series in a 1-0 victory for
the tourists
 On January 19, 2018, the World XI side won the
series opener 5-1 at the Abdul Sattar Edhi
Hockey Stadium in Karachi

January 23, 2018

Dec 6 had prompted the cancellation of several
planned meetings ahead of Pence`s tour
8. Ethiopia rejects WB arbitration over Nile River
1. Senate passes resolution seeking death
dam
sentence in child sexual abuse, murder cases
 Ethiopia`s leader has rejected arbitration by the
 Senate Standing Committee on Interior
World Bank on a disagreement with Egypt over
Chairman Senator Rehman Malik suspended the
a hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building on
agenda of the parliamentary body`s meeting
the Nile River
and announced that the committee will discuss
 Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn refused
the kidnapping, rape and murder of two girls,
the suggestion made by Egypt in late December
seven and four, from Kasur and Mardan
that the World Bank should be brought in to
 During his tenure as the interior minister, the
resolve the dispute with Ethiopia over the
then president Asif Ali Zardari had put a
construction of the dam on the Nile River that
moratorium on death sentences on the demand
Egypt says threatens its water security
of the European Union
 Sudan is also part of the negotiations because
 In the meeting on January 22, 2018, Mr Malik
the Nile flows through it on the way to Egypt
proposed that the child sexual abuse and
9. Turkish tanks roll into Syria to fight Kurdish
murderbe punished by hanging
militia
 According to section 364-A of the Pakistan Penal
 Turkish troops and tanks entered Syria on
Code, a person can be given the death penalty,
January 21, 2018 to push an offensive against
life imprisonment or a minimum of seven years
Kurdish militia as rockets hit border towns in
of imprisonment for kidnapping or murdering a
apparent retaliation and the United States urged
child of less than 14 years
Ankara to show restraint
 Mr Rehman Malik tabled a resolution which was
 In its first reaction to the offensive, the US State
unanimously passed by the committee. He said
Department urged Turkey "to exercise restraint
and ensure that its military operations remain

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
a draft bill will be moved to make amendments
to the law.
2. Malala, Apple join hands to work for girls
education
 Malala Girls Education Fund and computer giant
APPLE have teamed up to support girls`
education
 Founded by Malala Yousafzai and her father
Ziauddin, the Fund aims to empower young girls
and help them access the quality education they
deserve
 With the support of Apple, the Fund expects to
double the number of grants awarded through
its Gulmakai Fund and launch its funding
programmes in India and Latin America, with
the goal of extending secondary educadon to
more than 100,000 girls
 Apple will also help the Malala Fund with
technology, curriculum and education policy
research
3. Pakistan committed to 2003 ceasefire
agreement
 Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa
reemphasised Pakistan`s strong commitment to
the 2003 ceasefire understanding, but vowed
strong response to violations by India on the
Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary
(WB)
 The army chief visited Khuiratta and Ratta
Arayan sectors
 Violations by India have continued last year`s
pattern when the highest number of violations
1,881 was recorded during a yearsince the
understanding on ceasefire went into ef fect in
2003, resulting in martyrdom of 87 people. Over
200 violations by India have taken place so far
this year in which 12 lives have been lost,
including four troops
 The army chief appreciated effective and
responsibleresponseofthe troops to Indian
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unethical targeting and high morale of the
troops and civilians
 The Indian troops have particularly been
targetingwomen and children living in villages
along the LoC, whenever they notice their
movement or activity
4. Quran`s Hindko translation launched
 The Hindko translation of the Holy Quran was
launched on January 22, 2018
 The translation would help the Hindko-speaking
people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts
of the country understand the Holy Quran in
mother tongue
5. Abbas wins fresh EU backing in Jerusalem row
 The European Union assured President
Mahmoud Abbas it supported his ambition to
have East Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian
state, in the bloc`s latest rejection of US
President Donald Trump`s decision to recognise
Jerusalem as Israel`s capital
 At a meeting in Brussels with EU foreign
minister, Abbas repeated his call for East
Jerusalem as capital as he urged EU
governments to recognise a state of Palestine
immediately, arguing that this would not disrupt
negotiations with Israel on a peace settlement
for the region
6. US will `never allow` Iran to have nuclear
weapon
 US Vice President Mike Pence vowed in an
address to the Israeli parliament that
Washington will never allow Iran to develop a
nuclear weapon
 The 2015 deal that was meant to curb Iran`s
nuclear capabilities was fiercely opposed by
Israel, but backed by then US president Barack
Obama
7. Richest 1pc made 82pc of wealth created last
year
 The world`s richest one per cent raked in 82pc
of the wealth last year while the poorest half of
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
the population received none, Oxfam said on
January 22, 2018, as the world`s elite prepared
to mingle at the World Economic Forum in
Davos
 A new report f rom the charity also found that
the wealth of billionaires has grown six times
faster than that of ordinary workers since 2010,
with another billionaire minted every two days
between March 2016 and March 2017
 Oxfam also emphasised the plight of women
workers, who `consistently earn less than men`
and often have the lowest paid, least secure
jobs. Nine out of 10 billionaires are men,
 The report, titled `Reward Work, not Wealth`,
used data from Credit Suisse to compare the
returns of top executives and shareholders to
that of ordinary workers
8. Pakistan ranks 47th on WEF’s index
 Pakistan was ranked at the 47 place among
emerging economies on an Inclusive
Development Index, while India is behind
Pakistan at the 62 rank, according to World
Economic Forum (WEF)
 Pakistan was ranked 52nd last year, while India
was at 60th among 79 developing economies
 The top-five most inclusive emerging economies
are Lithuania, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Latvia and
Poland
 Norway remains the world’s most inclusive
advanced economy, while Lithuania again tops
the list of emerging economies, the World
Economic Forum (WEF) said while releasing the
yearly index here before the start of its annual
meeting, to be attended by several world
leaders including US President Donald Trump
9. Saudi-led coalition announces $1.5b in new aid
for Yemen
 A Saudi-led military coalition on January 22,
2018 announced $1.5 billion in new
humanitarian aid for Yemen, after the United
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Nations made what it called a record appeal for
assistance for the war-ravaged country
 The latest aid package, which follows last week’s
$2 billion Saudi cash injection to Yemen’s
central bank, comes amid an ever-broadening
crisis in the country, where the conflict, cholera
and looming famine have killed thousands and
put millions of lives at risk
10. White House urges Pakistan to expel Taliban
leaders
 The US urged Pakistan once again on 22 January
2018 to expel Taliban militants from its territory
 Addressing the daily press brief, the president's
press secretary Sarah Sanders called on Pakistan
to take action against militants hurting the US
personnel in Afghanistan.
 The US believes that Pakistani authorities
provide sanctuaries to terrorist organisations.
Both countries have had a rift over the issues
that soured since President Trump announced
Afghan policy last August.
 The Trump administration earlier this month
suspended security assistance to Pakistan as
well, and has been pressing the country to do
more than it has already done
January 24, 2018
1. DNA helps police catch suspect in Zainab case
 The nearly two-week-long manhunt for the
culprit behind the rape and murder of eight-
year-old Zainab in Kasur came to end on January
23, 2018, as investigators revealed that the DNA
from tissue samples collected from a 23-year-
old resident of the same vicinity as the victim
had matched samples obtained from the crime
scene
 Relying on the DNA profiles of 1,150 men
between the ages of 20 and 45 years, the
investigators finally zeroed in on Imran Ali, a
resident of Road Kot and a labourer by
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
profession. He was the 814th suspect whose
tissue samples were sent for DNA testing. The
police had earlier taken him into custody twice
but then released him over health complaints
 Special Branch SSP Muhammad Irfanullah Khan,
a senior member of the JIT, claimed that the
suspect had been arrested based on information
provided by Special Branch official
2. Embassy official missing with sensitive papers
booked
 An army official appointed as a clerk at the
Pakistani embassy in Austria some five months
ago disappeared along with some sensitive
documents
 A case of his disappearance and missing
documents was registered at the Tarnol police
station on a complaint of a defence ministry`s
official under Sections 109 (abetment) and 409
(criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by
banlcer, merchant or agent) of the Pakistan
Penal Code
 He was made an official in charge of some
important and sensitive national affairs there, it
stated, `it was very important duty, besides
sensitive for coun-try`s sovereignty` The official
had been found absent from his duty since Jan 2
this year, the FIR stated, adding that on checking
of embassy`s record the documents carrying
sensitive information were also found missing
3. Senate Museum opens in Parliament House
 The Senate Museum, which traces the
evolution, history and reorganisation of the
upper house of parliament, was inaugurated at
Parliament House on January 23, 2018
 The museum contains pictures and artefacts,
murals, dioramas, exhibits and historical
documents.
 The museum emphasises that all departments
and institutions remember the past in order to
progress
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 With the help of audio guides, visitors can hear
the history depicted in each diorama in six
languages, including Urdu and English
4. CSS quota for women, minorities unfilled in
2016
 A parliamentary panel on January 23, 2018
learned that around 100 seats of the Central
Superior Services (CSS) allotted to minorities
and women went unfilled in 2016
 Senator Mohsin Khan Laghari told the
committee that the government allotted a five
per cent quota to minorities only on paper but
on ground the situation was different
 An FPSC official told the committee that
minorities and women candidates did not
qualify for the said posts
 The Higher Education Commission Director
General, Muhammad Raza Chohan, called for
introducing a screening test for CSS to
discourage non-serious candidates
5. COAS opens military history institute
 Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa inaugurated on January 23, 2018 the
Army Institute of Military History (AIMH) at a
ceremony at the General Headquarters (GHQ)
 The AIMH has been set up to record, archive,
preserve and compile the history of the Pakistan
Army and the institute will act as a centre of
excellence for study of military history in the
country
6. Indian-origin Dhar designated global terrorist
 The US State department designated on January
23, 2018 an Indian origin militant and a Belgian
citizen of Moroccan origin as global terrorists
 Siddhartha Dhar, born in Britain, was a leading
member of now-defunct terrorist organisation
Al-Muhajiroun. In late 2014, Dhar left the United
Kingdom to travel to Syria to join the militant
Islamic State group
 He is considered to have replaced IS executioner
Mohammad Emwazi, also known as `Jihadi John`
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
The State Department said that Dhar was the
masked leader who appeared in a January 2016
IS video, which showed the execution of several
IS prisoners accused of spying for the UK
7. US urges Islamabad to arrest or expel Taliban
leaders
 As the White House once again urged Pakistan
to arrest or expel Taliban leaders from its
territory
 Islamabad`s envoy in Washington said his
country refuses to be a `scapegoat` for
America`s failing policies in Afghanistan
 Pakistan`s top envoy in Washington,
Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, however,
refused to accept the blame for the
worseningsecuritysituationinAfghanistan.
8. Pakistan asks UN chief to contact India on
mediation
 Pakistan has asked the United Nations Secretary
General, António Guterres, to directly contact
India on the Pak-India talks proposal as New
Delhi had never responded positively to offers
for dialogue
 Pakistan was ready to the UN arbitration and
Guterres had been conveyed the message
 Pakistan had accepted all such offers in the past
and welcomed efforts for peace in the region
 “António Guterres has been told that Pakistan is
just a call away and his office should contact
India directly because they never appreciate
such offers. Their *India’s+ approach has always
been negative,”
 Earlier, the UN secretary general reiterated his
offer to mediate peace talks between Pakistan
and India
9. Germany to end search for WWII missing
 Germany’s Red Cross on January 23, 2018 said it
would end its search for missing persons from
World War II in 2023, leaving the fate of 1.2
million people a mystery
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 While interest has waned over the decades, the
German Red Cross said it still received some
9,000 requests in 2016 from people looking for
information about family members who
vanished during the 1939-1945 war
10. World steps up pressure on Syria, Russia over
chemical attacks
 Two dozen countries agreed January 23, 2018 to
push for sanctions against perpetrators of
chemical attacks in Syria, with US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson saying Russia “ultimately
bears responsibility” for such strikes
 Twenty-four nations approved a new
“partnership against impunity” for the use of
chemical weapons, just a day after reports they
were used in an attack that sickened 21 people
in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, which Tillerson
said was suspected to involve chlorine
January 25, 2018
1. Pakistan condemns `unilateral` US drone strike
 Pakistan on January 24m 2018 condemned a US
drone strike deep inside its territory targeting an
Afghan refugee camp and warned Washington
that such `unilateral` steps would be
detrimental to cooperation between the two
countries in fight against terrorism
 This was the first US drone strike inside
Pakistani territory over the past 19 months
 `Pakistan condemns a drone strike in Kurram
Agency carried out by the Resolute Support
Mission (RSM), which targeted an Afghan
refugee camp,` the FO statement said
 Drone strikes had generally dechned after the
peak in 2010 with 117 hits
2. Urdu dictionary`s web edition launched
 President Mamnoon Hussain launched the Urdu
dictionary`s web edition on January 24, 2018 in
Islamabad
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 The development was a big step forward in the
promotion of Urdu as the dictionary was now
accessible to internet users
 Digitalisation of the Urdu dictionary would help
the new generation learn more about the
language
 The price of a complete set of the dictionary,
comprising 22 volumes and having 264,000
words typed in Naskh font, was Rs 50,400,
whereas it has now been made available on the
internet
3. Balochistan govt to de-notify Lehri as district
 Balochistan`s new cabinet has decided to de-
notify the status of Lehri as district and declare
it a part of Sibi district
 However, it was decided that Sohbatpur would
retain its status as a separate district of
Nasirabad division
 The meeting also decided to induct 180
candidates into the education department, who
had passed the NTS exam in 2015 but had been
denied appointments by the previous
government
 `The cabinet has decided to accommodate all
180 successful candidates in the education
department and will withdraw the petition
pending in the apex court in this regard
th
4. Prime Minister Abbasi attend 48 World
Economic Forum
 Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi said that
the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would create
connectivity, linkages and boost economic
growth in Central Asia and its positive impact
was already being felt by Pakistan
 The 48th World Economic Forum (WEF) being
held at Davos in Switzerland
 Prime Minister Abbasi is on a two-day visit to
attend the event on the invitation of Swiss
President Professor Klaus Schwab
5. Golen Gol Project starts power generation
 Chitral becomes first city to have 24/7 electricity
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 Golen Gol Hydropower Project 108 Megawatt
has started electricity generation January 24,
2018 as the first unit has started providing 36
MW power to Chitral
 After two years of remaining in dark, due to
destruction caused by flood and land sliding,
Chital has finally got the much needed
electricity.
 The total requirement of Chitral is 11 MW and
the project even in winter season, when water
flows are its low, will be able to provide
electricity to the area
6. LHC ex-judge Asghar made new NAB PGA
 The federal government has appointed Justice
(r) Syed Asghar Haider as Prosecutor General of
the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after
almost two months due to the interference of
the Supreme Court
 The Ministry of Law and Justice on January 24,
2018 issued a notification in this regard
 The post of NAB PGA is lying vacant since
November 23, 2017 on the completion of Waqas
Qadeer Dar’s three-year tenure
7. Chinese scientists break key barrier by cloning
monkeys
 Chinese scientists have cloned monkeys using
the same technique that produced Dolly the
sheep two decades ago, breaking a technical
barrier that could open the door to copying
humans
 Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, two identical
longtailed macaques, were born eight and six
weeks ago, making them the first primates the
order of mammals that includes monkeys, apes
and humans to be cloned from a non-embryonic
cell
 It was achieved through a process called somatic
cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which involves
transferring the nucleus of a cell, which includes
its DNA, into an egg which has had its nucleus
removed
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
8. US military has failed to tackle child abuse in  Both the countries would sign the unilateral
Afghanistan concession granted by Indonesia during the visit
 The US military has failed to tackle widespread of Indonesian President.
sexual abuse of children by Afghan security  Major exports items from Pakistan would
forces it still funds and trains, says an official US include tobacco, textile fabric, rice, ethanol,
report declassified on January 24, 2018 citrus (kinnow), woven fabric, and mangoes
 The report by a US government watchdog —
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR) — also says that since
January 26, 2018
1. Pakistan, US spar over drone attack target
2002, the United States has appropriated more
 January 24th`s drone attack has turned into a
than $71.2 billion in assistance for the Afghan
spat between Pakistan and the US over the
security forces
target whether or not it was a refugee camp
 But the report pointed out that the US Secretary
 `The claim in an MFA (Ministry of Foreign
of Defence uses a not with standing clause to
Affairs) statement that US forces struck an
continue funding some implicated units in
Afghan refugee camp in Kurram Agency
Afghanistan
yesterday is false,` a rather strongly worded
9. Pakistan, EU agree to enhance bilateral co-op
statement issued by the US embassy in
 Federal Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir
Islamabad said on January 25, 2018
and Chairman of the European Union Military
 The emphasis was clearly on a refugee camp not
Committee General Mikhail Kostarakos on
being targeted
January 24, 2018 exchanged views on issues of
 The language of the US administration officials
mutual interest during their meeting in Brussels,
on Pakistan has also gradually turned harsher as
capital of Belgium
the ties deteriorated sharply
 The Defence Minister who is heading a
2. US puts Taliban with `Pakistan links` on list of
parliamentary delegation to Brussels had
terrorists
comprehensive meetings with Heads of Groups
 The Trump administration on January 25, 2018
and Committees in the European Parliament
designated as global terrorists six individuals
 Khurram Dastgir briefed Weber
accused of supporting the Taliban and Haqqani
comprehensively on developments in Pakistan
network in Afghanistan
in political and economic fields in the wake of
 The administration stressed their links to
consolidation of democracy since 2008
Pakistan
10. Pakistan, Indonesia set to sign amended PTA
 President Trump`s policy, unveiled last summer,
 Pakistan and Indonesia will sign amended
is intended to turn around the 17-year war in
preferential trade agreement (PTA) January 26,
Afghanistan by boosting the US military`s help
2018 in Islamabad, which incorporated
to Afghan government forces and by pressuring
unilateral trade concessions granted by
Pakistan to cooperate
Indonesia on 20 items
3. KPK Cabinet approves special allowance for
 The Indonesian government recently unilaterally
bureaucrats
agreed to provide Pakistani products with
 The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on January 25,
deeper market access under the PTA.
2018 approved a special allowance for the

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
provincial bureaucracy, which is likely to cost
the provincial exchequer over Rs460 million
annually
 Cabinet discussed a 12-point agenda and
approved after thorough discussion the draft KP
Narcotics Substance Bill, 2017, schedule post
allowance for the provincial bureaucracy,
procedure for the appointment of government
employees as Khuddamul Hujjaj, measures
against illegal mining and stone crushing,
thechief minister`s directives about the creation
of new tehsils, and the status of protected
wasteland for the forests of Torghar district
 The cabinet discussed various proposals
regarding the special allowance for bureaucracy
and decided to allow the scheduled
postallowance at 1.5 times of initial basic pay
4. Senate amends law to punish members for
leaking details of in-camera proceedings
 The Senate on January 25, 2018 unanimously
approved an amendment to its rules of
procedure and conduct of business to provide
for punishment to the members found guilty of
leaking out details of in-camera proceedings of
the house
 The items for amending the Senate rules had
been included in the agenda as supplementary
orders of the day following a decision taken at
the business advisory committee of the house
 A new rule (255-A) inserted in the rules reads:
`Where a member participating in any in camera
proceedings, divulges or discloses any
information regarding any part of the
proceedings or comments or speeches or
opinionsexpressedtherein,such member or
other person, as the case may be, shall be
required to appear before the House Business
Advisory Committee, and after being given an
adequate opportunity to explain the disclosure
attributed to him, may be suspended for a term
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not exceeding thirty consecutive sittings of the
House
 The amendment had jointly been moved by
leader of the house Raja Zafarul Haq and leader
of the opposition Aitzaz Ahsan
5. Trump threatens to stop aid to Palestinians if
they don`t pursue peace
 US President Donald Trump threatened to
withhold aid to the Palestinians if they did not
pursue peace with Israel
 Saying they had snubbed the United States by
not meeting Vice President Mike Pence during a
recent visit
 Palestinians shunned Pence`s visit to the region
this month after Trump recognised Jerusalem as
Israel`s capital and vowed to begin moving the
US embassy to the city, whose status is at the
heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
 Trump`s endorsement in December of Israel`s
claim to Jerusalem as its capital drew universal
condemnation from Arab leaders and criticism
around the world.
6. Interpol hands over ex-minister wanted for
corruption to Iraq
 Interpol on January 26, 2018 handed over to
Iraq a former minister arrested in Beirut over a
conviction for corruption, in a first such
collaboration with the international police body
 Former trade minister Abdel Palah al-Sudani has
landed in Baghdad after having been handed
over by Interpol
 `It`s the first time that Interpol responds to a
government request at that level.` Sudani, who
is now aged 70 and also holds citizenship of
Britain where he studied, served as trade
minister from 2006 to 2009, following the 2003
US-led invasion which toppled dictator Saddam
Hussein
 In 2012, the former minister, who belongs to
the Dawa party of Prime Minister Haider al-
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
Abadi, was sentenced in absentia to seven years
imprisonment for corruption
 He was linked to a scandal over the import of
adulterated tea products during his mandate
7. US aircraft carrier to make historic visit to
Vietnam
 A US aircraft carrier will port in Vietnam in
March, a first for the allies and former foes as
they seek to counter Beijing's growing might in
the disputed South China Sea
 US aircraft carriers neared Vietnamese shores
during the Vietnam War which ended in 1975,
but this will be the first time for a carrier to port
in the country
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
 The ministry has also previously dismissed
reports that Chinese military vehicles were
patrolling inside Afghanistan
10. IMF for broader political consensus on structural
reforms in Pakistan
 The IMF’s Resident chief Tokhir Mirzoev said
that reaching a broader political consensus on
the needed structural reforms will be key to
implementation in Pakistan
 This year has been certainly challenging for
policymakers due to increased external and
fiscal imbalances. The Pakistani authorities have
already taken several measures to contain these
imbalances

January 27, 2018

8. French MPs banned from wearing religious
symbols
 France's parliament has banned lawmakers from
1. Indonesian President addresses joint session of
wearing any religious symbols under a new
parliament
"neutral" dress code, an extension of the
 Addressing a joint sitting of the parliament,
country's strict secular rules that is seen as
President Widodo called for supporting freedom
going too far by some critics
struggle of Palestine but did not mention
 Under the change approved January 24, 2018,
Kashmir
members of the National Assembly must avoid
 he Indonesian president came here directly
"the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols,
from India where he was the chief guest at the
uniforms, logos or commercial messages or
country`s 69th Republic Day grand parade
political slogans.
watched by thousands of people along with 10
 The regulation was brought in following an
Asean leaders
outcry over an MP wearing a football shirt in the
2. Bill in US senate seeks to permanently end all
parliament, but the inclusion of religious
aid to Pakistan
symbols in the new rules quickly became a
 US Senator Rand Paul has introduced proposed
talking point and a focus of attention
legislation that prevents the federal government
9. China denies plan to build military base in
from processing almost $2 billion civilian
Afghanistan
assistance to Pakistan and seeks to make this
 China’s Defence Ministry denied that it was
ban permanent
planning to build a military base in Afghanistan,
 Instead, the bill will redirect those funds,
branding such reports “groundless”
amounting to $1.28bn from the State
 Russian news agency Ferghana News has
Department and $852 million from the United
reported that China will build the base in
States Agency for International Development to
northern Afghanistan
the Highway Trust Fund

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 President Donald Trump endorsed the move to
block civilian aid to Pakistan when Senator Paul
announced his plan to introduce the bill earlier
this month
3. BISP to launch child protection campaign today
 In the wake of child abuse cases in the country,
the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)
has decided to launch a countrywide campaign
on January 27, 2018 to raise awareness about
various aspects of child protection, including the
role of parents, teachers, leaders, guardians and
responsible members of civil society
 The BISP child protection campaign will be
helpful in creating an environment which
ensures that a child’s physical, social and
psychological needs are fulfilled so that they
grow into healthy and contributing members of
society.
 They also plan on setting up a hotline and call
centre as part of the campaign to receive
complaints of abuse against children and direct
them to relevant agencies
4. Govt`s stipend for prayer leaders declared un-
Islamic
 Around 300 clerics from Deoband school of
thought on Friday declared the Rs 10,000
monthly stipend paid by the provincial
government to prayer leaders haram
(forbidden)
 The declaration was made during a function
organised by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl here
5. Pakistan, Nigeria agree to enhance bilateral ties
 Pakistan and Nigeria on January 26, 2018 agreed
to enhance bilateral relations and defence
cooperation and stability in South Asia and
Africa.
 Both sides agreed to enhance bilateral
cooperation at a meeting between the High
Commissioner of Nigeria Maj-Gen (retd)
Ashimiyu Adebayo Olaniyi and National Security
Adviser Lt-Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua
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6. Capital Development Authoriy gets new
chairman
 The federal government has appointed Usman
Akhtar Bajwa, a grade-20 officer of the Pakistan
Administrative Services as Chairman Capital
Development Authority
 A notification issued by the Establishment
Division said, “with the approval of the federal
government, Usman Akhtar Bajwa, a BS-20
officer of PAS, presently posted as Director
General Immigration and Passports under
Interior Division, is transferred and posted as
Member of the Board in terms of Section 6(1) of
Capital Development Authority Ordinance 1960,
with immediate effect
7. China unveils vision for `Polar Silk Road` across
Arctic
 China on January 26, 2018 outlined its ambitions
to extend President Xi Jinping`s signature Belt
and Road Initiative to the Arctic by developing
shipping lanes opened up by global warming
 Releasing its first official Arctic policy white
paper, China said it would encourage
enterprises to build infrastructure and conduct
commercial trial voyages, paving the way for
Arctic shipping routes that would form a `Polar
Silk Road`
 China`s Belt and Road initiative aims to connect
China to Europe, the Middle East and beyond via
massive infrastructure projects across dozens of
countries, reflecting Xi`s desire for China to take
on a more prominent global leadership role
8. Sherlock Holmes’ of Nepal’s Himalayas dies at
94
 American journalist Elizabeth Hawley, whose 50
years chronicling summits and tragedies in the
Himalayas earned her the moniker “the Sherlock
Holmes of the mountaineering world”, died on
January 26, 2018 aged 94
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 Elizabeth Ann Hawley was born on November 9,
1923 to a Chicago-based chartered accountant
and a suffragist
 The job bored her and she took off to see the
world in 1957, finally ending up in Nepal in
February 1959, then a Hindu kingdom which had
only recently opened its gates to foreign visitors
9. SBP raises policy rate for first time in 4 years
 State Bank of Pakistan announced monetary
policy on January 26, 2018, raising the policy
rate for first time in 4 years, by 25bps to 6
percent
 Average headline inflation remains within the
forecast range of SBP, but core inflation has
continued to increase
 Fiscal deficit for H1-FY18 is expected to fall close
to the last year’s 2.5 percent. There has been
visible improvement in export growth and
remittances are marginally higher
10. UN asked to resolve Palestine, Kashmir issues or
risk losing credibility
 Pakistan has made a fervent call on the UN
Security Council to face up to its responsibilities
and implement its resolutions on Palestine and
other longstanding disputes, including Kashmir,
to usher in peace and security in the conflict-
ridden world
 Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's
permanent representative to the UN, warned
that people around the world would completely
lose their faith in the world body
 The Tel Aviv ambassador also claimed that there
were 82,000 fighters under the direct Iranian
authority in Syria, including 3,000 members of
its Revolutionary Guard, 9,000 from Hizbullah
and 10,000 Shia militants from Iraq, Afghanistan
and Pakistan
January 28, 2018
1. Ambulance bomb kills 95 in Kabul
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 An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a
crowded area of Kabul on January 27, 2018,
killing at least 95 people and wounding 158
others, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the
war-torn city in recent years
 The Taliban-claimed assault - the second carried
out by the militant group in the Afghan capital in
a week - triggered chaotic scenes as terrified
survivors fled the area scattered with body
parts, blood and debris, and hospitals were
overwhelmed by the large number of wounded
 It came as both the insurgents and the Islamic
State group have escalated their attacks on
Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan
for civilians
 Pakistan strongly condemned the dastardly
terrorist attack in Kabul
2. Pakistan not to block US supply routes
 Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi has
assured the United States that Pakistan will not
block ground and air supply routes to
Afghanistan, despite Washington`s decision to
suspend its security assistance to Islamabad
 The prime minister warned that Afghanistan
could become another Vietnam for the United
States if it tried to resolve the Afghan
disputethrough military means
3. BISP starts child protection drive
 Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) on
January 27, 2018 launched a country wide 'Child
Protection Campaign' in 40 districts to sensitize
general public through training on issues of child
protection, children's rights and ways to ensure
security of children
 Current BISP Chairperson: Marvi Memon
 The BISP on behalf of the federal government
has initiated this campaign for the safety of the
children and as a next step these training would
be imparted to 60,000 BISP beneficiary
committees across the country
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 The BISP has set up a hotline 0800-26477 for
entertaining complaints about child abuse and
to them up with relevant agencies for action
4. Pakistan, Indonesia to boost anti-terrorism
cooperation
 Pakistan and Indonesia agreed on January 27,
2018 to redress their trade imbalance and
revitalise their defence and counterterrorism
cooperation
 The agreements were reached during
Indonesian President Joko Widodo`s two day
visit to Pakistan that concluded on January 27,
2018
 The presidential visit from Indonesia took place
after five years. Earlier, President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono visited Islamabad in 2012
to attend the D8 summit
5. Pakistani doctor wins prestigious award
 A Pakistani surgeon has won the prestigious
Young Investigators Award given by the British
Cardiovascular Intervention Society
 Dr Jaffar Khan, 34, was educated at Cambridge
and Oxford and initially worked at St Thomas
Hospital in London before going for his PhD at
the National Institute of Health (NIH)in
Washington DC
 He has developed a procedure that allows some
types of heart surgery to be conducted with
minimal invasive procedures. The technique has
been dubbed `Lampoon` from its medical
acronym. It is a `keyhole` cardiac surgery
technique that resects heart tissue for the first
time using minimally invasive techniques
6. Pro-Russian Zeman re-elected Czech president
 Pro-Russian incumbent Milos Zeman was re-
elected Czech president on January 27, 2018
 The populist ex-communist Zeman took 51.55
percent of the vote against 48.44 percent for
Drahos, with 99.32 percent of ballots counted,
Czech Television reported quoting official results
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7. UK to launch new radar against ‘severe’ Russian
threat
 Britain’s defence minister Gavin Williamson said
a new radar off Scotland’s Shetland Islands
would help tackle the “severe and real” threat
from Moscow
 In a return to the Cold War days when Shetland
had hosted an early warning radar, the new
Royal Air Force facility is being built to track
unidentified military or civilian aircraft
8. Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed released
 Billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed was released
on January 27, 2018 after nearly three months
in detention, as a sweeping anti-corruption
campaign targeting the kingdom's elite winds
down
 Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, dubbed the Warren
Buffett of Saudi Arabia, was the most high-
profile detainee among 350 suspects rounded
up since November 4, including business
tycoons and ministers, who were held in
Riyadh's luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel
9. In daring mission, climber rescued from Nanga
Parbat
 French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol was
rescued from Nanga Parbat, the world`s ninth
highest peak, in extreme weather by volunteers
from a Polish expedition with the help of
Pakistan army
 Her Polish climbing partner Tomasz Mackiewicz
was, however, not as lucky as the rescuers had
to call off the search due tothe harsh weather
conditions with temperature at 60 degrees
below freezing point
10. Wozniacki wins first major at Australian Open
 An emotional Caroline Wozniacki finally lifted
her first Grand Slam title at the 43rd attempt as
she beat Simona Halep in three energy-sapping
sets to win the Australian Open on January 27,
2018
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
 The Dane, who will become the new world  The project which was estimated to be
number one, burst into tears as she secured the completed in 2003 for Rs3 billion is now costing
championship 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4 against the around Rs23bn, according to information
battling Romanian top seed on her first match provided to the Sindh High Court earlier
point of a gruelling, epic encounter  This includes four interchanges and 20 bridges,

January 29, 2018

and is expected to alleviate the rush caused by a
large volume of traffic in the megacity
4. Jordan gets more US Black Hawks to bolster
1. Punjab to have agricultural marketing regulator
defence
 The Punjab government is creating an
 The United States delivered another two Black
agricultural marketing regulatory authority to
Hawk helicopters to key Arab ally Jordan on
modernise agricultural produce marketing in the
January 28, 2018 to help protect the kingdom's
province, also introducing virtual markets
borders and counter the threat from jihadists
 The authority is being established to promote an
 The helicopters were handed over at the King
agricultural produce marketing system that
Abdullah II Air Base in northeast Jordan
could facilitate commercial development
 They were the last batch of 12 Black Hawks
through multiple channels, providing clear
delivered to Jordan since March 2017
lineages of growers to markets as well as
5. Yemen govt warns of coup as separatists take
participation of entrepreneurs in investment
over headquarters
and operation of agricultural marketing
 Yemen's government accused southern
enterprises
separatists of an attempted coup on January 28,
2. New firm to take over health units on Feb 1
2018 after they took over its headquarters amid
 The Punjab Health Facilities Management
fierce clashes in the city of Aden
Company will take over the District Health
 The fighting, which killed at least 15 people,
Authority along with 98 basic health units
threw war-torn Yemen into further chaos and
(BHUs), 10 rural health units (RHUs), six tehsil
threatened to undermine President Abedrabbo
headquarters (THQ) hospitals and 50
Mansour Hadi, who ordered his forces to stand
dispensaries from Feb 1
down
 The provincial government had formed the
6. Japan, China talks end with friendship vows but
company and registered it with the Securities
no breakthrough
and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)
 Japan's foreign minister met China's top
 The government had decided to bring all the
leadership January 28, 2018 for rare diplomatic
basic health units and rural health units under
talks that ended with mutual vows to improve
the company to improve healthcare facilities
their chilly ties but little in the way of concrete
3. Lyari Expressway becomes operational after 15
proposals
years
 The world's second and third largest economies
 Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on
have a fraught relationship, held back by
January 28, 2018 inaugurated the Lyari
longstanding disputes over maritime claims and
Expressway, marking it as fully operational 15
Japan's wartime legacy
years after work on the project first began
7. Israel and Poland clash over proposed Holocaust
law

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 Israel`s prime minister and Holocaust survivors
on Sunday bridled at a draft Polish law that
would make it illegal to suggest Poland bore any
responsibility for Nazi atrocities committed on
its soil
 The Israeli foreign ministry summoned Poland`s
charge d`affaires the ambassador was abroad to
object to the bill, which is still going through
parliament
8. Pakistan on top of the world in T-20 Cricket
 Pakistan laid claim to being the best Twenty20
side in the world January 28, 2018 after beating
New Zealand in the series-deciding third
Twenty20 match in Mount Maunganui. The 18-
run victory gave Pakistan a come-from-behind 2-
1 series
9. Federer wins 20th Grand Slam
 A tearful Roger Federer surged home to beat
Marin Cilic in five riveting sets and win his sixth
Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title.
 He dropped his only sets of the tournament
before completing a 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
win over the Croatian in 3hr 3min
10. Ikea`s frugal billionaire founder Kamprad dies
aged 91
 Ingvar Kamprad, the farmer`s son turned multi-
billionaire who founded the Ikea empire that
revolutionised furnishing, has died aged 91, the
firm said on January 28, 2018
January 30, 2018
1. Senate to elect 52 new members on March 3
 The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on
January 29, 2018 quashed rumours about the
uncertain fate of the upcoming Senate polls by
announcing that the election for 52 of the
total104 seats of the upper house of parliament
would be held on March 3, 2018
 While the schedule for the Senate elections is to
be of ficially announced on Feb 2, the ECP in an
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FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
unusual move provided to the media details of
the schedule approved by it
 Fifty-two senators are set to complete their six-
year term on March 11 and the newly elected
senators will take oath of their office on March
12
 The Senate comprises 104 members 23
members from each of the four provinces, eight
from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata)
and four from Islamabad Capital Territory.
 Each province has 14 general and nine reserved
seats.
 Among the reserved seats, four are reserved for
women and an equal number of seats for
technocrats while one seat is reserved for a non-
Muslim community member
2. Pakistan, China jointly host Gwadar Expo
 Pakistan and China on January 29, 2018 jointly
organised the first international exhibition to
showcase the significance of the Gwadar Port
and its economic free zone as an emerging
global business hub
 The exhibition, jointly arranged by Gwadar Port
Authority (GPA) and China Overseas Port
Holding, was attended by foreign diplomats,
entrepreneurs and over 5,000 business
representatives from all over the world
 More than 200 companies from both Pakistan
and China were present at the Gwadar Expo,
while six Chinese provinces also sent their
representatives. Foreign diplomats and business
leaders were also invited to the opening session
of the two-day event
 Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
inaugurated the International Gwadar Expo and
preliminary phase of Gwadar Free Zone
3. PM unveils `equalisation package` for
Balochistan
 PM announced `Equalisation Package` for
Balochistan, under which the federal
government would share half the development
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
cost in every district of the province, including
establishment of hospitals, education andother
facilities
 The Equalisation Package will ensure the
provision of equal facilities in all districts of the
province to achieve the target of sustainable
development goals
4. Writer and Translator Shahid Hameed passes
away at 90
 He was born in Parjian Kalaan village of
Jalandhar in 1928. He did his Masters in English
Literature from the the Government College,
Lahore, (now GCU) and worked as a teacher in
dif ferent colleges
 Hameed`s acclaimed works include Urdu
translations of Leo Tolstoy`s War and Peace,
Fyodor Dostoyevsky`s The Brothers Kararnazov,
Ernest Hemingway`s The Old Man and the Sea,
Jane Austen`s Pride and Prejudice, Jostein
Gaarder`s Sophie`s World and Edward Said`s
The Question of Palestine
 He also compiled a 2,000 pages Urdu-into-
English dictionary which was yet to be
published. His last published work was his
autobiography, Gayee Dinoo Ki Musafat
(published by Readings). It is a record of pre-
partition Jalandhar, Lyallpur (Faisalabad) and
Lahore
5. Law being drafted to ensure women`s right of
ownership
 Provincial Commission on the Status of Women
held a consultation here on January 29, 2018 for
formulating a comprehensive law to ensure the
right of ownership of women in the province
 The copy of the draft that sought changes to
preamble and sections 1,2,3,4,5 of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Enforcement of Women
Ownership Rights Act, 2012 was circulated
among the participants. It says that Islamic
Sharia provides equalguaranteefor the
protection of the property of men and women
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6. EU warns Britain divorce is not yet resolved
 European Union ministers warned Britain on
January 29, 2018 not to fall behind on
outstanding divorce matters as they gave their
negotiator the mandate for parallel talks with
London on the post-Brexit transition
 Britain is set to leave the EU in March 2019 and
the remaining 27 member states have now
prepared their joint stance on what they expect
of London during a transition period until the
end of 2020
7. Netanyahu raises Iran`s role in Syria with Putin
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
visited Russia for talks focused on Syria,
reaffirming Israel`s opposition to Iran`s growing
military presence there and in neighbouring
Lebanon
8. Moon to stage triple show January 31
 The moon will stage a rare triple show on
January 31, 2018 when a blue super moon
combines with a total lunar eclipse that will be
visible from western North America to eastern
Asia
 The overlap of a blue moon the second full
moon in a calendar month -with a lunar eclipse
while the moon is at its closest approach to the
earthis the first such celestial trifecta since 1982
 The moon will reach its fullest at 1327 GMT
(6.27pm PST) on January 31, 2018
 A blue moon normally occurs once every 30
months. This month`s first full moon was on Jan.
1
9. Tank battle rocks Yemen's 'coup-hit' Aden
 At least nine people were killed in heavy fighting
between separatists and government troops as
a tank battle broke out on the second day of an
attempted "coup" in Yemen's interim capital
Aden
 As the fighting escalated, the Saudi-led military
coalition which supports the government called
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
for dialogue and for it to hear the demands of
the separatists in the southern port city
10. FBI deputy director, quits after Trump criticism
 The Federal Bureau of Investigation's deputy
director, whom US President Donald Trump
repeatedly accused of political bias, has
resigned
 Andrew McCabe was forced to step down ahead
of his official retirement date in March
 His exit from the top law enforcement agency
comes a week after a report that Mr Trump
wanted him out.
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
controlled or influenced by the militants has
been rising, said an official US report released
on January 30, 2018
 This quarter, the US Department of Defence
(DOD) instructed SIGAR not to release to the
public data on the number of districts, and the
population living in them, controlled or
influenced by the Afghan government or by the
insurgents, or contested by both
3. Irfan Naeem Mangi made director general of
Rawalpindi NAB
 The decision regarding the posting of Irfan

January 31, 2018

Naeem Mangi from the office of Balochistan
NAB to Rawalpindi/ Islamabad was made by
NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal on
1. Pakistan ready to extend rail link agreement
January 30, 2018
with India
 Irfan NAeem Mangi is one of the active
 Despite tense ties with New Delhi due to
members of the joint investigation team which
frequent ceasefire violations on the Line of
was formed by the Supreme Court to investigate
Control and Working Boundary, Pakistan on
the finances of ousted prime minister Nawaz
January 30, 2018 gave its consent for a three-
Sharif and members of his family in the Panama
year extension to an agreement with India on
Papers case
MunabaoKhokhrapar rail link
4. Trump rules out talks with Taliban, pledges to
 The government of Pakistan has agreed to
`finish` them
extend the agreement of the rail link between
 US President Donald Trump has ruled out any
Munabao (India) and Khokhrapar (Pakistan) for
talks with the Taliban and instead has pledged
another three years
to `finish what nobody else has been able to
 The extension will take effect from Feb 1, 2018
finish` in Afghanistan before him
 The rail link facilitates people-to-peo-ple contact
 In Kabul, the Afghan government interpreted
that Pakistan believes is essential for improving
this as the reiteration of Mr Trump`s resolve to
relations between the two countries
defeat the Taliban in the battlefield and offered
 The signing of the rail link agreement in 2006
to work with the United States to achieve this
had restored the route after 41 years
target
 The connection substantially reduced travel
 The Taliban, however, reacted to President
time between Sindh (Pakistan) and central and
Trump`s remarks by declaring that they never
southern Indian states
wanted to talk to the United States anyway,
2. Afghan govt losing control over its territory: US
although one senior Taliban official said he
report
believed the US continue talking to the militant
 Historically, the number of districts controlled or movement
influenced by the Afghan government has been 5. Survey finds India has 21m `unwanted` girls
declining since 2009 while the number

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 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
 India`s pre-budget economic survey has said
that the desire for a male child has created 21
million `unwanted` girls in the country between
0 and 25 years
 While India has shown improvement in several
parameters related to women`s empowerment,
the preference for a son has not diminished
 The survey has talken note of the behavioural
pattern of Indian parents who prefer to have
children `until the desired number of sons are
born
6. FBI`s No 2 official quits after censure by Trump
 FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, criticised
by President Donald Trump and other
Republicans for alleged bias against him and in
favour of his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary
Clinton, has stepped down, US officials
confirmed on January 30, 2018
 McCabe, who served as acting Federal Bureau of
Investigation chief for more than two months
last year after Trump fired Director James
Comey, had been expected to leave his post as
the No. 2 FBI official in March
7. Kenya`s opposition leader proclaims himself as
president
 Kenyan authorities suspended television and
radio stations on January 30, 2018 as supporters
of opposition leader Raila Odinga watched him
take a symbolic presidential oath in a Nairobi
park in a direct challenge to President Uhuru
Kenyatta
 Security forces made no move to stop the
ceremony, which authorities had said would be
illegal, but the government later declared the
opposition `National Resistance Movement` a
criminal group, paving the way for potential
arrests
 The movement is a loose grouping led by Odinga
and other lawmakers that tried to rally support
in November for a boycott of some products
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whose owners it says are aligned with
government interests
 Odinga said the vice president would be sworn
in at a later date
8. US lifts ban on refugees from 11 countries
 The United States has announced it is lifting its
ban on refugees from 11 "high-risk" countries,
but said those seeking to enter the US would
come under much tougher scrutiny than in the
past
 Applicants from 11 countries, unnamed but
understood to include 10 Muslim-majority
nations plus North Korea, will face tougher "risk-
based" assessments to be accepted
 The list comprise Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali,
North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria
and Yemen
9. Saudis say $107b recovered from graft, 56
people still held
 Saudi Arabia's attorney general said on Tuesday
$107 billion has been recovered so far in a major
crackdown on high-level corruption and that 56
suspects were still being investigated
 Those released include individuals proven not
guilty but also others who had agreed financial
settlements with the government after
admitting corruption charges
 Total settlements with the suspects had topped
400 billion riyals ($107 billion) in various forms
of assets handed over that included property,
securities and cash.
 In November, the authorities launched an
unprecedented anti-graft swoop that netted
hundreds of members of the extended royal
family, top businessmen and officials
10. Yemen separatists seize de facto capital as
charity suspends work
 Separatists in war-ravaged Yemen have seized
all but one district of the government's de facto
capital Aden, also laying siege to the isolated
 DAY BY DAY CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQS
FOR THE MONTH JANUARY 2018
presidential palace on the city's southern
outskirts on January 30, 2018
 Global charity Save the Children said it was
suspending life-saving work in Aden as its staff
were forced to hunker down amid gun battles
that the Red Cross says have killed at least 36
people in the past three days
 A number of ministers fled the port city by boat
on Monday night, docking in the district of
Brega further west

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