Misc. Test – 03

West Indies won this year’s Spirit of Cricket award after sending both their men’s and women’s teams to tour England during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced on 4th December, 2020.
Former accountability court judge Arshad Malik passed away on December 4th, 2020 due to the novel coronavirus. He announced the verdict against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia Steel Mills reference, was dismissed from service over misconduct on July 3rd.
A UK-based global aviation services specialist Menzies Aviation on December 4th, 2020 announced the acquisition of a 51 per cent shareholding in Royal Airport Services (RAS), Pakistan.
Pakistan to link Afghanistan through railway by laying a track from Chaman to Spin Boldak, the first Afghan town near the Pak Afghan border. (as announced on December 3rd, 2020)
Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 3rd, 2020 announces monthly stipend for two million differently abled persons. The special persons would be eligible for a monthly stipend of Rs 2000.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi was December 3rd, 2020 conferred with the “Legion of Merit” of the Turkish Armed Forces by Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Adnan Ozbal.
The United Nations General Assembly December 3rd, 2020 adopted a resolution co-sponsored by Pakistan and the Philippines on the “promotion of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue” by an overwhelming majority.
Three Pakistani companies are named on the ‘Forbes Asia’s Best Under A Billion 2020’ list.
Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Pakistan project wins World Habitat Award 2020 for shielding villages from natural disasters.
Global food commodity prices rose sharply in November to their highest level in nearly six years, the UN food agency said on December 3rd, 2020, due in part to adverse weather conditions.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 2nd, 2020 approved the Civil Servants (E&D) Rules 2020 under government’s policy of institutional reforms to improve performance of bureaucracy and state institutions. Under the new rules, inquiry against government officials will have to be decided within 90 days.
Pakistan Integrated Regulatory Information Management System (PIRIMS) is an online application management system. This system has been launched by Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) with the support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on December 2nd, 2020.
Pakistan’s first and only elected prime minister from Balochistan, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali died on December 2nd, 2020 after suffering cardiac arrest. The 76-year-old senior politician served as the 15th prime minister of the country from 2002 to 2004 in former president Pervez Musharraf’s regime.
Britain on December 2nd, 2020 became the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use.
Singapore became the world’s first country to sale of lab-grown meat on December 2nd, 2020.
This year 2020 is to be the one of the three warmest ever recorded and could even top the record set in 2016, the UN`s World Meteorological Organisation said in its provisional 2020 State of the Global Climate report on December 2nd, 2020.
Israeli legislators passed a preliminary proposal to dissolve parliament on December 2nd, 2020. The Knesset is the unicameral national legislature of Israel. This is considered a step towards for 4th election in less than two years. The measure passed with support from the Blue and White party led by Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, the key partner in the coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pakistan on December 1st, 2020 started loading fuel to the 1,100MW of the newly built Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) in Karachi for testing in run-up to its commercial operations in April 2021.
Pakistan and China on December 1, 2020 inked pacts on defence cooperation. This development came on the 3-day visit of Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe to Islamabad.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 1st, 2020 introduced E-transfer policy to ensure transparency in posting and transfer of teachers.
The United Nations launched a $35-billion global appeal on December 1st, 2020 to help more than 235 million vulnerable people in 2021, including 10.5 million in Pakistan. The world body is also seeking $285.3 million for Pakistan, where it is targeting about 3.3 million as the most vulnerable and fragile.
Iran’s parliament (Majles) on December 1st, 2020 approved a bill that would suspend UN inspections of its nuclear facilities and require the government to boost its uranium enrichment if European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal do not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions.
Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated on 27th November 2020 (Friday) near Tehran.
The United Nations selected ‘Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility’ as the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day being observed on December 1st, 2020.
An elephant — Kaavan — dubbed the “world’s loneliest” landed in Cambodia on November 30th, 2020 from Pakistan, received by an American superstar Cher.
Pakistan’s showbiz actress Sajal Ali won the ‘International Icon Award’ from the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards (DIAFA).
New Zealand will host the Women’s cricket World Cup 2022in six cities. The final of this tournament will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. A total of 31 matches will be played between the eight teams in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 from February 6th to March 7th, 2022. It was postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the Corruption Perception Index 2019 was published in January of 2020, by Transparency International, Denmark (1st) and New Zealand (2nd) topped the index. Pakistan ranked 120 out of 180 countries. Last year, Pakistan ranked 117 out of 180 nations.
Established on December 30th,1964, headquarters of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is in Geneva, Switzerland.
Pakistani passport’s rank at 104 out of 107 for the third year in the Henley passport Index 2020 released by Henley & Partners on January 8th, 2020. Japanese passport topped the list.
FIDE (International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation) World Blitz competition 2019 held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
On 2nd January, 2020, the 72-years-old Hillary Rodham Clinton appointed as the first female Chancellor of United Kingdom’s Queen’s University.
The UNESCO designated Lahore a ‘creative city’ in literature on October 31st, 2019.
Etisalat is the UAE-based telecom firm.
The WTO 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) will be on 8-11 June 2021 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The session will be chaired by Bakhyt Sultanov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade.
The White Lily is considered the emblem of Canada, was of adopted as floral emblem in 1937.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a treaty entered into by the United States, Canada, and Mexico; it went into effect on January 1, 1994. (Free trade had existed between the U.S. and Canada since 1989; NAFTA broadened that arrangement).
On 30th September 2018, NAFTA was replaced with the United States–Mexico– Canada Agreement (USMCA), and all three countries had ratified it by March 2020. NAFTA remained in force until USMCA was implemented.
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan inaugurated the first-ever Burns and Trauma Centre of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Peshawar on March 5th, 2019.
Idlib is a city in northwestern Syria, 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Aleppo, which is the capital of the Idlib Governorate.
Only 8 of 183 women candidates elected to the National Assembly in General Elections 2018. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed to have secured a simple majority in the NA by having the support of 180 MNAs.
Facebook is the parent organ of Instagram.
Tulsi Giri was Nepal’s two-time prime minister. He died on 18th December, 2018 (aged 92).
The World Day of Social Justice is observed on February 20th. The theme for 2020 was: Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice.
PM Imran Khan approved the first-ever National Tariff Policy on March 6th, 2019.
Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, the first Pakistani, is the vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for 2019-2023.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) inaugurated Pakistan’s first ever tech lab to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Lahore on February 20th, 2019.
The International Women’s Day is observed on March 8th every year. The theme for 2019 was: ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’. The theme for 2020 is: ‘I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights’.
Nepal banned the Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 on 14th December 2018.
Britain is the world’s first country to issue research licenses for human embryonic cloning.
The 19th Asian Games of the Olympic Council of Asia, will be held in Hangzhou from September 10th to 25th, 2022. China will host its third edition of Asian Games following Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010. The previous edition (2018) was hosted in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia. The slogan for the games is “Heart to Heart, @Future”.
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The first-ever Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951. Asian Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from 1951 to 1978. Since 1982, Olympic Council of Asia now regulates the Asian Games.
Cricket was not held in 2018 Asian Games but in 2019,during Olympic Council of Asia’s General Assembly decided to include in the 2022
The world’s largest Arabic audio library is located in Dubai
Malthusian theory is related to ‘population’.
Hippocamp moon belongs to the planet? Neptune.
Afghanistan made the highest ever score 278/3 in T20 international cricket. Previously, Australia’s 263/6 score was against Sri Lanka in 2016.
The 39th annual Cobra Gold exercise, co-sponsored by the Thai &S. armed forces, held from February 26 through March 6, 2020 in Thailand. This is one of the largest military exercises in Asia.
The Pakistan Citizen Portal App was selected on the second spot in the top three apps out of over 4646 entries for an award at the World Government Summit 2019 in Dubai, UAE.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2019 matches started from March 9th and culminating with the final on March 16th, 2019 in Karachi.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka hosted Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2018 held on December 6th, 2018.
Laiba Ijaz represented Pakistan in America Junior Open Squash Championship which was held from December 15th-18th, 2018 in Massachusetts.
Pakistan won the 19th Asian Junior Squash Championship in Pataya, Thailand.
Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad visited Pakistan on March 23, 2019 as the chief guest at the Pakistan Day celebrations. He was conferred with the Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan).
Mehwish Hayat decorated with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on Pakistan Day on 23rd March, 2019.
The Sindh Cabinet discarded a 100-year-old law – the Prison Act of 1894 – and introduced a new draft law Sindh Prison and Correction Act 2019 in its place on January 21st, 2019.
New York-based investment John Pierpont Morgan Chase is the first American bank which launched its own crypto-currency in February 2019.
The world’s largest airport terminal under one roof for 90m passengers is located in –
Pakistan for the first time in its history approved launching of Panda Bond in Chinese-denominated Yuan currency on 28th December, 2018.
Maldives freed from the UK on – July 26th, 1965.
The 8th ROPME Sea Area Hydrographic Commission (RSAHC) meeting was hosted by Pakistan Navy at Islamabad on 18th- 20th February 2019. Pakistan is the present Chairman of RSAHC which includes the North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, encompassing oil trade routes. The members of RSAHC are Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia whereas France, UK & USA are associate members.
The Pakistan Press International (PPI) is a Pakistani news agency first founded in June 1956 as Pakistan Press Association (PPA). The name Pakistan Press Association (PPA) was changed in 1968. It was first started by Muazzam Ali, the Chief Editor of Associated Press of Pakistan.
Asma Jahangir was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize 2018, on December 18, 2018.
Pro-democracy campaigner and civil rights activist Hina Jilani was nominated for the Stockholm Human Rights Award (2020).
Asma Jahangir died on February 11th, 2018 at the age of 66 in Lahore. She was suffering from a stroke leading to brain hemorrhage.
The NASA’s first flight to moon Apollo 8 marked its 50th anniversary on December 21st, 2018.
George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President/ 43rd Vice President of the U.S. died at 94 on November 30th, 2018 in Houston, Texas, U.S. George Herbert Walker Bush is the father of 43rd President, George Walker Bush.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the USA won the inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship for his contributions to relations between the United States and China.
On March 22, 2019, Jimmy Carter became the longest-lived American president, surpassing George H. W. Bush’s 94 year, 171 day lifespan.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is the first President of Kazakhstan (since 20 March 2019) after the collapse of the USSR. He won the election, held on 9th June 2019, by securing 70.96% of the votes.
Facebook has plans to launch its cryptocurrency ‘GlobalCoin’ by the first quarter of 2020.
America’s Mississippi river has set the record for being the longest-lasting in more than 90 years since the Great Flood of 1927 on May 28th, 2019.
On 31st May 2019, Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed the finance & corporate affairs minister. She is India’s first full-time female finance minister.
This year’s International Quds Day, on May 22nd, 2020, is equivalent to the 28th of Ramadan, 1441 AH. It was initiated by the founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini in 1979.
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) and Mark Boucher (South Africa) elected as honorary life members of Marylebone Cricket Club on April 12th, 2019.
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) is an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, U.S., Australia and Japan. The forum was initiated as a dialogue in 2007. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intended for the Quadrilateral to establish an “Asian Arc of Democracy.” The 4th QUAD meeting heldin Bangkok, Thailand on May 31st, 2019.
Russia will deliver five units of S-400 air defence systems to India by- 2024. S-400 Triumph (NATO’s reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is an air defence missile system developed by – Almaz Central Design Bureau of Russia.
Forty-six months after the €7.87 bn contract was signedbetween France and India, the first five of 36 Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala airbase in Haryana, India on July 29th, 2020.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in – Italy.
The Earthshot Prize was unveiled by Britain’s Prince William to solve Earth’s greatest environmental problems on 2nd January 2020.
On January 10th, 2020 Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the Omani leader who was ruling the country from 1970 died at 79 after suffering from colon cancer. He was succeeded by the Cultural Minister Haritham bin Tariq Al Said. He was the longest serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world.
Former President Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary Clinton was the first second lady to win a Grammy for her book – ‘It Takes a Village’ – in the year 1997.
Joao Vale de Almeida appointed the first ambassador of European Union (EU) to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland after the Brexit since 1st February, 2020.
The 50th edition World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2020 was held on January 21 to January 24, 2020 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The theme for the year 2020 was – “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”.
Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man who was shot and killed by Baton Rouge police officers on July 5th, 2016 in Louisiana, United States.
The term ‘Oasis’ is associated with – desert.
India ordered a nationwide lockdown from March 24thmidnight till 14th April, 2020 for 21 days to fight coronavirus COVID-19.
Jamal Khashoggi- a Saudi writer, the United States resident and Washington Post columnist – was named Time Magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year. He was killed in the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, Turkey on 2nd October 2018.
In 1998, the US and its allies launched Operation Desert Fox (bombing campaign on Iraqi targets), defeating Iraqi forces and liberating Kuwait.
The India House is located in London, England.
Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) started its functioning on January 12, 1952.
Air strikes by the United States against Libya underthe code-name Operation El Dorado Canyon, started on 15th April 1986.
Terror attack took place on Chinese Consulate in Karachi; three terrorists killed on 23rd November, 2018. ASP Suhai Aziz Talpur ran the successful security operation which foiled the attack. The attack was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army.
Maulana Samiul Haq, the head of the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Akora Khattak, assassinated at his home in Rawalpindi on November 2nd, 2018.
Malala Yousafzai returned Pakistan for the first time on March 28, 2018, after more than five years following Taliban attack in Swat on 9th October, 2012.
The current and 35th Attorney-General for Pakistan has been Khalid Jawed Khan since 22nd February 2020. Former AGP Anwar Mansoor Khan has stepped down on 20th February 2020.
The war-torn Baghouz area is located in Syria.
InSight spacecraft belongs to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) agency.
In October 2014, Malala, along with Indian children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, was named a Nobel Peace Prize winner. At age 17, she became the youngest person to receive this prize.
The ninth UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Pakistan on his first four-day visit on 16th February, 2020. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.
The Hindu nationalist party, Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackery in the year 1966.
Mahmud of Ghazni’s first battle was fought against Raja Jaipal near Peshawar in November 28th, 1001.
The Green Climate Fund elected on November 15th, 2019, Nauman Bashir, a member from Pakistan on its board as co-chair for the year 2020.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and the First Lady Emine Erdogan arrived in Pakistan on their two-day trip. Erdogan’s fourth visit to the country on February 13, 2020. He addressed the joint session of Parliament on February 14th, 2020.
The M5 highway is known as Multan-Sukkur Motorway.
Egypt, an African country, opened the West Asia’s largest cathedral in its New Administrative Capital, 45km east of Cairo on January 7th, 2019.
Zainab Ansari, a six-year-old girl in Kasur, was endured rape and captivity before being strangled to death on January 9th, 2018.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan was formed in 1970 and headquartered in Lahore.
Pakistan established the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority on 24th October, 2005.
Pakistan launched the Paigham-i-Pakistan on 16th Jnuary, 2018, a document signed by 1,829 scholars that declares several actions un-Islamic.
Valentia Island lies off the coast of Ireland.
Rotary International was founded in Chicago on February 23rd, 1905, by Paul Harris, an attorney, as a service and fellowship club for professionals. Headquartered in: Evanston, Illinois, USA.
The WHO approved the first ever Pakistani made medicine Moxiget (Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride) 400mg which is made by Getz Pharma, based in Karachi on February 9th, 2018.
Meer Sadiq Sanjrani, the youngest and the first Senate chair from Balochistan, elected as the 8th chairman of Pakistan’s senate on March 12th, 2018.
The Sindh government on February 10th, 2018 unveiled its first labour policy. The first-ever labour policy in the country was implemented by former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972.
Nuclear physicist and former head of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad died at 87 on January 18th, 2018. Prime Minister Huseyn Suhrawardy established the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in March 1956.
Rashid Suhrawardy, the son of Pakistani 5th PM Suhrawardy, died in London on February 7th, 2019.
Suhrawardy, belonging to the Awami League, assumed charge of PM of Pakistan on September 12th, 1956 and resigned on October 17th, 1957.
Imran Khan paid the first official visit as Prime Minister to Iran on 21st-22nd April 2019. His first official visit was to Saudi Arabia after being the prime minister of the country.
Ismail al-Azhari served as the first Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as President of Sudan from 1965 until he was overthrown by President Gaafar Nimeiry in the year 1969.
Ayesha Ayaz is the Pakistan’s youngest ever taekwondo athlete who won a gold medal in 34kg category at the 8th Fujairah Open Taekwondo Championship in Dubai in February 2020.
Lord’s Cricket Ground is located in London, UK.
Roma is the first Mexican film to have won the Oscars – 2019 for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Black Panther is the first Marvel Studios film to have ever won an Oscar Award in Oscars 2019.
Chaudhry Hameed is the first overseas Pakistani to invest in Pakistan Banao Scheme. PM Imran Khan launched the scheme on 31st January, 2019.
Prime Minister Imran approved Rs100 bn Wazir-I-Azam Kamyab Nojawan Programme on 21st May, 2019 with youth soft loans up to Rs5 million.
The UNESCO/ Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize was established in 1997. The Prize is named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogota, Colombia, on 17th December 1986. The 2019 awards were awarded to the UK-based Reuters reporters; Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.
On World Press Freedom Day on 3rd May, 2020, Pakistan dropped three places to 145 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2020, published by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders.
World Press Freedom Day is celebrated across the world on May 3rd, every year. This year 2020 with the theme, ‘Journalism without Fear or Favour’. This year, Netherlands hosted the World Press Freedom Conference from 18th to 20th October, in the Hague. It was originally scheduled in April 2020.
The annual UNESCO/ Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize honours a person or institution which contributes to the promotion of press freedom. It was constituted in 1997 and named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated.
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has been serving as the Prime Minister of Iraq since May 2020. Kadhimi is also the 43rd prime minister since the country’s independence in 1932 and the fourth overall under the 2005 constitution.
The United Nations along with its partner agencies launched a USD 6.7 billion global appeal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as a part of its updated response plan to help fragile nations.
On 8th May every year, the United Nations commemorates the millions who lost their lives during the Second World War. The World War-II led to the formation of the United Nations. The commemoration to pay tribute to all victims is officially called the “Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War”. It was created by a General Assembly resolution in 2004.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s postal agency on 8th May 2020 released a commemorative postage stamp on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox. The 33rd World Health Assembly issued its official declaration that the world has successfully eradicate small pox, in May 1980.
After the general elections in 1971, Nurul Amin was invited to be appointed as PM under Yahya’s administration; yet he was also the first and the only Vice President of Pakistan from 1970 to 1972, leading Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
The shortest tenured PM, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar established his administration but was removed within mere 55 days into his term amid a vote of no-confidence movement led by majority votes of the Republican Party and Awami League.
A lawyer Prime Minister Sir Feroze Khan’s administration collapsed after his party’s own President Iskander Mirza enforced martial law in 1958 in a view of extending his term of office.

Misc. Test – 03

Misc. Test – 03

West Indies won this year’s Spirit of Cricket award after sending both their men’s and women’s teams to tour England during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced on 4th December, 2020.

Former accountability court judge Arshad Malik passed away on December 4th, 2020 due to the novel coronavirus. He announced the verdict against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia Steel Mills reference, was dismissed from service over misconduct on July 3rd.

A UK-based global aviation services specialist Menzies Aviation on December 4th, 2020 announced the acquisition of a 51 per cent shareholding in Royal Airport Services (RAS), Pakistan.

Pakistan to link Afghanistan through railway by laying a track from Chaman to Spin Boldak, the first Afghan town near the Pak Afghan border. (as announced on December 3rd, 2020)

Prime Minister Imran Khan on December 3rd, 2020 announces monthly stipend for two million differently abled persons. The special persons would be eligible for a monthly stipend of Rs 2000.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi was December 3rd, 2020 conferred with the “Legion of Merit” of the Turkish Armed Forces by Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Adnan Ozbal.

The United Nations General Assembly December 3rd, 2020 adopted a resolution co-sponsored by Pakistan and the Philippines on the “promotion of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue” by an overwhelming majority.

Three Pakistani companies are named on the ‘Forbes Asia’s Best Under A Billion 2020’ list.

Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Pakistan project wins World Habitat Award 2020 for shielding villages from natural disasters.

Global food commodity prices rose sharply in November to their highest level in nearly six years, the UN food agency said on December 3rd, 2020, due in part to adverse weather conditions.

Pakistan Integrated Regulatory Information Management System (PIRIMS) is an online application management system. This system has been launched by Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) with the support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on December 2nd, 2020.

Britain on December 2nd, 2020 became the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use.

Singapore became the world’s first country to sale of lab-grown meat on December 2nd, 2020.

This year 2020 is to be the one of the three warmest ever recorded and could even top the record set in 2016, the UN`s World Meteorological Organisation said in its provisional 2020 State of the Global Climate report on December 2nd, 2020.

Pakistan on December 1st, 2020 started loading fuel to the 1,100MW of the newly built Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) in Karachi for testing in run-up to its commercial operations in April 2021.

Pakistan and China on December 1, 2020 inked pacts on defence cooperation. This development came on the 3-day visit of Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe to Islamabad.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 1st, 2020 introduced E-transfer policy to ensure transparency in posting and transfer of teachers.

Iran’s parliament (Majles) on December 1st, 2020 approved a bill that would suspend UN inspections of its nuclear facilities and require the government to boost its uranium enrichment if European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal do not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions.

Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated on 27th November 2020 (Friday) near Tehran.

The United Nations selected ‘Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility’ as the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day being observed on December 1st, 2020.

An elephant — Kaavan — dubbed the “world’s loneliest” landed in Cambodia on November 30th, 2020 from Pakistan, received by an American superstar Cher.

Pakistan’s showbiz actress Sajal Ali won the ‘International Icon Award’ from the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards (DIAFA).

As per the Corruption Perception Index 2019 was published in January of 2020, by Transparency International, Denmark (1st) and New Zealand (2nd) topped the index. Pakistan ra­nk­ed 120 out of 180 countries. Last year, Pakistan ranked 117 out of 180 nations.

Established on December 30th,1964, headquarters of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Pakistani passport’s rank at 104 out of 107 for the third year in the Henley passport Index 2020 released by Henley & Partners on January 8th, 2020. Japanese passport topped the list.

FIDE (International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation) World Blitz competition 2019 held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.

On 2nd January, 2020, the 72-years-old Hillary Rodham Clinton appointed as the first female Chancellor of United Kingdom’s Queen’s University.

The UNESCO designated Lahore a ‘creative city’ in literature on October 31st, 2019.

Etisalat is the UAE-based telecom firm.

The WTO 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) will be on 8-11 June 2021 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The session will be chaired by Bakhyt Sultanov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade.

The White Lily is considered the emblem of Canada, was of adopted as floral emblem in 1937.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a treaty entered into by the United States, Canada, and Mexico; it went into effect on January 1, 1994. (Free trade had existed between the U.S. and Canada since 1989; NAFTA broadened that arrangement).

On 30th September 2018, NAFTA was replaced with the United States–Mexico– Canada Agreement (USMCA), and all three countries had ratified it by March 2020. NAFTA remained in force until USMCA was implemented.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan inaugurated the first-ever Burns and Trauma Centre of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Peshawar on March 5th, 2019.

Idlib is a city in northwestern Syria, 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Aleppo, which is the capital of the Idlib Governorate.

Only 8 of 183 women candidates elected to the National Assembly in General Elections 2018. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed to have secured a simple majority in the NA by having the support of 180 MNAs.

Facebook is the parent organ of Instagram.

Tulsi Giri was Nepal’s two-time prime minister. He died on 18th December, 2018 (aged 92).

The World Day of Social Justice is observed on February 20th. The theme for 2020 was: Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice.

PM Imran Khan approved the first-ever National Tariff Policy on March 6th, 2019.

Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, the first Pakistani, is the vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for 2019-2023.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) inaugurated Pakistan’s first ever tech lab to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Lahore on February 20th, 2019.

The International Women’s Day is observed on March 8th every year. The theme for 2019 was: ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’. The theme for 2020 is: ‘I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights’.

Nepal banned the Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 on 14th December 2018.

Britain is the world’s first country to issue research licenses for human embryonic cloning.

Cricket was not held in 2018 Asian Games but in 2019,during Olympic Council of Asia’s General Assembly decided to include in the 2022

The world’s largest Arabic audio library is located in Dubai

Malthusian theory is related to ‘population’.

Hippocamp moon belongs to the planet? Neptune.

Afghanistan made the highest ever score 278/3 in T20 international cricket. Previously, Australia’s 263/6 score was against Sri Lanka in 2016.

The 39th annual Cobra Gold exercise, co-sponsored by the Thai &S. armed forces, held from February 26 through March 6, 2020 in Thailand. This is one of the largest military exercises in Asia.

The Pakistan Citizen Portal App was selected on the second spot in the top three apps out of over 4646 entries for an award at the World Government Summit 2019 in Dubai, UAE.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2019 matches started from March 9th and culminating with the final on March 16th, 2019 in Karachi.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka hosted Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2018 held on December 6th, 2018.

Laiba Ijaz represented Pakistan in America Junior Open Squash Championship which was held from December 15th-18th, 2018 in Massachusetts.

Pakistan won the 19th Asian Junior Squash Championship in Pataya, Thailand.

Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad visited Pakistan on March 23, 2019 as the chief guest at the Pakistan Day celebrations. He was conferred with the Nishan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan).

Mehwish Hayat decorated with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on Pakistan Day on 23rd March, 2019.

The Sindh Cabinet discarded a 100-year-old law – the Prison Act of 1894 – and introduced a new draft law Sindh Prison and Correction Act 2019 in its place on January 21st, 2019.

New York-based investment John Pierpont Morgan Chase is the first American bank which launched its own crypto-currency in February 2019.

The world’s largest airport terminal under one roof for 90m passengers is located in –

Pakistan for the first time in its history approved launching of Panda Bond in Chinese-denominated Yuan currency on 28th December, 2018.

Maldives freed from the UK on – July 26th, 1965.

The Pakistan Press International (PPI) is a Pakistani news agency first founded in June 1956 as Pakistan Press Association (PPA). The name Pakistan Press Association (PPA) was changed in 1968. It was first started by Muazzam Ali, the Chief Editor of Associated Press of Pakistan.

Asma Jahangir was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize 2018, on December 18, 2018.

Pro-democracy campaigner and civil rights activist Hina Jilani was nominated for the Stockholm Human Rights Award (2020).

Asma Jahangir died on February 11th, 2018 at the age of 66 in Lahore. She was suffering from a stroke leading to brain hemorrhage.

The NASA’s first flight to moon Apollo 8 marked its 50th anniversary on December 21st, 2018.

George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President/ 43rd Vice President of the U.S. died at 94 on November 30th, 2018 in Houston, Texas, U.S. George Herbert Walker Bush is the father of 43rd President, George Walker Bush.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the USA won the inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship for his contributions to relations between the United States and China.

On March 22, 2019, Jimmy Carter became the longest-lived American president, surpassing George H. W. Bush’s 94 year, 171 day lifespan.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is the first President of Kazakhstan (since 20 March 2019) after the collapse of the USSR. He won the election, held on 9th June 2019, by securing 70.96% of the votes.

Facebook has plans to launch its cryptocurrency ‘GlobalCoin’ by the first quarter of 2020.

America’s Mississippi river has set the record for being the longest-lasting in more than 90 years since the Great Flood of 1927 on May 28th, 2019.

On 31st May 2019, Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed the finance & corporate affairs minister. She is India’s first full-time female finance minister.

This year’s International Quds Day, on May 22nd, 2020, is equivalent to the 28th of Ramadan, 1441 AH. It was initiated by the founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini in 1979.

Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) and Mark Boucher (South Africa) elected as honorary life members of Marylebone Cricket Club on April 12th, 2019.

Russia will deliver five units of S-400 air defence systems to India by- 2024. S-400 Triumph (NATO’s reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is an air defence missile system developed by – Almaz Central Design Bureau of Russia.

As per the Corruption Perception Index 2019 was published in January of 2020, by Transparency International, Denmark (1st) and New Zealand (2nd) topped the index. Pakistan ranked 120 out of 180 countries. Last year, Pakistan ranked 117 out of 180 nations.