World in Focus (Sep-Oct 2014)

National
Sep 16: Angry passengers of a PIA aircraft forced two late-arriving politicians
Senator Rehman Malik and MNA Dr Ramesh Vankwani to get off the
plane because they had caused a flight delay of an hour and 45 minutes.
Sep 16: The Islamabad police registered a criminal case against Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, some federal ministers and police officials under an order issued
by a district and sessions court.
Sep 16: Launching the first heritage preservation project in Sindh, US
Ambassador Richard G. Olson announced that more than $260,000 would be
spent on the restoration of 400-year-old tombs of Mir Sultan Ibrahim (15561592 AD), the ruler of the Turkhan dynasty, and Amir Sultan Muhammad at the
Makli necropolis, one of the largest cemeteries in the world.
The US envoy also announced the launch of US 'Ambassador's Fund for Culture
Preservation (AFCP)'.
Sep 17: The ECP granted PTI chief Imran Khan's request to inspect the
electoral record of NA-122 Lahore; the constituency where he lost to National
Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Sep 18: Unidentified gunmen shot dead Dr Muhammad Shakeel Auj, the dean
of Karachi University's faculty of Islamic Studies.
Sep 19: The UNDP released its 2014 Human Development Index (HDI) that
values for 187 countries and UN-recognised territories, ranking the countries in
terms of economic and human development indicators. The report said that
growth in value of the Human Development Index (HDI) for Pakistan has
almost stagnated over the last five years as it stood at 146th position among 187
countries.
Andre Franche, the country director of the UNDP, said the rising or stagnating
income and educational inequality at the global level had contributed to the
slow growth in human development.
Sep 19: Anwar Ahmed, judge of an accountability court in Rawalpindi, cleared
Mian Nawaz Sharif in two corruption references by rejecting a NAB application
for reopening of Hudaibiya Paper Mills and Raiwind Assets references.
Sep 19: An ordinance promulgated by Acting Governor Rana Iqbal abolished
the warring Punjab Textbook Board and the Punjab Curriculum Authority,
merging their functions into a new Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board.
Sep 19: WAPDA signed a joint venture project contract with Sinohydro and
Hajvairy Group worth Rs.14.544 billion for the construction of civil works for
Keyal Khwar Hydropower Project.
Sep 22: The federal cabinet decided to lift a ban on government jobs, to
disburse Rs. 25,000 to each family affected by floods before Eidul Azha, and
provide temporary relief to power consumers who over-billed recently.
Sep 22: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) tacitly held returning

officers (ROs) responsible for the mess created in various constituencies in the
General Elections 2013.
Sep 23: A multi-party conference titled 'Administrative provinces and demand
for dividing Sindh is a conspiracy against Sindh, country and peace, rejected a
call of the MQM to create more administrative units in Sindh.
The conference was jointly organised by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and the
Qaumi Awami Tehreek.
Sep 24: President Mamnoon Hussain signed Gas Infrastructure Development
Cess (GIDC) Ordinance 2014 to provide a legal cover to gas cess collection for
infrastructural development.
The ordinance will enable the government to continue collecting the gas
infrastructure development cess (GIDC) from the consumers after the Supreme
Court had refused to give a legal cover to the cess collection.
Sep 25: The Supreme Court of Pakistan restored the National Assembly (NA)
membership of Khalid Hussain Magsi of the PML-N on an interim basis.
Sep 26: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the 69th session of the UN General
Assembly that he had been disappointed by India's decision to cancel foreign
secretary-level
talks
with
Pakistan.
In a speech that showed greater emphasis on the Kashmir dispute than seen
during the last six years. He also reminded the world body that it had left the
Kashmir
issue
unresolved
for
decades.
Sep 26: The Sindh government regularised the services of over 24,000 lady
health workers.

Sep 26: Pakistan

successfully testfired the short
range, surface-tosurface Hatf IX
(Nasr) missile. The
test was conducted
with
successive
launch of four
missiles
from
multi-tube launcher
with salvo mode.
With a range of
60km and in-flight
manoeuvring
capability, Nasr is
a quick-response
system with shoot
and
scoot
attributes.
It
contributes to the
full
spectrum
deterrence against
the
prevailing
threat spectrum.
Sep 26: The US
government
will
provide
$41.8
million to improve
Pakistan's
lawenforcement
capability,
fight
narcotics
trafficking
and
reform its criminal
justice system.
A bilateral assistance agreement to this effect was signed by US Ambassador
Richard Olson and Economic Affairs Division Secretary Mohammad Saleem
Sethi.
Sep 26: An investigative reporter Umar Cheema won Coalition on Right to
Information's RTI Annual Champion Award for his efforts to promote right to
information through investigative reporting. In citizen's category, Sabahat

Ghaznavi won the 1st Annual Champion Award. He was given award on first
known case of citizen using KP RTI law for getting job.
In organizations category, Centre for Governance and Public Accountability
won the CRTI-RTI Annual Champion Award. CGPA has not only been
advocating for RTI law for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but it has also submitted 143
information requests to contribute to the implementation of this law.
Sep 26: Irfan Qaisar Sheikh was posted as Chairperson Punjab Technical
Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA).
Sep 27: The Pakistan Navy successfully performed a live-fire demonstration of
torpedo and anti-ship guided missiles during testing operations in the northern
Arabian Sea. The demonstration coincided with the start of joint exercises with
the Chinese Navy near Karachi.
Sep 28: Outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered the release of
Pakistani reporter Faizullah Khan who was arrested in eastern Nangarhar
province a few months back.
Sep 29: The Punjab University and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society signed a
memorandum of understanding to develop a volunteer force from university
students.
Sep 29: An Election Tribunal de-notified an MNA of PML-N, Dewan Ashiq
Hussain Bukhari, elected from NA-153, Jalalpur for having a fake degree.
Sep 29: US prosecutors indicted a Pakistani man, Hammad Akbar, for
marketing a Stealth
Genie application
that could be used
to secretly spy on
calls, texts, and
other activity on
Smartphone.
This was the first
ever criminal case
centered on the
advertisement and
sale of an app tailored to spy on Smartphone.
Sep 30: The Balochistan High Court restrained the Chairman of the Balochistan
Public Service Commission, Ashraf Magsi, from taking part in interviews for
jobs in government departments.
Sep 30: The Balochistan Assembly passed a resolution unanimously seeking the
return of Khan of Kalat Agha Suleman Daud. The resolution was tabled by
Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran of the JUI-F.
Oct 01: Veteran politician Javed Hashmi announced his resignation as the
president and member of the PTI, in protest against what he called
undemocratic attitude of its chairman, Imran Khan.

Oct 01: Pakistan ranks 62nd in the foreign direct investment friendly countries
but it does not reflect its potential and available resources, necessitating a
comprehensive strategy to overcome low local and foreign investment
phenomenon.
Oct 01: Indonesian government conferred the highest Military Awards of
'Bintang Jalsena Utama and Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama' on Chief of Naval
Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila, in recognition of his meritorious
services and significant contribution in strengthening ties between the naval
forces of Indonesia and Pakistan.
Oct 02: Pakistan cautiously welcomed the signing of the Bilateral Security
Agreement (BSA) by Afghanistan and the United States after the latter clarified
that counterterrorism operations under the agreement would be restricted to
within Afghan borders.
Oct 02: All decimal coins of paisa 1,2,5,10,25 and 50 ceased to be a legal
tender from October 1, 2014. However, Rs1 and above denomination coins
would remain legal tender.
Oct 02: The economic coordination committee (ECC) accorded approval to the
strategic Gwadar LNG terminal along with 711 kilometres pipeline up to
Nawabshah.
Oct 03: Pakistan broke its 13-year-old record of polio cases with the
confirmation of eight more cases, raising this year's count to 202. In 2000, 199
cases were recorded.
Oct 04: Pakistan and Australia signed an MoU, agreeing to take every possible
step in increasing the bilateral trade volume to $1 billion by next year.
The MoU was signed in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT) Canberra on the sidelines of Australia-Pakistan Joint Trade Committee
(JTC) meeting. Pakistan delegation was led by Ministry of Commerce Secretary
Muhammad Shehzad Arbab.
Oct 04: The national technical focal person of the Prime Minister's Polio
Monitoring and Coordination Cell Dr Altaf Bosan was removed from his
position and was replaced by Dr Umar Qadir Baloch, brother of Federal
Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch and a senior grade 21 officer.
Oct 08: Tensions between Pakistan and India simmered over Eid holidays as
clashes along the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary (WB) left 10
people dead on the Pakistani side.
Oct 08: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif announced a Fata Youth
Package under which 14,000 youths from the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas will be inducted into the army over five years.
Oct 08: US officials and investors pledged support for the 4,500MW DiamerBhasha dam, calling it Pakistan's smartest choice for economic development.
Oct 08: Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah was sworn in as Chief of the Naval
Staff at a change-of-command ceremony held at the PNS Zafar Naval Complex.

Admiral Sandila formally handed over the command of the Pakistan Navy by
presenting the traditional scroll to Admiral Zakaullah.
Oct 08: Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town Lahore, completed at the cost of
about Rs4 billion, opened its doors for Eidul Azha prayers. This masterpiece of
indigenous Pakistani architecture has a capacity to accommodate 70,000 people,
which makes it the world's 7th largest mosque. Additionally, the indoor capacity
of 25,000 people makes it the largest mosque in Pakistan.
Oct 08: A murder case was registered against the eldest son of Pakistan's former
prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani after his gunmen opened fire at two young
men for accidently hitting the politician's SUV with their motorcycle in the
city's Defence area, killing one of them.
Oct 09: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited a bazaar in North Waziristan's
Miramshah town where he saw the militant hideouts destroyed during the Zarbi-Azb military operation.
Oct 10: Education activist Malala Yousufzai and Indian campaigner against
child trafficking and labour Kailash Satyarthi won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala, aged 17, became the youngest Nobel Prize winner.
Oct 10: Over 200 Parliamentarians from 53 countries of the Commonwealth
unanimously chose Pakistan as the venue of 61st Conference of Commonwealth
Parliamentary Assembly (CPA) in Yaounde, Cameroon at the concluding
plenary of the 60th CPA.
Oct 11: Pakistan and Afghanistan signed an agreement to set electricity transit
fees from Central Asia to South Asia. The two sides agreed to a price of 1.25
cents per kilowatt.
The agreement also establishes commercial arrangements for 1,300 megawatts
of sustainable regional electricity trade between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the Central Asia South Asia Electricity
Transmission and Trade Project.
Oct 13: As India continued ceasefire violations along the Line of Control
(LoC), the Foreign Office asked five permanent members of the United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) to use their good offices to secure an end to hostilities
and for resumption of stalled peace dialogue with New Delhi.
Oct 13: A 45-metre-long and 10-metre-deep tunnel being built just a few metres
from the Karachi Central Jail to spring 100 'dangerous militants' was discovered
in a house situated in a neighbouring locality.
Oct 13: The Pakistan International Airlines received two Airbus A -320 aircraft
obtained on wet lease from the Air VIA-Bulgarian Airways at Jinnah
International Airport.
Oct 13: The ground-breaking ceremony of the Pakistan Housing Project for the
rehabilitation of war-affected homeless people of the Northern Province of Sri
Lanka was held in Puthukkudiyiruppu village of Mannar town.
The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, retired Maj Gen Qasim
Qureshi, Sri Lankan Minister for Economic Affairs Basil Rajapaksa, Minister

for Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen and Northern Province

Governor retired Maj Gen G.A. Chandrasiri laid the foundation stone of the
project.
Oct 13: The Lahore High Court directed the federal government to submit
details of expenses incurred during the recent visit of PM Nawaz Sharif, his
family and personal servants to New York.
Oct 13: The charge of law and parliamentary affairs Punjab was withdrawn
from Rana Mashhood.
Oct 14: Military officials of Pakistan and India spoke over hotline about the
aggravating situation on the Line of Control and Working Boundary (WB) as
UN military observers visited the areas hit by Indian shelling and the
Islamabad-based diplomatic corps was briefed at the Foreign Office.
Oct 14: Six leading militants of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan,
including its spokesman Shahidullah Shahid, announced their allegiance to Abu
Bakar Al-Baghdadi, the chief of the Islamic State (IS).
Oct 15: The Punjab Assembly was ranked at the bottom among the four
provincial legislatures in a study conducted by PILDAT about the working of
the houses during the first parliamentary year (June 2013-May 2014).
The Sindh Assembly topped the comparative performance analysis with a score
of 68 out of 100, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (67), Balochistan (60) and
Punjab with 58.
Oct 15: An accounts group probationer, Nabiha Chaudhry, was found burned to
death in her hostel room at the Audit and Accounts Training Institute in
Gulberg, Lahore.
Education
Sep 17: The US government launched the second phase of its Merit and Needs
Based Scholarship Programme which would benefit 3,000 talented students in
need of financial assistance to pursue higher education.
The launch of new phase of the programme funded by the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) was announced by Gregory Gottlieb, the
mission director of USAID Pakistan, at a ceremony which was also attended by
Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, Executive Director of the
Higher Education Commission (HEC) Prof Mukhtar Ahmad and vice
chancellors of partner universities.
A total of 1,807 scholarships were awarded under the first phase of the
programme and more than 1,300 students have already obtained their
undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Sep 26: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) abolished meritbased admission policy for medical colleges and instead reserved 50 per cent
seats for boys and the other 50 per cent for girls.
Oct 05: Punjab University (PU) Library in collaboration with the Chinese
Educational Publications Import and Export Corporation Ltd. established
Chinese Corner in the PU Library.

Oct 09: Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) announced to hold CSS
Competitive Examination-2015 for recruitment to posts in BS-17 in
occupational groups and services under the Federal Government with effect
from February 2015.
Oct 15: Federal Public Service Commission (FBSC) announced result of
Competitive Examination (CSS) 2014 whereby 439 candidates qualified in the
written part of CSS Competitive Examination out of 13170 candidates
appeared.
Economy
Sep 18: Pakistan's tax authorities signed an MoU with UK to identify and nab
rampant tax evaders by building up capacity of Federal Board of Revenue
(FBR).
Oct 13: European Union (EU) removed the yellow flag on Pakistani mangoes.
The fruit was put under scrutiny at the beginning of this mango season.
Oct 14: Pakistan Petroleum Limited announced another discovery of gas and
condensate in Sindh. The discovery was made from exploratory well Kinza X-1
in Sanghar district.
Transfers & Appointments
Sep 18: Maj Gen Bilal Akbar took over as the 12th director general of Pakistan
Rangers, Sindh.
Sep 22: The government appointed Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar as next chief of the
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He will take charge when his predecessor Lt
Gen Zaheerul Islam retires on November 7.
Sep 24: President Mamnoon Hussain on the advice of the prime minister,
approved the appointment of Arshad Bhatti, former federal secretary Punjab,
Syed Arshad Ali, former federal secretary Sindh, Qazi Afaq Hussain, former
additional secretary Punjab and Syed Rafique Hussain Shah retired district &
sessions judge KP, as Federal Services Tribunal members.
Sep 25: The PML-N government posted Arif Ahmed Khan, an additional
secretary, as Member (Oil), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), on a
temporary basis, and extended contracts of Managing Director SNGPL, Arif
Hameed, and MD of the PSO, Amjad Pervez Janjua.
Sep 26: Deputy Secretary Establishment Division, Islamabad, Munir Jan
Baloch, was appointed Director General Planning and Development of Gwadar
Port.
Sep 27: Khalid Mahmood, a professor of the Dayal Singh College, Lahore, was
appointed as Secretary Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE),
Rawalpindi.
Oct 02: The government appointed Vice Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah as the
next chief of naval staff. He will succeed Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila.
Sports
Sep 18: Former champion Mohammad Sajjad of Punjab recaptured the title of
the sixth National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Ranking Snooker Championship.

Sep 23: Pakistan's wait for a medal at the Asian Games finally came to an end
when Syed MaratibAli Shah won the bronze medal in the Wushu competition in
the 17th Asian Games in Incheon.
Sep 26: Pakistan retained their gold medal in the Asian Games women's
Twenty20 cricket tournament, overpowering Bangladesh by four runs.
Sep 28: Peshawar Panthers added a new chapter in the Pakistan T20 cricket
history by annexing their maiden national title after outgunning Lahore Lions in
final.
Oct 02: Pakistan's top pugilist Mohammad Waseem ended up securing a bronze
medal after being out-boxed in the final of his flyweight division bout by
Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan at the Asian Games at Seohnak Gymnasium.
Oct 05: Australia beat Pakistan by six wickets to win the one-off Twenty20
international.
Oct 11: Pakistan qualified for next year's Polo World Cup after beating
archrivals India in a play-off match held in Tianjin, China.
Oct 12: Australia beat Pakistan in the third and final one-day international
against to clinch the series 3-0.
Obituaries
Sep 23: Former international athlete and retired Deputy Superintendent of
Police Syed Abid Hussain died. He was 72.
Oct 04: Najeebullah Khan Niazi, an MPA from PP-49 in Bhakkar, died of a
cardiac arrest.
Oct 09: Saeed Hasan Shah, a former Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF)
president, died in Lahore. He was 80.
Places in News
Paris, France
Sept 16: The 35th edition of Texworld was held in Paris, in which 881
exhibitors from all over the world, including China, Pakistan, Thailand, India,
Indonesia, Turkey and Bangladesh participated. The Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has arranged national pavilion in the exhibition.
Oct 13: The three-day International Gender Responsive Policing (GRP)
Conference kicked off at a local hotel in Islamabad with the theme that the GRP
can foster peaceful societies.
The police officers participating from 20 OIC countries along with international
human rights activists, philanthropists and gender experts emphasized on the
need
to
have
a
gender
sensitized
police.
People
in
News
Maulvi
Agha
Muhammad
On Sep 16, The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified the
membership of a JUI-F MNA Maulvi Agha Muhammad in a fake degree case.
He
was
elected
from
NA-261
Pishin-Ziarat.

Malik
Mumtaz
Khan
On Sep 18, the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) awarded its 2014 Sadiq
Press Freedom Award, supported by the World Association of Newspapers and
News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), to slain journalist Malik Mumtaz Khan.
Intizar Husain
On Sep 20, veteran short story writer, novelist, journalist and poet Intizar
Husain was conferred upon the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' by the
French Ambassador to Pakistan Philppe Thiebaud in recognition of his huge
contribution to Urdu literature.
He is the first Pakistani writer who has been given this award by France.
SM Tanveer
On Sep 22, SM Tanveer was elected unopposed as central chairman of All
Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) for the year 2014-15.
Zarar Sehgal
On Sep 25, Zarar Sehgal, a New York-based Pakistani American attorney, was
declared as Lawyer of the Year for Team of the Year 2014 in Asset Finance
and Leasing category by Legal 500, the world's largest legal referral firm.
Zubair Ahmad
On Sep 25, renowned Punjabi poet and short story writer from Pakistan, Zubair
Ahmad's book of short stories 'Kabooter, Banaire te Galiaan' in Punjabi, won the
first-ever prestigious Canadian Literary Prize 'Dahan International Punjabi
Literature Prize.'
Irfan Hassan
Irfan Hassan, of Nankana Sahib, was awarded a gold medal as he topped the
MBA department of the Government College University, Faisalabad. Irfan had
to abandon his studies twice because of financial constraints, but he never lost
heart and fulfilled the dreams of his poor parents.
Asma Jahangir
On Sep 30, leading human rights activist Asma Jahangir was conferred with the
highest French award, 'Officier de la Lgion d'Honneur', by the French
Ambassador to Pakistan Philippe Thiebaud for her excellent role in protecting
the rights of women and minorities.
Rafay Baloch
A 21-year-old Pakistani security researcher, Rafay Baloch, helped Google fix a
major security flaw in its Android operating system for smartphones, protecting
the personal data of millions of smartphone users across the world.
Rafay is a professional penetration tester and author of the book 'Ethical
Hacking and Penetration Testing Guide', identified a major vulnerability in the
Android Open Source Platform (AOSP) Browser.
International
Sep 16: Sweden's Social Democratic party, which ended its longest spell in
opposition in a century, formed a weak minority government. Stefan Lfven, the
incoming prime minister, insisted the new government would be functional.

Sep
16: The
number of hungry
people in the world
has dropped by 100
million over the
last 10 years but
one in nine are still
undernourished,
with Asia home to
the majority of the
underfed, the UN
said.
The UN's food
agencies said the
global number was
down over 200
million since the
early 1990s, but
warned that despite
the progress made,
about 805 million
people
in
the
world, or one in
nine, suffer from
hunger.
Sep
16: Ukraine
ratified a sweeping
agreement with the
European
Union
and sought to blunt
the independence
drive of Russiabacked separatists
by offering them
temporary
and
limited self-rule.
Sep
16: US
President Barack
Obama
included
both India and
Pakistan among 22

major illicit drug producing or drug-transit countries. Afghanistan is also on the

list.
Of these 22, three countries Bolivia, Myanmar and Venezuela are on a list of
those who can face US sanctions.
Sep 17: Panama may be the happiest country in the world, racking up the
highest score in the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index for 2013.
In contrast, conflict-afflicted countries such as Syria and Afghanistan showed
the lowest scores in the survey of 135 came in at number 14 in the poll.
Sep 17: Recognising The 11th Hour (2007) star's contribution to salvaging the
environment, the United Nations named Leonardo DiCaprio a Messenger of
Peace.
Sep 18: The US intelligence chief warned that a group of fighters trained in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as the Khorasan Group, was emerging as
another major security threat rivalled the threat posed by the Islamic State.
Sep 18: The United States will provide $46 million in new security assistance to
Ukraine's military but stop short of fulfilling an urgent request from Ukrainian
President Petro Poroshenko for lethal aid to help his country fight Russiabacked separatists.
Sep 19: Scots rejected independence in a referendum that left the centuries-old
United Kingdom intact but headed for a major shake-up that will give more
autonomy to both Scotland and England.
Despite a surge in nationalist support in the final fortnight of the campaign, the
No secured 55.3 per cent of the vote against 44.7 per cent for the proindependence Yes camp.
Sep 19: Both chambers of the US Congress authorised President Barack Obama
to arm and train moderate rebels in Syria to fight Islamic State militants. The
Senate approved a $1 trillion government-funding bill that gives the president
new authority to battle the IS.
Sep 19: French jets carried out their first air strike against Islamic State
militants in Iraq.
Sep 19: Pronouncing foreign leaders' names is a headache for newsreaders the
world over but it proved the downfall of one Indian news-caster, who mistook
the visiting Chinese president's name for the Roman numeral XI, calling him
Eleven Jinping on air.
Sep 20: New Zealand's ruling National Party stormed to a third term in
government in the country's general election. Prime Minister John Key's centreright party won 48.1 per cent of the vote, translating into 61 of 121
parliamentary seats.
Sep 20: The rival candidates in Afghanistan's messy election for a new
president finally struck a power-sharing deal.
Sep 20: The US Department approved the sale of 160 mine-resistant ambush
protected (MRAP) vehicles to Pakistan at an estimated cost of $198 million.
Sep 21: Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was declared Afghanistan's next

president, hours after signing a power-sharing deal with his rival Abdullah
Abdullah that ended a prolonged standoff over the disputed result.
Sep 21: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN's Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador Emma Watson launched a large solidarity movement in New York
with strong calls on men and boys worldwide to raise their voice for gender
equality and women's empowerment.
Sep 21: Rival groups in Yemen signed a UN-brokered peace deal after Shia
rebels seized the government headquarters and the prime minister resigned in
the face of raging violence.
Sep 22: Poland's president swore in the government of incoming Prime Minister
Ewa Kopacz and called on her to prepare the nation for a debate on adopting the
euro.
Sep 23: The United States and its Arab allies bombed Syria for the first time,
killing scores of Islamic State (IS) fighters and members of a separate Al
Qaeda-linked group, opening a new front against militants by joining Syria's
three-year-old civil war.
Sep 23: A US court sentenced Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and former AlQaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith to life in prison.
Sep 23: A prominent academic from China's mostly-Muslim Uighur minority,
Ilham Tohti, was jailed for life for separatism. The EU, United States and
human rights groups had all been calling for the release of Ilham Tohti, a
persistent but moderate government critic who campaigned for minority rights
in the vast western region.
Sep 23: The Turkish government announced to lift a ban on female students
wearing the Islamic headscarf at high school.
Sep 24: India's top court cancelled more than 200 government permits for coal
mines and handed down fines worth hundreds of millions of dollars to
companies
after
the
licensing
process
was
deemed
illegal.
Sep 24: Muslim cleric Abu Qatada walked free form a Jordanian jail after being
cleared of charges of conspiring in a plot to attack tourists.
Sep 24: India won Asia's race to Mars when its unmanned Mangalyaan
spacecraft successfully entered the planet's orbit after a 10-month journey on a
tiny budget.
Sep 24: The UN Security Council, at a meeting presided over by President
Barack Obama, unanimously adopted a resolution, calling for a crackdown on
the flow of foreign fighters to militants organisations such as ISIS.
Sep 24: British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks with Iran's President
Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations, the first meeting between the countries'
leaders since the 1979 Revolution.
The meeting took place at the British mission office at the United Nations.
Sep 25: India's ruling party severed ties of 25 years with its far-right ally, Shiv

Sena, after days of bickering over seat-sharing in elections in the western state
of Maharashtra.
Sep 25: The United States placed key members of the Islamic State group on a
list of specially designated global terrorists. Top on the list are two IS leaders
Amru al-Absi and Salim Benghalem.
The designation targets terrorists, their supporters and acts of terrorism and
came hours after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to prevent
foreign fighters from joining militant groups.
Sep 25: Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement for
the return of their unity government to Gaza.
Sep 26: The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning socalled vulture funds like the ones pursuing Buenos Aires for payment on the
Argentine bonds they hold.
Sep 26: The European Union's recent decision to appoint a special ambassador
accredited to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) was seen as a
welcome and long-awaited step forward in the EU's relations with one of the
world's most dynamic and rapidly growing regions.
As a statement by the European External Action Service the EU's foreign
ministry underlined, the important decision reflects Europe's growing
engagement with Asean and an ambition to upgrade the existing partnership
with the Southeast Asian countries grouping to a strategic one.
Sep 26: British Parliament gave approval by 524 votes to 43 for Britain to join
the US-led coalition in airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq.
Labour MP Rushanara Ali immediately resigned from the party's front bench
after the result was announced.
Sep 27: Catalonia's president, Artur Mas i Gavarr, formally called a
referendum to be held on November 9 to decide whether Spain's richest
region should be independent.
Sep 27: The chief minister of India's Tamil Nadu state, Jayalalithaa Jayaram,
was sentenced to four years in Jail in a high-profile corruption case that has
lasted nearly two decades.
A special court in the southern state of Karnataka found Jayalalithaa guilty of
disproportionately amassing about Rs530 million ($8.7m) outside her known
sources of income.
Sep 28: Spanish director Carlos Vermut's film Magical Girl, about a father
who tries to fulfil the last wish of his ailing daughter, won the prize for best
movie at this year's San Sebastian film festival. Vermut also took the best
director prize for the movie.
Sep 28: Libya's Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani and his cabinet took the oath
of office after lawmakers approved the line-up.
Sep 28: Russia successfully launched a Proton-M rocket carrying a satellite into
orbit in the first such launch since one of the rockets fell back to Earth soon
after liftoff in May.

Sep 29: The Philippine and the US marines began military exercises close to
flashpoints in the South China Sea, where Beijing is involved in bitter territorial
disputes with its neighbours.
The 12-day amphibious landing exercises involving about 3,500 US marines
and sailors and 1,200 Filipino counterparts were officially launched from the
Philippines' western island of Palawan facing the South China Sea.
Sep 29: Afghanistan inaugurated its first new president in a decade, swearing in
technocrat Ashraf Ghani to head a power-sharing government.
Mr Abdullah Abdullah took over as country's CEO.
Sep 29: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart,
Narendra Modi, pledged to boost cooperation in the most substantive interaction
between the two countries' leaders in 11 years.
Sep 30: Officials from Afghanistan and the United States signed a long-delayed
bilateral security agreement to allow American troops to stay in the country
after the end of the year 2014, fulfilling a campaign promise by new President
Ashraf Ghani.
Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar and US Ambassador James
Cunningham signed the BSA.
Sep 30: The world's first interactive microbe zoo, Micropia museum, opened
in Amsterdam, shining new light on the tiny creatures that make up two-thirds
of all living matter and are vital for our planet's future.
Sep 30: US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
coined a Hindi phrase chalein saath saath as the central premise of a defining
21st century partnership between their countries.
Oct 01: Moscow and Kazakhstan initialled an agreement on jointly building
and operating what would become Kazakhstan's only nuclear power plant.
Oct 01: Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg took over as the
13th Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato).
Oct 02: The gap between the haves and the have-nots globally is now at the
same level as in the 1820s, the OECD said, warning it was one of the most
worrying developments over the past 200 years.
In a major report on global well-being over the past two centuries, the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted
inequality shot up after globalisation took root in the 1980s.
Oct 02: France declared Independence from the European Union's austeritybudget regime.
Oct 03: A stampede at Dussehra, a popular Hindu festival, in the city of Patna
in eastern India left 32 people dead.
Oct 03: Sweden would recognise a new Palestinian state, the Nordic country's
new Prime Minister Stefan Lfven said, underlining his support for a two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Oct 04: Latvia's ruling centre-right coalition led by Prime Minister Laimdota
Straujuma scored a resounding majority in elections.

Oct 08: If countries do not take urgent steps to stop ocean acidification, the
global economy could be losing as much as $1 trillion a year by the end of the
century, a United Nations report said.
The report, an updated synthesis of the Impact of Ocean Acidification on
Marine Biodiversity, was issued by the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD.
Oct 08: Facebook is officially the owner of WhatsApp, after the acquisition was
finalised. The deal price has risen from $19 billion to $21.8 billion.
Oct 09: A federal judge in New York rejected a bid by Aafia Siddiqui to have
her conviction for shooting at American soldiers overturned.
Judge Richard Berman issued the ruling.
Oct 10: Britain's anti-EU UK Independence Party won its first seat in the
House of Commons.
Oct 10: A Japanese court ordered Google to delete search results linking the
claimant to a crime he did not commit, the latest in a series of rulings around the
world on what search engines should tell users.
Oct 11: Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras comfortably won a confidence
vote aimed at rallying support for his plan to abandon a widely-reviled EU/IMF
aid package.
Oct 12: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of troops to
withdraw from the border with Ukraine ahead of diplomatic talks on bringing
peace to the Western backed, former Soviet republic.
Oct 13: Russia and China signed 38 energy, trade and finance agreements
proclaimed by Moscow as proof that a policy turn to Asia is bearing fruit and
will help it to weather Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.
Oct 13: Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi named Khalid Bahah, a top
diplomat, as country's new premier. Hadi's nomination appeared to have the
consent of Huthi rebels, who seized control of much of the capital Sanaa in a
lightning offensive recently.
Oct 14: British lawmakers voted to recognise Palestine as a state, a move that
will not alter government policy, but carries symbolic value, as Palestinians
pursue international recognition.
Oct 15: Because trans-boundary animal diseases (TADs) are causing
devastating economic losses in South Asian countries, the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) agreed to establish a framework for improved cooperation among
member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc)
to combat the diseases.
Oct 15: A snowstorm and avalanche in Nepal's Himalayas killed 17 trekkers
and guides nine foreigners and eight Nepalese on a popular hiking route,
while more than 100 others remain out of contact.
Oct 15: Australian novelist Richard Flanagan won the prestigious $79,530 Man
Booker prize for literature, for his novel 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North',
set during the building of the Thailand-Burma 'Death Railway' in World War

Two.
Economy
Sep 19: Chinese online giant, Alibaba, made its historic Wall Street trading
debut. Alibaba leapt from an offering price of $68 to $92.07 in the first trades,
then headed to nearly $100 before settling back at the close to $93.89, a hefty
gain of 38 per cent.
Sep 22: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's initial public offering now ranks the
world's biggest in history at $25 billion, after the e-commerce giant and some of
its shareholders sold additional shares.
Sep 23: The European Central Bank launched the new 10-euro banknote.
The ECB is gradually phasing in new banknotes to replace those in circulation
since the euro became a physical currency in January 2002.
Sep 25: China and Spain signed business deals worth about 3.2 billion euros
($4bn) during a visit by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to the Asian
powerhouse to drum up support for his country's economy.
Oct 03: Facebook, the world's most popular social network, gained European
Union clearance for its proposed $19 billion takeover of mobile messaging
start-up WhatsApp in a deal setting it against the telecoms industry.
Sports
Sep 18: Prince Harry, fourth in line to the British throne, was appointed as the
honorary president of World Cup Organizers England Rugby 2015.
Sep 19: China's ace, Li Na, announced her retirement at the age of 32 marking
an end to a career that brought her nine titles and introduced tennis to the
masses in China. Li is the first Asian national to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Sep 20: North Korea's Om Yun Chol beat his own world record in the men's
56kg clean and jerk by 1kg to grab the weight-lifting gold. Om, the 2012
Olympic champion and 2013 world champion, lifted 170kg to earn North
Korea's
first
gold
medal
at
the
Games.
Om also had a combined total of 298kg to mark an Asian Games record after
lifting
128
kg
in
the
snatch.
Sep 24: Singapore's Joseph Schooling became the first male Singapore
swimmer
to
win
Asian
Games
gold
since
1982.
Sep 24: The Qatar women's basketball team forfeited a game at the Asian
Games after being refused permission to wear the hijab, saying they were taking
a stand against what they say is a discriminatory policy against Muslim women.
Sep 26: A group of international cricketers set a new record for the highest-ever
match with a lung- busting effort at the top of Kilimanjaro.
The teams, including English bowling legend Ashley Giles and South African

icon Makhaya Ntini, the country's first black Test player, trekked to the roof of
Africa before dawn and played ten overs each of a Twenty20 game before cloud
stopped
play.
The game was played at 5,730 metres (18,910 feet), in the flat crater just below
Kilimanjaro's
5,895-metre
summit.
The standing record for the world's highest game has been 5,165 metres, played
in the Himalayas at Everest base camp in Nepal in 2009.
Sep 26: Superheavyweight Olympic champion Zhou Lulu hoisted the largest
single weight ever by a woman. She broke Russian Tatiana Kashrina's world
record in the clean and jerk by 2kg, with 192kg (422lb), and equalled the
Russian's combined record of 334kg (735lb), both set last year.
Oct 02: India beat Pakistan in a penalty shoot-out to win back the Asian Games
hockey title after 16 years and earned direct entry to the 2016 Olympics in Rio
de
Janeiro.
Oct 03: Sri Lanka denied Afghanistan their first ever Asian Games gold medal
as they overcame a batting slump to win the final by 68 runs.
Oct 05: Chennai Super Kings won the Champions League T20 final at the M.
Chinnaswamy
Stadium.
Oct 05: World number one Novak Djokovic destroyed Tomas Berdych in a lopsided contest to win his fifth China Open crown. Maria Sharapova overcame
Petra
Kvitova
in
the
women's
final.
Oct 09: Former undisputed world champion Jermain Taylor captured the
International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title with a unanimous
decision
over
Australian
Sam
Soliman.
Oct 12: Marc Marquez retained his MotoGP title with a fighting second place
finish
in
the
Japanese
Grand
Prix.
Oct 12: Roger Federer edged a resilient Gilles Simon of France to win the
Shanghai Masters and claim the 81st title of his career.
Oct 12: Lewis Hamilton reeled off his fourth consecutive victory to extend his
lead in the Formula One drivers' title race and secure Mercedes' maiden triumph
in the constructors' championship when he won the inaugural Russian Grand
Prix
in
emphatic
fashion.

Oct 09: Japan's Kohei Uchimura won a record-stretching fifth straight allaround title at the world gymnastics championships in Nanning, China.
Obituaries
Sep 16: Tony Auth, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who for more than 40
years drew sharp and often darkly comic lines of attack across the spectrum of
American life, finding absurdities in all corners of it, died. He was 72.
Sep 24: Oleg Ivanovsky, a Russian engineer in the early years of the space race
who helped design Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit Earth, and Vostok 1, the
craft that carried the astronaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, died. He was
92.
Oct 05: Yuri Lyubimov, a director who dominated Russian theatre for half a
century,
died
at
97.
Lyubimov founded and headed Moscow's Taganka Theatre for 50 years,
winning worldwide renowned for his hugely visual and inventive shows.
Oct 04: Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude Baby Doc Duvalier, who ruled
the impoverished Caribbean nation from 1971 until his ouster in 1986, died. He
was
63.
Oct 08: Tony-winner Geoffrey Holder, a cultural giant who dazzled fans with
his dancing, acting and art work in a multifaceted career that spanned over six
decades,
died
at
84.
Oct 09: Vic Braden, a 1950s tennis standout who became a top US instructor,
died.
He
was
85.
Science
Sep 22: Nasa's MAVEN spacecraft began orbiting Mars, on mission to study
how the Red Planet's climate changed over time from warm and wet to cold and
dry.
The unmanned orbiter has travelled more than 10 months and 442 million miles
(711 million kilometres) to reach Mars for a first-of-its kind look at the planet's
upper
atmosphere.
Sep 30: The discovery of a new shape of brain cell has neuroscientists

scratching their heads over what the function of these neurons might be. Though
neurons come in different shapes and sizes, the basic blueprint consists of a cell
body, from which protrude spindly appendages called dendrites and axons.
Dendrites are branchlike structures that receive signals from other nerve cells
and deliver them to the cell body. The neuron then processes the signals and
zaps along information to the next cell via a long projection called the axon.
At least, that's how it normally works. The newly discovered cells have a
different, and until now, unknown process. In these cells, the signals skip the
cell body altogether, instead travelling along an axon that projects directly from
one
of
the
dendrites.
Oct 04: A 36-year-old Swede has become the world's first woman to give birth
after receiving a womb transplant, doctors said, describing the event as a
breakthrough
for
infertile
women.
Because of a genetic condition called Rokitansky syndrome, the new mother
was born without a womb, although her ovaries were intact.
The surgeons said the case smashes through the last major barrier of female
infertility the absence of a uterus as a result of heredity or surgical removal for
medical
reasons.
The replacement organ came from a 61-year-old woman. The organ was
transplanted
in
a
10-hour
operation
last
year.
Oct 08: Sky watchers in the Americas and Asia were treated to a lunar eclipse, a
celestial show that bathed the moon in a reddish tint to create a 'blood moon'.
During the total lunar eclipse, light beams into Earths shadow, filling it with a
coppery
glow
that
gives
it
a
red
hue.
People
Elizabeth

in

News
Holmes

America's youngest self-made female billionaire, 30-year-old Elizabeth Holmes,

was a college dropout. But, the company she founded has the potential to
change
healthcare
for
millions
of
Americans.
Elizabeth Holmes left Stanford University at 19 with a plan to start her own
company. For money, she cashed out the funds her parents had saved for tuition.
Now, she counts billionaire Larry Ellison as an investor and has former

secretaries

of

Kjell

state

on

her

Stefan

board.
Lfven

Kjell Stefan Lfven, the 33rd Prime Minster of Sweden, had worked as a welder
before becoming an active trade unionist and rising to lead the powerful IF
Metall
from
2006
to
2012.
Jason

Isbell

On Sep 18, singer-songwriter Jason Isbell won artist, album and song of the
year
awards
at
the
Americana
Honors
&
Awards.
Padmini

Prakash

On Sep 20, Lotus News, an Indian television news station, recruited the
country's first transgender news anchor, Padmini Prakash, five months after a
court ruled that transgender people be recognised as a legal third gender.
Jack

Ma

On Sep 23, Jack Ma of e-commerce giant Alibaba became China's richest

person with a fortune of $25 billion, an annual wealth ranking for the country
showed.
Ma, who had to persuade friends to give him $60,000 to start Alibaba just 15
years ago after being rejected by US venture capitalists, now leads a company
valued at more than $200bn after listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Edward

Snowden

&

Alan

Rusbridger

On Sep 24, the former NSA contactor, Edward Snowden, won the 2014 Right
Livelihood Award, a Swedish human rights award sometimes referred to as the
alternative Nobel, for his disclosures of top secret surveillance programmes.
He split the honorary portion of the Award with Alan Rusbridger, editor of
British
newspaper
The
Guardian.
Major

Mariam

al-Mansouri

On Sep 25, Major Mariam al-Mansouri, reportedly the first female UAE pilot
of a fighter jet, led United Arab Emirates air strikes that targeted Islamic State
jihadists in Syria as part of the US-led campaign against extremists.

Mansouri graduated from Abu Dhabi's Khalifa bin Zayed Air College in 2007
and
is
veteran
pilot
of
F-16
warplanes.
Angelina

Jolie

On Oct 10, Britain's Queen Elizabeth made actress Angelina Jolie an honorary
Dame in recognition of her campaigning to end sexual violence in war zones
and
for
services
to
UK
foreign
policy.
Places

in

News

Toronto,

Canada

On Sep 16, the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Aga Khan IV
formally opened the Ismaili Centre Toronto and Aga Khan Museum. The
projects are intended to foster knowledge and understanding both within
Muslim societies and between these societies and other cultures.
New

York,

USA

The first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, a High-level Plenary

meeting of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, was held at UNHQ in
New York from 22nd to 23rd September, bringing together Heads of State and
Government, Member States, hundreds of Indigenous representatives from
around the world, UN agencies and civil society representatives. It marked the
opening of the UN General Assembly's annual general debate.
New

York,

USA

On Sep 23, more than 120 heads of states and governments, business, finance
and civil society representatives announced commitments that will reduce
emissions, enhance resistance to climate change and mobilise financing for
climate action at the UN Climate Change Summit opened.
Makkah,

Saudi

Arabia

On Oct 03, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh asked
Muslim leaders that they must strike the enemies of Islam with an iron hand,
in his Haj sermon, in apparent condemnation of the Islamic State (IS) group.
Burj

Khalifa,

Dubai,

UAE

On Oct 14, a brand new lounge located on the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa,

became the highest man-made observation deck on the planet, at a staggering

555.7m
above
ground,
Guinness
World
Records
announced.
MCQs
National
1. Mir Sultan Ibrahim was a ruler of the Turkhan dynasty which ruled ______,
from
1551
to
1608
AD.
A.
Delhi
B.
Punjab
C.
Sindh
D.
Hyderabad
2. On Sep 17, the US launched 'Ambassador's Fund for Culture Preservation
(AFCP)',
in
______.
A.
Punjab B.
Sindh
C.
FATA
D.
Balochistan
3. On Sep 18, Maj Gen Bilal Akbar took over as the ______ DG of Pakistan
Rangers,
Sindh.
A.
12th
B.
17th
C.
23rd
D.
29th
4. The Country Director of the UNDP in Pakistan, Marc-Andr Franche, is a
Colombian
and
______
national.
A.
Australian B.
Canadian
C.
Serbian
D.
French
5. On Sep 19, ______ signed a joint venture project contract with Sinohydro
and Hajvairy Group for the construction of civil works for Keyal Khwar
Hydropower
Project.
A.
NEPRA
B.
Punjab
C.
Khyber
PK D.
WAPDA
6. On Sep 20, veteran short story writer, novelist, journalist and poet ______
was conferred upon the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters'.
A.
Amjad
Islam
Amjad
B.
Intizar
Husain
C.
Ataul
Haq
Qasmi
D.
Mushtaq
Soofi
7. The federal cabinet decided to lift a ban on government jobs on ______.
A.
Sep
16
B.
Sep
20
C.
Sep
21 D.
Sep
22
8. On Sep 22, Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar was appointed as the ______ chief of the

Inter-Services
A.
C.

Intelligence
17th
21st

B.
D.

(ISI).
19th
24th

9. The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was founded in ______.

A.
1947
B.
1948
C.
1952
D.
1956
10. Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) Ordinance 2014 was
promulgated
on
______.
A.
Sep
20
B.
Sep
22
C.
Sep
24
D.
Sep
26
11. Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif addresses the 69th session of the UN
General
Assembly
on
______.
A.
Sep
20
B.
Sep
22
C.
Sep
24 D.
Sep
26
12. On Sep 26, the government appointed ______ as Chairperson Punjab
Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA).
A.
Irfan
Qaisar
Sheikh
B.
Bilal
Yasin
C.
Rana
Sanaullah
D.
Dr
Tauqeer
Shah
13. The Balochistan High Court restrained the Chairman of the BPSC, Ashraf
Magsi, from taking part in interviews for jobs in government departments on
______.
A.
Sep
24
B.
Sep
26
C.
Sep
28 D.
Sep
30
14.
A.
B.
C.
D.

The

present
Agha
Mir
Mir
Mir

Khan

of
Kalat
is
Suleman
Shah
Nawaz
Mohammad
Azam
Abdul
Qudoos

______.
Daud
Khan
Jan
Bizenjo

15. Pakistan ranks ______ in the foreign direct investment friendly countries.
A.
62nd
B.
82nd
C.
112nd
D.
162nd
16. On Oct 01, Indonesia conferred the highest Military Awards 'Bintang Jalsena
Utama
and
Bintang
Yudha
Dharma
Utama'
on
______.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Gen
Admiral
Lt.

Raheel

Muhammad
Admiral
Gen
Ahmad

Asif
Shuja

Sharif
Sandila
Zakaullah
Pasha

17. All decimal coins of paisa 1,2,5,10,25 and 50 ceased to be a legal tender in
Pakistan
from
_______.
A.
Sep
28
B.
Sep
30
C.
Oct
01
D.
Oct
15
18. On Oct 04, _______ was appointed as the national technical focal person of
the Prime Minister's Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell.
A.
Dr
Umar
Qadir
Baloch
B.
Sikandar
Hayat
Bosan
C.
Fawad
Hassan
Fawad
D.
Abdul
Qadir
Baloch
19. Under the Fata Youth Package ______ youths from the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas will be inducted into the army over five years.
A.
10,000 B.
14,000
C.
18,000
D.
25,000
20. Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town Lahore, completed at the cost of about
Rs4
billion,
is
the
world's
______
largest
mosque.
A.
3rd
B.
5th
C.
6th
D.
7th
21. Education activist Malala Yousufzai became the youngest Nobel Laureate
ever when she won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize at the age of ______.
A.
15
years
B.
16
years
C.
17
years
D.
18
years
22. The 61st Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Assembly (CPA) will
be
held
in
______.
A.
Pakistan
B.
Bangladesh
C.
Malaysia
D.
Australia
23. The first electricity ever generated in the territories we now call Pakistan
was
from
a
microhydel
scheme
in
______.
A.
Zhob
B.
Qila
Abdullah
C.
Abbottabad D.
Renala
Khurd
24. On Oct 14, the Pakistan Petroleum Limited announced discovery of gas and

condensate
A.
C.

in
Thatta

Sindh's
Sanghar B.

______
D.

district.
Larkana
Badin

International
1. The founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, Prince
Shah Karim Al Husseini, a.k.a. Aga Khan IV, is the ______ hereditary Imam of
the
Ismailis.
A.
18th
B.
32nd
C.
42nd
D.
49th
2. On Sep 16, Ukraine ratified a sweeping agreement with the ______ and
offered
the
separatists
temporary
and
limited
self-rule.
A.
Nato
B.
EU
C.
US
D.
Russia
3. According the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index for 2013, ______
was
declared
the
happiest
country
in
the
world.
A.
Panama B.
Denmark
C.
Costa
Rica
D.
Austria
4. On Sep 17, the United Nations named, ______, as a Messenger of Peace.
A.
Jennifer
Aniston
B.
Angelina
Jolie
C.
Brad
Pitt
D.
Leonardo
DiCaprio
5. Former UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold, was killed in a plane
crash outside the Northern Rhodesian town of Ndola on Sep 17, ______.
A.
1961
B.
1965
C.
1973
D.
1985
6. On Sep 19, the Scots rejected independence in a referendum with a 'NO' vote
of
______.
A.
51.3%
B.
52.3%
C.
53.3%
D.
57.3%
7. On Sep 19, the US Senate approved a $1 trillion government-funding bill that
gives
the
president
new
authority
for
______.
A.
Homeland
Security
B.
Combating
Taliban
C.
UN
Fund
D.
Battling
the
IS

8. Premata Aotearoa, the 121-seat Parliament of New Zealand, is located in

______.
A.
Hokitika
B.
Auckland
C.
Wellington D.
Christchurch
9. Afghanistan's former finance minister Ashraf Ghani was declared country's
next
president
on
______.
A.
Sep
18
B.
Sep
19
C.
Sep
20 D.
Sep
21
10. On Sep 22, ______ president swore in the government of incoming Prime
Minster
Ewa
Kopacz.
A.
Serbia's B.
Poland's
C.
Sweden's
D.
Ukraine's
11. The United States and its Arab allies bombed Syria for the first time on
______.
A.
Sep
20
B.
Sep
22
C.
Sep
23 D.
Sep
27
12. Nasa's spacecraft that is orbiting Mars to study how the Red Planet's climate
changed
over
time
is
named
______.
A.
MAVEN B.
Orion
C.
MPCV
D.
Dawn
13.
On
Sep
23,
a
US
court
sentenced
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama bin Laden's ______, to life in prison.
A.
Stepbrother
B.
Nephew
C.
Son-in-law D.
Brother-in-law
14. India's unmanned spacecraft that successfully entered the planet's orbit is
named
______.
A.
Mangalyaan B.
Aryabhata
C.
Buddha
D.
Bhaskara
15. On Sep 24, British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks with Iran's
President Hassan Rouhani, the first meeting between the countries' leaders since
______.
A.
1979
B.
1984
C.
1992
D.
2000
16.

Asean

consists

of

______

members.

A.
C.

8
16

B.
D.

10
18

17. Jayalalithaa Jayaram, who, on Sep 27, was sentenced to four years in Jail in
a high-profile corruption case, is the chief minister of India's ______ state.
A.
Haryana
B.
Karnataka
C.
Maharashtra D.
Tamil
Nadu
18. On Sep 28, Abdullah al-Thani took over as the Prime Minister of ______.
A.
Bahrain B.
Libya
C.
Jordan
D.
Palestine
19. On Sep 29, the Philippine and ______ began military exercises in country's
western
island
of
Palawan
facing
the
South
China
Sea.
A.
S.
Korea
B.
India
C.
US
D.
China
20. Afghanistan inaugurated its first new president in a decade, Ashraf Ghani,
on
______.
A.
Sep
26
B.
Sep
27
C.
Sep
28 D.
Sep
29
21. According to the US-Afghanistan BSA, ______ American troops shall
remain
in
Afghanistan
after
2014.
A.
9000
B.
9800
C.
10500
D.
15000
22. On Oct 1, ______ and Kazakhstan initialled an agreement on jointly
building and operating what would become Kazakhstan's only nuclear power
plant.
A.
US
B.
Germany
C.
Russia D.
China
23. On Oct 03, ______ announced that it would recognise a new Palestinian
state, becoming the first European country to make such a move.
A.
France B.
Sweden
C.
Germany
D.
Denmark
24. On Oct 08, Facebook officially became the owner of ______.
A.
Twitter
B.
Viber
C.
Skype
D.
WhatsApp
25. On Oct 13, ______ and China signed 38 energy, trade and finance

agreements.
A.
C.

India
France

B.
D.

Russia
Germany

26. On Oct 13, Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi named ______ as
country's
new
premier.
A.
Khalid
Bahah
B.
Ali
Abdullah
Saleh
C.
Ahmed
Hassan
Abu
Khanir
D.
Ali
Muhammad
Mujawar
27.
A.
B.
C.
D.

Man

Booker

prize

for Literature
King
Richard
Jean
Yusuke

2014

went

to

______.
Kohei
Flanagan
Tirole
Tanaka

28. Former Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, is the ______ Secretary
General
of
North
Atlantic
Treaty
Organization
(Nato).
A.
6th
B.
8th
C.
10th
D.
13th
29. The world's three biggest carbon polluting nations are ______, the US and
India.
A.
UK
B.
China
C.
Pakistan
D.
Japan
30. Das Kapital, one of the major works of the 19th-centruy economist and
philosopher Karl Marx (1818-83), was published in ______.
A.
1845
B.
1859
C.
1867
D.
1881
Sports
1. Pakistan's first medal at the 17th Asian Games was won by ______.
A.
Syed
Maratib
Ali
Shah
B.
Women's
Cricket
Team
C.
Mohammad
Waseem
D.
Saeed
Hasan
Shah
2. First Asian national to win a Grand Slam singles title is China's ______.
A.
Hao
Jie
B.
Ren
Jing
C.
Zhu
Lin D.
Li
Na

3. On Sep 24, women's basketball team of ______ forfeited a game at the Asian
Games
after
being
refused
permission
to
wear
the
hijab
A.
Qatar
B.
Iran
C.
Saudi
Arabia
D.
Malaysia
3. On Sep 26, Pakistan beat ______ to retain their gold medal in the Asian
Games
women's
Twenty20
cricket
tournament.
A.
Afghanistan
B.
China
C.
Bangladesh D.
India
4. On Sep 26, a group of international cricketers set a new record for the
highest-ever match 5,730 metres (18,910 feet) at the top of Mount
______.
A.
Aconcagua
B.
Elbrus
C.
McKinley D.
Kilimanjaro
5. The clean and jerk world record of 192 kilograms is held by ______
weightlifter
Zhou
Lulu.
A.
S.
Korean B.
Chinese
C.
Thai
D.
Japanese
6.
A.
B.
C.
D.

On

7. On
A.
B.
C.
D.

Sep

Oct

05,

28,

______
won
Peshawar
Lahore
Rawalpindi
Faisalabad

______ won
Chennai
Kings
Hyderabad
Kolkata

the

the

National

Champions League
Super
XI
Hurricanes
Knight

T20
Cup.
Panthers
Lions
Rams
Wolves
T20

final.
Kings
Punjab
Riders

8. At present, ______ is the World number one player of Tennis.

A.
Roger
Federer
B.
Novak
Djokovic
C.
Rafael
Nadal
D.
Jermain
Taylor
9.
A.
C.

Polo

World

Cup
Pakistan

2015
will
Austria B.

be

played
D.

in

______.
China
Nepal

10. Oct 09, ______ Kohei Uchimura won the fifth straight all-around title at the

World
A.
C.

Gymnastics
Championships
Malaysia's
Thailand's D.

in
B.

Nanning,

China.
China's
Japan's

Obituaries
1. On Sep 16, Tony Auth, a Pulitzer Prize-winning ______ died.
A.
Cartoonist B.
Writer
C.
Poet
D.
Architect
2. Oleg Ivanovsky, a Russian engineer who helped design Sputnik, the first
satellite
to
orbit
Earth,
died
on
______.
A.
Sep
20
B.
Sep
22
C.
Sep
24 D.
Sep
26
3. Jean-Claude Baby Doc Duvalier, who died on Oct 4, was the former
dictator
of
______.
A.
Liberia
B.
Ethiopia
C.
Haiti
D.
Niger
4. Najeebullah Khan Niazi, an MPA from PP-49, and a cousin of PTI chairman
Imran
Khan
died
on
______.
A.
Oct
4
B.
Oct
6
C. Oct 8
D. Oct
Home CSS Special Economy Special (December 2014) World in Focus
(Oct-Nov 2014)
World in Focus (Oct-Nov 2014)
National & International News & MCQs
Economy
Special
(December
2014)
Monday, September 01, 2014

National
Oct 16: Amir Dogar, a PTI-supported independent candidate, defeated Javed
Hashmi
to
win
the
NA-149
by-election.
Oct 16: The WHO held that Pakistan is responsible for nearly 80 per cent of
polio
cases
reported
globally.
Oct 17: Germany and the UNDP pledged 1 million euros for return and
rehabilitation
of
IDPs
of
North
Waziristan.
Oct 17: The Senate was informed that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(Nato), which has been involved in the war in Afghanistan for over a decade
now has been using Pakistan's airspace for free since the commencement of the
war
on
terror
in
2001.
Oct 17: The Senate congratulated Malala Yousafzai on receiving the Nobel
Peace Prize for her sacrifices for promotion of peace and education in the
restive
areas
of
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
Oct 18: Speaking at a mammoth rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah, near the mausoleum of
the Quaid-i-Azam, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
outlined a bold and ambitious agenda for his party and vowed to foil
conspiracies
hatched
to
derail
democracy.
Oct 18: A survey conducted by The Guide to Sleeping in Airports showed
Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport as the world's worst airport.

The survey says the airport, often likened to a central prison, can be
aggressive yet inconsistent in its security checks and crowd control is often
minimal
if
not
entirely
absent.
Oct 19: The head office of Edhi Foundation, country's leading charity
organisation headed by renowned and widely respected philanthropist Abdul
Sattar
Edhi
was
robbed.
Oct 19: Bullet-riddled bodies of eight labourers kidnapped from a poultry farm
in Sakran area near the industrial town of Hub were found. The workers had
come to Hub from Muzffargarh and Rahimyar Khan in Punjab.
Oct 19: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced to quit the PPP-led Sindh
government,
only
six
months
after
having
joined
it.
Oct 19: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) banned ARY
News anchor Mubashir Lucman and his programme 'Khara Such' till further
orders
of
the
court.
Oct 20: The Supreme Court conditionally allowed the federal government to
transfer its 10 per cent shares in Oil and Gas Development Company Limited
(OGDCL)
to
the
successful
bidder.
Oct 20: The Sindh Assembly passed unanimously The Sindh Local
Government (Amendment) Bill, 2014 in pursuance of the Supreme Court
decision to amend the LG law to empower the Election Commission of Pakistan
to carry out delimitation of union councils and wards in municipal committees,
town
committees
and
corporations.
The bill was introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sikander
Mandhro.
Oct 20: The Pemra suspend the licence of ARY News for 15 days and imposed
a fine of Rs10 million on the channel for maligning the judiciary.
Oct 20: The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced the sacking of
Shahidullah
Shahid.
Oct 20: A mineral water plant was opened at the Food Sciences and Technology
Department
of
the
Bahauddin
Zakariya
University.
BZU

Vice-Chancellor

Dr

Khawaja

Alqama

inaugurated

the

plant.

Oct 20: The five-year SME Development Programme 2013-18, evolved by the
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) was included
in
the
Federal
Government
Vision
2025.
Oct 20: The World Osteoporosis Day was observed at a ceremony by the
Lahore-based Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled.
Oct 20: Centre for Human Rights Education Pakistan conferred Benazir Bhutto
Shaheed Democracy Award on politician Javed Hashmi, anchorperson Sohail
Warriach, Jami Chandio, and columnist Wajahat Masood to recognize their
invaluable services for the protection and promotion of democracy in the
country.
Oct 20: Centre for Civic Education conferred the award for social courage on
renowned journalist Hamid Mir as he raised voice for freedom of media and
human
rights.
Oct 21: Pakistan and Russia held the 2nd Round of Bilateral Strategic Dialogue
whereby both countries agreed to take concrete steps for injecting substance in
the
bilateral
relationship.
In this regard, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov Igor
Vladimirovich called on Mr Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on
National Security and Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to
the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and Mr Aizaz A. Chaudhry, Foreign
Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They discussed bilateral, regional
and
global
issues
of
mutual
interest.
Oct 21: The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief declared an end to his party's
sit-in
on
Constitution
Avenue,
Islamabad.
Oct 21: The United States designated Khan Said Sajna, the deputy leader of
outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a global terrorist. The designation
list also includes Ramzi Mawafi, a former physician of Al Qaeda leader Osama
bin
Laden.
Oct 21: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved Apna Rozgar Scheme for
the unemployed youth through which vehicles will be provided to jobless youth
on
soft-terms.
Oct 22: The Council of Islamic Ideology recommended a ban on 'hate speech'
which
leads
to
sectarian
violence.

Oct 22: Officials from border forces of Pakistan and Iran met in Tehran and
agreed to tighten security along their border and share intelligence to maintain
peace
there.
Oct 22: A transplant operating theatre complex named after the famous Edhi
couple, who run the country's largest charity organisation, was inaugurated at
the
Sindh
Institute
of
Urology
and
Transplantation.
Oct 22: The Punjab Assembly unanimously adopted resolutions to condemn
Indian aggression on the Line of Control and Working Boundary and to pay a
tribute to Malala Yusufzai for earning the Nobel Peace Prize 2014.
Oct 22: Nahid Khan and Dr Safdar Abbasi launched a new PPP faction Pakistan
People's
Party
Workers
(PPP-W).
Mr Abbasi was elected its first president through a resolution at the workers
convention.
Oct 22: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced to quit the PPP-led Azad
Jammu and Kashmir government and also from Gilgit-Baltistan government.
Oct 22: The Sindh High Court (SHC) allowed the Bahria Town administration
to resume construction work on a flyover and underpass in Clifton area of the
metropolis.
Oct 22: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) provisionally rejected the
Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) and the national security policy terming
both
against
Shariah.
Oct 22: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International
Labour Organization (ILO) reached an agreement to train IDPs, who fled their
towns due to ongoing military operation 'Zarb-e-Azb', in various skills and
facilitate
them
in
getting
jobs.
Around 200 men and women will be selected for this training and employment
programme under the UNDP's 'Community Resilience Project for NWA (North
Waziristan
Agency)
Displaced
Families'.
Oct 23: The Prime Minister's Inspection Commission observed that distribution
companies (Discos) have installed new metres which run at least 30-35 per cent
faster
than
the
old
ones.

Oct 24: Workers of Pink Ribbon Campaign and the PHA expressed solidarity
with breast cancer patients and sensitised the masses about the hazards of breast
cancer by arranging pink lights at Liberty Market, Lahore roundabout on
occasion
of
International
Mammogram
Day.
Oct 24: Speaking at a ceremony held in connection with the World Polio day,
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced imposing polio emergency in the
country.
Oct 24: The government barred the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) from
checking the quality of wheat stored at flour mills and issuing them licences.
Oct 25: Confirming the worst fears about the spread of poliovirus from Pakistan
across the globe, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative has labelled the country's efforts to combat the disease as
a 'disaster' and recommended that the polio programme in Pakistan should be
put in the hands of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Oct 25: Pakistan named a tropical cyclone that was developing in the Arabian
Sea as 'Nilofar'. Out of the eight countries of the region, it was Pakistan's turn to
name
the
cyclone.
Oct 26: A tribal jirga was set up to arrange talks between the government and
'Mehsud Taliban'. Ikramuddin, father-in-law of Baitullah Mehsud, heads the
jirga.
Oct 26: A national TV ratings provider, Medialogic Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd.,
launched a new service in 20 cities covering over 1,000 households across the
country.
Oct 27: The Karachi election tribunal declared the election of Sardar
Mohammad Muqeem Khan, a Pakistan Peoples Party candidate to a Jacobabad
provincial
assembly
seat
(PS-14)
void.
Oct 27: Punjab Assembly passed three bills, including the Local Government
(Second Amendment) Bill 2014 while rejecting all the objections of opposition
benches.
Oct 27: Pakistan won a seat as member of the administrative council of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised
agency
for
information
and
communication
technologies.
The elections were held during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference at Busan,

Republic

of

Korea.

Oct 28: A stall representing Israel was set up at the 'Global Village' part of the
Women's International Model United Nations (WIMUN) 2014, which was held
at
International
Islamic
University
Islamabad
(IIUI).
Oct 28: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced a 14-point 'future roadmap'
aimed at achieving over seven per cent growth by 2018 and making Pakistan a
globally competitive and prosperous country with particular emphasis on
macroeconomic
stability
through
inclusive
growth.
Oct 28: Girl's rights champion Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace
Prize laureate in history, won the World's Children's Prize, after a global vote
involving
millions
of
children.
Oct 29: The Supreme Court threw out a set of three petitions, seeking the
annulment of the 2013 general elections after all three complainants failed to
convince
the
court
after
the
day's
hearing.
Oct 29: Antiques pertaining to the Buddha era stolen from Mehrgarh area of
Balochistan
were
recovered
in
Italy.
Oct 29: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed a resolution to press the
US government for freeing scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui declaring her the
'oppressed
daughter
of
Pakistan'.
Oct 30: An anti-terrorism court sentenced Shahid Aziz alias Gullu Butt, the
infamous character of the Model Town tragedy, to 11 years and three months in
jail.
Oct 30: Burka Avenger, Pakistan's pioneer 3D Animated TV Series, won Best
TV
Show
at
the
Second
Asian
Media
Awards.
Oct 31: The much feared tropical cyclone Nilofar almost completed its cycle
without
hitting
the
coastlines
of
Pakistan
and
India.
Oct 31: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif constituted a special high-powered
committee to examine afresh the issue of inflated electricity bills.
Oct 31: The government reduced the prices of petroleum products by up to 11
per cent in view of the declining oil prices in international market.
Oct 31: Fazal-i-Haq Abbasi of the Asma Jahangir-led Independent Democratic

Group was elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association for 2014-15.
Nov 02: A devastating suicide attack at the entrance of the Wagah border parade
venue killed 60 people, including 10 women and seven children, and left more
than
110
injured.
Nov 03: Pakistan completed a 356-run win over Australia in the second Test to
clinch
the
series.
Nov 05: President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of the Prime Minister,
approved conferment of Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) Medal upon Admiral
Muhammad
Zakaullah,
Chief
of
the
Naval
Staff.
Nov 07: Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar took over as the 21st head of powerful Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI), succeeding retired Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam.
Nov 08: The Balochistan government sent a report to the federal government
and law-enforcement agencies about growing footprint in Pakistan of the
Islamic
State
(IS)
group,
also
referred
to
as
'Daesh'.
Nov 10: Wafaqi Mohtasib Salman Faruqui announced setting up of a 'National
Commission
for
Children'.
Nov 11: Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo was elected as president and Dr Yasin
Baloch
as
secretary
general
of
the
National
Party
(NP).
Nov 11: The government appointed Saud Aziz, a senior official of police
services group who had been under investigation for a long time in the
assassination case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, as Director General
of
the
National
Crisis
Management
Cell.
Nov 12: Maryam Nawaz resigned as Chairperson of the Prime Minister Youth
Loan Programme, a position she claimed to have been holding purely as a
volunteer
and
on
an
honorary
basis.
Nov 12: Pakistan ranks third in the list of 15 high burden countries where the
estimated deaths of children by pneumonia is alarmingly high.
According to the latest report, 71,000 children die of pneumonia every year in
Pakistan. The report says India is at the top where 174,000 children die annually
followed
by
Nigeria
(121,000).
Nov 13: The Punjab government notified a new joint team for investigating the

June 17 killings in Model Town, about two and a half months after a sessions
court ordered registration of a fresh FIR on a complaint of the Pakistan Awami
Tehreek.
Nov 13: Syed Murad Ali Shah, the former financial adviser to the chief minister
who was elected unopposed in the by-election from PS -73, was administered
the
oath
as
a
minister
in
the
Sindh
cabinet.
Nov 13: Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of Shaheen-II, also
known
as
Hatf-VI,
ballistic
missile.
The intermediate-range Shaheen-II is capable of carrying nuclear and
conventional
warheads
to
a
range
of
1500
kilometres.
Nov 14: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani set the tone of his two-day fencemending trip to Islamabad by pledging stronger defence and security ties with
Pakistan.
President Ghani, who arrived in Islamabad on a commercial flight from Kabul,
received a warm welcome at the Islamabad's Nur Khan Airbase where Adviser
to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz received
him.
Nov 14: The Supreme Court revisited its June 12, 2013, verdict that called for
the constitution of a federal commission to ensure that all future appointments
to public offices were conducted on the basis of merit.
Nov 14: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a reference sent by the
speaker of Balochistan Assembly unseated Santosh Kumar, a minority member
of
the
assembly,
elected
on
PML-N
ticket.
Nov 15: Four state-owned gas organisations of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India (Tapi) established a company that will build, own and
operate
the
planned
1,800km
Tapi
gas
pipeline.
Sports
Oct 16: Rawalpindi Rams won the PCB Inter-Region Under-19 One-day
Tournament with an 84-run defeat of Karachi Zebras in the final.
Oct 20: The NED University of Engineering and Technology clinched the
NUST Inter-University Girls Throwball Tournament as they beat Liaquat
Medical
University
in
the
final.

Oct 20: Waseem Khatri's winning streak of 27 matches was finally broken but
that didn't stop him from taking the title of the Danpak third Ranking Scrabble
tournament
at
Beach
Luxury
Hotel.
Oct 25: Younis Khan surpassed former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq as the highest
century maker for his country when he scored his second century of the match
and the 26th of his illustrious career. He also became the seventh Pakistani to
score
a
century
in
both
innings
of
a
Test
match.
Oct 25: Pakistan's middle order batsman Younis Khan became the first
Pakistani to score centuries in both the innings against Australia.
Oct 27: Punjab outplayed Islamabad to win the gold medal while Sindh bagged
silver by beating Balochistan in the second Women's U-19 Softball
Championship.
Oct 29: The Guinness World Records approved the world record of Pakistani
taekwondo black belt Ahmed Amin Bodla who struck as many as 355 kicks in
one
minute
earlier
this
year.
He

had

broken

the

record

of

American

Master

Raul

Meza.

Oct 30: Younis Khan became the first batsman in 90 years to hit three hundreds
in
consecutive
innings
against
Australia.
Oct 31: Younis Khan became the third Pakistani after Javed Miandad and
Inzamam-ul-Haq and 28th batsman overall to score 8000 runs in Test cricket.
Nov 02: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq broke the Test record for the fastest
fifty
and
equalled
that
of
the
quickest
century.
The 40-year-old smashed a 21-ball fifty and a 56-ball hundred on the fourth day
of
the
second
Test
against
Australia.
Nov 10: Pakistani batsmen continued with their phenomenal form against a
hapless New Zealand side in the first Test at Abu Dhabi, scoring three centuries
in an innings for the second time in as many Tests to send records tumbling and
leaving
cricket
statisticians
scratching
their
heads.
Nov 10: Pakistan team set a new record in the history of Test cricket, as all top
five
batsmen
of
Pakistan
scored
over
80
runs.

Nov 10: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board accepted the PCB's
nomination of its former chairman, Najam Sethi, for the ICC Presidency.
Nov 13: The gritty Misbahul Haq became Pakistan's most successful captain
with a resounding victory in the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.
He surpassed the joint record for most wins held by former skippers Imran
Khan (14 in 48 matches) and Javed Miandad (14 in 35 matches). Misbah has led
his
country
in
33
games
so
far.
Nov 13: Talented Hamza Godil and Haleema Ali captured boys and girls under15 singles titles respectively in the second Sindh Sports Board all-Karachi
ranking
table
tennis
tournament.
Obituaries
Oct 18: Ex-IG and retired Federal Secretary for Anti-Corruption, Riaz Sipra,
passed
away.
He
was
79.
Oct 28: Imran Mir, an eminent artist and a leading figure of advertising
industry,
died.
He
was
64.
Nov 03: Maulana Jamshaid, a senior leader of Tableeghi Jamaat, breathed his
last.
Economy
Oct 20: The State Bank of Pakistan removed the name of HSBC Bank Middle
East from its list of commercial banks after its merger with Meezan Bank
Limited.
Oct 22: American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson decided to
close down manufacturing operation/production plant in Pakistan. However, the
company
will
continue
its
supplies
in
the
country.
Oct 28: The German-Pakistan Trade and Investment (GPTI), a forum to
enhance trade and investment between both countries, was launched.
Oct 29: The National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC)
Ministry gave additional charge of DG Health to Dr Asad Hafeez despite the
fact that he is a key accused in the ephedrine case and had spent several months
in
jail
for
allegedly
misusing
authority.
Nov 11: Germany is looking to increase its investment in Pakistan's energy

sector, provided its companies are reassured about the security situation,
Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
after
their
meeting.
Nov 13: Pakistan and Afghanistan resolved to expand bilateral trade to $5
billion from the current $2.5bn in two to three years.
Nov 14: The State Bank of Pakistan placed KASB Bank under moratorium for
six months, restricting money withdrawal to Rs300,000 per account.
Nov 15: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced a reduction of 50 basis
points in its policy rate after keeping it at 10 per cent for 12 months.
Education
Oct 17: Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab appointed Riaz Ahmed
Hashmi as new chairman of BISE Multan and Prof Rana Masood Akhtar as
chairman
of
BISE
Bahawalpur.
Oct 21: According to a report titled Broken Promises: the crisis of Pakistan's
out-of-school children, prepared by Alif Ailaan, only one in four children, who
enrol in school in the first grade make it to grade 10. In 2002-03, 2,833,726
children enrolled in the first grade. But by 2011-12, only 718,945 remained in
school.
Oct 27: The Chevening Scholarship Pakistan programme head Jonathan
Williams announced that the Chevening Scholarship programme has tripled the
number of scholarship places for Pakistan by offering around 70 such
opportunities
for
the
academic
year
2015-2016.
Nov 13: The Punjab Higher Education Department established a Centre of
Excellence for China Studies at the Government College University, Lahore.
Transfers

and

Postings

Oct 17: Younus Dhaga was appointed as new Federal Secretary for Water and
Power. He replaced Nargis Sethi who went on a four-month leave.
Oct 17: The federal government posted retired Squadron Leader Abid Ali Khan
as the new chief secretary of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). He had replaced
Khizar
Hayat
Gondal.
Oct 18: Nasser N.S. Jaffer was appointed as chairman of the Pakistan

International Airlines. He will replace acting chairman Mohammad Ali Gardezi.

Oct 20: Former State Bank governor Dr Ishrat Husain and Shams Kassim
Lakha left the BISP, the organisation which they were serving in the capacity of
non-government
members.
Four new members, Dr Sania Nishtar and Dr Zeba A. Sattar as non-government
members and secretary or additional secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs
and additional secretary of the cabinet division, have been inducted into the
board
for
three
years
Oct 21: Consequent upon promotion in BPS-22 as secretary to government of
Pakistan, Aftab Anwar Baloch, an officer of Pakistan Customs & Excise Group
was appointed as Chairman Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA).
Oct 30: The parliamentary committee on judges' appointments confirmed
appointment of eight additional judges to the Lahore High Court (LHC).
The judges are: Qazi Amin, Mirza Waqas Rauf, Shahid Karim, Chaudhry
Mushtaq Ahmed, Khalid Mehmood Malik, Ali Akbar Qureshi, Masood Abid
Naqvi
and
Chaudhry
Mohammad
Iqbal.
Nov 03: The president appointed retired Maj Gen Niaz Muhammad Khan
Khattak as chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), Liaqat
Ali Shah Hamdani as Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and six members
of
the
Federal
Service
Tribunal.
The president also approved the appointment of Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar and
Mazhar
Ali
Khan
as
members
of
the
FPSC.
Nov 09: President Mamnoon Hussain appointed Vice Admiral Khan Hasham
bin
Saddique
as
Vice
Chief
of
the
Naval
Staff.
People
Malala

in
Yousafzai

&

Sharmeen

News
Obaid

Chinoy

Oct 17: The Asia Society honoured Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala
Yousafzai and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, a Pakistani film-maker, and 11 other
leaders and institutions as its inaugural class of Asia Game Changers.
Sameena

Jabeen

Ahmed

Oct 21: A Pakistani-born actress Sameena Jabeen Ahmed bagged the Best
Actress award for her lead role in music video director Daniel Wolfe's debut
feature
film
Catch
Me
Daddy.
Malala

Yousafzai

Oct 22: Malala Yousufzai, a rights activist and youngest-ever recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize, now received the US Liberty Medal and pledged her
$100,000
award
to
promote
education
in
Pakistan.
Khizr

Imran

Tajammul

Oct 25: A young Pakistani innovator, Khizr Imran Tajammul, won the first
prize at the Rwanga Social Startup Competition held at the fifth One Young
World
summit
in
Dublin,
Ireland.
The conference was attended by a series of established global leaders such as
Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Sir Bob Geldof, Professor Muhammad Yunus,
Paul Polman, Doug Richard, Jimmy Wales, Former Latin American Presidents,
Sol Campbell, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Martin Pollock, Hans Reitz, Professor
Meghan
'O
Sullivan
and
Meghan
Markle.
Ch

Anas

Sarwar

Oct 25: Punjab Governor Ch Mohammed Sarwar's son Anas Sarwar was
elected as the leader of Scottish Labour Party, Scotland. Anas is the first Asian
and
Muslim
to
have
achieved
this
landmark.
Shehzad

Hameed

Ahmad

Oct 29: Shehzad Hameed Ahmad from Pakistan won the 'Prince of Asturias
Award' for his work during a Fulbright scholarship. Ahmad received the award
which is Spain's equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, from Spain's King Felipe
Juan on behalf of the Fulbright Global Program for International Cooperation.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Sana Saleem, Sarah Khan and Nigar Nazar
Oct 29: Conquering the world with their documentaries, campaigns and
cartoons, four Pakistani women made it to BBC's 100 Women list. Among these
women are documentary film-maker and Oscar award winner Sharmeen ObaidChinoy, Internet rights activist Sana Saleem, filmmaker and campaigner Sarah
Khan and cartoonist Nigar Nazar. The first Pakistani female cartoonist, Nigar
Nazar
is
Gogi
Studios'
mastermind
and
lead
cartoonist.

Ayan

Qureshi

Oct 30: A Pakistani-Briton Ayan Qureshi became the youngest Microsoft

Certified professional, accomplishing the feat at the age of five years, 11
months toppling Pakistani Mehroz Yawar who passed the exam at the
practically
ancient
age
of
six
and
a
half.
Places

in

News

Peshawar
Oct 19: The two-day Afghan Cultural Show concluded at Nishtar Hall with a
pledge to celebrate the Afghan Cultural International Day every year regularly
and
work
for
the
promotion
of
cultural
activists.
Lahore
Oct 22: The first-ever international conference in Pakistan on a crucial topic of
Forensic Science and Justice began at Government College University Lahore
under the auspices of the university's Chemistry Department, Punjab Forensic
Science
Agency
(PFSA)
and
Higher
Education
Commission.
Lahore
Oct 28: Pakistan Human Capital Forum (PHCF) held HR Services Best
Practices
Seminar
at
Royal
Palm
Country
Club,
Lahore.
The

Sanjan

Nagar

Public

Education

Trust

Oct 29: The Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust flagship campus earned
Global Platinum Standard the International Baccalaureate Primary Years
Programme
(IB-PYP)
Authorisation
award.
Rawalpindi

Institute

of

Cardiology

(RIC)

Oct 29: The Interventional Cardiology team at Rawalpindi Institute of

Cardiology (RIC) led by Professor of Cardiology Major Gen (R) Dr Azhar
Mahmood Kayani achieved a unique milestone here by becoming the first
institute to have performed coronary angioplasty under cover of the latest left
ventricular assist device, 'Impella 2.5 abiomed Europe GmbH.
Village

Dulmial,

Pakistan

Down a broken road winding through a corner of Pakistan's Punjab province

lies a silent graveyard, the resting place of hundreds of soldiers who fought for
Britain
in
two
world
wars.
Nestled in the rocky hills of Punjab's salt ranges, blasted by heat in the summer,
the village of Dulmial is a far cry from the freezing mud of the Flanders
trenches.
But the village, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Islamabad, gave 460
men to fight in the 1914-18 conflict more than any other single village in
what
was
then
British
India.
Lahore
Nov 6-8: First Interschool Scrabble Tournament 2014 Lahore was organized by
TEEN TIMES, Pakistan's first infotainment magazine, and a project of
Jahangir Books since 1923 at a local restaurant. 64 students from Lahore's
most prestigious institutions participated in this 3-day event. The team
consisting of Muhammad Hamza and Muaaz Atif from Beaconhouse Newlands
Campus, Lahore, emerged as the winner. They were presented beautiful shields
and
certificates
for
their
brilliant
performance.
International
Oct 16: The UN General Assembly elected five new non-permanent members
Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand Spain and Venezuela to serve on the Security
Council for two-year terms. They will take up their seats on January 1, 2015.
Oct 16: Chinese censors blocked the website of Britain's national broadcaster,
the
BBC,
in
China.
Oct 16: A court in Britain ruled that Ilyas Ashar, who smuggled to Britain a 10year-old deaf and mute girl from Pakistan, and kept her as a slave for almost a
decade,
will
have
to
pay
the
girl
$160,000.
Ilyas, along with his wife Tallat, forced her to work as their servant.
Oct 16: Yogurt became New York's official state snack, joining the likes of
popcorn and salty boiled peanuts among popular foods honoured by US states.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill making it the official state snack.

Oct 17: A US survey conducted by Washington-based Pew Research Centre in

44 countries among 48,643 respondents, from March 17 to June 5, 2014
revealed
that:
In Pakistan, people were more concerned about nuclear weapons than religious
and
ethnic
hatred
as
a
major
threat
to
their
security.
In India, people see religious and ethnic hatred as a greater threat, although, like
Pakistan,
India
too
is
a
nuclear
state.
In the Middle East, which is engulfed in growing conflicts, people saw religious
and
ethnic
hatred
is
the
greatest
threat
to
the
world.
Oct 17: The US Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen warned that the gap between
the rich and the poor in the United States has reached a near 100-year high, and
is
still
widening.
Oct 17: The European Union reached an agreement with the United States to
use a US firm's air ambulances to evacuate European doctors or nurses from
West
Africa
if
they
caught
Ebola.
Oct 17: US President Barack created a new top post in his administration to
lead the fight against the contagious Ebola virus. He also authorised the use of
American military reservists to support humanitarian aid efforts against the
Ebola
outbreak
in
West
Africa.
Oct 17: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent religious offerings to Tokyo's
Yasukuni Shrine honouring the war dead including convicted wartime leaders,
as dozens of lawmakers prayed at the site in a ceremony that drew a rebuke
from
China.
Many Asian victims of Japan's wartime atrocities, especially China and the
Koreas,
see
the
shrine
as
a
symbol
of
militarism.
Oct 17: India's top court granted bail to Jayalalithaa Jayaram, a 66-year-old exfilm star and a long-time head of Tamil Nadu, jailed last month for corruption.
Oct 17: India successfully test-fired its first domestically built nuclear capable
and long-range cruise missile 'Nirbhay', or 'fearless', marking another step in
building
up
the
country's
defence
prowess.
Oct 17: Nigeria's military and presidency claimed to have reached a deal with
Boko Haram militants on a ceasefire and the release of more than 200

kidnapped

schoolgirls.

Oct 17: American Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was
discharged from the US Navy reserve after testing positive for cocaine.
Oct 18: Iraqi lawmakers approved Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's remaining
Cabinet nominees, including for the critical defence and interior portfolios,
completing
the
government
formation.
Oct 18: A top-secret space plane landed at an air force base on the southern
California coast. The plane spent nearly two years circling Earth on a classified
mission. Known as the X-37B, it resembles a mini space shuttle.
Oct 20: France and Germany, the eurozone's two biggest economies, promised
to do what was needed to boost investment in the single currency area at a time
when
the
region's
economy
is
flagging
badly.
Oct 20: Japan's Trade Minister, Yuko Obuchi, and Justice Minister, Midori
Matsushima, resigned after allegations that they misused campaign funds.
Ms Obuchi, the daughter of a former prime minister, said that she needed to
focus on an investigation into discrepancies in accounting for election funds.
Whereas Justice Minister resigned after the opposition Democratic Party of
Japan filed a criminal complaint against her over distribution of hand-held fans
or
uchiwa.
Oct 20: Kurds battling the 'Islamic Sate' group's militants for the Syrian border
town of Kobane, welcomed a first US airdrop of weapons as neighbouring
Turkey said it would help Iraqi Kurds to join the fight.
Oct 20: The World Health Organization declared two major African countries,
Nigeria
and
Senegal,
Ebola
free.
Oct 20: No bacon for breakfast, a room for prayers and a Quran on your
bedside table: a hotel in Moscow launched a special halal service as Russia
tries
to
attract
visitors
from
the
Muslim
world.
Oct 20: Joko Widodo, Indonesia's first president from outside the political and
military elite, was sworn in as leader of the world's third-biggest democracy.
Oct 21: The White House announced that detained American tourist Jeffrey
Fowle
was
released
by
North
Korea.

Oct 21: A renowned Congolese gynaecologist, Doctor Denis Mukwege won the
European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize for his work in
helping thousands of gang rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Parliament president Martin Schulz announced the award for Mukwege, who
has previously been tipped several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, for his work
in treating the appalling injuries inflicted on the victims.
Oct 21: Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius started his five-year
jail
sentence
for
killing
his
girlfriend
Reeva
Steenkamp.
Oct 21: Poppy production in Afghanistan hit record levels last year. Despite
spending some $7.6bn to wipe out poppy helds, poppy production in 2013 hit an
all-time high in 2013. Afghan farmers grew an unprecedented 209,000 hectares
(516,000 acres) of opium poppy in 2013, surpassing the previous peak of
193,000 hectares in 2007, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction,
John
Sopko,
said.
Oct 22: Canada's capital was jolted by the fatal shooting of a soldier and an
attack on the parliament building in which gunshots were fired outside a room
where
Prime
Minister
Stephen
Harper
was
speaking.
Oct 22: The death toll in the world's worst-ever Ebola outbreak has edged
closer to 4,900, while almost 10,000 people have now been infected, new
figures
from
the
World
Health
Organization
showed.
Oct 25: Iran hanged Reyhaneh Jabbari a woman convicted of murdering a
former intelligence officer defying international appeals for a stay of
execution.
Oct 25: India's Defence Acquisition Council approved defence procurement
proposals worth Rs800bn ($13.1bn) to modernise the country's ageing Sovietera military hardware and boost its domestic defence industry.
Oct 26: New Indonesian President Joko Widodo unveiled a cabinet including
the country's first female foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, as well as political
allies
and
technocrats
in
key
economic
posts.
Oct 26: British troops ended their combat operations in Afghanistan as they and
US Marines handed over two huge adjacent bases to the Afghan military, 13
years after a US-led invasion launched the long and costly war against the
Taliban.

Oct 26: Israeli President Reuven Rivlin acknowledged past and present
wrongdoings to Israel's Arabs, while calling for calm in the wake of growing
unrest
in
east
Jerusalem
and
the
West
Bank.
Mr Rivlin spoke at a memorial ceremony for victims of 1956 massacre at Kafr
Qassem, where Israeli forces killed 47 residents of the Arab village for breaking
a wartime curfew, becoming the first Israeli president to attend the event.
Oct 27: Brazil re-elected Dilma Rousseff as country's president in the narrowest
presidential win since the nation's return to democracy three decades ago.
Oct 27: Tunisia's Ennahda party, the first Islamist movement to secure power
after the 2011 Arab Spring revolts, conceded defeat in elections.
Oct 27: South Africa football captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead by burglars
as he tried to protect his celebrity girlfriend during a break-in
Oct 28: India's top court ordered the government to disclose the names of all
people suspected of stashing money in foreign banks beyond reach of tax
authorities.
Oct 28: Afghanistan and China pledged a new long-term partnership with each
other as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani began a four-day visit while Nato
combat
troops
prepare
to
withdraw
from
his
country.
Oct 29: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai donated $50,000 to
rebuild an UNRWA school (in Israeli-occupied Gaza) damaged during the
recent
fighting.
Oct 29: The White House's unclassified computer network was breached by
intruders, with The Washington Post newspaper reporting that the Russian
government
was
thought
to
be
behind
the
act.
Oct 29: Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal sentenced chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami
to death for crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture and rape,
during
the
1971
war.
Oct 30: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani removed his tribal Pashtun surname
Ahmadzai
from
all
official
documents.
Oct 30: Angry demonstrators went on the rampage in Burkina Faso, setting
parliament ablaze in a surge of violence that forced the government to scrap a
vote on controversial plans to allow President Blaise Compaore to extend his

27-year

rule.

Oct 30: Sweden officially recognised the state of Palestine, becoming the first
major
European
country
to
do
so.
Oct 31: The head of Burkina Faso's armed forces took power after President
Blaise
Compaore
resigned.
Oct 31: Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, the Swedish co-founder of file-sharing
website The Pirate Bay, was sentenced to three years and six months in jail in
the
largest
hacking
case
in
Denmark's
history.
Nov 02: Mir Quasem Ali, an official of the Jamaat-e-Islami party Bangladesh
and a media tycoon, was sentenced to death for war crimes.
Nov 03: Prime Minister Victor Ponta won the first round of Romania's
presidential election, a step towards a victory that would consolidate his leftist
party's
hold
on
power.
Nov 03: The deputy governor of Kandahar province in south Afghanistan was
shot
dead
at
a
university
in
the
provincial
capital.
Nov 03: An all-woman jury awarded France's prestigious Femina Prize to
Haiti's Yanick Lahens Bain de lune (Moon Bath), a family epic interwoven
with
challenges
facing
her
home
country.
Nov 06: Libya's Supreme Court invalidated the internationally recognised
parliament
in
a
ruling
that
cannot
be
appealed
against.
Nov 07: A veteran US diplomat and Pakistan expert, Robin L. Raphel, was
arrested by the federal investigation and her security clearance was revoked.
Nov 07: China and Japan agreed to work on improving ties and signalled
willingness to put a bitter row over disputed islands on the back burner.
Nov 08: The European Union's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said that
Jerusalem should be the capital of two states, as tensions gripped the holy city
hit
by
Israeli
Palestinian
violence.
Nov 08: President Barack Obama introduced Loretta Lynch as his choice for
attorney general. Mr Lynch is an accomplished prosecutor from New York City.
Nov 08: Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was ousted as leader of

his own political party, weakening his authority at a time of turmoil in the
impoverished
Arab
nation.
Nov 08: Egypt, facing its worst power crisis in decades, pledged greater energy
cooperation with Greece and Cyprus, a diplomatic move that opened up the
possibility of progress in talks to import natural gas from Cyprus.
Nov 08: Everything I Never Told You, the debut novel by author Celeste Ng
about a teenage girl growing up in a mixed race family in the American
Midwest in the 1970s, was named Amazon's best book of 2014.
Nov 08: The African Union raised $28.5m from the continent's wealthiest
individuals and firms for a fund to fight the Ebola outbreak ravaging three West
African
nations.
Nov 09: Yemen sworn in a 29-member cabinet including members of Saleh's
powerful General People's Congress (GPC) and others seen as close to the Huthi
insurgents.
Nov 09: For the first time in 30 years the alleged genocide of Sikhs in 1984 by
the Indian army was documented by the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights.
UN Human Rights Officer Stenfano Sensi recorded the testimony of the 1984
witnesses and received documentary evidence on the role of Congress leaders in
the
killings.
Nov 09: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his council of
ministers
inducting
21
new
faces.
Nov 11: Leaders of Asia-Pacific economies agreed to begin work toward
possible adoption of a Chinese-backed free-trade pact, giving Beijing a victory
in its push for a bigger role in managing global commerce.
Nov 11: China unveiled a sophisticated new stealth fighter jet at an air show, a
show of muscle during a visit by US President Barack Obama for an AsiaPacific
summit.
Nov 11: Russia will build two new nuclear power plant units in Iran under an
agreement signed in Moscow between subsidiaries of the two countries' state
atomic
agencies.
Nov 12: Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record high in 2014,

a United Nations report revealed, highlighting the failure of the multi-billiondollar US-led campaign to crack down on the lucrative crop.
The total area under cultivation was about 224,000 hectares (553,500 acres) in
2014, a seven per cent increase on last year, according to the Afghanistan
Opium Survey released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC).
Nov 12: The United States and China announced a largely symbolic plan to
implement new limits on carbon emissions, the highlight of a summit between
Barack Obama and Xi Jinping at which both leaders played down suggestions
of
differences
and
rivalry.
Nov 12: The Netherlands unveiled the world's first solar bike path, a
revolutionary project to harvest the sun's energy that could eventually also be
used
on
roads.
The so-called 'SolaRoad' bike path is made of concrete modules each measuring
2.5 by 3.5 metres (eight by 11 feet), embedded with solar panels covered in
tempered glass. To help prevent accidents, the glass has been given a special
non-slip
surface.
Nov 12: Suspected Jewish extremists torched a West Bank mosque.
Unrest has escalated in recent days, spreading from annexed east Jerusalem to
the occupied West Bank and Arab communities across Israel, raising fears of a
new
Palestinian
uprising.
Nov 12: Turkey's state-run broadcaster was penalised for favouring President
Tayyip Erdogan in its coverage of the country's first popular vote for head of
state.
Nov 13: Sultan Ksen of Turkey and Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Nepal, the
world's tallest and shortest living men, came face to face to celebrate the 10th
annual
Guinness
World
Records
Day.
Nov 14: Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered top-to-bottom changes in the
management
of
the
US
nuclear
arsenal.
Nov 14: Boko Haram seized the north-eastern Nigerian town of Chibok, from
where 276 girls were kidnapped more than six months ago.
Nov 15: Turkey and the United States agreed a plan under which some 2,000

fighters from the moderate Syrian opposition would be trained on Turkish soil.
Sports
Oct 19: Cristiano Ronaldo netted his14th and 15th goals to break a record that
had stood since the 1943-44 season when Oviedo's Esteban Echevarria scored
14
goals
through
the
first
eight
rounds.
Oct 20: Ben Martin captured his first US PGA Tour title at the Shriners
Hospital
Open.
Oct 21: India's BCCI, the world's richest board, suspended all future tours with
West Indies following the Caribbean team's abrupt withdrawal from a series in
India.
Oct 26: Serena Willlams defeated the Romanian Simona Halep to win her thirdsuccessive title at the WTA Finals and her fifth overall.
Oct 27: China's newly-crowned World Cup winner Zhang Jike was fined his
entire prize money of $45,000 after destroying two advertising boards while
celebrating
victory.
Oct 28: Portuguese star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo won three awards as he
was named best striker and best player of the 2013-14 La Liga campaign, while
he was also presented with the best goal of the season award at the Spanish
Football
League
(LFP)
gala
in
Madrid.
Oct 29: FIFA President Sepp Blatter revealed the logo for the 2018 World Cup
in
Russia
with
the
help
of
a
crew
of
cosmonauts.
The logo depicts the World Cup trophy in red and blue, colours from the
Russian
flag,
with
gold
trim.
Oct 30: Nepal recorded their sixth win in seven matches to claim the World
Cricket
League
(WCL)
Division
Three
Crown.
Nov 09: South Korea's Lee Mi-Hyang won a nail-biting playoff to triumph in
the Mizuno Classic, birdying the fifth extra hole to claim her first LPGA title.
Nov 09: Kenya's Felix Kipchirchir Kandie won the Athens classic marathon in a
course record of two hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds.
Nov 09: Newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez won the season-

ending Valencia MotoGP to set a new record of 13 victories in a year. The 21year-old Spaniard led from the 11th lap on his Honda and crossed the line in a
time
of
46
minutes
39.627
seconds.
Nov 10: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a 20 percent
increase in prize money for next year's World Cup in Australia and New
Zealand.
The winners will take home $3.975 million (3.18 million euros), but if a team
remains
unbeaten
that
would
rise
to
more
than
$4m.
Nov 13: Rohit Sharma created history by smashing the highest individual ODI
score with a breathtaking knock of 264 as India thrashed Sri Lanka by 153 runs
in
the
fourth
cricket
ODI.
Nov 14: Indian cricket was thrown into turmoil when the country's highest court
said four top officials, including the sport's world chief Narayanaswami
Srinivasan, may have been involved in corruption in the Indian Premier League.
Nov 14: Fiery Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson was named cricketer of the
year by the International Cricket Council, matching his countryman Ricky
Ponting's
feat
of
winning
the
award
twice.
Obituaries
Oct 20: Swiss photographer Rene Burri, celebrated for his portraits of Che
Guevara
and
Pablo
Picasso,
died
aged
81.
Oct 21: The chief executive of French oil giant Total, Christophe de Margerie,
died
in
a
plane
crash
at
a
Moscow
airport.
Oct 21: Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, the chairman of Iran's
Assembly of Experts, the clerics who appoint, and can dismiss the country's
supreme
leader,
died.
Oct 21: Gough Whitlam, a flamboyant Australian prime minister and
controversial social reformer whose grip on power was cut short by a bitter
constitutional
crisis,
died
at
the
age
of
98.
Oct 22: Legendary former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, who oversaw
reporting on the Watergate scandal that brought down US president Richard
Nixon,
died.
He
was
93.

Oct 23: Ghulam Azam, a leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami in Bangladesh, died, just
over a year after he was sentenced to 90 years in prison on charges of
masterminding atrocities during the military operation in 1971. He was 91.
Oct 29: Zambian President Michael Sata, an abrasive figure nicknamed King
Cobra because of his venomous tongue, died in London.
Nov 03: A renowned Marathi and Bollywood actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar
passed
away.
He
was
64.
Nov 05: Flamenco great Manitas de Plata, the gypsy guitarist of humble origins
who
made
a
fortune
from
his
virtuoso
talent,
died.
The son of a horse trader, Manitas de Plata whose adopted name means 'little
hands of silver' - was born Ricardo Baliardo in a gypsy caravan in the south
of
France
in
1921.
He
fathered
up
to
28
children.
Economy
Oct 17: The United Kingdom became the first foreign country to issue offshore
renminbi bonds, with a smoothly executed offering that reflected the Chinese
currency's growing global appeal and London's efforts to become the world's
trading
hub.
Oct 20: The European Union (EU) ended a long-running telecoms row with
China, dropping a threat to levy punitive tariffs on Chinese telecoms exports
and easing tensions between two of the world's top trading powers.
The deal struck between Brussels and Beijing sets out a framework for China to
address EU concerns about subsidies to Huawei, China's No. 2 telecom
equipment
maker,
and
its
smaller
rival
ZTE.
Oct 28: The Swedish central bank set a zero base interest rate, deciding to cut
its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point in a drive to push up exceptionally
low inflation. This is a record low and the central bank said it would stay at this
rate
until
inflation
picks
up.
Oct 28: Mexico and the United States reached a deal to avert potentially steep
duties on Mexican sugar imports to the United States, defusing a months-long
dispute.
Oct 31: Britain announced to pay back bonds issued by then finance minister
Winston Churchill to cover debts from World War I, as well as the Napoleonic

and

Crimean

campaigns.

The 4% Consols bonds came out in 1927, partly to refinance National War
Bonds originating from WWI that were widely touted as a patriotic investment
during
the
war
years.
Oct 31: Russian and Ukrainian officials reached an agreement to resume
Russian deliveries of natural gas to prevent shortages over the winter.
Nov 01: Egypt signed $350 million worth of financing agreements with Saudi
Arabia, aimed at upgrading its power grid and securing imports of petroleum
products.
Nov 08: China will contribute $40 billion to set up a Silk Road infrastructure
fund to boost connectivity across Asia, President Xi Jinping announced. This is
the latest Chinese project to spread the largesse of its own economic growth.
The fund will be for investing in infrastructure, resources and industrial and
financial cooperation. The goal of the fund is to break the connectivity
bottleneck
in
Asia.
Nov 08: Danish company OW Bunker, the world's largest ship fuel supplier,
declared
bankruptcy.
Nov 11: China and the United States reached a breakthrough in talks on
eliminating duties on information technology products, a deal that could pave
the way for the first major tariff-cutting agreement at the World Trade
Organization
in
17
years.
Nov 11: The Bahrain-based Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic
Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) issued two new shariah standards, revised three
others and said it will review at least five more in coming months.
After a meeting of its 20-member shariah board in Riyadh, AAOIFI said it had
issued a standard for arboun (down payments) and another on conditional
termination of contracts, following a public hearing held in October.
AAOIFI has also revised standards covering the conversion of conventional
banks into Islamic ones, debt transfers (hawala) and murabaha a common
shariah-compliant
sale
contract.
People

in

News

Luis

Suarez

&

Cristiano

Ronaldo

Oct 16: Barcelona striker Luis Suarez and Real Madrid and Portugal star
forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot award for scoring the most
goals
in
Europe's
domestic
league's
last
season.
Maggie

Smith

Oct 18: A 79-year-old 'Downton Abbey' star and veteran actress Maggie Smith
was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by Queen
Elizabeth,
one
of
Britain's
highest
honours.
Malala

Yousufzai

and

Jack

Ma

Oct 17: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and Jack Ma of China's Alibaba group
topped the list of Asian game changers at a ceremony held at the United
Nations.
Oct 19: Robbert van de Corput, better known by his stage name Hardwell,
became the best DJ in the world for the second year in a row. The Dutch DJ and
producer became the youngest-ever winner of the award last year, taking the
crown
from
five-time
winner
Armin
Van
Buuren.
Savjibhai

Dholakia

Oct 20: Savjibhai Dholakia, a diamond merchant from the city of Surat in
western India hit the news when he gave 1,200 of his workers new cars,
deposits for flats and thousands of dollars worth of diamond jewellery as
rewards
for
loyalty.
Alan

Knight

Oct 22: Alan Knight, a British fraudster who pretended to be quadriplegic and
sometimes comatose for two years to avoid prosecution, was convicted after
police caught him on camera driving and strolling around supermarkets. Alan
stole more than 40,000 pounds ($64,000) from the bank account of an elderly
neighbour
with
Alzheimer's
disease.
Amitabh

Bachchan

Oct 28: Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan was summoned by federal court of Los
Angeles for allegedly instigating violence against members of the Sikh
community
in
1984.

Shakib

Al

Hasan

Nov 07: Shakib Al Hasan became only the third player in history to score a
century and take 10 wickets in a match as Bangladesh whipped Zimbabwe by
162
runs
in
the
second
Test
to
win
the
series.
Arnold

Abbott

Nov 08: For decades, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott hauled pans filled with roast
chicken and cheese-covered potatoes onto a south Florida beach park to feed
hundreds
of
homeless
people.
For his good deeds, Abbott finds himself facing up to two months in jail and
hundreds of dollars in fines after new laws that restrict public feeding of the
homeless went into effect in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year.
Places
Pyeongchang,

in
South

News
Korea

Oct 17: A UN conference on preserving the earth's dwindling resources

concluded with governments making a firm commitment to double biodiversity
aid to developing countries by 2015 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The
gathering, agreed to use average annual biodiversity funding for the years 20062010 as a baseline to be doubled by 2015, and then maintained through 2020.
England
Oct 20: Binge drinking and 24-hour alcohol shops have caused a shocking 40
per cent jump in deaths from liver disease in England revealed a survey held
over a 12-year period. It found that England is now the only European country
where fatalities from liver disease are rising, as drinking has gone down in other
parts
of
Europe.
Beijing,

China

Oct 22: The finance ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum met in Beijing prior to the group's annual summit. They
observed that the global economy is beset by increasing downside risks.
London,

England

Oct 26: Thousands of people supporting the Kashmir cause participated in the
historic 'Million March' organized by the PPP to express solidarity with the
Kashmiri people over their decades-long struggle for the right to selfdetermination. The Million March started from Trafalgar Square and concluded
at
10
Downing
Street.
New

York,

USA

Nov 03: One World Trade Centre, America's tallest building, welcomed its first
tenants, publishing group Conde Nast, in a symbolic moment 13 years after the
9/11
attacks.
National

Cathedral,

Washington

DC

Nov 15: Prayer rugs were laid out. A man in the first row read out the Azaan.
Allah ho Akbar, said the imam and the prayer began. These words are
repeated in millions of mosques across the world everyday but this was a
historic occasion for Washington: the first-ever Friday congregation at the
National
Cathedral
in
the
US
capital.
South Africa's Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, led the prayer.
MCQs
National
1. Javid Hashmi was a member of National Assembly from ______.
A.
NA
118
B.
NA
120
C.
NA
149
D.
NA
156
2. On Oct 17, ______, and the UNDP pledged 1 million euros for return and
rehabilitation
of
IDPs
of
North
Waziristan.
A.
Japan
B.
Germany
C.
UK
D.
USA
3. The incumbent chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is
______.
A.
Nasser
N.S.
Jaffer
B.
M.
Ali
Gardezi
C.
Syed
Yawar
Ali
D.
Dr
Miftah
Ismail
4. The Sindh Assembly passed The Sindh
(Amendment)
Bill,
2014

Local Government
on
______.

A.
C.
5.
A.
B.
C.
D.

Oct
Oct
Dr

Khawaja

18
24

B.
D.

Oct
Oct

Alqama is the Vice-Chancellor

Quai-i-Azam
University
of
the
International
Islamic
Bahauddin
Zakariya

20
26
of ______.
University
Punjab
University
University

6. Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled is headquartered

at
______.
A.
Islamabad B.
Lahore
C.
Karachi
D.
Peshawar
7. On Oct 20, the SBP removed the name of HSBC Bank Middle East from
its list of commercial banks after its merger with ______.
A.
Habib
Bank
B.
Bank
Alfalah
C.
JS
Bank
D.
Meezan
Bank
8. On Oct 21, Pakistan and Russia held the 2nd Round of Bilateral
Strategic
Dialogue
in
______.
A.
Karachi
B.
Moscow
C.
Islamabad D.
Kremlin
9. The sit-in of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on Constitution Avenue,
Islamabad
ended
on
______.
A.
Oct
18 B.
Oct
21
C.
Oct
22
D.
Oct
26
10. On Oct 21, the United States designated Khan Said Sajna, the deputy
leader
of
the
outlawed
______,
a
global
terrorist.
A.
Lashkar
Islam
B.
ISIS
C.
TTP
D.
Jundullah
11. Apna Rozgar Scheme has been launched by the ______ government.
A.
Federal
B.
Sindh
C.
KP
D.
Punjab
12. On Oct 21, A Pakistani-born actress Sameena Jabeen Ahmed bagged
the
Best
Actress
award
for
her
role
in
______.
A.
Catch
Me
Daddy
B.
Law
&
Order
C.
30
Minutes
or
Less

D.

Man

Push

Cart

13. The incumbent chairman of Export Processing Zones Authority

(EPZA)
is______.
A.
Aftab
Sultan
Cheema
B.
Enver
Baig
C.
Nargis
Sethi
D.
Aftab
Anwar
Baloch
14. On Oct 22, ______ was elected as the first president of a new PPP
faction, Pakistan People's Party Workers (PPP-W) ______.
A.
Nahid
Khan
B.
Dr
Safdar
Abbasi
C.
Abid
Minto
D.
Mir
Abdul
Qudoos
15. On Oct 22, the UNDP and ______ reached an agreement to train IDPs
under 'Community Resilience Project for NWA (North Waziristan Agency)
Displaced
Families'.
A.
ILO
B.
ADB
C.
Unicef
D.
UNHCR
16. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced imposing polio emergency in
the country on the occasion of the World Polio Day, observed on ______.
A.
Oct
22 B.
Oct
24
C.
Oct
26
D.
Oct
28
17. The tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea that threatened Pakistan's
coastal
areas
was
named
'Nilofar'
by
______.
A.
Oman
B.
India
C.
Pakistan D.
Sri
Lanka
18. The next cyclone in the Arabian Sea would be named Priya, a name
proposed
by
______.
A.
Sri
Lanka B.
India
C.
Nepal
D.
Bangladesh
19. The Chevening Scholarship Pakistan programme head is ______.
A.
William
Butler
B.
Jonathan
Williams
C.
Jonathan
Gilmore
D.
Robert
Frisk

20.
A.
B.
C.
D.

The

World's

Children's Prize 2014 went

Indira
John
Nabila
Rehman
Malala

to

______.
Ranamagar
Wood
Yousafzai

21. Education activist Malala Yousufzai became the youngest Nobel

Laureate ever when she won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize at the age of
______.
A.
15
years
B.
16
years
C.
17
years D.
18
years
22. Oct 31, ______ of the Independent Democratic Group was elected as
President of the Supreme Court Bar Association for 2014-15.
A.
Fazal-i-Haq
Abbasi
B.
Kamran
Murtaza
C.
Kamran
Shafi
D.
Qazi
Anwar
23. On Nov 03, Maj Gen (R) Niaz Muhammad Khan Khattak was
appointed
as
chairman
of
the
______.
A.
National
Bank
B.
PIA
C.
BPSC
D.
FPSC
24. On Nov 07, Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar took over as the ______ head of
powerful
Inter Services
Intelligence
(ISI)
______ district.
A.
21st
B.
23rd
C.
27th
D.
28th
25. Vice Admiral Khan Hasham bin Saddique was appointed as Vice Chief
of
the
Naval
Staff
on
______.
A.
Nov
5
B.
Nov
7
C.
Nov
9
D.
Nov
11
26. On Nov 10, Wafaqi Mohtasib Salman Faruqui announced setting up of
a
'National
Commission
for
______.
A.
Women
B.
Employees
C.
Students D.
Children
27. On Nov 11, ______ was appointed as the Director General of the
National
Crisis
Management
Cell.
A.
Saud
Aziz
B.
Hanif
Abbasi
C.
Maryam
Nawaz

D.

Hamza

Shahbaz

28. On Nov 13, Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of the

intermediate-range______, also known as Hatf-VI, ballistic missile.
A.
Shaheen-I
B.
Nasr
C.
Zarb
D.
Shaheen-II
International
1. Non-permanent members
______
for
A.
B.
C.
Economic
D.

of the UN Security Council are elected by

a
two-year
term.
Security
Council
Secretary
General
and
Social
Council
General
Assembly

2. The Pew Research Center, an American think tank, is based in ______.

A.
New
York B.
Washington
C.
Ohio
D.
Philadelphia
3. Janet Yellen is the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve
System,
the
central
bank
of
______.
A.
the
US B.
Norway
C.
Australia
D.
Austria
4. Japan's Yasukuni Shrine, which Korea and China see as a symbol of
Japanese
militarism,
is
located
in
______.
A.
Osaka
B.
Kyoto
C.
Yokohama D.
Tokyo
5. On Oct 17, India successfully test-fired its first domestically-built nuclear
capable
and
long-range
cruise
missile
named
______.
A.
Nirbhay B.
Pratap
C.
Astra
D.
Prahaar
6. On Oct 17, Pakistan's Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai and ______ Jack
Ma
topped
the
list
of
Asian
game
changers.
A.
Thailand's
B.
S.
Korea's
C.
China's
D.
Japan's
7. On Oct 17, a UN conference on preserving the earth's dwindling
resources
concluded
in
Pyeongchang,
______.
A.
China
B.
Vietnam

C.
8.
A.
C.

Indonesia
Renminbi

is
the
Japan's
China's

D.
basic

South
unit

of
B.
D.

Korea
_______

currency.
England's
Bhutan's

9. ______ and Germany are the two biggest economies in eurozone.

A.
Sweden
B.
Norway
C.
Luxembourg
D.
France
10. On Oct 20, the World Health Organization declared two major African
countries,
Nigeria
and______,
Ebola
free.
A.
Liberia B.
Senegal
C.
Niger
D.
Kenya
11. Joko Widodo, who was sworn in on Oct 20, is the ______ president of
Indonesia;
the
world's
third-biggest
democracy.
A.
4th
B.
5th
C.
7th
D.
9th
12. Christophe de Margerie, who died in a plane crash at a Moscow airport
on Oct 21, was the chief executive of French oil giant ______.
A.
Total
B.
Shell
C.
ExxonMobil
D.
Rosneft
13. Doctor Denis Mukwege, who won the European Parliament's
prestigious Sakharov human rights prize belongs to ______.
A.
Nigeria
B.
Zimbabwe
C.
DR
Congo
D.
S.
Africa
14. Iran's Majles-e-Khebregan-e Rahbari, or the Assembly of Experts,
charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and
supervising
his
activities
consists
of
______
members.
A.
86
B.
94
C.
109
D.
137
15. The incumbent President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, is
a
______
national.
A.
German
B.
Czech
C.
Austrian
D.
French
16.
A.

Stephen

Harper

is the prime
Australia B.

minister

of

______.
Canada

C.
17.
A.
C.

New
Manohar

Parrikar
Education

Zealand
is

India's
B.

Finance

D.

D.

Austria

minister

for
______.
Broadcasting
Defence

18. On Oct 26, Indonesian President Joko Widodo unveiled a cabinet

including the country's first female foreign minister, ______.
A.
Rasuna
Said B.
Retno
Marsudi
C.
Ratu
Atut
D.
Mari
Pangestu
19. British troops ended their combat operations in Afghanistan on ______,
2014.
A.
Oct
22
B.
Oct
24
C.
Oct
26
D.
Oct
28
20. The Kafr Qasim massacre took place in an Israeli Arab village in
______.
A.
1944
B.
1948
C.
1954
D.
1956
21. Dilma Rousseff has been serving as the President of ______ since 2011.
A.
Mexico B.
Brazil
C.
Uruguay
D.
Argentina
22. On Oct 30, ______ became the first major European country to
recognise
the
state
of
Palestine.
A.
Denmark
B.
Germany
C.
Sweden
D.
Norway
23. Gottfrid Svartholm Warg is the Swedish co-founder of file-sharing
website
______.
A.
File
Hippo B.
The
Pirate
Bay
C.
DropBox
D.
RapidShare
24. Sir Winston Churchill issued the 4% Consols in ______ to refinance
National
War
Bonds
originating
from
WWI.
A.
1917
B.
1919
C.
1921
D.
1927
25. On Nov 01, Egypt signed $350 million worth of financing agreements
with
______.
A.
World
Bank B.
Saudi
Arabia

C.

IMF

D.

the

US

26. On Nov 08, the ______ company OW Bunker, the world's largest ship
fuel
supplier,
declared
bankruptcy.
A.
Danish
B.
Russian
C.
Swiss
D.
Italian
27. Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial
Institutions
(AAOIFI)
is
based
in
______.
A.
Qatar
B.
Bahrain
C.
Saudi
Arabia
D.
UAE
28. On Nov 12, the world's first solar bike path was unveiled in ______.
A.
France
B.
China
C.
Finland
D.
The
Netherlands
Sports
1. ______ won the PCB Inter-Region Under-19 One-day Tournament.
A.
Rawalpindi
Rams
B.
Sialkot
Stallions
C.
Hyderabad
Wolves
D.
Karachi
Dolphins
2. The batsman who has scored most centuries in test cricket for Pakistan
is
______.
A.
Inzamam-ul-Haq
B.
Javed
Miandad
C.
Salim
Malik
D.
Younis
Khan
3. FIFA Football World Cup 2018 will be played in ______.
A.
Russia
B.
Qatar
C.
Saudi
Arabia
D.
Malaysia
4. The record for the fastest fifty in test cricket belongs to ______.
A.
Jacques
Kallis
B.
Younis
Khan
C.
Misbah
ul
Haq
D.
Ahmad
Shahzad
5. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a ______ per cent
increase in prize money for 2015 Cricket World Cup.
A.
7.5
B.
10

C.

15

D.

20

6. On Nov 13, Misbahul Haq became Pakistan's most successful captain

when
he
won
______
tests
for
Pakistan.
A.
14
B.
15
C.
16
D.
17
7. India's Rohit Sharma created history when he smashed 264 runs, the
highest
individual
ODI
score,
against
______.
A.
Sri
Lanka
B.
Zimbabwe
C.
West
Indies
D.
England
8. On Nov 14, ______ paceman Mitchell Johnson was named cricketer of
the
year
by
the
International
Cricket
Council.
A.
Australian
B.
English
C.
S.
African
D.
West
Indian
9. ______ star Cristiano Ronaldo was named best striker and best player of
the
2013-14.
A.
Spanish
B.
Portuguese
C.
Brazilian
D.
German
10.
A.
C.
D.

The
Sepp

incumbent
Blatter
Mohammed

FIFA
Edith

President
B.
Joo
bin

is

______.
Havelange
Hammam
Wharton

Obituaries
1. On Oct 20, ______ photographer Rene Burri, celebrated for his portraits
of
Che
Guevara
and
Pablo
Picasso,
died.
A.
Swiss
B.
British
C.
Mexican
D.
Spanish
2. On Oct 21, Gough Whitlam, a flamboyant ______ prime minister and
controversial
social
reformer
died.
A.
Indonesian
B.
German
C.
Australian
D.
Italian
3. Legendary former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, who died on Oct
22, was famous for his reporting of Watergate scandal that brought down
President
______.
A.
Ronald
Reagan

B.
C.

Richard

Andrew
Nixon

D.

Bill

Jackson
Clinton

4. On Oct 29, ______ President Michael Sata died in London.

A.
Zambian
B.
Nigerian
C. Congolese D. Kenyan
World in Focus (June-July 2014)
National & International News & MCQs
Gaza
Holocaust
Version
2014
Friday, August 01, 2014

National
June 17: Eight people, two women among them, were killed and over 100
injured when police clashed with activists of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)
over removal of barriers from near Dr Tahirul Qadri's Minhajul Quran
headquarters
in
Model
Town.
June 17: A federal anticorruption court granted pre-arrest bail to former Prime
Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in 12 different cases.
June 17: After terrorist attack on Karachi Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority
suspended
porter
service
at
the
airports.
June 17:Pakistan and Tajikistan agreed to strengthen economic cooperation by
optimally utilising the present and new institutional mechanisms and
intensifying
private
sector
interface.
June 18: Around 30,000 people fled the military offensive against militants in
North Waziristan after the authorities eased a curfew in parts of the region to let

civilians leave in a sign that the campaign was likely to intensify.

The military has deployed troops, tanks and jets in the region for the crackdown
on
Taliban
and
other
militants.
June 18: The National Highway Authority (NH A) gave a go-ahead to the
construction
of
Karachi-Lahore
Motorway.
June 18: KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak inaugurated the first school of
investigation
of
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
police
in
Peshawar.
June 19: Changez Khan Marri, the eldest son of late Nawab Khair Bakhsh
Marri, became the new chieftain of the powerful Marri tribe of Balochistan.
June 20: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif removed Law Minister Rana
Sanaullah and his own secretary Dr Tauqir Shah, to make it visible to everyone
that
justice
is
being
done
in
the
Model
Town
case.
June 20: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC)
restrained the federal government from making appointments on high profile
positions that violate the Supreme Court verdict in the Khawaja Asif case.
June 20: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra)
suspended the operating licences of Geo Entertainment and ARY News.
June 20: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif formally launched the PM's Laptop
Scheme
at
the
Convention
Centre,
Islamabad.
June 20: Sindh's provincial borders were sealed owing to influx of internally
displaced persons (IDPs) due to recent military operation in North Waziristan.
No more IDPs in Sindh, we have sealed borders to some extent, the CM Qaim
Ali
Shah
said.
June 21: The government pushed its second budget through the National
Assembly with ease amid some gestures to PPP ahead of threatened antigovernment
protests.
June 22: Over 100 ulema from various schools of thought declared Zarb-i-Azb,
the military operation being carried out against terrorists and militants in North
Waziristan
Agency,
as
jihad.
June 23: Key opinion makers from India and Pakistan, including
parliamentarians, former diplomats, former military officers, media persons and
policy experts met in Chiang Mai for the 14th round of the Chaophraya

Dialogue. It was organized by the Jinnah Institute (JI) and the Australia India
Institute
(AII).
The Chaophraya Dialogue is the longest consistently running Indo-Pak Track-II
jointly administered by the Jinnah Institute (JI) and Australia India Institute
(AII) to encourage informed policy dialogue on Indo-Pak relations. The process
is now in its sixth year and has so far led to 14 rounds of dialogue.
June 23: The Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended the June 12 Sindh High
Court order that allowed Musharraf to go abroad till it decides government's
appeal against removing his name from the Exit Control List.
June 23: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, through a unanimously adopted
resolution, regretted the ban placed by other provinces on the entry of internally
displaced persons from North Waziristan Agency into their respective regions.
June 24: A woman passenger was killed while a steward and another passenger
were injured when a PIA flight coming from Riyadh came under fire during
landing.
June 24: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah announced a Rs50 million
financial assistance for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the wake of
the
North
Waziristan
military
operation.
June 24: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court (IHC)
declared illegal the appointment of Mohammad Malick as managing director
(MD)
of
Pakistan
Television
(PTV).
June 24: The rural towns located close to the provincial capital bordering
Khyber Agency and Darra Adamkhel were divided into eight zones following
deployment of army troops and extra contingents of police to stop infiltration of
militants
from
the
tribal
areas.
June 25: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched the construction work on 4,320
megawatts
Dasu
hydroelectric
power
project
in
Kohistan.
June 25: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved eight
development projects having an estimated cost of Rs38.5 billion, including a
foreign
exchange
component
of
Rs20.8bn.
June 25: The United States declared two Lashkar-e-Tayyiba leaders Nazir
Ahmad Chaudhry and Muhammad Hussein Gill specially designated global
terrorists, an action which increases pressure on Pakistan to take punitive action

against

the

group.

June 25: Balochistan's provincial government appointed Arsalan Iftikhar, son of

former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, as vice chairman of the
Balochistan
Investment
Board.
June 25: Standing Committee of Senate for Interior, presided over by Senator
Talha Mehmood, approved the amendments to Pakistan protection Ordinance
(PPO).
June 25: Bahria Town announced a relief package amounting to Rs5 billion for
the people of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) displaced as a result of
Operation
Zarb-e-Azb.
June 25: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the ground-breaking
ceremony of the 4,320 mega watts (MW) Dasu Hydro-Power Project at Dasu.
June 25: An Army Aviation helicopter crashed at the Multan airport, resulting
in the instant deaths of Major Yasir and Captain Murtaza.
June 27: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced an increase in cash grant for
families displaced from North Waziristan to Rs40,000 for Ramazan.
June 27: The International Monetary Fund disbursed $555.9 million to
Pakistan, completing the third review of the country's economic performance.
June 27: President Mamnoon Hussain signed Anti Terrorism Amendment Act
2014 which entitles a police officer of grade-17 or an officer of equivalent rank
from the armed forces and civil armed forces or duty magistrate to order to
shoot.
The act has provided legal standing to the federal government and civil armed
forces to keep in custody for 90 days those involved in terrorism, target killing,
kidnapping
for
ransom
and
extortion.
June 27: The Sri Lankan government cancelled the on-arrival visa facility for
Pakistan,
citing
security
reasons.
June 30: The Senate unanimously approved the Protection of Pakistan Bill
which gives more powers to security forces combating terrorism in the country.
June 30: President Mamnoon Hussain approved the appointment of Justice
Nasirul Mulk as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

June 30: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa allocated additional portfolio of

Energy and Power to Muhammad Atif, Minister for Elementary and Secondary
Education,
with
immediate
effect.
July 02: Pakistan's first-ever highest altitude meteorological climate station was
installed at the K2 Base Camp the Boltoro in the Karakorum that has started
giving
the
real

time
data.
July 03: Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali of the Supreme Court was sworn in as
acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain
Jillani.
July 03: Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of former chief justice of Supreme Court
Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, resigned from the office of Vice Chairman,
Balochistan
Board
of
Investment.
July 04: The Ministry of Education, Training and Standards in Higher
Education will be called 'Federal Education and Professional Training Division.'
With this, the ministry's name would be changed for the fourth time in three
years.
July 04: Acting Advocate General of Punjab Mustafa Ramday resigned.
July 05: Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani retired after serving for over 10
years as a judge including a rather brief tenure as chief justice of the Supreme
Court.
July 05: The Asian Development Bank approved a loan of $197 million for the
national
highway
development
project
of
Balochistan.
Under the project the two-lane highways 79km Zhob-Mughalkot (N50) and
128km Qila Saifullah Waghum (N70) will be rehabilitated.
July 06: Justice Nasirul Mulk took oath as 22nd Chief Justice of Pakistan.
President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath. Justice Nasirul Mulk will
serve
as
Chief
Justice
till
16th
August
next
year.
July 06: The name of Punjab University Department of Library and
Information Sciences was changed to Department of Information Management.
July 07: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government completed the 'rationalisation'
of the Information Department and abolished its publicity wing by adjusting its
138
officials
in
different
departments.

July 08: The Lahore High Court suspended reinstatement of retired Lt Gen Arif
Hasan as Pakistan Olympic Association's president and sought reply from the
Pakistan
Sports
Board
(PSB).
July 08: The commissioning of multi-purpose Diamer Bhasha Dam on River
Indus has been postponed by another about 17 years as this mega project,
having strategic importance, is now expected to be completed in the year 2037
instead
of
2020.
July 08: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Justice (Retd) Rauf Sheikh as
Chairman Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE).
July 09: The country is facing an 'education crisis' which, if not tackled now,
can become insurmountable. But, given political will and resources, a reformed
education system can still produce a tolerant citizenry accepting religious,
ethnic and cultural diversity, and help Pakistan return to its moderate roots.
This is the crux of are port on education reforms in Pakistan recently released
by
the
International
Crisis
Group.
July 10: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced a Rs15 billion transport
project to be undertaken in Karachi under the Green Line bus service on the
pattern of the Bus Rapid Transport System in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
July 10: Former Supreme Court judge retired Justice Syed Jamshed Ali Shah
took over as interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
July 10: An anti-corruption court granted interim pre-arrest bail to former
commerce minister and central leader of the Pakistan People Party Makhdoom
Amin
Fahim.
July 10: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak approved
establishment of food streets Namak Mandi and historic Gor Khatri Park.
July 11: PPP leader and former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani revealed
that during his government an understanding had been reached with the
establishment that then president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf would be given
an honourable exit if he resigned, instead of going through impeachment
proceedings.
July 11: The Supreme Court suspended a notification which replaced Najam
Sethi with Justice Syed Jamshed Ali Shah, a former judge of the apex court.

July 11: The Supreme Court reinstated Mohammad Malick as the managing
director (MD) of Pakistan Television (PTV) until a final decision on his appeal
against the July 7 verdict of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
July 11: After much debate in and outside parliament and strong opposition by
certain political parties and human rights groups, the Protection of Pakistan
Ordinance-2014 was finally signed into law by President Mamnoon Hussain.
The new law will remain in force for two years and provides sweeping powers
to law enforcement agencies and the military to deal with outlaws and terrorists.
July 13: Pakistan's urban air pollution is among the most severe in the world
and it engenders significant damage to human health and the economy,
according to a newly released report titled Cleaning Pakistan's Air.
July 13: Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the signal-free
Azadi Chowk flyover and an alternative route of new Circular Road.
The project was completed in a record period of 165 days at a cost of Rs5.35
billion. The total length of the flyover interchange is 2.53km and it will benefit
200,000
vehicles
daily.
July 13: The Army announced replacing Director General Sindh Rangers Major
General Rizwan Akhtar, who was assigned the task to lead the Karachi
operation on September 05 last with Major General Bilal Akbar.
July 14: A Pakistani television journalist, Faizullah Khan, was jailed for four
years in Afghanistan for travelling to the country illegally to interview the
Taliban
leaders.
July 15: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan called for a
complete audit of results of the general elections held in May 2013.
July 15: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif awarded 'privilege and honour cards' to
about 200 top taxpayers. The cards will entitle them to avail some special
services.
July 15: The Islamabad High Court ordered the suspension of Pervez Rathore,
acting chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
(Pemra), and Kamaluddin Tipu, a member of the watchdog.
Appointments

June 17: Athar Minallah, the former spokesman for former CJ Iftikhar
Mohammad Chaudhry, the ex-chief justice of Pakistan, took oath as additional
judge
of
the
Islamabad
High
Court
(IHC).
With his appointment, the IHC judges' strength has now risen to four.
June 17: The Lahore High Court chief justice appointed Justice Ali Baqar Najafi
as one-man tribunal for holding a judicial inquiry into the Model Town incident.
June 17: Justice Khwaja Imtiaz Ahmad took oath as chief justice of the Lahore
High Court. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar administered the
oath.
June 18: The newly-appointed Inspector General of Police, Balochistan,
Mohammad
Amlesh,
assumed
the
charge
of
his
office.
June 19: The federal government appointed special secretary, Law Division,
Justice (R) Muhammad Raza Khan as the chairman of 8th Wage Board on the
terms and conditions admissible to a judge of a high court.
June 24: The federal government appointed renowned legal expert and Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) central leader Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf
Gujjar Advocate as member of Pakistan Electronic Regulatory Authority
(Pemra).
June 28: Saifullah Chattha was appointed chief secretary of Balochistan. Mr
Chattha will replace Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad who was transferred to
Islamabad
and
posted
as
federal
secretary
commutations.
July 01: Mohammad Riaz replaced Karamat Hussain Niazi as Secretary for
National Assembly. Mr Niazi was due to retire in 2007 but continued working
on extensions which he was repeatedly granted by the successive speakers of
the
lower
house
of
parliament.
July 08: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the appointment of Azam Khan
Hoti, the most senior officer of Information Service, as Information and
Broadcast
acting
secretary.
July 10: Parliamentary committee approved four names for the appointment of
Federal Shariat Court judges. The judges nominated by the committee are
Justice (R) Dr. Fida Muhammad, Justice (R) Riaz Ahmed, Justice (R) Najam
Hassan
and
Justice
(R)
Zahoor
Ahmed
Sherwani.

Obituaries
June 19: Muttahida Qaumi Movement MNA Tahira Asif who was critically
injured
in
a
gun
attack
died.
June 19: Legendary landscape artist Khalid Iqbal died. He was 85.
June 19: Unidentified armed men killed Pashto singer Gul Naz inside her house.
June 20 A judge of the Environmental Protection Tribunal, Sakhi Sultan, was
killed
in
his
office
in
Samungli
road
area.
June 22: Former Senator, MNA and MPA from Mian Channu, Pir Shujaat
Hasnain
Qureshi
71,
passed
away.
June 27: Prominent Pashto comedian Murad Ali, popularly known as Gul Bali,
died.
July 13: Shahzada Mohammad Aslam Khan Ahmedzai, former commander of
Kalat
State
Force
passed
away.
He
was
90.
July 14: The bureaucrat-turned-writer, Jamil Ahmed, who was the author of 'The
Wandering
Falcon',
passed
away
at
the
age
of
81.
Sports
June 21: Pakistan put up a mixed show in the 5th Asian Men & Women
Throwball Championship 2014 in Kuala Lumpur when they finished third in the
women`s
competition.
People

in

Qamar-uz-Zaman

News
Chaudhry

On June 29, UN World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) Secretary

General appointed Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, an eminent Pakistani climate
change expert, his special envoy on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate
Services
for
Asia.
Mr

Muhammad

Ali

On July 01, Pakistan Ordnance Factories General Manager Muhammad Ali was

awarded Nobel Peace Prize Certificate for the year 2013. The Nobel Peace Prize
for 2013 was awarded to the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW), where Ali served for more than seven years as inspector and became
the
first
Pakistani
team
leader
(chief
inspector).
Prof

Dr

Abdul

Rauf

Shakoori

On July 10, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST) declared
Punjab University School of Biological Sciences' Prof Dr Abdul Rauf Shakoori
as
number
one
biological
scientist
in
the
country.
Samiullah

Khan

On June 22, Former PPP MPA Samiullah Khan was appointed political assistant
to
Punjab
Chief
Minister
Shahbaz
Sharif.
Asma

Jahangir

On June 25, Asma Jahangir, the former president of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), was nominated to a three-member panel to
advise UN on alleged human rights violations committed during final stages of
armed
conflict
in
Sri
Lanka.
Malala

Yousafzai

On June 30, Young Pakistani education advocate, Malala Yousafzai, won the
2014 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia.
Places

in

News

Lahore
On June 29, a multi-party conference was hosted by Pakistan Awami Tehreek
(PAT) came out with a five-point charter of demands which declared the ruling
party leaders as responsible for the June 17 Model Town police action that
claimed
10
lives.
Karachi

Water

and

Sewerage

Board

On June 29, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board sent a bill on account of
provision of water and services charges for sewerage to the sister of Quaid-eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and a great leader of Pakistan Movement, the late
Fatima
Jinnah,
47
years
after
her
death.

The bill amounts to Rs. 263,774 and she has been directed to pay the amount
within 10 days of receipt of the notice, or the connection of water and sewerage
can
be
disconnected.
Wafaqul

Madaris

Al-Arabia

Pakistan

(WMAA)

On July 10, Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan (WMAA) was given a special
award at a function in Jeddah by the Saudi organisation, Rabita Al-Alam AlIslami for preparing maximum number of Huffaz (those who learn Quran by
heart)
in
the
world
in
a
year.
London
On June 27, three recipients of the Victoria Cross, the United Kingdom's highest
military award, from present-day Pakistan were honoured at a ceremony held in
London this week to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
International
June 17: Britain and China signed trade deals worth more than 14 billion
($28bn), during a visit to London by Premier Li Keqiang aimed at resetting
economic
and
diplomatic
ties.
June 17: Iraq's prime minister fired top security commanders in a major shakeup as fighting approached Baghdad in a militant onslaught that the UN warned
risked
breaking
the
country
up.
June 17: An Egyptian cabinet led by Ibrahim Mahlab was sworn in, with most
positions from the previous military-installed government retained.
June 18: Former Turkish military chief Kenan Evren, who came to symbolise
the military's dominance over Turkish political life, was sentenced to life in jail
for
leading
a
1980
coup.
June 19: Republican Kevin McCarthy was selected as the new majority leader
in
US
House
of
Representatives.
June 22: UN cultural agency Unesco granted its prized World Heritage status to
the Grotte Chauvet, a prehistoric cave in southern France containing the earliest
known
figurative
drawings.
Delegates at Unesco's World Heritage Committee met in Doha, Qatar.

June 23: The removal of Syria's chemical weapons material was completed, the
Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and
the
United
Nations
(OPCW-UN)
announced.
June 23: A Sudanese woman Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, 26, who gave birth in
prison after being sentenced to hang for apostasy, was freed.
June 23: India announced ratifying an agreement with the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) to expand oversight of its civilian nuclear programme,
in a move aimed at unblocking a major nuclear partnership with the United
States.
June 23: A Pakistani flag was seen during the World Cup Group 'H' match
between
Russia
and
Belgium
at
the
Maracana
Stadium.
June 23: A Bangladeshi court sentenced eight Islamist, including Harkat-ulJihad al Islami (HuJI) outfit, Mufti Abdul Hannan, to death for a 2001 bomb
attack that killed 10 people and wounded scores more during the country's main
celebrations
for
the
Bengali
New
Year.
June 23: May 2014 was so hot that it set a new record for the planet, marking
the warmest May over land and water since record-keeping began in 1880.
June 24: A vast wetland in Botswana, a prehistoric cave in France and an
ancient land formation in the US are among a host of new sites that have been
added to the Unesco world heritage list over the last few days, pushing the total
number
to
1,007.
The Okavango Delta in Botswana became the 1,000th site to be in scribed on
the UN cultural agency's coveted list, which has been active since 1978 and
commands
strict
rules
for
conservation
from
host
nations.
June 24: Philippine President Benigno Aquino, whose country was brutally
invaded by Japan in World War II, supported Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe's
plan to expand the scope of his country's armed forces.
June 24: Suspected Boko Haram militants abducted more than 60 women and
girls
in
the
latest
kidnappings
in
northeast
Nigeria.
June 25: Britain became the first Western country to sell an Islamic bond,
attracting 2.3 billion pound s ($3.9bn), more than 10 times the amount it was
looking
to
sell.

The government raised 200 million pounds from the five-year sukuk issue, part
of an effort to boost London's position as a centre for Islamic finance.
June 25: Zhang Zhijun, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, China's most
senior official ever to visit Taiwan, met his counterpart to try to improve
relations
after
mass
protests
in
Taipei
earlier
this
year.
June 25: Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel nominated General John Campbell, an
army officer who commanded troops in volatile eastern Afghanistan to take over
command
of
the
US-led
force
in
the
country.
June 26: The World Health Organization called for drastic action to fight the
deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, as it announced an 11-nation meeting to
address
the
growing
crisis.
June 27: Rosneft signed its second major agreement with BP since sanctions
were imposed on the Russian oil company's chief executive. The five-year
agreement will supply BP with up to 12 million tonnes of refined oil products
and involves a pre-payment of at least $1.5 billion arranged by leading global
financial
institutions,
Rosneft
said.
June 27: European Union leaders picked former Luxembourg Prime Minister
Jean Claude Juncker to become the bloc's new chief executive. With the move,
the EU leaders broke a decades-old tradition of choosing the president of the
European
Commission
by
consensus.
Summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy said 26 of the bloc's 28 countries voted
for Juncker, with only Britain and Hungary opposing him.
June 27: US special Mideast envoy Martin Indyk resigned to return to a
Washington think-tank in a move symbolising the collapse of the latest
American
effort
to
forge
an
Israeli-Palestinian
peace
deal.
June 27: Ukraine signed a free-trade and political cooperation agreement with
the European Union that has been at the heart of the country's political crisis.
Georgia and Moldova signed similar deals, holding out the prospect of
economic integration and unfettered access to the EU's 500 million citizens.
June 28: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah sacked the country's deputy defence
minister,
Prince
Khaled
bin
Bandar
bin
Abdul
Aziz.
June 29: Islamist militants fighting in Iraq and Syria announced the
establishment
of
a
'caliphate'.

In an audio recording distributed online, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham
(ISIS) declared its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi the caliph and leader for
Muslims
everywhere.
July 01: A watershed free-trade deal between China and Switzerland, which was
signed in Beijing July 2013, came into force, the first such accord between the
Asian
giant
and
a
mainland
European
economy.
Senior Swiss and Chinese officials marked the debut of the Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) at a ceremony in the northern city of Basel, a highly symbolic
location given its historical status as a hub for commerce along the River Rhine.
July 01: The European Court of Human Rights upheld France's controversial
burqa ban, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breaches religious
freedom.
July 01: Major General Delali Johnson Sakyi of Ghana was appointed Chief
Military Observer and Head of Mission for the United Nations Military
Observers Group in India and Pakistan by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
July 01: Saudi King Abdullah appointed Prine Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdul
Aziz
as
new
spy
chief.
July 02: NASA launched a satellite designed to track carbon dioxide, a leading
greenhouse
gas
that
is
responsible
for
global
warming.
July 02: The US Navy promoted a woman Michelle Howard as vice chief of
naval operations, the number two job in the service with the rank of a four-star
admiral, for the first time in its 238-year history, a milestone for females in the
American
military.
July 04: Queen Elizabeth was officially named the biggest warship Britain has
ever
built.
July 04: Russia's parliament passed a bill requiring Internet companies to store
Russians' personal data inside the country in an apparent move to pressure sites
such as Facebook and Twitter into handing over user data.
July 05: An Egyptian court sentenced Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed
Badie and 36 other Islamists to life in prison, and confirmed death sentences for
10
others,
most
of
them
on
the
run.

July 06: The Israel military carried out 10 air strikes on Gaza in response to
rocket fire into southern Israel as hopes faded of a renewed truce with its
Islamist
foe
Hamas.
July 07: Afghan officials released preliminary election results showing former
finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai well in the lead for the presidency but
said no winner could be declared because millions of ballots were being audited
for
fraud.
July 07: Britain's finance minister announced a $428 million deal with India's
military after arriving in the country to seek stronger t4rade and investment ties
with
new
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi's
government.
July 08: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart
Tony Abbott signed an economic partnership pact as well as an agreement on
military
equipment
and
technology
transfers.
July 08: India asked a United Nations military observer group on Kashmir to
vacate a government-provided bungalow in New Delhi, in a toughening stance
against
a
mission
that
Indians
have
long
opposed.
New Delhi considers the whole of Kashmir as an integral part of the country
and has bristled against external involvement in the region including the U.N.
Military Observers Group on India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) that was set up in
1949
after
their
first
war.
July 08: Somalia's Islamist Shebab rebels launched a major bomb attack and
armed assault against the country's presidential palace, penetrating the heavilyfortified complex and fighting a major gun battle with security guards.
July 10: Bangladesh barred official marriages between its nationals and
Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya refugees, whom it claims are attempting to wed
to
gain
citizenship.
July 10: Germany cannot insist the spouses of Turkish nationals living in the
country speak basic German when they apply for a family reunification visa,
Europe's
highest
court
ruled.
Since 2007, Germany has demanded basic German language skills from those
wishing to join their partner in Germany from outside the European Union, in
an effort to prevent forced marriage and promote integration.
July 10: India's new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled

its maiden budget, promising a new era of fiscal discipline, higher growth and
greater
opportunities
for
foreign
investors.
July 11: In its maiden budget, Modi government surprised many as the amount
equivalent of about $33 million was set aside to help build world's tallest statue
in
Gujarat.
July 11: Israeli aerial bombardment of Gaza claimed its 105th Palestinian life as
Hamas pounded central Israel with rockets and the United States offered to help
broker
a
truce.
July 12: World Malala Day 2014 was celebrated to highlight the leading role
that youth can play in enabling all children to get an education.
July 12: World's top crude consumer, the United States, is now the world's top
producer,
overtaking
Russia
and
Saudi
Arabia.
In the first quarter of 2014, the US extracted more than 11 million barrels of
crude per day; more than Russia' daily output of 10.53mbpd and Saudi Arabia's
9.45mbpd.
July 12: Britain barred a Russian delegation from attending the Farnborough air
show
because
of
the
Ukraine
crisis.
July 14: Beijing won a key victory in a trade dispute with Washington, as a
WTO panel said the United States was wrong to slap punitive duties on a host of
Chinese
goods.
The battle covered an array of products including paper, steel, tyres, magnets,
chemicals,
kitchen
fittings,
flooring
and
wind
turbines.
July 14: The Church of England overcame bitter divisions to vote in favour of
allowing female bishops for the first time in its nearly 500-year history.
Sports
June 17: Indian all-rounder Stuart Binny grabbed a record six wickets for just
four runs as India thrashed Bangladesh by 47 runs in a low-scoring second ODI.
June 18: Australia hired leading Test wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan as a
spin
bowling
consultant
for
their
team.
June 28: West Indies Cricket Board president David Cameron and Pakistan
Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi were elected at the ICC's annual

conference in Melbourne to the body's five-member executive committee.

The West Indies and Pakistan will have representation on the International
Cricket Council's all-powerful executive committee alongside the Big Three
nations
India,
Australia
and
England.
July 05: Petra Kvitova produced a majestic performance to win the Wimbledon
title; ending Eugenie Bouchard's hopes of becoming the first Canadian to win a
Grand
Slam
title.
July 06: Novak Djokovic won his second Wimbledon title and seventh career
major with a victory over Swiss ace Roger Federer, shattering his dream of a
record
eighth
triumph
in
Wimbledon.
July 09: Brazil's dream of winning the World Cup on home soil was shattered
when they suffered a humiliating 7-1 loss to ruthless Germany in an
extraordinary
semi-final
in
Belo
Horizonte.
July 12: England's Joe Root and James Anderson rewrote the record books with
a Test record last-wicket stand of 198 runs in the first test at Trent Bridge.
The England duo's stand surpassed the previous tenth-wicket Test record of 163
shared by Agar and Phil Hughes at Trent Bridge, in 2013.
July 12: South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in the third and final one-day
international. It was Proteas' first-ever one-day series win on the island.
July 13: Substitute Goetze's stunning extra-time winner helped Germany grab
their fourth World Cup crown after a 1-0 victory over Argentina at the Maracana
Stadium.
Germany's victory ended the 24-year wait for a World Cup title and made them
the first side from Europe to be crowned world champions in the Americas.
July 13: Brazil's miserable World Cup campaign ended to a chorus of boos as
the hosts slumped to a 3-0 defeat against the Netherlands in the third place
playoff
match.
July 14: Despite having a golden trophy in his hand, Lionel Messi just couldn't
look up and smile. This was the Golden Ball the award for the best players of
the
World
Cup.
July 14: Colombia's young striker James Rodriguez claimed the World Cup's top
scorer
honours
with
six
goals.

July 14: Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt defeated second seed Ivo
Karlovic to win the $474,000 ATP Hall of Fame Championships.
People
King

in

News

Juan

Carlos

On June 18, a tearful King Juan Carlos sealed his abdication of the Spanish
crown after a four-decade reign, leaving the throne to his 46-year-old son,
Felipe
VI.
James

Allison

&

Tasuku

Honjo

On June 19, an American and a Japanese immunologist James P. Allison and

Tasuku Honjo were named joint recipients of the Tang Prize, touted as Asia's
version of the Nobels, for their contributions in the fight against cancer.
Richard

Thaler,

Johnson-Sirleaf

&

Kiran

Mazumdar

On June 22, US economist Richard Thaler, Liberia's president Ellen JohnsonSirleaf and Indian entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw received the 2014
Global Economy Prize of the Kiel Institute for World Economy.
Monica

Gill

On June 23, Miss India USA, Monica Gill, won this year's Miss India
Worldwide
competition,
which
was
held
in
Abu
Dhabi.
Martti

Ahtisaari

On June 25, former Finnish president and Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari was
appointed as an advisor to an international inquiry into alleged war crimes in Sri
Lanka. He will be one of three international experts assisting a team of 12
investigators in their controversial probe, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay
said.
Jozef

Wesolowski

On June 27, a Roman Catholic Church tribunal Congregation for the

Doctrine of the Faith ordered to defrock Jozef Wesolowski, a Polish
archbishop accused of child sex abuse in the Dominican Republic.

Ravshan

Irmatov

On July 06, Uzbekistan referee Ravshan Irmatov made football history when he
took charge of a record ninth World Cup game, the quarter-final between
Netherlands
and
Costa
Rica.
Amit

Shah

On July 09, India's ruling BJP elevated controversial leader Amit Shah to the
post of its new party president. Mr Shah is a close aide from Gujrat of Prime
Minister Narendra Modiand is being tried in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter
killing
after
spending
some
days
in
jail.
Dr

Masuma

Hasan

On July 13, Dr Masuma Hasan, former Cabinet Secretary and Ambassador of

Pakistan, was named Goodwill Ambassador of the World NGO Day Initiative,
in recognition of her experience as Chairperson of The Pakistan Institute of
International Affairs and her commitment to the cause of women's
empowerment as President of the Board of Governors of Aurat Foundation.
Emma

Watson

On July 08, British actress Emma Watson became the new Goodwill
Ambassador for the UN's gender equality arm, UN Women, the organization
announced. The harry Potter alumna and recent graduate of Brown University is
the first ambassador appointed under the leadership of Phumzile MlamboNgcuka, the Under Secretary-General and executive director of UN Women.
Places

in

News

Mecca,

Saudi

Arabia

On June 25, the Saudi Arabia government completed elaborate and

comprehensive arrangements for the holy Quran recitation at Makkah's Mosque
ahead of Ramazan. The holy Quran, along with commentary and translation, is
available for download in most of the world's major languages, including
Sinhalese,
Telugu,
Somali
and
Chinese.
Kashmir
On July 04, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by near-empty
streets lined by security personnel on his first official visit to India-held

Kashmir, as local leaders enforced a strike to demand political dialogue about

the
future
of
the
disputed
region.
Schools and shops were shuttered and normally busy roads were free of traffic
in
Srinagar.
Britain
On July 10, more than one million public sector workers went on strike in
Britain over pay and spending cuts by the government imposed as part of its
austerity
programme.
The strike, the biggest since Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition
government took power in 2010, involves a wide range of workers from
teachers and civil servants to street sweepers and park attendants.
Obituaries
June 24: Former Venezuelan president Ramon Jose Velasquez, known for his
role in opposing dictatorship in the South American country, died. He was 97.
He
was
the
last
living
former
president
of
Venezuela.
June 24: Felix Dennis, a flamboyant, boastfully profligate, immensely
successful British businessman who built a publishing empire that included
Maxim, America's most successful young men's lifestyle magazine, died. He
was
67.
June

25:

Legendary

character

actor

Eli

Wallach

died

aged

98.

Wallach made a name for himself in Hollywood with a string of villainous and
gritty roles in classics such as The Magnificent Seven, The Good, the Bad and
the
Ugly
and
The
Godfather:
Part
III.
June 28: Legendary US soul artist Bobby Womack, who influenced and wrote
for
generations
of
musicians,
died
aged
70.
June 30: Allen Grossman, an award-winning poet, whose work bridged the
Romantic and Modernist traditions, claiming nobility and power for poetry as a
tool for both engaging the world and burrowing into the self, died in Chelsea,
Mass.
He
was
82.
July 07: Eduard Shevardnadze, who helped end the Cold War as the Soviet
Union's last foreign minister before becoming president of Georgia, died at the

age

of

86.

July 08: Real Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano, considered of the greatest
footballers ever, died aged 88. The striker known as the Blonde Arrow is
ranked
alongside
Pele,
Maradona
and
Johan
Cruyff.
July 10: India's acting legend Zohra Sehgal passed away at 102.
July 12: Bassist Charlie Haden, who helped change the shape of jazz more than
a half-century ago as a member of Ornette Coleman's groundbreaking quartet
and liberated the bass from its traditional rhythm section role, died. He was 76.
July 14: South African Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer, an
unwavering moralist who became one of the most powerful voices against the
injustice
of
apartheid,
died
at
the
age
of
90.
Gordimer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991.
World in Focus (July-Aug 2014)
National & International News & MCQs
Politics
is
not
a
game,
but
a
Serious
Monday, September 01, 2014

Business

National
July 16: Security forces and the Bajaur political administration agreed to
postpone a planned military operation in border areas of Mamond tehsil in
Bajaur after tribal elders announced formation of a grand quami lashkar
(militia)
to
combat
militants.
July 16: The Jamaat-i-Islami challenged the newly-passed Protection of
Pakistan Act (PPA) 2014 as 'ultra vires' before the Supreme Court.

July 16: The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Law and Justice
rejected, with a 4-1 vote, a bill seeking status of national language for regional
languages. The bill was moved by PML-N lawmaker Marvi Memon.
July 16: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom
claimed that representatives from Pakistan were accused of rape and child
abduction.
Reports said Pakistan's government partially lifted immunity in one case so the
diplomat could be interviewed by police; there is no legal obligation to comply
with
the
British
request.
July 17: Two suspected terrorists and an official of an intelligence agency were
killed during an operation near Raiwind Road to capture some suspects.
The incident took place a couple of kilometres from the Jati Umra residence of
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif.
July 17: Retired Maj Shabbir Ahmed assumed charge as head of the National
Accountability Bureau, Sindh. He had held the same post form May 2011 to
July
2012.
July 17: Pakistan lost the chance of holding the Islamic Development Bank's
top post of executive director for a full three-year term and will now share its
tenure with three other countries: Afghanistan, the Maldives and Bangladesh.
Pakistan has the majority votes among the constituency members. It has 2.51%
votes followed by Bangladesh's 1.06%, Afghanistan's 0.10% and the Maldives
0.09%.
July 18: An election tribunal headed by Chaudhry Abdul Hafiz, a retired district
and sessions judge, disqualified PML-N MNA Sultan Mahmood Hinjra in NA176
(Muzaffargarh).
July 18: The TAPI countries Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India
signed the operational agreement for laying down the trans-border 1,735kilometre-long pipeline, starting from the Yolotan-Osman gas field in
Turkmenistan and ending in India after passing through Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
July 18: A steering committee of the Higher Education Commission for support
of IDPs from North Waziristan announced free education along with Rs5,000

monthly stipends to the displaced students in all the major public sector and
some
private
universities
of
the
province.
July 21: A fact finding mission of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
concluded that the Rangers-led Karachi operation launched in September last
year
had
failed
to
achieve
its
targets.
July 21: The Supreme Court reinstated Hajj Policy 2014, declaring the decision
of Lahore High Court (LHC) against the allocation of a quota of 15,000
pilgrims
to
Hajj
group
organisers
as
null
and
void.
July 21: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government launched Rs. 1 billion Islamic
Micro Finance Scheme to provide loans to around 170,000 people for medium
and
small
businesses.
The scheme will be implemented through the sole public-sector bank operating
in
the
province,
Bank
of
Khyber.
July 22: Provincial Minister for Higher Education Mushtaq Ghani replaced
Shah Farman as minister for information of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
July 22: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi set
aside the prime minister's order of turning down minister's order of turning
down recommendations of the Central Selection Board (CSB).
July 23: Senior lawyer Syed Mubarak Raza Kazmi, son-in-law of well-known
zakir
Allama
Talib
Johari,
was
shot
dead.
July 23: The single-engine plane of 17-year-old American-Pakistani pilot Haris
Suleman, who was attempting a world record of travelling around the world in
30 days to raise money for the education of underprivileged children in
Pakistan, crashed in the sea on his way from Hawaii to California.
July 23: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the countrys national flag
carrier, is currently operating with just 19 airworthy planes out of a total fleet of
34 and needs new aircraft to survive, PIA chairman Muhammad Ali Gardezi
told the Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges.
July 24: Former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry served a Rs20
billion defamation notice on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.
July 24: Pakistan is ranked at 146 the same spot as in the previous year
among the 187 countries in UN's 2013 Human Development Index (HDI)'s

annual rankings. The HDI forms part of the Human Development Report (HDR)
2014, a flagship study produced annually by the United Nations Development
Programme
(UNDP).
July 25: Punjab University's Department of Zoology and Institute of Mountain
Hazard and Environment (IMHE) signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU)
with
Chinese
Academy
of
Sciences
(CAS).
July 25: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) restored the services of social
mobilisers of Population Welfare Department across the province after
suspending
the
provincial
government's
notification.
July 25: Britain restored an agreement with Pakistan that provides for the
transfer of convicted criminals. The agreement was declared null and void by
Britain following the release of three dangerous prisoners from jails after they
were
brought
to
Pakistan
during
the
previous
government.
July 28: The Supreme Court observed that litigation between two former
chairmen of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi and Muhammad
Zaka Ashraf had caused immense harm to the board and the game of cricket at
the
domestic
and
international
level.
July 28: The European Union (EU) stopped Pakistan International Airlines
from bringing cargo to the member states owing to security concerns.
July 28: The first ever title of 'Master Chef Pakistan', based on British TV show
was won by Ammara Noman, an amateur cook. 'Master Chef,' a cooking reality
show originating from Britain went global with national versions including
Master Chef US, Master Chef Australia, Master Chef India, and now Master
Chef
Pakistan,
etc.
July 31: At least 23 picnickers drowned in rough seas off Karachi during the
Eid holiday, with the authorities blaming people for ignoring a warning against
swimming
during
the
monsoon
season.
July 31: Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik retired on
completion
of
his
contract.
July 31: The government appointed Habibur Rehman Khan as head of the
Overseas
Pakistanis
Foundation
(OPF).
Aug 01: A 19-member task force, with Sherry Rehman, senior Pakistan Peoples
Party leader and former ambassador to the United States, as its convener and

MPAs and educationists as members was formed to accelerate progress of

education
reforms
being
implemented
in
Sindh.
Aug 01: US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Daniel
Feldman, currently visiting Kabul, assumed the charge of office, after his
predecessor Ambassador James Dobbins concluded his tenure on July 31.
Aug 04: The National Assembly called for an emergency session of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take effective action against the
Israeli invasion of Gaza after the government managed to skip an opposition
sought debate on its controversial move to call in troops in Islamabad without
any
judicial
oversight.
Aug 04: Faqir Jamshed Ahmad Gesu Daraz, leader of the Pakistan Seraiki Party
(PSP), and his companion were killed in a bomb blast in Kulachi.
Aug 04: The government appointed retired Lt Gen Mohammad Alam Khattak
as
the
defence
secretary.
Aug 04: The Supreme Court denied retired Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry access to the official record of a contempt case which he as chief
justice
had
initiated
against
PTI
chief
Imran
Khan.
Aug 04: New reserves of gas and condensate were found in Sindh's Sanghar
district.
The PPL, operator of Block 2568-18 (Gambat South) in Sanghar district with 65
per cent working interest, said its exploration well Sharf X-1 had found the new
reserves.
Aug 04: Minister of State for Education and Interior Baleeghur Rehman
disclosed the government is introducing ethics as a new subject in publicsector
universities
across
the
country.
Aug 04: Military operation Zarb-e-Azab is progressing well as towns of
Miramshah, Mirali, Boya, Degan and area till Dattakhel have been cleared of
Taliban militants, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Aug 04: Punjab Ombudsman Javed Mahmood ordered Chairman Board of
Intermediate and Secondary Education Sahiwal to give four marks in Urdu
Paper-A to all the students appeared in the Intermediate part-I examination 2013
as these marks could not be given due to technical of BISE Sahiwal.

Aug 05: Justice Shah Khawar of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi
bench restrained the metro bus project management from demolishing two
building
at
Rehmanabad
by
issuing
a
status
quo
order.
Aug 05: Speaking at a media roundtable at the Pentagon, the new commander
of the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan and US Army's Vice Chief of Staff
General John F. Campbell said that Pakistani military offensive in North
Waziristan is a step in the right direction and there's need for continuing such
actions.
Aug 06: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the appointment of Dr Nadeem
Javed
as
Pakistan's
chief
economist.
Dr Nadeem Javed holds a Ph.D. in Economics from France and has an extensive
experience
in
economic
and
finance
sector.
Aug 07: Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan was appointed Vice Chief of the Air
Staff. Air Marshal Khan was commissioned in the Pakistan Air Force in 1979 in
the
GD
(P)
branch.
Aug 07: The election tribunal declared the election of a Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf candidate to a provincial assembly seat void for obtaining illegal
assistance
of
a
presiding
officer
in
the
constituency.
The runner-up, a Jamaat-i-Islami candidate, was declared to have won the PS-93
seat.
Aug 08: Pakistan handed over Satyasheel Yadav, an Indian Border Security
Force soldier who had mistakenly entered Pakistani territory, to BSF officials as
a
goodwill
gesture.
Aug 08: Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Anusha
Rehman informed the National Assembly that $1.2 billion earned from the sale
of 3G and 4G licences were deposited in the exchequer.
Aug 08: Brigadier Shahid Nazir took over as Military Secretary to President
Mamnoon
Hussain.
Aug 08: A Pakistani Officer Cadet Shaheeer Ullah Khan won distinction at the
Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst by gaining three awards on the basis of his
outstanding
performance
over
a
year.
He was presented with three awards by General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the

General Staff, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst's annual 'The

Sovereign's
Parade'.
Aug 09: Dawn newspaper appointed Mr Muhammad Ali Siddiqi as the
newspaper's first internal ombudsman to be called Dawn Readers' Editor (DRE).
Aug 11: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan named the
former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, former
caretaker chief minister Najam Sethi, retired senior judge of the Supreme Court,
Khalilur Rehman Ramday, and three senior serving officials of the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as having played a role in the rigging.
Aug 11: Making history, the National Assembly put the governments top audit
official, Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), in the dock, charging him with
misconduct for having received more than Rs4.6 million in what it called
excess salary and privileges in about three years and demanding his removal
through a presidential reference to the Supreme Judicial Council.
Aug 11: The Election Tribunal in Karachi declared the election of Ghulam
Murtaza Jatoi, a member of the national assembly, void and held that the
winning candidate was not sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, honest and
Ameen.
The runner-up, a candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was declared to have
won the NA-211, a National Assembly seat in Naushahro Feroze.
Aug 11: Maulana Fazlur Rehman was elected unopposed chief of the Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam
for
the
fourth
three-year
term.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri retained the post of general secretary.
Aug 11: The Supreme Court restored Pervez Rathore as acting chairman and
Kamaluddin Tipu as member of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority
(Pemra).
Aug 11: Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal
announced various projects, including a Rs10 billion Endowment Fund, for
promotion
of
education
in
the
country.
Aug 11: Pakistan Vision 2025, unveiled by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, gave
10-point agenda for adding 25,000 megawatt electricity into national grid till
2025 in order to overcome lingering crisis in the country.
Aug 12: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif requested the Supreme Court to

announce a commission to investigate PTIs allegations about the rigging in the

May 2013 general elections in a bid to resolve the prevailing political crisis.
Aug 12: The Punjab police rounded up dozens of office-bearers and activists of
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in several districts of the province during a crackdown.
Aug 12: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek
(PAT) reached a four-point accord under which they will jointly hold the
planned
Aug
14
march.
Aug 12: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated Qainchi signal-free
junction
project.
The scheme, completed within 170 days at the busiest point of Ferozepur Road,
will benefit more than 200,000 vehicles daily, saving fuel worth Rs 2 billion
annually.
Aug 12: Minister of State for Information and Technology, Anusha Rehman
and State Minister for National Health Services Regulation and Coordination,
Saira Afzal Tarar inaugurated the operation of Azadi Train at Margalla Station,
Islamabad.
Aug 14: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan finally announced the
government's decision to allow, in principle, both the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
(PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to march on the capital.
Aug 14: Pakistan Navy took over the command of the multinational naval
counter-terrorism coalition force from the UK Royal Navy.
The change of command of Combined Task Force150 took place at the United
States Naval Forces Central Command Headquarters in Bahrain and
Commodore Sajid Mahmood took over command of CTF-150 from
Commodore
Jeremy
Blunden
of
the
Royal
Navy.
Aug 14: On the 68th Independence Day of Pakistan, the Capital Development
Authority (CDA) raised highest flag-pole of South Asia in Islamabad.
The National Flag measuring 60ft x 40ft at height of 215 feet is fluttering
between
Islamabad
Highway
and
sector
H-8.
Aug 15: Moving quickly to pre-empt any possible military action against the
democratically elected government, a four-judge bench of the Supreme Court,
headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk and consisting of Justice Jawwad S.
Khawaja, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and Justice Mushir Alam, ordered
state functionaries to act in accordance with the principles laid down in the case
of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, otherwise known as July 31, 2009

verdict.
Aug 15: The Sindh High Court declined a request of the Election Commission
of Pakistan to appoint judicial officers as district returning officers, returning
officers and assistant returning officers for by-elections on two provincial
assembly
seats.
Aug 15: The National Refinery Limited awarded around $242.135 million of
contract of installing its different plants to a Chinese company.
Trade

&

Economy

July 16: The government decided to establish dry ports at Torkham, Chaman
and Wagha border points to facilitate trade with neighbouring countries.
The project will be completed in 36 months, which will make Pakistan third
country in South Asia after Bangladesh and India having dedicated land ports
for
handling
goods
and
passenger
traffics
at
borders.
The establishment of land ports was part of the Strategic Trade Policy
Framework
(2012-15)
announced
in
December
2012.
July 17: The booming Karachi stock market saw the KSE-100 index cross the
coveted 30,000 points mark the highest ever in the bourse's history.
July 18: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec)
formally approved two major projects the Gadani Power Park infrastructure
development project and Rs25.5 billion for the first phase of the Greater
Karachi
Water
Supply
Scheme.
July 19: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) left its key policy rate unchanged at
10
per
cent
for
the
fourth
consecutive
time.
The rupee has remained stable in recent months as the country has rebuilt its
foreign exchange reserves following the successful sale of the $2billion
Eurobond, auction of 3G and 4G spectrum licences, and injection of cash from
bilateral
and
multilateral
lenders.
July 22: The federal government approved a proposal to float two special
economic zones in Sindh, which will provide guarantees to investors under the
Special Economic Zones Act of 2012 because under the said law, any incentives
extended to investors cannot be withdrawn without an act of parliament.

July 24: Planning and Development Secretary Hassan Nawaz Tarar blamed
Pakistan's failure to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on low
savings
and
financial
crisis.
Pakistan's savings were only at 13.2 per cent, almost 50 per cent less than its
neighbours such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. Mr Tarar said
that the national savings of Bangladesh are currently at 29 per cent.
July 24: Bestway Cement Limited (LPCL) sealed the deal for buyout of 75.86
per cent shares in Lafarge Pakistan Cement Limited for purchase consideration
of
$218
million.
Aug 11: The stock market suffered its largest ever-one-day drop in share prices
with the KSE-100 index witnessing a free fall of 1,309.09 points, or 4.46 per
cent.
The index has lost 2,243 points, or 7.56pc, in just six trading sessions, which
started the previous week, wiping out Rs486bn from the market capitalisation.
Transfers

and

Postings

July 20: The Punjab government appointed Hanif Khatana as the new advocate
general. Khatana has previously served as the additional advocate general.
July 26: Provincial Governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai administered the oath
of acting Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court to Justice Ghulam Mustafa
Mengal.
Aug 08: President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of the prime minister,
approved the appointment of Justice Rizwan-ul-Haq Mehmood, a retired BS-22
officer of the Foreign Service of Pakistan, as member Federal Public Service
Commission.
Aug 09: Former judge of the Lahore High Court and Federal Shariat Court
Sheikh Farooq Ahmed was appointed as chairman of Federal Service Tribunal
for
a
period
of
three
years.
Aug 12: Punjab government appointed Dr Nasir Javed as Special Secretary
Health,
Punjab.
Sports
July 23: The Punjab Rugby Association (PRA) elected Rizwan Malik and

Salman Majeed as president and secretary of the association respectively.

July 28: Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life for
match fixing in 2000, will have money from frozen pension funds released to
him
by
the
Pakistan
Cricket
Board.
Aug 02: Pakistan boxer Mohammad Waseem hit back at the judges after losing
the final of the flyweight category to Australian Andrew Moloney at the
Commonwealth
Games
in
Glasgow.
Waseem lost by a unanimous decision with the judges scoring for Moloney in
all
three
rounds.
Aug 06: The Pakistan and Indian Punjab sports authorities collaborated to
launch the World Kabaddi League (WKL) from August 9.
Aug 06: Misbah-ul-Haq became the first Pakistani and 21st player overall to
lead in Test match after 40th birthday. He was 40 years and 70 days old on the
opening day of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at Galle International
Stadium.
Aug 07: Top seed Muhammad Abid (ZTBL) clinched men's singles title of the
National
Ranking
Tennis
Championship.
Aug 11: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, the world's top-ranked bowler in
one-day cricket, was reported for a suspect action, the second such incident in
his
career.
Aug 12: Former Pakistan Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria lost his final legal
challenge in an English court against a life ban imposed by the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for spot-fixing while playing for county side Essex.
Judge Stanley Burton, sitting in Englands Court of Appeal, said an application
by Kaneria to appeal against a life ban imposed by the ECB in June 2012, was
totally
without
merit.
Obituaries
July 22: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Khurram Gulfam passed away
at
the
Services
Hospital.
July 24: Comedian Mahmood Khan, who entertained people for more than
three
decades,
breathed
his
last.
He
was
54.
July 26: Majid Nizami, a veteran journalist and editor-in-chief of the Nawai

Waqt

Group,

died.

He

was

86.

July 28: Shahid Sajjad, a distinguished artist and the country's premier sculptor,
passed
away.
He
was
77.
July 28: Ashraf Liaquat Ali Khan, the elder son of slain PM Liaquat Ali Khan
and former Sindh governor Begum Ra'ana Liaquat, died. He was 77.
He
was
born
in
Simla,
India,
on
October
3,
1937.
Aug 01: Retired Brigadier Niaz Ahmed, who played a very active role in
negotiations between General Pervez Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif while the
latter
was
in
exile,
died
at
the
age
of
80.
Aug 03: Veteran politician and the last crown prince of the princely state of
Swat, Miangul Aurangzeb passed away in Islamabad. He was 86.
Miangul Aurangzeb, who served as governor of NWFP (now Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa) in 1999 and governor of Balochistan from 1997 to 1999, was
born on May 28, 1928 in Saidu Sharif. His father Miangul Abdul Haq Jahanzeb
was the last ruler (Wali) of the princely Swat state. Miangul Aurangzeb joined
army in 1948 and served as aide-de-camp (ADC) to the then president Ayub
Khan.
Miangul Aurangzeb represented the princely state of Swat in the West Pakistan
Assembly
from
1956
to
1958.
During the martial law of Ayub Khan, he was nominated to National Assembly
in
1962.
Aug 03: Begum Dr Ashraf Abbasi, former deputy speaker of the National
Assembly and a close aide to PPP founder leader Z.A. Bhutto and Benazir
Bhutto,
died.
She
was
91.
Aug 08: Anita Ghulam Ali, one of the country's most famous teachers who
served twice as education minister of Sindh. She was 76.
Place

in

News

Islamabad
On July 21, Speakers at a consultative seminar on 'Climate Risks and its
Impacts on Markets and Growth: The Case of Pakistan', called for an immediate
induction of social protection to help the country sustain and transit towards
more eco-friendly approaches as Pakistan is ranked as the eight most vulnerable
country
in
the
world
to
climate
change.

The seminar was organised at Islamabad by Sustainable Development Policy

Institute (SDPI) as a first test run to share reports on climate risks and climate
markets and identifying multiple vulnerabilities to climate change within
Pakistan.
Lahore
On Aug 07, the Pakistan Model United Nations (PKMUN) 2014 concluded at
Lahore after a day of committee sessions. During the sessions, the conference
committees passed their final resolutions on the crises being addressed as
delegates reached consensus on diverse topics, including the Iraq Crisis,
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Women's Rights and the US in Afghanistan.
People

in

Aamir

News
Bhatti

On July 17, Aamir Bhatti, a young Pakistani seminarian preparing to become a

Catholic priest in Rome for the past three years, was selected in the Vatican
cricket
team.
Lord

Tariq

Ahmad

On July 18, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon was promoted to Parliamentary

Under Secretary of State at UK's Department for Communities and Local
Government.
Tehmina

Durrani

On July 24, the French ambassador in Pakistan gave an award to Tehmina

Durrani for her writings on social and women development. France announced
the award for Tehmina as she has been working actively to highlight the issues
concerning
women.
Samina

Baig

On July 26, Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb all seven
highest peaks in the seven continents in just under eight months when she stood
at the top of Mt Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia, with her brother, holding the
Pakistani
flag
high.
Deepak

Perwani

On July 28, Deepak Perwani, who recently received accolades from the
European Fashion Council, earned 6th place in the Eirene Awards's list of top
ten
designers
of
the
world.
International
July 16: A Swedish court upheld its detention order on Julian Assange,
reaffirming the legal basis for an international warrant for the WikiLeaks
founder which has kept him hiding in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for
two
years.
July 16: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn-in for a new term.
July 16: A court in the Netherlands ruled that the Dutch state was liable for the
deaths of over 300 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the Srebrenica massacre,
the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.
Families of the victims had brought a case to the Dutch government over the
1995 killings, accusing Dutch UN peacekeepers of failing to protect the 8,000
slaughtered by ethnic Serb troops just a few months before the end of the
Bosnian
war.
July 17: A Malaysian airliner carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala
Lumpur
crashed
in
rebel-held
east
Ukraine.
Ukraine's government and pro-Russian insurgents traded blame for the disaster.
July 17: The World Punjabi Congress nominated new office-bearers for its
Indian chapter. The new leaders are: Prof Deepak Manmohan Singh (director
Punjabi Centre, Punjabi University, Patiala), president; Dr Vaneeta (Sahitya
Award Winner, New Delhi), vice-president; Prof Ravail Singh (University of
Delhi), general secretary; Gurbhajan Gill (eminent writer), secretary; and Veer
Davinder Singh Hakam Wala, in charge Press and Publicity.
July 17: Sri Lanka appointed a high-powered three member panel of
international experts to advise the post-war commission appointed last year to
investigate the complaints of missing persons in Sri Lanka. The mandate of the
commission was expanded to include an inquiry into the war crimes allegedly
committed
by
the
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam.
July 17: A crater was discovered in Russia's Siberia region. Russian scientists
believe the 60-metre-wide crater could be the result of changing temperatures in
the region. 80 per cent of the crater appeared to be made up of ice and that there

were no traces of an explosion, eliminating the possibility that a meteorite had

struck
the
area.
July 17: Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Sajjad
Karim was re-appointed as chairman of the European Parliament's powerful
Code
of
Conduct
President
Advisory
Committee.
July 17: The world is getting warmer, as greenhouse gases reach historic highs
and Arctic sea ice melts, making 2013 one of the hottest years on record, said
the annual State of the Climate report 2013. It is a review of scientific data and
weather events over the past year, compiled by 425 scientists from 57
countries.
July 17: Thailand's military government gave permission for former Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to travel overseas for the first time since it
overthrew
her
government
in
May.
July 17: The United States began a joint naval exercise with South Korea as the
South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, urged her forces to retaliate with a
strong initial countermeasure if North Korea provoked the country militarily.
July 17: Kyushu Electric Power Company's Sendai plant, a nuclear plant in
Japan, cleared an initial safety hurdle that could make it the first nuclear facility
to restart under new safety regulations designed after the 2011 Fukushima
disaster.
July 17: The Australian government repeated laws requiring large companies to
pay for carbon emissions, fulfilling a key election promise of Prime Minister
Tony
Abbott.
The Senate voted 39 to 32 to repeal the so-called carbon tax, after Mr Abbott's
conservative government secured the support of several independent senators.
July 18: Israel intensified its land offensive in Gaza with artil1ery, tanks and
gunboats and warned it could significantly widen an operation.
July 18: The Colombo High Court sentenced, Sampath Chandrapushpa Vidana
Pathirana, a politician belonging to Sri Lanka's ruling party to 20 years rigorous
imprisonment on charge of murdering a British Muslim tourist.
July 18: US President Barack Obama announced to have seen evidence to
suggest that Russianbacked separatists fired the surface-to-air missile, which
brought
down
a
Malaysian
airliner
in
Ukraine.

July 18: An Italian appeals court acquitted former Premier Silvio Berlusconi in
a sex-for-hire case, reversing a lower court conviction that had carried a sevenyear prison sentence and a lifetime ban on holding political office.
July 18: People around the world celebrated Mandela Day for the first time
since the iconic South African leader's death by doing good deed on what would
have
been
his
96th
birthday.
July 18: Some of the world's top AIDS experts, bound for an international
conference in Melbourne, Australia, were among those killed in Malaysian
Airlines
MH17
crash.
July 19: Iran and six world powers failed to meet their target date for cutting a
nuclear deal but agreed to extend the talks until Nov 24 in a bid to overcome
stubborn differences over the size and capacity of activities by Tehran that could
be
used
to
make
nuclear
arms.
July 19: The UN team tasked with investigating allegations of human rights
violations and war crimes against the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), will hold hearings in New York, Geneva and
Bangkok.
July 19: Israel's operation against Hamas saw one of its bloodiest days, with 46
Palestinians killed in Gaza and two Israeli soldiers dying in a clash with
militants
who
infiltrated
the
Jewish
state.
July 21: China agreed to provide Venezuela with a new $4 billion credit line,
with the money to be repaid by oil shipments from OPEC member Venezuela.
The deal was inked during a 24-hour visit to Venezuela by Chinese President Xi
Jinping,
who
is
on
a
tour
of
Latin
America.
The money will go into the Joint Chinese-Venezuela Fund, which focuses on
infrastructure and economic development in the South American country.
July 21: Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili fired five ministers and
moved two to other ministerial positions in the first cabinet reshuffle since
coming
to
power
two
years
ago.
July 21: June 2014 was the hottest June since record-keeping began in 1880,
according to a monthly report out by US government climate scientists.
July 22: A scandal involving expired meat sold by a China unit of US food

supplier OSI Group spread to Japan, as McDonald's confirmed that the now shut
factory
provided
Chicken
McNuggets
to
its
restaurants.
Shanghai authorities shut an OSI plant a supplier to McDonald's and KFC in
China for mixing out-of-date meat with fresh product, re-labelling expired
goods
and
other
quality
problems.
July 22: Turkish authorities arrested scores of senior police officers on
suspicion of illegally eavesdropping on top officials, including Prime Minister
Recep
Tayyip
Erdogan.
July 22: The reform-minded governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, was declared
the winner of Indonesia's presidential election. He will now lead the world's
third-biggest
democracy.
July 22: EU foreign ministers agreed to speed up wider sanctions against
Russia and to examine tougher measures after the downing of Malaysian
Airlines
flight
MH17
allegedly
by
pro-Moscow
rebels.
At a meeting in Brussels, the EU foreign ministers for the first time raised the
possibility of restricting Russian access to European capital markets, defence
and energy technology, asking the executive European Commission to draft
proposals.
July 22: British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a worldwide ban on
female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage as he launched the first
UN-backed Girl Summit on issues that affect millions around the globe.
Mr Cameron announced that parents in Britain would face prosecution for
failing to prevent their daughters from being subjected to FGM.
July 22: A US federal appeals court ruled that the federal government may not
subsidize health insurance plans for people in 36 states that decided not to set up
their
own
marketplaces
under
the
law.
July 23: The United Nations launched an international inquiry into human
rights violations and crimes that may have been committed by Israel during its
military
offensive
in
the
Gaza
Strip.
The UN Human Rights Council condemned the Israeli assault which involved
disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks, including aerial bombing of civilian
areas, collective punishment, and the killing of more than 650 Palestinians.

July 23: The Israelis admitted for the first time that Hamas has now hardened
into
a
formidable
foe.
July 23: A Somali lawmaker and prominent singer-songwriter, Saado Ali
Warsame, was shot dead in the capital Mogadishu by Shebab insurgents.
July 23: The Saudi cabinet decided to allow women to contest and vote in the
municipal elections to be held next year in a major step taken against the
background
of
existing
political
and
social
norms.
July 23: Animal feed manufacturer Dodson and Horrell launched an
investigation after Queen Elizabeth's racehorse Estimate tested positive for the
banned
substance
morphine.
Buckingham Palace said that Estimate, winner of 2013's Ascot Gold Cup and
runner-up this year, was one of the five horses to have tested positive for
morphine, allowed in training as a pain killer or sedative but banned on race
days.
July 24: Kurdish politician Fuad Masum was named Iraq's new president.
Massoum, 76, one of the founders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party led
by the previous president, Jalal Talabani, accepted the position after winning
two-thirds
of
the
votes.
July 24: China's food regulator visited close to 600 restaurants, businesses and
food distributors as it investigates a fast spreading food safety scare that has
dragged in a number of global brands and hit food outlets as far away as Japan.
July 24: The United States, India and Japan are set to kick off week-long war
games in the Pacific, beefing up naval ties as they warily eye an increasingly
assertive
China
and
its
military
buildup.
Known as the Malabar Exercise, the annual event usually involves India and the
US, but Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) will take part this year,
the
third
time
since
2007.
July 24: Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his
resignation, opening the way for new elections that would reflect the country's
starkly changed political scene after the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor
Yanukovych
in
February.
July 24: Far-right hawk Reuven Rivlin was sworn in as Israel's 10th president

at a formal ceremony in parliament which saw elder statesman Shimon Peres

stepping
down.
July 24: Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation,
expressed deep concern over the killings of children in Gaza in the ongoing war.
In a statement issued, it said children were bearing the brunt of the ongoing
conflict. One in five people being killed are children and the number has
increased by over 40 per cent since the ground offensive into Gaza began on
July
17.
July 24: An Air Algerie flight crashed en route from Ouagadougou in Burkina
Faso
to
Algiers
with
110
passengers
on
board.
July 24: The new jihadist rulers of Iraq's northern city of Mosul completely
levelled
the
shrine
of
Hazrat
Yunus
(PBUH).
July 24: The United Nations sent its first humanitarian aid convoy into rebelheld areas of Syria without government consent as UN chief Ban Ki-moon
accused warring parties of denying assistance to millions of people in need as a
tactic
of
war.
July 25: Kyrgyzstan's exiled former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was
sentenced in absentia to life in prison and his assets confiscated for trying to put
down
anti-government
protests
in
2010.
July 25: An American peace ambassador, Ron McGerity, a 60-year-old who
had travelled 120,000 kilometres (75,000 miles) over the past 15 years on his
bike visiting 61 countries with a message of peace, was run over and killed by a
Russian
drunk
driver
in
a
hit-and-run
accident.
July 26: Norway closed part of the airspace over its second city Bergen and
tightened border checks, two days after the country upped security following a
terror
alert.
July 26: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe struck a series of energy deals
with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the start of a five-country Latin
American
tour.
July 26: Terrorists from the Islamic State group that controls large parts of Iraq
have blown up a revered religious shrine of Prophet Shees (AS) in Mosul.
July 27: The wife of Cameroon's vice prime minister was kidnapped and at

least three people were killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in the
northern
town
of
Kolofata.
July 28: World Hepatitis Day was observed under the theme of Think Again to
raise awareness about the disease and to consider viral hepatitis a silent killer.
This
was
the
7th
annual
World
Hepatitis
Day.
July 31: Jume Tahir, the government-appointed imam of China's 600-year-old,
and the largest mosque, Id Kah mosque in the city of Kashgar, was killed.
July 31: The US House of Representatives passed a measure that will let House
Speaker John Boehner of Ohio sue President Barack Obama for failing to
implement parts of the Affordable Care Act without authorisation from the
Congress.
July 31: Bolivia renounced a visa exemption agreement with Israel in protest
over its offensive in Gaza, and declared it a terrorist state.
July 18: Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon was promoted as Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local
Government.
His responsibilities will include departmental business in the House of Lords,
European programmes, transparency, productivity, procurement and value of
money.
Aug 03: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck south-western China, killing at
least 367 people and leaving 1,881 injured in a remote area of Yunnan province.
Aug 04: Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Iyad
Ameen Abdullah Madani admitted that the Arab states cannot take any practical
steps
to
stop
Israel
from
attacking
Gaza.
Aug 04: An overloaded ferry sank in rough conditions in central Bangladesh
with up to 200 passengers on board, in the latest disaster to hit the country's
rivers.
Aug 04: World leaders commemorated the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of
World War I by warning of lessons to be learned in the face of today's many
crises,
including
Ukraine.
Aug 04: The Human Rights Watch accused the Israeli forces of firing on and
killing
civilians
in
the
southern
Gaza
town
of
Khuzaa.

Aug 04: Islamic State (IS) fighters captured a strategically key hydroelectric
dam, the Mosul Dam. This electricity-generating dam provides electricity for
the
1.7
million
residents
of
Mosul.
Aug 05: LinkedIn paid nearly $6 million in back wages and damages to 359
current and former employees after a US investigation found it had failed to
compensate
them
appropriately
for
overtime
work.
Aug 05: A South African village became the first in the world to be powered by
fuel cells. Experts and administrators hope the new scheme could help remote
areas of the continent access electricity for the first time.
Aug 05: Egypt's president inaugurated the digging of a new section of the Suez
Canal, a $4 billion military-led project to expand a key corridor of world trade
that
he
says
will
be
finished
next
year.
Aug 05: An Afghan soldier shot dead Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene at an army
training centre, named the Marshal Fahim National Defence University, in
Kabul. He is the highest-ranking American officer to be killed since the
September
11,
2001
attacks.
Aug 05: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to draft a
response to unacceptable Western sanctions over Moscow's perceived backing
of
pro-Kremlin
rebels
in
Ukraine's
volatile
east.
Aug 05: Senior Foreign Office Minister and Minister for Faith and
Communities Baroness Sayeeda shocked Prime Minister David Cameron by
tendering her resignation from the cabinet in protest at morally indefensible
UK
government
policy
on
Israel's
aggression
on
Gaza.
Aug 07: The United States put Harakat-ul-Mujahideen and all its affiliates on a
list of foreign terrorist organisations and specially designated terrorists.
Aug 07: Two Khmer Rouge leaders, Brother Number Two Nuon Chea, and
Khieu Samphan, were jailed for life after being found guilty of crimes against
humanity, the first sentences against top figures of a regime responsible for the
deaths
of
up
to
two
million
Cambodians.
Aug 08: More than 200 celebrities from the worlds of sport, literature, theatre
and the arts signed an open love letter to the people of Scotland, urging them to
vote
no
to
independence
in
the
coming
referendum.

Aug 08: The main suspect in the murder of India's Phoolan Devi was found
guilty, 13 years after the iconic bandit queen was gunned down in broad
daylight.
Aug 08: West Africa's Ebola epidemic constitutes an international health
emergency and the virus, which has killed nearly 1,000 people, could continue
spreading for months, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
Aug 08: Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates agreed in writing to work
together to form a government of national unity, following meetings with US
Secretary
of
State
John
Kerry.
Aug 09: Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through
central London, urging Britain to take a tougher line against Israel over its
military
assault
on
Gaza.
The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign said 150,000 people attended the march,
the third major demonstration for Gaza in London in the past four weeks.
Aug 09: An Egyptian court dissolved the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the
political
wing
of
the
banned
Muslim
Brotherhood.
Aug 12: The UN refugee agency accused Sri Lanka of breaking international
law in its growing campaign to kick out Pakistani asylum seekers without a fair
hearing.
Aug 12: Europe's final robot cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS)
docked
with
its
target
as
scheduled.
Aug 12: The US and Australia signed an agreement that will allow the two
countries' militaries to train and work better together as US Marines and airmen
deploy
in
and
out
of
the
country.
Aug 12: The World Health Organisation authorised the use of experimental
drugs to fight Ebola as the death toll topped 1,000 and a Spanish priest became
the
first
European
to
succumb
to
the
latest
outbreak.
Aug 12: A Chinese zoo unveiled newborn panda triplets billed as the world's
first known surviving trio, in what it hailed as a miracle given the animal's
famously
low
reproductive
rate.
Aug 12: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a second visit to Jammu and
Kashmir condemned the continuing proxy war by Pakistan.

Aug 13: Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian-born mathematician, became the first

woman to win a prestigious Fields Medal, widely viewed as the Nobel Prize of
mathematics.
Aug 14: Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism announced this
year's winners of the oldest award in international journalism, the Maria Moors
Cabot Prize, for excellence in reporting on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Columbia said those being honoured include Frank Bajak, chief of Andean news
for The Associated Press; Tracy Wilkinson, Mexico bureau chief for The Los
Angeles Times; Paco Calderon, cartoonist with El Heraldo de Mexico, and
Giannina Segnini, until recently the editor of the investigating team of La
Nacion
in
Costa
Rica.
A special citation is being given to investigative journalists Tamoa Calzadilla
and Laura Weffer for work they did at Ultimas Noticias of Venezuela.
Aug 14: The United Nations announced its highest level of emergency for the
humanitarian crisis ignited by the advance of Islamic State (IS) militants across
much
of
Iraq's
north
and
west.
Aug 14: Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos died when his
campaign jet slammed into houses in Santos city in bad weather, killing all
seven
people
on
board
and
setting
buildings
alight.
Aug 14: The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu passed legislation upholding
the right of men to wear traditional wraparound garments known as dhotis in
fancy clubs and end what lawmakers called sartorial despotism.
Aug 15: The leader of Lebanese group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrullah, described
the radical Islamist movement that has seized territory in Iraq and Syria as a
growing monster that could threaten Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other
Gulf
states.
Aug 15: Panama celebrated the 100th anniversary of its famous canal with a
ceremony and gala, even as it scrambled to make up lost time by enlarging it to
maintain
its
competitiveness
in
the
21st
century.
The canal, an engineering masterwork that transformed global commerce,
opened on August 15, 1914, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and
saving ships the long, dangerous trip around South America.

Aug 15: Boko Haram Islamists kidnapped scores of people from fishing
communities in Nigeria's extreme northeast, hauling some of the hostages away
on
boats
across
Lake
Chad.
Aug 15: Iraqis and foreign brokers alike breathed a sigh of relief after Prime
Minister
Nuri
al-Maliki
stepped
aside.
Aug 15: India's new rightwing premier Narendra Modi announced an end to
Soviet-style economic planning in an Independence Day speech as he pressed
ahead with overhauling cumbersome government policymaking.
Aug 15: US universities dominated the top 20 in an annual ranking of global
educational institutions released by a Chinese organisation, with Harvard
remaining
in
first
place
ahead
of
Stanford.
The top 20 in the 2014 Academic Ranking of World Universities included only
four non-American institutions, all from Europe including Cambridge in fifth
place
and
Oxford
in
joint
ninth.
Aug 15: A Sri Lankan court ordered authorities to stop deporting Pakistani
asylum
seekers.
Trade

&

Economy

July 17: Microsoft Corp will slash up to 18,000 jobs, or 14 per cent of its
workforce
this
year.
Major
job
cuts
by
tech
firms
Here are some of the major job cuts announced by technology companies in
recent
years:
Hewlett-Packard
May 2014: The personal computer maker announced to cut as many as 16,000
jobs.
Sept 2012: HP said it would lay off 29,000 employees over the next two years.
Intel
April

Corp
2014: The

chipmaker

had

cut

1,500

jobs

in

Costa

Rica.

Jan 2014: Announced plans to reduce its global workforce of 107,000 by about
5
per
cent
this
year.

Google

Inc.

March 2014: The search giant said it would cut 1,200 jobs, or 10pc of the
workforce at its then Motorola Mobility unit, on top of the 4,000 it eliminated in
August
2012.
Texas Instruments (January 2014): The chipmaker said it would cut 1,100
jobs,
or
about
3pc
of
its
global
workforce.
Zynga Inc (January 2014): The game developer said it would shed 314 jobs, or
15pc
of
its
workforce,
to
slash
costs.
Acer (November 2013): The Taiwanese computer maker said it would cut 7pc
of
its
global
workforce
of
8,000.
Broadcom Corp (October 2013): The chipmaker said it would cut up to 1,150
jobs.
BlackBerry (September 2013): The smartphone maker said it would cut 4,500
jobs, or more than a third of its global workforce. Cisco Systems (August 2013):
Announced
4,000
job
cuts,
or
5pc
of
its
workforce.
AOL Inc (August 2013): The company said a restructuring would lil(ely reduce
its workforce by 10pc. AOL had 5,600 employees at the end of 2012.
Sony Corp (April 2012): The Japanese electronics and entertainment giant
announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs, or about 6pc of its global workforce.
July 28: The European Commission cleared Apple's $3 billion (2.2bn euros)
acquisition of US headphone maker and music streaming business Beats.
Aug 09: Four Silicon Valley companies including Apple and Google failed to
persuade a US judge to sign off on a $324.5 million settlement to resolve a
lawsuit by tech workers, who accused the firms of conspiring to avoid poaching
each
other's
employees.
Aug 15: Shares in US investment star Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway
group topped $200,000 apiece for the first time, less than eight years after
breaking
the
$100,000
barrier.
Already the priciest on US markets, Berkshire shares got even more expensive
for investors in a 7.5 per cent climb since the company announced record

quarterly

earnings

at

the

start

of

August.

At the close of trade Berkshire A shares were up $3,500, or 1.8pc, to

$202,850.00.
Obituaries
July 17: Heinz Zemanek, who briefly put Austria in the vanguard of European
computing in the 1950s with his May Breeze, the first computer on mainland
Europe to run purely on transistors instead of vacuum tubes, died at the age of
94.
July 31: Julio Grondona, the veteran president of the Argentine Football
Association (AFA) and FIFA vice president, died at the age of 82.
July 31: Ahed Zaqout, a former Palestinian national team player, was killed by
an
Israeli
bomb
that
hit
his
apartment
in
Gaza.
July 31: US documentary film director Robert Drew, considered the father of
American
cinema
verite,
died.
He
was
90
years
old.
Aug 04: Dick Smith, Hollywood's preeminent master of film make-up who
made a young Dustin Hoffman look like a 121-year-old man and who made
Linda Blair's head spin in The Exorcist, died. He was 92.
Smith, who was entirely self-taught, devised many of the innovations that
redefined movie make-up artistry, including new ways to create age-lined faces
and to depict blood spurting from bullet wounds. Even his formula for fake
blood, using corn syrup and food colouring, has become the Hollywood
standard.
He shared an Academy Award for best make-up in 1985 with Paul LeBlanc for
Amadeus. In that film, Smith did what he considered his finest work, creating
the skin and hair that transformed actor F. Murray Abraham into the aging
composer Antonio Salieri, the embittered rival of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Aug 04: James Brady, the White House press secretary who was wounded
during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, died. Brady
was
73.
Aug 09: The former Dynamo Kiev and Soviet international mid-fielder Andrei
Bal
died
at
the
age
of
56.

Aug 11: Famed Croatian goalkeeper Vladimir Beara, who secured a 1952
Olympic silver for the former Yugoslavia national team, died, aged 85.
Aug 12: Robin Williams, the actor whose madcap comic style made him one of
television and film's biggest stars, was found dead after an apparent suicide at
his
home
in
Northern
California.
He
was
63.
Aug 13: Legendary actress Lauren Bacall, an icon of Hollywood's golden age
who lit up the silver screen in a series of classic movies opposite her husband
Humphrey
Bogart,
died
aged
89.
Sports
July 18: Germany captain Philipp Lahm quit international soccer at the age of
30, five days after leading his side to World Cup victory in Brazil.
July 18: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the first of four One-day
Internationals, the latter's first bilateral series against a Test-playing nation.
July 20: Germany's Nico Rosberg won his home grand prix for Mercedes to his
overall lead in the Formula One championship to 14 points.
July 20: Caroline Wozniacki claimed her first Tour title of the year by strolling
to a win over Roberta Vinci in the Istanbul Cup final.
July 22: The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) named Dunga, 50, to run
the national team after Luis Felipe Scolari's humiliation at the World Cup,
including
a
devastating
7-1
defeat
by
Germany.
July 27: Pablo Andujar of Spain won his first title in more than two years,
beating Juan Monaco of Argentina in the Swiss Open final.
July 28: Top-seeded John Isner won his second straight Atlanta ATP title with a
victory
over
unseeded
Israeli
Dudi
Sela.
July 28: Vincenzo Nibali became the first Italian to win the Tour de France
since
the
late
Marco
Pantani.
Aug 02: Belgium's David Goffin claimed his first ATP Tour title by beating
Dominic
Thiem
to
win
the
Kitzbuehel
Cup.
Aug 02: Two years after winning the inaugural Olympic title, the 31-year-old
Nicola Adams also became the first female Commonwealth Games boxing

champion.
Aug 03: England triumphed in the Commonwealth Games medals table for the
first time in 28 years. Pakistan could win only four medals with three Silver
Medals
and
one
Bronze
Medal.
Aug 04: World number one Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber in the final
of
the
Stanford
Classic.
Aug 08: Didier Drogba announced his retirement from international football
after
12
years
playing
for
the
Ivory
Coast.
Aug 11: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat second seeded Roger Federer to cap a
scintillating march to the Rogers Cup title. The 13th-seeded Frenchman won his
first
ATP
Tour
title
of
the
season
and
11th
overall.
Aug 11: Former world-record holder Asafa Powell won a 100-metre race in
Brazil
in
10.02
seconds,
his
fastest
mark
of
the
year.
Aug 14: Roger Federer became the first man to win 300 matches at the ATP
Masters
1000
level.
Aug 14: Elmira Alembekova of Russia kept up a national tradition when she
strode to victory in the 20km walk at the European Athletics Championships.
Alembekova
finished
in
1hr
27min
56sec.
Aug 14: Borussia Dortmund beat Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup to
win
the
first
domestic
title
of
the
season.
Aug 14: Luis Suarez failed to win a reprieve from his four-month ban for biting
Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, but got a green light to resume
training.
Aug 15: Yohann Diniz of France smashed the world 50km walk record at the
European Athletics Championships in a time of 3hr 32min 33sec.
The previous record of 3:34:14 was set by Russia's Denis Nizhegorodov in
Cheboksary
in
May
2008.
Aug 15: Former world pole vault champion Giuseppe Gibilisco announced his
retirement from athletics after failing to qualify for the finals of the European
Championships
in
Zurich.

People

in

Robert

News

Downey

Jr

Robert Downey Jr, the star of Disney's Marvel superhero film franchises Iron
Man, and The Avengers, became Hollywood's highest paid actor for the
second consecutive year, with estimated earnings of $75 million.
Jarrel

Seah

and

Jennifer

Tang

On Aug 04, Jarrel Seah and Jennifer Tang, both 22, of Melbourne's Monash
University, were crowned winners of the Microsoft Imagine Cup in Seattle after
inventing an app that uses a selfie to detect if someone is anaemic.
Hu

Shull

On July 31, a Chinese investigative journalist, Hu Shull, whose work led to the
ouster of corrupt officials, and a Chinese environmental lawyer are among this
year's six recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, often regarded as Asia's
version
of
the
Nobel
Prize.
Jacques

Kallis

On July 31, South Africa's Jacques Kallis retired from all international cricket,
as one of the game's greatest all-rounders admitted that a swansong at the World
Cup
next
year
was
'a
bridge
too
far'.
Places
Washington

in

News
D.C.

On Aug 04, dozens of world leaders descended on Washington for the start of
President Barack Obama's first major US-Africa summit, focused on trade ties
but
also
overshadowed
by
war
and
disease.
Some 50 countries sent high-level delegations led by 35 presidents, nine prime
ministers, three vice presidents, two foreign ministers and a king to the three
days
of
talks
and
ceremony
in
the
US
capital.
Maiduguri,

Nigeria

On Aug 12, military wives in the restive Nigerian city of Maiduguri took to the
streets, burning tyres to prevent their husbands' deployment to fight Boko

Haram.
About 300 women and 500 children gathered at the gates of a military base in
the Borno state capital, claiming that their spouses were ill-equipped to take on
the
Islamist
militants.
London
On July 22, British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a worldwide ban
on female genital mutilation and child marriage as he launched the first UNbacked Girl Summit on issues that affect millions around the globe.
New

Delhi

Tihar Food Court in west Delhi, a rehabilitation effort kicked off by the Tihar
prison, was opened on an experimental basis while awaiting formal
clearances. There is nothing unusual, except that the most of employees are
convicted and are serving time in South Asia's largest prison complex.
World in Focus (Aug-Sep 2014)
National & International News & MCQs
Pakistan
Affairs
Special
(October,
2014)
Monday, September 01, 2014

National
Aug 16: Inqilab and Azadi marches settled down in Islamabad, flexing
their
muscles
in
more
ways
than
one.
Aug 16: A sessions judge ordered Lahore police to register a murder case
against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif,

several other PML-N leaders and some police officials over the June 17 Model
Town
incident.
Aug 16: Leaders of the PPP, PML-N and religious minority groups launched a
campaign in Sukkur and Ghotki districts against forced and underage marriages
and
religious
extremism.
Aug 17: Addressing a charged crowd that was all set to storm the 'red zone', PTI
Chairman Imran Khan ordered his supporters to launch a civil disobedience
movement
against
the
government.
Aug 17: Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) Director General Samina
Pervez launched a 100-kW digital transmitter at the Hyderabad Broadcasting
House.
Aug 18: New Delhi called off the Aug 25 meeting of foreign secretaries of the
two countries because of Pakistani high commissioner's consultative session
with
a
Hurriyat
leader.
Aug 19: ISPR issued a statement after midnight that called on all stakeholders
to exercise patience, wisdom and sagacity in the larger national interest.
Aug 19: The government of Pakistan awarded Ali Meer, the Khabarnak star, the
Pride of Performance award. Ali Meer, who is an IT graduate, started his
career as creative manager at Geo News and created over 100 political
cartoons.
Aug 20: The Supreme Court asked Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri to appear
before it to reply to a number of challenges filed against the sit-ins being staged
on
Constitution
Avenue
by
their
parties.
Aug 20: The army refused to mediate between the government and the
protesting parties to defuse the political crisis and instead asked both sides to
work
for
a
settlement
on
their
own.
Aug 20: Khwaja Shahad Ahmed, the recently-appointed chairman of the Azad
Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, and eight members took oath
of
their
respective
offices.
The

AJKPSC

comprises

chairman

and

nine

members.

Aug 20: A judicial tribunal in Balochsitan, headed by a senior judge of the

Balochistan High Court, Justice Noor Mohammad Maskanzai, assigned the task

to investigate the discovery of 17 mutilated bodies from two mass graves in

Totak area of Khuzdar district said in the report that security forces, intelligence
agencies and the government were not found involved in the case.
Aug 20: The Earthquake Memorial Bridge connecting Naluchi and Chattar on
the banks of River Jhelum was opened for traffic. The project, funded by the
Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), was completed in just over
four
years
at
a
cost
of
Rs.1.5
billion.
Aug 21: The Sindh police set up a fleet of 100 mobile vans equipped with
surveillance cameras to help the law-enforcement agency record crime scenes
while patrolling, snap-checking or raiding any criminal hideout.
Aug 22: PTI parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Shah Mehmood
Qureshi, submitted the resignations of the party legislators to the Speaker's
office.
Aug 22: The Baloch Human Rights Organisation (BHRO) and the banned
Baloch Student Organisation-Azad (BSOA) rejected the Balochistan Judicial
Tribunal's report in the discovery of mass graves in Khuzdar area and appealed
to
the
United
Nations
to
find
out
the
truth.
Aug 22: Pakistan Navy inducted a second batch of Alouette Helicopters into its
Fleet
Air
Arm.
Aug 23: A treason case was registered against Pakistan High Commissioner to
India, Mr Abdul Basit, and Hurriyat leader Shabir Ahmed Shah in India on the
orders
of
Allahabad
CGM
court.
Aug 26: The battered Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan suffered a huge blow with the
emergence of a new group of militants, named Jamaatul Ahrar, within it.
Aug 26: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet
approved a sovereign guarantee for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to
acquire a Rs1 billion loan for Hajj operations and allowed an increased tariff for
import
of
74MW
electricity
from
Iran.
Aug 26: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif witnessed the signing ceremony of a
financing agreement of $588.4 million with the World Bank relating to
development of Dasu Hydropower Project. Another agreement for $76.4 million
financing was signed for Sindh Agricultural Growth Project.
Aug 26: The one-member judicial commission investigating the June 17 Model
Town incident held the government responsible for the tragedy. The report said

the affidavits of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former law minister Rana
Sanaullah contained contradictions regarding the orders they reportedly issued
to police to disengage, and declared police acted on government orders.
Aug 27: The PTI submitted resignations of 28 of its 30 members of the Punjab
assembly.
Aug 28: Security forces got freed Prof Ajmal Khan, Vice Chancellor of the
Islamia University Peshawar, four years after his abduction by the Taliban
militants.
Aug 28: The Balochistan Assembly unanimously adopted the Balochistan
Prohibition
of
Private
Money
Lending
Bill,
2014.
The bill was tabled by Minister for Information and Law Abdul Rahim
Ziaratwal.
Aug 28: European Union lifted the temporary cargo ban imposed on Pakistan
International
Airlines
(PIA)
cargo
shipments
to
Europe.
Aug 29: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he had not sought the army
chief's intervention to break the deadlock in talks with protesting parties.
Aug 29: The Inter-Services Public Relations clarified that, in fact, the
government had asked Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to facilitate
negotiations
with
the
protesting
PTI
and
PAT.
Aug 29: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) became the first airline in
South Asia to achieve the two high aviation standards after it acquired approval
of
the
Air
Navigation
Order
(ANO)
145
and
147.
Sep 01: A mob of protesters from the PTI and PAT sit-ins stormed the
headquarters of Pakistan Television (PTV) and forced its staff to take two of the
state broadcaster's flagship channels PTV News and PTV World off the air.
Sep 01: All of PTI representatives in the Sindh Assembly filed their
resignations
in
the
assembly
secretariat.
Sep 01: Five cases were registered against the leaders and activists of the PTI
and the PAT on different charges, including sedition, murder attempt and
terrorism. More than 200 activists were arrested from the Constitution Avenue
and
hospitals.
Sep 01: Police inserted section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and three more
sections of the Pakistan Penal Code into the FIR about the June 17 Model Town

incident lodged against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister
Shahbaz
Sharif
and
19
others.
Sep 01: The World Bank approved $47.95 million to help Pakistan improve
nutrition status of its children under the age of two years, and of pregnant and
lactating
women
in
targeted
areas.
The money is meant for the Enhanced Nutrition for Mothers and Children
project specifically targeting women and the relatively high proportion of
stunting that occurs during pregnancy. It will also be used to support the scaling
up of well-proven maternal nutrition interventions for women of childbearing
age and sharpening the nutrition focus of antenatal visits and provision of daily
iron
folic
acid
supplementation
during
pregnancy.
Sep 04: Fifty-two people, three soldiers among them, were killed and over 90
others injured as torrential rain wreaked havoc in north-eastern Punjab and
Kashmir, causing a very high flood in river Chenab. A number of cities received
over
130mm
of
rain.
Sep 04: A Sessions Court acquitted former interior minister Rehman Malik in a
dual nationality case. On a directive of the apex court, the election commission
had filed complaints against Mr Malik and other legislators in 2012 for filing
false declarations along with their nomination papers for elections to conceal
their
dual
nationality.
Sep 04: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq accepted the resignation
of
estranged
PTI
leader
Makhdoom
Javed
Hashmi.
Sep 05: The PPP launched a wing to carry out relief work during natural
disasters and emergencies. The setting up of the party's 'social services wing'
was
announced
by
PPP
Co-Chairman
Asif
Ali
Zardari.
Sep 05: PPP Co-Chairman and former President Asif Ali Zardari appointed
Sherry Rehman as a member of Central Executive Committee of the Party.
Sep 06: Officials in Islamabad and Beijing announced the postponement of
Chinese
President
Xi
Jinping's
visit
to
Pakistan.
Sep 07: Hundreds of thousands of people were marooned, their houses
submerged and livestock washed away as the river Chenab in 'super flood' hit
600
villages
in
Gujranwala
and
Sialkot
regions.
Sep 07: Girls bagged all top three positions in the entrance test 2014 for

admissions to medical and dental colleges of Punjab, according to results

announced
by
the
University
of
Health
Sciences
(UHS).
A total of 44,243 candidates appeared in the entrance test held on August 31, out
of whom 19,231 scored 60 per cent and above marks. As many as 6,377 scored
50 to 59pc whereas 6,395 secured
40 to 49pc marks.
Sep 07: A report released by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
revealed that one in 10 girls globally 120 million have been sexually abused,
with violence against children taking increasingly insidious forms. The report,
'Hidden in Plain Sight: Statistical Analysis of Violence against Children',
surveys 190 countries, including Pakistan, and surveys boys and girls aged up to
19
years.
Sep 08: The Pakistan Navy foiled a militant attack on one of its facilities in
Karachi. Two militants were killed in the raid while four of the attackers were
captured leading to more arrests in other parts of the country.
Sep 08: The World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) observed
International Vulture Awareness Day 2014 at Lahore College for Women
University
(LCWU).
WWF regards the white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis) as one of its priority
species for conservation. This specie has been listed as critically endangered by
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) headquartered at
Gland,
Switzerland.
Sep 09: At least 20 people were killed and seven injured when the structure of a
double story mosque-cum-seminary partially collapsed in the congested
Daroghawala
locality.
Sep 09: The embassy of Netherlands and the Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM)
signed an MoU for establishing a vocational training centre in Timergarah Jail
in Lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the empowerment of women.
Sep 11: The Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) launched a water
management programme in Qila Abdullah district at an estimated cost of Rs70
million with the assistance of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Sep 12: A meeting of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council
(Ecnec) approved Rs33 billion for an emergency plan to eradicate polio, the
crippling
disease.

Sep 12: The army announced the arrest of all 10 Taliban terrorists involved in
the
attack
on
teenage
activist
Malala
Yousafzai.
Sep 12: A Unicef report titled Improving Children's Lives: Transforming the
Future,'' said that a baby dies every three minutes in Pakistan, with more than
350,000 children in Pakistan dying before the age of five. Of these deaths, 20
per cent are caused by pneumonia, even though Pakistan was first among South
Asian
countries
to
introduce
the
pneumococcal
vaccine.
The report marks 25 years since the General Assembly of the UN adopted the
Convention
on
the
Rights
of
the
Child.
Sep 13: Maulana Asmatullah Muawiya, head of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Punjab,
said that his group had decided to abandon its armed struggle in Pakistan and
instead would focus on peaceful struggle for the implementation of Shariah.
Sep 13: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared all the flood-affected areas as
calamity-hit and said the population of these areas would be steered out of the
current
miseries
caused
by
flash
floods.
Sep 14: 'International Day of Democracy' was observed in Pakistan and across
the
world.
Sep 15: Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) announced discovery of
hydrocarbons from exploratory well Adam West X-1 in Hala Block.
Sep 15: The executive board of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)
approved an inquiry against former chief minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam
Raisani for accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income during his
tenure as chief minister Balochistan to the tune of Rs 4.4 billion
(approximately) and also for allegedly misusing his authority and causing huge
loss
to
the
national
exchequer.
Sports
Aug 16: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) outclassed Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) in the final of All Pakistan NBP Hockey Tournament.
Aug 18: Pakistan's top internationals, Rashid-ul-Ghazi and Tehsin Gheewala
won
the
Nishan-i-Haider
Pairs
Bridge
Tournament.
Aug 18: Former diplomat Shaharyar Khan was elected chief of Pakistan Cricket
Board for a three-year term. He is the 30th chairman of the PCB but the only

one to have a second tenure. He previously had held the post between December
2003
and
October
2006.
Aug 23: Najam Sethi and Shakil Sheikh, both journalists, were named to lead
two powerful committees of the Governing Board (GB) of the Pakistan Cricket
Board
(PCB).
Three committees titled Executive, Cricket and Grassroots were formed at the
30th
meeting
of
the
Governing
Board.
Sep 01: Three Pakistanis; president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF)
Akhtar Rasool, Secretary Rana Mujahid and a high-profile coach of Pakistani
origin Tayyab Ikram were elected to important posts during the Asian Hockey
Federation
(AHF)
elections
held
in
Kuala
Lumpur.
Sep 01: Special Olympics Pakistan celebrated the fourth annual Eunice
Kennedy Shriver Day to pay tribute to the founder of the Special Olympics
world
body.
Sep 09: Top-ranked Pakistani off spinner Saeed Ajmal was suspended
indefinitely from international cricket for an illegal bowling action.
Sep 12: Muneeb Shafiq of Sindh created three new national records in under-12
category of the 19th National Boys Age Group Swimming Championship.
Sep 14: History was made in Pakistan tennis as the three grandchildren of
former Subcontinent legend late Kh Iftikhar Ahmad (undefeated national
champion 1947-61) represented Pakistan in Davis Cup tie against Thailand.
Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Samir Iftikhar, members of Davis Cup squad are sons
of Mrs Nosheen Eithisham (daughter) and Tayyab Iftikhar (son) while Miss
Ushna Suhail, FFC Sports Ambassador and Ladies National Champion,
daughter of Kh Suhail Iftikhar (son) would represent the country in Asian
games.
Obituaries
Aug 18: A renowned professor of cardiology and Chairperson of NJ University
of Medicine and Dentistry and Head of Medicine, Dr Bunyad Haider, passed
away.
Aug 19: Pakistan's first-ever world champion in any sport, squash star Hashim
Khan
died
in
the
United
States.
He
was
100.
Hashim Khan had won the sport's premier title, the British Open, seven times

between

1951

and

1958.

Aug 27: Prominent poet of Balochi language Ghulam Rasool Mulla, a.k.a. G.R
Mulla, who was known for his nationalistic and revolutionary poetry, passed
away.
He
was
75.
Aug 29: Senior journalist and editor of Weekly Quetta Times, Ghulam Tahir,
died.
He
was
86.
Sep 04: Leading ghazal and playback singer Habib Wali Mohammad passed
away at the age of 93. He was best known for his film ghazal 'Aaj Jaane Ki Zid
Na Karo' that catapulted him to widespread recognition. Making his appearance
at a time when ghazal singing was getting popular all over again during the
1960s and 1970s, Habib Wali Mohammad's singing style held a certain kind of
appeal that was simpler and more accessible to the listeners.
Sep

04: Veteran

actor

Maqsood

Hassan

passed

away

in

Karachi.

Sep 05: Former Pakistan Test umpire Ferozeuddin Butt died. He was 72.
Sep 06: Allama Ali Akbar Kumaili, a Shia cleric and son of former senator and
Jaffaria Alliance Pakistan chief, Allama Abbas Kumaili, was killed in Azizabad
area
of
Karachi.
Sep 07: Sarshar Siddiqui, a poet whose initial work was filled with scepticism
but later on he composed religious verses, died aged 88.
Sep 07: Former Sindh Ombudsman Yusuf Jamal died. He was 76.
Mr Jamal made a record by securing the highest marks in the CSP examination
in which he appeared in 1963 after completing post-graduation in political
science from the University of Karachi. The record remains unbreakable till this
day.
During Gen Ziaul Haq's rule, he resigned from the government service but later
on Mairaj Khalid appointed him as member of the Sindh Public Service
Commission
after
becoming
prime
minister
of
Pakistan.
Sep 08: Former MNA Mir Inayat Ali Talpur, died of cancer. He was 62.
Sep 10: Dr Masood Baig, a seminary teacher and son-in-law of Jamia Binoria
Al-Almia's founding chief Mufti Mohammed Naeem, was killed in an attack.

Sep 10: Parveen Saeed Haroon, the daughter of Allah Nawaz Khan and wife of
Haji Sir Abdullah Haroon's youngest son, Saeed Haroon, passed away. She
was
81.
Sep 12: Malik Anwar Ali Noon, veteran politician and former MNA, passed
away.
He
was
90.
Sep 15: Dr S.M. Rab, the longest serving physician of the country, passed away
in
Karachi.
He
was
85.
Economy
Aug 21: The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) signed an Implementation Agreement
(IA) with a Chinese company to allot 200 acres of land for the development of
two
coal-based
power
plants
of
660
megawatt
each.
Aug 25: The government awarded a licence to Canada's Tallahassee Resources
Inc. for exploration of oil and gas resources in Karak district of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
(KP).
Aug 27: A joint Pakistan-Germany business platform called Pakistan GATE
(German Association Trade and Economy) for the further development of trade
and
investment
projects
was
launched
in
Berlin.
The Pakistan Embassy in Berlin and the German Embassy in Islamabad will
serve as patrons through the respective ambassadors, Syed Hasan Javed and
Cyrill
Nunn.
Aug 28: Telenor Pakistan signed an agreement with its emergency response
partner, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), to mitigate the impact of
disasters
through
an
SMS-based
early
warning
system.
Aug 28: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FPCCI) and Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Manila to form a business council of
both
countries.
Sep 03: According to the 'Global Competitiveness Report' 2014-15 released by
the WEF, Pakistan's competitiveness among global economies has slightly
improved to 129 out of 144 in rankings published yearly by the World
Economic
Forum
(WEF).
The country was ranked 133 out of 148 in 2013-14, 124 out of 144 in 2012-13,
and
118
out
of
142
in
2011-12.

Sep 04: Pakistan assumed charge of the 10-member Economic Cooperation

Organisation (ECO) Chamber of Commerce and Industry for a period of three
years.
Sep 11: The Businessmen Group for the sixth consecutive term swept All
Pakistan Textile Mills Association's (Aptma) annual elections for 2014-15.
Mr S.M. Tanveer would be the central chairman, Seth Mohammad Akber
Punjab zone chairman while other office bearers and all zonal members,
belonging to the Businessmen Group, were declared elected unopposed for the
next
term.
Sep 11: According to details of the agreement signed by the State Bank and the
World Bank, the latter will help the SBP design a framework for coordinating
and
implementing
the
strategy.
The State Bank will pay $500,314 to the World Bank for the preparation of the
strategy. The agreement will expire on February 28, 2015.
Sep 12: Syed Asad Haider Mashadi of Mian Pervaiz Aslam Group was elected
unopposed as President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(RCCI)
for
the
year
2014-15.
Transfers

&

Postings

Aug 18: The Punjab government appointed Punjab Counter-Terrorism

Department Additional IG Captain (retired) Amin Wains as the new CCPO
Lahore. Mr Wains has replaced DIG Chaudhry Shafique Ahmad who was
removed from the post in connection with June 17 Model Town carnage.
Aug 22: Rear Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi and Rear Admiral Syed
Arifullah Hussaini were promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral with immediate
effect.
Sep 01: Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Tahir Alam Khan was appointed as the
DIG Operations and was also given the additional charge of the inspector
general of the police (IGP). The post of DIG operations had been lying vacant
since
three
years.
Sep 01: Justice Qazi Faaiz Essa was appointed as judge in the Supreme Court.
The Judicial Commission had recommended him for posting as judge of the
apex court. The Parliamentary Committee also approved it.
Sep 07: The Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court, Justice Ghulam Mustafa

Mengal, appointed the District and Sessions Judge (Inspection) Quetta, Imtiaz
Hussain,
registrar
of
the
High
Court
of
Balochistan.
Sep 11: The federal government issued the notification of the appointment of
Ghulam
Haider
Jamil
as
the
Inspector
of
Police
Sindh.
Sep 15: The provincial government appointed Dr Farhat Saleemi as the vicechancellor of the Government College Women University, Lahore.
People

&

ASMA

Places
SHIRAZI

On Aug 22, Asma Shirazi, a renowned journalist and TV anchor, was awarded
the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism.
HASHAM

HADI

KHAN

On Aug 23, the youngest member of Pakistan scrabble contingent taking part in
the 6th Sri Lanka International Scrabble Championship created a new world
record by scoring an eye-popping 878 points against Matheesha De Silva of Sri
Lanka.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest score ever
recorded in a scrabble match was made by Toh Wei Bin of Singapore who
scored 850 against Rick Kennedy of Scotland in 2012. No score of 800 plus has
been
witnessed
in
an
international
tournament.
MOHAMMAD

AFZAL

KHAN

On Aug 24, Mohammad Afzal Khan, a former official of the Election

Commission of Pakistan (ECP) who was directly involved in the preparations
for and execution of the general elections of 2013, alleged that the general
elections were 'massively rigged' and pointed the finger squarely at former chief
justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and retired Justice Riaz Ahmed Kiani, the
ECP
member
from
Punjab.
REEMA

ABBASI

On Aug 31, a Pakistani journalist and author of 'Historic Temples in Pakistan: A

Call to Conscience,' Reema Abbasi, was honoured as the best literary
personality of the year at the Fifth Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Awards held in New
Delhi.

MEHRAN

SATTAR,

IQRA

KHALID

&

KAINAT

ZULQADAR

On Sep 12, Mehran Sattar, son of a fruit-seller, Iqra Khalid, daughter of an iron
merchant and Kainat Zulqadar, daughter of an expatriate, clinched the first three
positions in the intermediate examination conducted by BISE Multan.
LARKANA
On Aug 19, a seminar 'Provincial policy dialogue on early marriages and
domestic violence' was held in Larkana where speakers called for establishing
committees at district level to ensure implementation of laws protecting
womens
rights
and
curbing
underage
marriages.
The seminar was held under the auspices of a non-governmental organisation,
Shirkatgah.
KARACHI
On Aug 25, the three-day workshop on 'Bio-invasion and ballast water
management' was organised by Saarc Coastal Zone Management Centre in
collaboration
with
Climate
Change
Division.
Experts from Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan also
attended
the
event.
ISLAMABAD
On Aug 28, a public defence of a PhD thesis titled, Role of Maritime Strategy
in National Security: A Case Study of Gwadar was held at National Defence
University, Islamabad. Cdr (r) Azhar Ahmad highlighted the importance of his
research and convinced the audience about the need of paying more attention to
the
maritime
sector.
LAHORE
On Aug 28, USAID-funded assessment and strengthening programme
organised a two-day conference on Public Sector Leadership in 21st Century
Pakistan; Challenges and Best Practices kicked off at the Lahore University of
Management
Sciences
(LUMS).
ISLAMABAD
On Sep 15, a roundtable conference was held at Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS),

Islamabad where the speakers said that Pakistan should not look towards any
other Muslim country for adopting a governance system as its indigenous model
is perfect. Rights activist Tahira Abdullah mediated the session.
The dialogue series 'Governance, community and religion' is a joint effort of the
Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Heinrich Boll Stiftung
(HBS),
Islamabad.
International
Aug 16: The death toll from landslides and flooding triggered by torrential
monsoon rains in Nepal and northern India climbed to at least 109.
Aug 16: Sri Lanka's defence minister was directed by a court to suspend the
decision to deport those registered with the UNHCR, granting interim relief to
asylum
seekers
and
refugees
from
Pakistan.
Aug 16: A man died after 35-people, including several children, were found
inside a shipping container being unloaded at a dock in eastern England. People
are
believed
to
be
from
the
Indian
Subcontinent.
Aug 17: According to the ranking compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
in China, Harvard University retained the top spot in the annual Academic
Ranking of World Universities, a position it has held for the past 12 years.
Stanford University was second, followed by, in order, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology; the University of California, Berkeley; and the
University
of
Cambridge.
The United States had 146 universities in the top 500, followed by Germany
with 39, Britain with 38 and China, excluding Hong Kong, with 32.
Aug 19: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced the appointment
of Ahmer Bilal Soofi of Pakistan and Avdash Kaushal of India to the panel of
advisers to the Commission on Missing Persons and War Crimes set up by the
Sri
Lankan
government.
Aug 20: Militants belonging to the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, released a video showing the beheading of an
American
journalist,
James
Foley,
kidnapped
in
Syria.
Aug 20: A US judge ruled that Manmohan Singh is immune from allegations
that he supported genocide of Sikhs during his tenure as head of Indian
government but does not enjoy head of state immunity for claims arising from
his
tenure
as
finance
minister,
from
1991
to
1996.

Aug 20: India removed the chief executive of its film censorship board, Mr
Rakesh Kumar, after he was arrested on accusations of taking 70,000 rupees as
bribe
to
clear
a
movie
for
screening.
Aug 21: The United States offered new rewards for information on leading to
the location of Aziz Haqqani, Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, Yahya Haqqani and
Abdul Rauf Zakir; four key leaders of the Haqqani Network and also increased
a previously announced reward offer for information about the group's current
leader,
Sirajuddin
Haqqani.
The US Department of State's Rewards for Justice Programme announced that
the government had authorised $5 million rewards of up to each for
information.
Aug 21: Indonesia's highest court unanimously upheld the recent presidential
election result, paving the way for Joko Widodo to take over as leader of the
world's
third
largest
democracy.
Aug 21: A giant flag in support of Palestinians in Gaza was unfurled from the
Manhattan
Bridge.
Aug 21: The Indian government blocked the release of a controversial film,
Kaum De Heere, or Diamonds Of The Community, on the assassination of
former premier Indira Gandhi after calls grew for it to be banned for glorifying
her
killers.
The film tells the story of Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards who shot the
premier dead in 1984 apparently in revenge for a military operation that killed
hundreds
of
Sikhs.
Aug 21: Turkey's ruling party chose Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to be
the
new
prime
minister.
Aug 21: The United States designated Pakistan-based hawala group, Haji Basir
and Zarjmil Company and, its owner, Haji Abdul Basir, as Specially Designated
Global Terrorists for providing financial services or other support to the Taliban.
Aug 21: Thailand's coup leader and army chief, General Prayut Chan-O-Cha,
was elected prime minister by the kingdom's junta-appointed legislature.
Aug 21: Outgoing UN rights chief Navi Pillay rebuked the UN Security
Council for putting short-term geopolitical concerns and narrowly-defined

national interests ahead of intolerable human suffering and grave breaches of

global
peace
and
security.
Aug 22: Militiamen gunned down 70 people in an apparent revenge attack at an
Iraqi mosque. The shooting took place in the Hamreen area of Diyala province.
Aug 22: South African wildlife authorities said they have found dozens of dead
jackals at a popular game park in the country's worst ever incident of
poisoning.
Aug 22: The ice bucket challenge's phenomenal success is making other
charitable organisations rethink how they connect with a younger generation of
potential donors. Since the ALS Association began tracking the campaign's
progress on July 29, it has raised more than $53.3 million from 1.1 million new
donors in what is one of the most viral philanthropic social media campaigns in
history.
Aug 22: The Pentagon violated US law when it controversially swapped a
soldier held in captivity for five years in Afghanistan for five Taliban detainees
without giving lawmakers sufficient notice, congressional investigators said.
The Pentagon used $988,400 of its wartime funding for the transfer that freed
Sergeant
Bowe
Bergdahl.
Aug 23: Almost 200,000 people have been killed in Syria since the country fell
into conflict in 2011, according to a report by UN Human Rights Commission
released
in
Geneva.
A total of 191,369 people were killed between March 2011, when the conflict
erupted,
and
April
2014,
according
to
the
report.
Aug 23: An Indian woman is thought to have had the world's longest ectopic
pregnancy after doctors removed the skeleton of a baby that had been inside her
for nearly four decades. Kantabai Thakre became pregnant at the age of 24, in
1978. At the time doctors warned the expectant mother her unborn child had
little chance of survival, after it was found to be growing outside of her womb.
Terrified at the thought of an operation, she fled and sought treatment for the
pain
at
a
small
clinic.
Aug 25: Libya's outgoing parliament voted to replace the current interim
government, deepening the conflict torn country's already stark divisions and
leaving
it
with
two
rival
parliaments
and
governments.

Aug 25: Islamic State militants stormed an airbase in northeast Syria, capturing
it
from
government
forces.
Aug 25: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls presented his government's
resignation, a day after Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg called for new
economic policies and questioned neighbour Germany's obsession with
budgetary
rigour.
Valls was asked by President Francois Hollande to form a new team only four
months ago but has continually had to reconcile policy differences between
leftists such as Montebourg and more centrist members of his Socialist-led
government.
Aug 26: The United Nations Children's Fund undertook the largest emergency
supply operation in the organisation's history in a single month by shipping
1,000 metric tonnes of life-saving supplies for children caught in the world's
most
urgent
crises.
Aug 26: The presidents of Russia and Ukraine sat down for talks, meeting faceto-face for the first time since June on the fighting that has engulfed Ukraine's
separatist
east.
Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko were joined by the
presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan and three senior officials from the
European
Union
in
the
Belarusian
capital
of
Minsk.
Aug 26: A Jewish centre in Mumbai that was stormed by heavily armed
militants
during
2008
Mumbai
attacks
reopened.
Aug 26: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal met with a senior Iranian
official to discuss regional developments and the fight against Islamic State
jihadists.
The visit by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to the
city of Jeddah was the first by a high-level official from Iran to Saudi Arabia
since Hassan Rouhani became the Islamic republic's president in August last
year.
Aug 26: A long-term ceasefire was agreed to by Israel and the Palestinians,
ending 50 days of the deadliest violence in a decade.
The agreement involves an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza, which began
on July 8 and has claimed the lives of 2,143 Palestinians and 69 on the Israeli

side.
Aug 27: IMF chief Christine Lagarde was put under formal investigation by
French magistrates for alleged negligence in a political fraud affair dating from
2008
when
she
was
finance
minister.
Aug 27: India's top court said lawmakers with criminal backgrounds should not
serve in government, with 13 ministers in the current administration facing
charges
for
attempted
murder,
rioting
and
other
offences.
The ruling shines a spotlight on Narendra Modi and his cabinet.
Aug 27: Afghanistan's disputed presidential election veered further off course
after both candidates withdrew their observers from a UN-supervised audit of
votes.
Aug 28: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt married in the French hamlet of Correns.
Aug 28: Syrian armed groups, some of whom are linked to Al Qaeda, captured
43 UN peacekeepers on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights and surrounded 81
others.
The 43 peacekeepers from Fiji were forced to surrender their weapons and taken
hostage near the Quneitra crossing, but 81 Filipino blue helmets held their
ground
and
refused
to
disarm.
Aug 28: Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in as Turkey's president, cementing
his position as its most powerful leader of recent times.
Aug 29: The United States delivered an emergency shipment of weapons to
Lebanon's military as part of a broader regional effort to combat the growing
threat
posed
by
Islamic
extremists.
The Lebanese government had requested the weapons after militants from Syria
attacked the Lebanese border town of Arsal, killing and kidnapping soldiers and
police.
Aug 29: The number of refugees from the Syrian conflict had topped three
million,
the
UN
said.
In Geneva, UN refugee agency chief Antonio Guterres said Syria had become
the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era after a million people joined
the
exodus
in
the
past
year
alone.

Aug 30: Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane fled after soldiers seized power
in a coup, despite the military denying it overthrew the tiny mountain kingdom's
government.
Aug 30: Myanmar's first census in three decades shows the country has a
population
of
51
million
people.
Sep 01: A Sri Lankan court gave permission to authorities to send back scores
of
Pakistani
asylum
seekers.
Sep 01: Japan and India agreed to strengthen defence relations. Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi also agreed to
speed up talks on a so-far elusive deal on nuclear energy cooperation,
welcoming what they called significant progress in the negotiations.
Sep 01: North Korea test-fired a short-range missile into the sea off its east
coast in the latest of a series of missile and rocket tests.
Sep 01: US President Barack Obama formally notified Congress that he had
authorized targeted air strikes in Iraq to help deliver a humanitarian aid to the
besieged
shi'ite
town
of
Amerli.
Sep 02: The High Court in Indian state Himachal Pradesh banned a long
tradition of sacrificing animals for religious reasons, deeming the practice cruel
and
barbaric.
The Court asked police and other officials to enforce its ban on the slaughter of
mainly
goats
in
Hindu
temples
throughout
the
state.
Sep 02: Iran unveiled a new surface-to-air missile, the Talash-3, and two radar
systems
to
improve
its
defences.
Sep 02: Sudan ordered Iran to close its cultural centres and given their
managers
72
hours
to
leave
the
country.
Sep 03: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe named five female ministers to
country's
18-strong
cabinet.
Sep 03: Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri declared in a video message that the
global Islamist extremist movement has launched a new branch to lead its
struggle
in
the
Subcontinent.
Sep 04: Despite remarkable economic growth, governance remains a concern in

Asia and the Pacific. The rapid growth has lifted millions out of poverty, yet the
region continues to face governance deficits that constrain its ability to raise the
quality of growth, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in an evaluation
report.
Sep 04: Former Israeli President Shimon Peres proposed a new global peace
initiative to Pope Francis: A United Nations of Religions, given that most
wars
today
have
religious,
not
nationalistic,
undercurrents.
Sep 05: Conservative leaders Tony Abbott of Australia and Narendra Modi of
India sealed a long-awaited nuclear energy deal, paving the way for Australia to
sell uranium to India, crippled by power shortages and blackouts.
Sep 05: Nato leaders agreed to set up a new rapid reaction spearhead force
and to maintain a continuous presence in an eastern Europe rattled by Russian
moves
in
Ukraine.
Sep 06: The government of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu won a
vote
of
confidence
in
parliament.
Sep 07: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the first Japanese prime
minister to visit Sri Lanka in 24 years and Sri Lanka's president agreed to
forge
stronger
maritime
links
between
their
two
countries.
Sep 09: One of two British explorer ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, that
disappeared in the Arctic more than 160 years ago were found.
Sep 09: The Group of 77 plus China, the coalition of developing countries at
the United Nations, decided to take collective action against US banks which
cancelled accounts of more than 70 overseas diplomatic missions.
Sep 11: The United States concluded a deal with key Arab nations to launch a
coordinated military campaign against the militants of the ISIS.
Sep 11: The Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius, was acquitted of murdering his
girlfriend, but the South African celebrity athlete still faces judgement on a
lesser
culpable
homicide
charge.
Sep 11: The West hit Russia with new sanctions over its role in the Ukraine
conflict after Kiev admitted losing more ground to the rebels.
Sep 11: MasterCard lost its challenge at Europe's highest court against an EU
ban
on
its
cross-border
card
fees.

Sep 12: Retired US Marine general John Allen, former commander of American
forces in Afghanistan, was appointed coordinator of the international effort
against the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Al
Sham
(ISIS).
Sep 12: The worst-ever Ebola outbreak killed more than 2,400 people, the UN
said, as Cuba pledged the largest foreign medical team deployed so far in the
west
African
health
crisis.
World Health Organisation chief Margaret Chan warned the spiralling epidemic
of the murderous tropical virus demanded a stronger, faster response from the
international
community.
Sep 12: German authorities banned all activity on behalf of the Islamic State
extremist group, including the distribution of propaganda material and the
display
of
its
symbols.
The decree issued closes a legal gap that made it difficult to prosecute Islamic
State
supporters
in
Germany.
Sep 12: A Great Dane from Michigan that held the title of world's tallest dog
died
at
age
5.
Sep 12: Pakistan and India filed formal applications for the full membership of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). At present, Iran, Pakistan and
India are the SCO observer countries. Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the permanent members of the organisation. SCO
partners
are
Belarus,
Turkey
and
Sri
Lanka.
Sep 12: Nearly half of all girls in South Asia marry before they turn 18,
according to a United Nations report that lays bare what it calls glaring
inequalities.
The report, published by the UN children's agency UNICEF, also revealed that
more than a million newborn babies still die every year in the region, often due
to
inadequate
healthcare.
Sep 13: A convoy of more than 200 white trucks crossed the Russian border to
deliver humanitarian aid to a battered Ukrainian city, a move made without
Kiev's consent yet met with silence by Ukraine`s top leaders.
Sep 15: About 500 Syrians, Palestinians, Egyptians and Sudanese died after
human traffickers rammed a vessel into their boat and it sank off the Malta

coast,

the

International

Organisation

for

Migration

said.

Sep 15: Google launched a $105 smartphone in India, taking aim at emerging
markets
as
part
of
an
initiative
called
Android
One.
Sep 15: A new UN mission officially took charge of peacekeeping operations in
the Central African Republic, with the tough task of ending ethnic and religious
bloodshed
there
and
helping
bring
back
stability.
The 7,600-strong UN force known by its French acronym MINUSCA took over
from a smaller UN Security Council-mandated African deployment, MISCA,
which was stationed in the country since December, alongside 2,000 French
soldiers.
Sports
Aug 16: Belarus' Maryna Arzamasova overtook Britain's Lynsey Sharp to win
the
women's
800m
final
at
the
European
Championships.
Christelle Daunay of France also broke away from Italian Valeria Straneo in the
final
stages
of
the
women's
marathon
to
win
gold.
Aug 17: England defeated India to win the fifth Test by a crushing innings and
244
runs
at
The
Oval
and
clinched
the
series
3-1.
Aug 18: Sri Lanka won the second and final Test against Pakistan by 105 runs
to
sweep
the
series
2-0.
Aug 18: Roger Federer won an unprecedented sixth championship in Cincinnati
when he defeated David Ferrer in the Western & Southern Open.
Aug 18: Serena Williams beat Ana Ivanovic to win the Western & Southern
Open
ladies'
title.
Aug 19: Quinton de Kock, the 21-year-old wicket-keeper/batsman of South
Africa, equalled the mark of England's Jonathan Trott in reaching the landmark
of
1,000
runs
in
only
21
ODI
games.
Aug 23: In a successful second edition of the Youth Olympic Games swimming
programme, a total of 20 new World Junior records were established, 16 in
individual
and
four
in
relay
events.
Aug 26: Denesh Ramdin and Darren Bravo both scored centuries in a record
breaking third wicket partnership as West Indies crushed Bangladesh to wrap-up

3-0

one-day

series

win.

The pair put on 258, a record for a third-wicket partnership in a One-day

International, and the joint eighth highest one day partnership of any kind.
Aug 28: The second Youth Olympics concluded after a spectacular closing
ceremony and a glowing endorsement from the International Olympic
Committee
(IOC).
The sporting competition, which involved almost 4,000 athletes aged between
14 and 18, ended with the host nation finishing as the most successful country
with
38
golds.
Aug 28: Howard Warner of New Zealand reigned supreme in the second World
Senior
Scrabble
Championship.
Aug 28: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was named as captain of
England
Football
Team.
He
will
replace
Steven
Gerrard.
Aug 29: Indian players topped the medals table of the South Asian Cadet and
Junior Table Tennis Championships, which concluded at the Pakistan Sports
Complex.
India clinched 10 gold and four silver medals followed by Sri Lanka which won
four
silver
and
eight
bronze
medals.
Sep 06: South Africa won a first-ever tournament final against Australia.
Sep 07: Japan's Kei Nishikori became the first Asian man to make a Grand Slam
final

in
the
US
Open.
Sep 08: American twins Bob and Mike Bryan became the first doubles pair to
win 100 titles together after they beat Spain's Marcel Granollers and Marc
Lopez
in
the
US
Open
final.
The world number one duo broke the 11th seeds once in each set to claim their
fifth US Open title and take their 16th grand slam title together.
Sep 08: World number one Serena Williams capped her dominant run to a third
consecutive US Open championship, overpowering Caroline Wozniacki to
move up in the record books with her 18th Grand Slam crown.
Sep 09: Marin Cilic won his first major final, beating Kei Nishikori of Japan at

the
Obituaries

US

Open.

Aug 20: BKS Iyengar, the Indian yoga guru credited with helping to fuel a
global explosion in the popularity of the ancient spiritual practice, died aged
95.
Aug 21: Former Irish premier, Albert Reynolds, a central figure in the Northern
Ireland peace process who helped broker the 1994 IRA ceasefire, died aged 81.
Aug 22: Acclaimed Indian writer Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy,
famed for his novels and poems, died at the age of 82.
Aug 23: Former Jamaican umpire Douglas Sang Hue died aged 82 in Kingston.
In a career spanning more than 25 years, Sang Hue umpired 31 Tests in the West
Indies, as well as an ODI featuring Pakistan in Kingston in 1988.
Aug 25: British actor and film director Richard Attenborough, who appeared in
films such as Brighton Rock, The Great Escape and Jurassic Park, in a career
spanning
six
decades,
died
at
the
age
of
90.
Sep 02: South African Norman Gordon, who was the oldest former Test
cricketer,
died
aged
103
in
Johannesburg.
Sep 04: Acerbic comedian Joan Rivers died in New York. She was 81.
Sep 11: Richard Kiel, who played the towering steel-toothed baddie Jaws in
two
James
Bond
movies,
died.
He
was
74.
Sep 12: Former Northern Irish first minister Ian Paisley, the firebrand Protestant
leader who struck a power sharing deal with former foes Sinn Fein, died at the
age
of
88.
Sep 14: Japanese actress and singer Yoshiko 'Shirley' Yamaguchi, who was
nearly executed in China at the end of World War II, died at the age of 94.
Science
Aug 21: After a remarkable analysis of bacterial DNA from 1,000-year-old
mummies, scientists have proposed a new hypothesis for how tuberculosis arose
and
spread
around
the
world.
The disease originated less than 6,000 years ago in Africa, they say, and took a

surprising route to reach the New World: It was carried across the Atlantic by
seals.
Sep 04: The Milky Way galaxy resides on the outskirts of a massive, previously
unknown galaxy super-cluster, named Laniakea, from Hawaiian words for
immeasurable
heaven.
The discovery stems from a new mapping technique that combines not only the
distances between more than 8,000 nearby galaxies, but also their relative
motions.
Sep 10: Earth's protective but fragile ozone layer is beginning to recover,
largely because of the phase-out since the 1980s of certain chemicals used in
refrigerants and aerosol cans, a UN scientific panel reported in a rare piece of
good news about the health of the planet. Scientists said the development
demonstrates that when the world comes together, it can counteract a brewing
ecological
crisis.
In 1974, Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland wrote a scientific study forecasting
the ozone depletion problem. They won the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry for
their
work.
The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s. Man-made
chlorofluorocarbons, called CFCs, released chlorine and bromine, which
destroyed
ozone
molecules
high
in
the
air.
People
LAV

&
DIAZ,

Places
PHILIPPINES

On Aug 16, a five-and-a-half-hour film from the Philippines From What Is

Before, directed by Lav Diaz, scooped the coveted Golden Leopard prize at the
Locarno
film
festival
in
Switzerland.
Clocking in at 338 minutes, the black-and-white film beat 16 other films to the
festival's
top
prize.
SAKARI
MOMOI,
JAPAN
On Aug 20, Sakari Momoi, a former high school principal in Japan, who was
born on February 5, 1903, months before the Wright brothers carried out the
first human flight, was recognised as the world's oldest male at the age of 111
by
the
Guinness
World
Records.

JOHANNES

DAHSE

&

THORSTEN

HOLZ

On Aug 21, Facebook awarded a $50,000 Internet Defence Prize to Johannes

Dahse and Thorsten Holz from Ruhr-Universitdt Bochum in Germany; the two
German researchers who devised a seemingly viable approach to detecting
vulnerabilities
in
Web
applications.
MILEY

CYRUS

On Aug 25, a famous American diva Miley Cyrus won the award for Video of
the Year for her hit single Wrecking Ball, at the 2014 MTV Video Music
Awards.
MAY

MYAT

NOE

On Aug 29, May Myat Noe, a Myanmar beauty queen and the winner of Miss
Asia Pacific World Super Talent 2014, who was dethroned for alleged
misconduct,
absconded
with
her
crown.
MOHAMMAD

REZA

RAHIMI

On Sep 01, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran's first vice president under former
president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was sentenced to prison to become the most
senior
official
from
that
era
to
be
convicted.
RATU

ATUT

CHOSIYAH

On Sep 01, Indonesia's first female provincial leader, and head of one of the
country's most powerful political dynasties, Ratu Atut Chosiyah, was jailed for
four years for bribing a top judge over an election dispute.
ROY

ANDERSSON,

SWEDEN

On Sep 06, Sweden's Roy Andersson won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film
Festival for his absurdist feature A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on
Existence.
His film, a series of bleakly comic vignettes, had some critics in raptures but left
others
scratching
their
heads.
MAHELA

JAYAWARDENE

On Aug 18, Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene ended his glittering test

career

that

spanned

17

ANKARA,

years.
TURKEY

On Aug 26, thousands of people formed the world's largest portrait of Mustafa
Kamal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic. At least 6,000
volunteers gathered outside the Anitkabir mausoleum, Ataturk's final resting
place, to form the larger-than-life portrait for an event marking Turkey's
Victory.
BERLIN
On Aug 28, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted the 'West Balkan
Conference' at the chancellery. The conference was convened to thrash out
measures to bring about economy prosperity and political stability in the SouthEast
European
region.
NAIROBI,

KENYA

On Sep 02, African leaders and delegates attended the Africa Union Peace and
Security Council Summit on Terrorism held at the Kenyatta International
Convention
Centre
in
Nairobi,
Kenya.
NEW

YORK,

USA

On Sep 08, key discoveries about breast cancer, Parkinson's disease and the
body's handling of defective proteins earned prestigious medical awards, the
Lasker
Award,
for
five
scientists.
The Award, established in 1942, is presented by the Albert and Mary Lasker
Foundation. Each prize includes a $250,000 honorarium. The winners of this
year
are:
For
1. Dr

Clinical
Mahlon

DeLong

Medical
of

Emory

University,

Research
Atlanta,

USA

2. Dr Alim Louis Benabid of Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France

Special

Achievement

in

Medical

Science

1. Mary-Claire King of the University of Washington, Seattle, USA

For

Basic

Medical

Research

1. Peter Walter of the University of California, San Francisco, USA

2. Kazutoshi

Mori

of

Kyoto

University,

Japan

ARGENTINA
On Sep 10, authorities in Argentina moved to stop any more kids being called
'Messi' amid concerns that the situation could get out of control.
Parents who wish to name their children after Barcelona star Lionel Messi will
now
be
prohibited
from
doing
so
in
his
home
city.
CULLINAN,

SOUTH

AFRICA

On Sep 09, a 232-carat white diamond worth as much as $20 million was
discovered in Cullinan, east of Pretoria at a South African mine famed for its
big-gem finds.
World in Focus (April-May 2014)
National & International News & MCQs
Nawaz
Modi
and
the
Future
Sunday, June 01, 2014

National
Apr 16: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari
agreed to review the controversial Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO)

along

with

other

anti-terrorism

laws.

Apr 16: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan announced that it was not
extending
its
'ceasefire'.
Apr 16: The Punjab Governor re-appointed Maulana Muhammad Raghab
Hussain Naeemi as member of Punjab University Syndicate with immediate
effect
for
a
period
of
three
years.
Apr 17: The government removed Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority
(Pemra)
Chairman
Chaudhry
Abdul
Rashid.
Apr 17: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved
a relief package of Rs. 1.624 billion for providing subsidy on various food items
and
other
edibles
during
Ramazan.
Apr 17: Senator Faisal Raza Abidi submitted his resignation from the Senate.
Apr 17: A religious school for women in Islamabad, Jamia Hafsa, renamed its
library
in
honour
of
Osama
bin
Laden.
Apr 18: Punjab University Law College Associate Professor Dr Shazia Qureshi
was appointed principal of the college on a regular basis. Dr Shazia the first
woman principal of the college in its 146-year history, is the wife of PU Vice
Chancellor
Prof
Dr
Mujahid
Kamran.
Apr 18: The federal cabinet approved the import of Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG)
from
Qatar
and
3,000MW
electricity
from
Iran.
Apr 19: Senior journalist and a prominent anchor of Geo News, Hamid Mir,
was critically wounded in an armed attack on his car near Karachi airport.
Apr 20: Pakistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) navies commenced a sevenday joint exercise Nasl al Bahr to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two
nations.
Apr 22: The MQM joined the Sindh government after two of its members took
oath as provincial ministers while three members joined the cabinet as advisers.
Apr 22: Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of short range surface
to surface ballistic missile namely Hatf-III Ghaznavi which can carry nuclear
and
conventional
warhead
to
a
range
of
290-kilometres.

Apr 22: On the complaint of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Defence

Ministry directed Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to
take action against the Geo TV network for levelling allegations against the ISI.
Apr 22: Pakistan Navy was formally accorded Observer Status of the
Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS). The decision was announced at the
plenary meeting of the 14th WPNS meeting a Qingdao, China.
Apr 22: Punjab University (PU) organised a seminar and a walk to observe
World
Book
and
Copyright
Day.
Apr 23: The four cellular service providers, bidding on licences for next
generation mobile technology, emerged the winners of bidding war, with
Mobilink, Telenor and Ufone picking up licences for 3G services while Zong
being the only bidder to acquire a licence for both 3G and 4G services.
Apr 23: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) formed a
three-member committee to investigate charges levelled by the defence ministry
against
Geo
TV.
Apr 23: The prime minister ordered reshuffle in the federal bureaucracy and
appointed Nadeem Hassan Asif as secretary for the establishment division. He
has replaced Mr Shahid Rashid in the establishment division, who will now
serve
as
the
secretary
for
statistics
division.
Another important posting was of new secretary for industries, Raja Hassan
Abbass. Ms Rukhsana Saleem will be the new secretary for climate change, a
position earlier held by Mr Abbass. Sikandar Sultan Raja, a Grade 20 officer,
has been sent to Gilgit-Baltistan as the Chief Secretary.
Apr 23: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif inaugurated a post graduate
college
and
a
paramedical
institute
in
Saidu
Sharif.
Apr 23: Pakistan lost six notches and stood at 111th position of the 148
countries in terms of ranking on Global Information Technology Report 2014,
the
World
Economic
Forum
(WEF)
announced.
Apr 23: A research report by UNESCO, Reading in the Mobile Era revealed
that cellphones are getting more and more people to read in developing
countries,
including
Pakistan.
Apr 24: The Sindh government created a new administrative division in the
province with the name of Bhambhore comprising Thatta, Sujawal and Badin

districts. With the latest addition, the number of divisions in the province has
increased
to
six.
Apr 24: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $400 million loan to
Pakistan to support ongoing reforms to tackle the energy crisis.
Apr 24: Vice Admiral Shafqat Jawed took charge as 31st chairman of Karachi
Port
Trust.
Apr 24: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif represented Pakistan at
the 99th commemoration of the 'anakkale' [Gallipoli] battle fought during the
First World War which was regarded as a defining moment in Turkish history.
Apr 25: At the elections held at the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations, Pakistan was elected by acclamation to the commission on Science and
Technology for Development for 2015-2018 and the Committee on NonGovernmental
Organizations
(NGOs)
for
the
same
term.
The commission on Science and Technology for Development was established
in
1992.
Apr 26: The National Judicial Policy Making Committee amended a policy
introduced by former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and allowed
posting of judicial officers in the executive on deputation.
Apr 26: The Pakistan Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong was inaugurated
jointly by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR C.Y. Leung and President
Legislative
Council
Jasper
Tsang.
Apr 27: The musical reality show 'Pakistan Idol' came to an end with Zamad
Baig
clinching
the
title.
Apr 28: Ashraf Mahmood Wathra was appointed Governor of the State Bank of
Pakistan
for
three
years.
Apr 28: State Minister for Pakistan Railways Abdul Hakim Baloch of the PMLN
quit
the
ministry.
Apr 28: Sindh became the first province in the country to set the minimum age
of marriage at 18 years. The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed the Sindh
Child Marriages Restraint Bill, 2014, repealing the prevalent Child Marriage
Restraint
Ac,
1929.

Apr 30: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif warned that all groups
must accept the writ of the state, failing which, the army was more than capable
of
dealing
with
threats
from
insurgents.
Calling Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan, Gen Sharif stressed the need to
settle the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Apr 30: Gosha-e-Iqbal at Punjab University Library was inaugurated. It hosts
over
2,000
books
related
to
the
Poet
of
the
East.
May 01: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government sacked the provincial Minister
for Industries and Commerce Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and Adviser to Chief
Minister for Transport, Yaseen Khan Khalil , for their poor performance.
May 02: The World Bank approved $12 billion in loans for Pakistan to be
disbursed
in
five
years.
May 02: The Human Rights Watch announced that its Pakistan director, Ali
Dayan Hasan, had decided to leave the organisation after working with it for 11
years.
May 04: Bilal Anwar Kasi and Qayyum Lehri were elected president and
general secretary, respectively, of the Balochistan Bar Association (BBA).
May 04: Teenage tennis player Kainat Ejaz was selected as a Youth
Ambassador by Children of Peace (COP), a global NGO with an aim to give
boost
to
its
humanitarian
activities
in
Pakistan.
The Peace network of COP the Coalition of Peace is the single largest
peace network in the Middle East with 150 groups in Ghana, Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon,
Turkey
and
Oman.
May 04: An education foundation set up in honour of the first-ever Pakistani
headteacher in Britain Nawazish Bokhari won Prime Minister David Cameron's
Big
Society
Award.
Bokhari, an inspirational headteacher and campaigner who was the first British
Muslim to run a UK secondary school in 1985, came to Britain from Pakistan in
1960
from
Sialkot.
May 05: To prevent the possible spread of the polio virus from Pakistan to other
countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) decided to impose strict travel
restrictions
on
the
country.

May 05: The government set up a computerised control room for real-time
monitoring of power generation, supply and loadshedding across the country.
May 05: Pakistan approved transportation of Nato supplies to Afghanistan by
air. The arrangement was made to facilitate rapid delivery of vital military cargo
to the brotherly country to enhance its security and stability.
May 05: Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Haier Electrical Appliances
Corporation Ltd signed an agreement for supply and commissioning of 100,000
laptops
under
Prime
Minister's
Youth
Programme
(PMYP).
May 05: Two students from Pakistan, Shahzaib Ali and Muhammad Faaiz
Taufiq, were granted Cambridge 800th Anniversary Scholarships for
undergraduate
studies
at
the
University
of
Cambridge.
May 06: In a bid to repair bilateral ties frayed by recent developments, Pakistan
and Iran agreed to establish hotline between the Frontier Corps in Balochistan
and
the
Iranian
Border
Security
Force.
May 06: The government accepted the resignation of Punjab Public Service
Commission Chairman Zafar Mehmood. He is now working as Wapda
chairman. Additional charge of the post was given to PPSC member Shehzad
Asghar.
May 06: The National Assembly passed a resolution which asked the
government to take immediate steps to lift ban on YouTube.
May 06: An African lion, called 'Jumbo', born in Lahore Zoo in 1998 died after
completing its natural life cycle which runs between 15 to 18 years.
May 06: Ombudsman Punjab Javed Mahmood deputed Advisors in all the
districts of the province. People may lodge their complaints against the
government departments at their respective districts to newly-appointed
Advisors
which
will
be
probed
locally.
May 07: Senior lawyer Rashid Rehman Khan, Special Task Force Coordinator
of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was killed in an attack at the
HRCP
office
in
Multan.
May 07: The Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Umer Ata Bandial,
ordered that non-custodial parents should be allowed to meet their children
outside
the
guardian
courts.

May 07: The status of federal minister was conferred upon Maulana Fazlur
Rehman, Chairman, Special Committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir,
by
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif.
May 07: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved appointment of Kamaluddin
Tipu, a grade-20 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, as executive member
of
Pakistan
Electronic
Media
Regulatory
Authority
(Pemra).
May 07: Telenor Group appointed Michael Patrick Foley as the new Chief
Executive
Officer
of
Telenor
Pakistan.
May 07: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reminded the general public to exchange
the decimal coins of Paisa 1,2,5,10,25 & 50 from the field offices of SBP BSC
and commercial and microfinance banks branches by last working day of
September
30.
May 08: Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of a short-range,
surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf III (Ghaznavi) capable of delivering
nuclear
and
conventional
warheads
up
to
290km.
May 08: An FBI agent, Joel Cox Eugene, who was arrested by the Airport
Security Force before his departure for Islamabad, was released on bail.
May 08: In a dramatic turn of events, a key prosecution witness in the Mumbai
attacks
case
claimed
to
have
met Ajmal
Kasab
recently.
Mudassir Lakhvi, headmaster of the Government Elementary School in Faridkot
village, Okara, appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) to record his
statement during the trial of seven suspects, the alleged mastermind Zakiur
Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid
Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younus Anjum, accused of involvement in the
attacks
on
Nov
26,
2008.
May 08: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) endorsed Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif's approved plan of Rs30 billion road link project to new Benazir
Bhutto
Shaheed
International
Airport,
Islamabad.
May 08: The board of directors of United Bank Limited (UBL) appointed
Wajahat Husain as the new president and CEO of UBL.
May 08: Label's international brand ambassador and a full-time mom, Zunera
Mazhar, was crowned Mrs Pakistan International USA 2014.
May 09: The PPP's Dr Abdul Qayyum Soomro was notified by the Election

Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as elected unopposed as a senator against a

vacant
general
seat.
May 09: The government confirmed to have added about $15.3 billion to the
country's external debt, violating prudent borrowing limit s under the Fiscal
Responsibility
and
Debt
Limitation
Act
(FRDLA).
May 12: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Syed Ali Khamenei and discussed with him issues of mutual interest. They
agreed
to
work
jointly
for
development
of
the
region.
May 12: The United States pledged to provide $90 million for the construction
of Kalat-Quetta Chaman Highway (N-25), according to an agreement here
signed.
May 12: The Board of Directors of Faysal Bank Limited appointed Nauman
Ansari
as
President
and
CEO
of
FBL.
May 12: The Senate unanimously passed a bill to amend the Pakistan Penal
Code (PPC) 1860, envisaging the maximum punishment of life term to those
desecrating
graves.
May 13: Polio vaccination certificates will now be mandatory for all people
travelling abroad from June 1, the government announced as traces of the
poliovirus were found in samples taken from the sewers of Karachi and Lahore;
the
two
largest
cities
in
the
country.
May 13: Noor Muhammad alias Baba Ladla, a wanted gangster of Karachi's
Lyari
area,
was
killed
by
Iranian
border
guards.
May 14: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared that the targeted operation in
Karachi would continue and the administration would have full powers to bring
terrorists
to
justice.
May 14: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch declared 2014 as
the year of Mir Gul Khan Naseer to promote the poetry and services of the
renowned
writer
at
the
international
level.
May 14: The Punjab government promulgated The Punjab Free and
Compulsory Education Ordinance 2014, which envisages the right to education
to all children between 5-16 years of age in the province.
May 14: The National Assembly extended the period of Protection of Pakistan

Ordinance

(PPO)

2014

for

another

120

days.

May 14: Federal Ombudsman M. Salman Faruqui appointed ambassador Sher

Afghan Khan as the first ever grievance commissioner and member in charge of
regional office Peshawar and Zahur Ahmad Khan Khalil as associate grievance
commissioner for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
May 15: The Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) revealed discovery of good
quality
coal
in
Badin
district
of
Sindh.
Economy
Apr 16: Sixteen MoUs were signed at the end of a three-day Central Asian
Business Opportunities Conference, organised by the Ministry of Commerce,
USAID and the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with
participants making a commitment to revive the historic Silk Route. Over 300
representatives of the private and public sectors from Central Asian Republics
(CARs),
Afghanistan
and
Pakistan
attended
the
conference.
Apr 30: Engro Elengy Terminal Private Limited (EETPL) and Sui Southern
Gas Company (SSGC) formally entered into a $2 billion LNG terminal service
deal.
Sports
Apr 16: Legendary Olympians Shahnaz Sheikh and Islahuddin Siddiqi were
named as head coach-cum-manager and chief selector respectively of the
Pakistan
team.
Apr 18: Army outplayed HEC in the final to win the 13th National Men's
Netball
Championship.
Apr 30: Mahmood Lodhi won the National Chess Championship for the
fourteenth
time.
May 06: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formally appointed former Test captain
and legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis as head coach of the national team for
a
period
of
two
years.
May 15: Top seed of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Israr
Ahmed clinched the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa National Junior Squash
Championship.

May 15: Former Zimbabwe Test batsman Grant Flower was appointed as
national batting coach for a two year term by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Obituaries
Apr 16: Renowned artist Ajmal Husain, the son of a former editor of Dawn
Altaf Husain, passed away in Karachi. He was the editor of The Illustrated
Weekly
of
Pakistan
in
the
1950s.
Apr 18: Prominent TV personality, Chef Sara Riaz, passed away.
Apr 19: Motorways DIG Mirza Shakeel Ahmed died of a cardiac arrest at his
office.
He was from 19th Common and served as DIG Elite Force, DIG Crime Branch,
CTO Lahore, Mianwali DPO, SSP Motor Transport, Punjab, and also worked as
Chief
Security
Officer
of
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif.
Apr 20: Eminent Lollywood singer Bashir Ahmed, often dubbed as 'Ahmed
Rushdi'
of
Bangladesh,
passed
away.
Apr 22: Izharul Hasan Burney, a journalist with more than five decades of
experience,
died.
He
was
83.
Apr 27: Poet, music connoisseur, patron of singers and former Punjab chief
secretary
Javed
Qureshi
died.
Apr 30: Mohammad Akram the father of legendry Test Cricketer Wasim
Akram,
breathed
his
last.
He
was
84.
Apr 30: Motivational speaker, storyteller and Pakistan's first-ever quadriplegic
athlete,
Sarmad
Tariq,
passed
away.
May 02: Rome Olympics gold medallist, centre half Anwar Ahmed Khan died.
He
was
81.
May 05: Tariq Malik, the brother of Chairman Bahria Town Malik Riaz, passed
away.
People
Khushwant

in

News
Singh

On Apr 22, a fistful of ashes of legendary writer Khushwant Singh were placed

at his school in Hadali, 12km from Khushab city. Noted Pakistani writer Fakir
Syed Aijazuddin brought the ashes from India to honour the great man's desire
to
be
reunited
with
his
roots.
Ahmad

Rafay

Alam

On Apr 22, Pakistani environment lawyer and activist Ahmad Rafay Alam was
named Yale World Fellow 2014. Mr Alam is among 16 World Fellows selected
in
2014
from
a
pool
of
about
4,000
applicants.
Rabia

Faridi

On Apr 24, Rabia Faridi, a female student of MSc Hons (Plant Breeding and
Genetics) at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, was chosen to speak on
women issues in Pakistan at the coming session of the United Nations General
Assembly.
Faizan

Laqa

On Apr 25, Faizan Laqa, a local student from Lahore Grammar School was
recognized for his superior academic achievements by The National Society of
High School Scholars Atlanta, GA, USA. The National Society of High School
Scholars (NSHSS) is an international body that recognises top scholars who
have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholastic and community
commitment. Faizan Laqa was selected to become a member of the same.
This announcement was made on March 3rd, 2014 by NSHSS Founder and
Chairman Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family that established the
Nobel
Prize.
Dr

Haathi

Singh

Dr Haathi Singh, the only MBBS doctor in Achhro Thar the vast 'white desert'
that connects Pakistan to India's Rajasthan has been traversing the desert on
a 'camel ambulance' with emergency medical kit for ten years now. He reaches
the needy person who may call him even from the nearest sand dune, if phone
facility
is
not
available.
Sadaruddin

Hashwani

On Apr 30, Belgium conferred upon Sadaruddin Hashwani, the chairman of

Hashoo Group, the Award of Knight-Commander in the Order of Leopold.
Nalain

Aziz

On Apr 23, a Pakistani child Nalain Aziz, 2, became the youngest patient and
the 500th liver transplant patient from Pakistan operated on by Indias
Indraprastha
Apollo
Hospital.
International
April 16: In South Korea, a ferry namely the MV Sewol, en route to the resort
island of Jeju, carrying 462 on board, mostly high school students bound for a
holiday
island,
sank.
April 16: The New York Police disbanded a special unit that was created
essentially for monitoring the Muslim community in the aftermath of 9/11 terror
attacks.
April 16: Separatists flew the Russian flag on armoured vehicles taken from the
Ukrainian army, humiliating a Kiev government operation to recapture eastern
towns
controlled
by
pro-Moscow
partisans.
April 16: The Indian Supreme Court rejected N. Srinivasan's plea to reinstate
him
as
India's
cricket
chief.
April 16: Pakistan-born visual effects artist Mir Zafar Ali bagged another Oscar
for Frozen, bringing his total tally of trophies to three.
April 17: Ukraine banned entry to its territory for all Russian males aged
between
16
and
60.
The ban also applied to men aged 16-60 and women aged 20-35 travelling on
Ukrainian passports registered in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in
March.
April 17: Gulf foreign ministers agreed on a deal to end months of
unprecedented tension between Qatar and other members of the six-nation Gulf
Cooperation
Council.
April 17: Russia, Ukraine, the US and the EU reached a deal on de-escalating
the
worsening
Ukrainian
crisis.
April 17: The Indian government installed Admiral Robin K. Dhowan as the
new navy chief. He has been acting in the job since the previous chief resigned
over the submarine fire that killed two sailors off the Mumbai coast.

April 18: At least 12 Nepalese guides preparing routes up Mount Everest for
commercial climbers were killed by an avalanche in the deadliest
mountaineering
accident
ever
on
the
worlds highest
peak.
April 18: The United Nations said at least 58 people were killed and more than
100 others wounded in an attack against one of its bases in South Sudan
sheltering
thousands
of
civilians.
April 18: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika won a fourth term in office
with
a
landslide
81
per
cent
of
the
vote.
April 19: US President Barack Obama signed into law a bill designed to bar
Iran's future ambassador to the United Nations Hamid Aboutalebi.
April 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Nato's selection of
former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg who will assume his
functions as Secretary General from 1 October 2014 as its new head, saying
the pair had very good relations but that it was up to the West to improve ties.
April 22: Belgium reached an agreement with the United States on sharing
bank account information as part of international efforts to crack down on tax
evasion. The accord was negotiated to meet the requirements of the 2010
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act which allows US banks to ask their
overseas counterparts for account information about clients believed to owe US
taxes.
April 23: President Mahmood Abbas's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)
and Gaza-based group Hamas agreed to a unity pact. The move envisions a
unity government within five weeks and national elections six months later.
April 24: China released a seized Japanese ship after its owner paid $28 million
in compensation, in a business dispute dating to the 1930s which underlines
tensions
between
the
countries.
April 24: The tiny Pacific republic of the Marshall Islands, scene of massive
US nuclear tests in the 1950s, sued the United States and eight other nucleararmed countries, accusing them of failing their obligation to negotiate nuclear
disarmament.
April 25: A joint operation by the British and Australian navies seized the
largest ever haul of heroin at sea, weighing 1,032 kilogrammes. The drugs, with
an estimated British street value of more than 140 million pound ($235 million),
were found on a dhow, or sailboat, some 30 miles off the coast of east Africa

near
Kenya

and

Tanzania.

April 25: More than 100 people were killed and thousands left homeless by
flash
floods
in
north
and
west
Afghanistan.
April 26: Nepalese lawmakers passed a bill in parliament to set up a Truth and
Reconciliation Commission and a Commission on the Disappeared, aimed at
healing wounds of the former Maoist rebels from the decade-long conflict.
April 26: Leaders of the Group of Seven major economies (G-7) agreed to
impose more sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.
April 26: Senegal's former President Abdoulaye Wade returned to the West
African
country
amid
tight
security
at
the
airport.
Apr 27: India successfully test-fired an anti-ballistic missile capable of
intercepting targets outside the planet's atmosphere, a major step in
development of a missile defence system available to only a handful of nations.
April 27: The world's largest bloc of Islamic countries, Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation, decided to send 14 delegates to the Central African Republic to
lead a fact finding mission, express solidarity with Muslims and contribute to
any peace talks in the country, wracked by sectarian bloodshed.
Guinea's Foreign Minister Lounceny Fall will head the delegation, which will
include Turkey's foreign minister and diplomats from some of the 57 memberstates, as well as OIC Secretary-General Iyad Ameen Madani and the body's
special envoy to the Central African Republic, Sheikh Tidiane Gadio.
April 27: The United States and the Philippines reached Enhanced Defence
Cooperation Agreement, a 10-year agreement that would allow a larger US
military
presence
in
this
Southeast
Asian
nation.
April 27: South Korea's prime minister resigned over the government's
handling of a ferry sinking that left more than 300 people dead or missing.
South Korean executive power is largely concentrated in the president, so
Chung
Hong-won's
resignation
appears
to
be
symbolic.
April 27: Pope Francis proclaimed John Paul II and John XXIII the Catholic
Church's newest saints at a festive ceremony joined by hundreds of thousands of
pilgrims for two pontiffs who helped shape 20th-century history.

April 28: Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was sworn in for a fourth
term
for
another
five
years.
April 28: An Egyptian court sentenced Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed
Badie and 682 alleged Islamists to death. But, the same court in the southern
province of Minya also reversed 492 of 529 death sentences it passed in March.
April 28: The Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera served Egypt with a
$150 million compensation claim for what it said was damage to its media
business inflicted by Cairo's military rulers, a step likely to worsen QatariEgyptian
relations.
April 30: The sultan of oil-rich Brunei announced that tough Islamic criminal
punishments
would
be
introduced
on
May
1,
2014.
April 30: India signed an agreement under which it will pay Russia to supply
arms and equipment to the Afghan military as foreign combat troops prepare to
leave
the
country.
April 30: Switzerland and Norway are the world's most expensive economies,
followed by Bermuda, Australia and Denmark, according to a new ranking by
the World Bank. The economies with the lowest prices are Egypt, Pakistan,
Myanmar,
Ethiopia
and
Laos.
The United States, the world's largest economy, was in relatively affordable
25th
place,
lower
than
most
other
high-income
countries.
The richest countries, or those with the highest gross domestic product (GDP)
per capita on a purchasing power parity basis, were Qatar, Macau, Luxembourg,
Kuwait
and
Brunei.
Eight countries, including Malawi, Mozambique and Liberia, had GDP per
capita
of
less
than
$1,000.
April 30: Hollywood star George Clooney retired from his role as United
Nations
Messenger
of
Peace
after
six
years.
May 01: Russia staged a huge May Day parade on Moscow's Red Square for
the
first
time
since
the
Soviet
era.
May 02: Landslides buried a village in northern Afghanistan, killing at least
2600
people.

May 02: US Secretary of State John Kerry said he had secured promises from
South Sudan's president and rebel leader to hold direct talks on ending the
country's
brutal
four-month-old
civil
war.
May 02: Palestine became a formal party to five global treaties banning torture
and racial discrimination, and protecting the rights of women, children and the
disabled.
May 04: Ahmed Maiteeq, a businessman, was named Libya's new prime
minister after winning a vote in parliament. He is Libya's youngest and fifth
prime minister since veteran dictator Moamer Qaddafi was toppled and killed in
a
2011
uprising.
May 04: Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, a potential 2016
presidential candidate, got an endorsement from President Barack Obama.
May 05: Iraq's cabinet authorised mobile phone firms to use third-generation
frequencies.
May 05: The United States secured long-term access to a military base in
Djibouti that it relies on to launch counter-terrorism missions, including drone
strikes,
in
Yemen
and
the
Horn
of
Africa.
US President Barack Obama and his Djibouti counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh
announced the renewed long-term lease on Camp Lemonnier.
May 05: Three Kashmiri students were allegedly beaten up in their hostel in
Greater Noida by close to eight other students. The students claim that they
were forced to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai and raise anti-Pakistan slogans.
May 05: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation introducing
harsh punishments for the justification or denial of Nazi war crimes. The
legislation makes it a criminal offence to deny facts established by the
Nuremberg trials regarding the crimes of the Axis powers and to disseminate
false information about Soviet actions during World War II.
May 06: The United States gave the foreign mission status to the Syrian
opposition offices in Washington and New York. The move aims at bolstering
the Syrian opposition, which is struggling to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
May 06: The world's five nuclear powers pledged not to use or threaten to use
nuclear weapons against five Central Asian nations that have banned nuclear

weapons. The United States, Russia, China, Britain and France signed a
protocol to the Treaty on a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in Central Asia at a UN
ceremony.
May 06: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, concerned about China's rising
military spending and disputes with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea,
signed
a
new
partnership
agreement
with
Nato.
May 06: Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky finally broke her silence
about her illicit 1990s affair with President Bill Clinton.
May 06: Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra and nine ministers for abuse of power. The cabinet swiftly appointed
a deputy premier Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan as the prime minister.
May 06: The United Nations health agency WHO warned that most of the
world's cities are enveloped in dirty air that is dangerous to breathe.
The WHO database covers 1,600 cities across 91 countries, 500 more cities than
in the previous database (2011). The new database has revealed that more cities
are monitoring outdoor air quality, reflecting growing recognition of the health
risks
involved.
May 06: Forty-seven countries signed up to automatically share bank data,
including key financial centres Singapore and Switzerland. Under the
declaration, the signatories have committed to swiftly pass new domestic laws
that will allow them to collect information on all back accounts and
automatically
exchange
it
with
other
participating
countries.
May 07: President Jose Mujica and his cabinet signed long-awaited rules for
Uruguay's legal marijuana marketplace. Uruguayan citizens and legal residents
18 or older may now register for licenses to cultivate as many as six marijuana
plants per household and harvest 480 grams, or 17 ounces, a year, or join a
marijuana growing club with 15 to 45 members and no more than 99 plants.
May 08: Britain's Islamist leader Abu Hamza told his US terror trial that his
hands were blown off during an explosives experiment in Lahore in 1993.
May 08: Gunmen shot dead the intelligence chief for eastern Libya Colonel
Ibrahim
al-Senussi
in
Benghazi
city.
May 08: Two individuals threw items over the White House fence, triggering
the
second
lockdown
at
the
presidents
residence.

May 08: Russia test-launched several ballistic missiles during planned exercises
overseen by President Vladimir Putin. The Russian military fired a Topol
intercontinental ballistic missile from its northern test site in Plesetsk, as well as
several shorter-range missiles from its submarines in the Northern and Pacific
Fleets.
May 09: The United States sanctioned Moscow-based Tempbank, and Mikhail
Gagloev, its senior executive, for providing material support and services to the
Government of Syria, including the Central Bank of Syria and SYTROL, Syria's
state
oil
marketing
firm.
May 09: South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel commander Riek
Machar agreed a ceasefire deal after coming under growing international
pressure to end ethnic fighting that has raised fears of genocide.
May 09: The results of South Africa's fifth all-race elections showed the longgoverning African National Congress securing another big victory, even though
the party fell short of its goal of a two-thirds majority.
The figures mean that the ANC is assured of a majority in the 400-seat
Parliament,
which
formally
appoints
the
president.
May 12: The Imperial War Museum in London put the records of 4.5 million
men and more than 40,000 women who served with the British army overseas
on
a
new
website,
Lives
of
the
First
World
War.
May 12: The United Nations appointed the first woman to command one of the
world
body's
peacekeeping
operations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Major General Kristin Lund, of
Norway, as the force commander for the UN peacekeeping operation in Cyprus.
She will replace Major General Chao Liu, of China, on Aug 13.
May 12: Alcohol kills 3.3 million people worldwide each year, more than Aids,
tuberculosis and violence combined, the World Health Organisation said,
warning
that
booze
consumption
was
on
the
rise.
May 12: The leader of the Nigerian Islamist rebel group Boko Haram offered to
release more than 200 schoolgirls, abducted by his men in April, in exchange
for
prisoners.
May 12: The Taliban began their annual spring offensive with attacks across

Afghanistan, including a suicide assault on government offices that killed seven

people plus attackers and rocket strikes on two airports.
May 13: An Israeli court sentenced ex-premier Ehud Olmert to six years in
prison for bribery, making him the most senior politician in the country's history
to
face
jail
for
corruption.
May 13: The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda
said she has reopened an initial probe into allegations of war crimes committed
by British soldiers after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
May 13: Lakhdar Brahimi resigned as the joint UN-Arab League envoy to Syria
after trying for nearly two years to overcome almost impossible odds to end a
civil
war.
May 13: India's Congress-led government named Lieutenant General Dalbir
Singh
Suhag
as
country's
new
army
chief.
May 14: In a coalmine in western Turkey nearly 245 workers were confirmed
killed and around 120 still feared to be trapped in what could prove to be the
nation's
worst
industrial
disaster.
May 14: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah reshuffled top defence posts, removing
the deputy minister and the chief of staff, state news agency SPA reported.
He also appointed his son Prince Turki as governor of Riyadh region, SPA said.
Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was removed from his post as deputy
defence minister upon his request, SPA said, citing a royal decree.
He was replaced by Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of
Riyadh.
May 14: The world's oldest and best-preserved sperm, dating back 17 million
years, was unearthed in Australia. The sperm from an ancient species of tiny
shrimp was discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil Site, an area in
the far north of the state of Queensland where many extraordinary prehistoric
Australian
animals
have
previously
been
found.
May 15: Afghanistan's presidential election would go to a run-off vote between
former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank economist
Ashraf Ghani, results of the first round of voting confirmed.
Sports

April 17: World number one Rafael Nadal sealed his 300th career victory on
clay
court.
April 17: Real Madrid overcame Barcelona at the Mestalla in Valencia Gareth
Bale
to
win
the
Copa
del
Rey.
April 19: Peter Moores was named England coach for the second time.
April 20: Bernard Hopkins, the oldest world champion in boxing history at age
49, became the eldest fighter to unify world titles when he defeated Beibut
Shumenov
in
a
light-heavyweight
showdown.
April 20: Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Swiss compatriot Roger Federer to win
the
Monte
Carlo
Masters.
April 25: World number one Rafael Nadal suffered his first defeat in Barcelona
since 2003 when compatriot Nicolas Almagro ended his winning run in the
Spanish
city.
April 27: Maria Sharapova claimed a hat-trick of Stuttgart titles after coming
from behind to win a three-set battle royal with Ana Ivanovic.
April 27: Japan's Kei Nishikori sealed his fifth career ATP title and first on clay
with a win over Colombian Santiago Giraldo to claim the Barcelona Open.
April 27: Anjum Chopra, the former India women's captain, and Yuraj Singh
were among 56 distinguished people who were honoured with the Padma Shri
Award
2014.
April 27: Five-time world champion Lin Dan earned a hard-fought title in the
men's singles at the Badminton Asia Championships in South Korea.
April 28: Kei Nishikori claimed his fifth career title as he became the first
Japanese
to
win
the
Barcelona
Open.
May 04: British star Amir Khan made his debut in the welterweight division a
successful one, winning a unanimous decision over former champion Luis
Collazo
at
the
MGM
Grand
Hotel.
May 05: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was named England's Footballer of the
Year
by
the
Football
Writers'
Association
(FWA).
May 07: Thailand's unbeaten Amnat Ruenroeng defeated former world

champion Kazuto Ioka to retain his International Boxing Federation flyweight

title.
May 07: Afghanistan steamrolled Nepal to claim the ACC Premier League title.
As the top two teams in the Premier League, both Afghanistan and Nepal have
qualified for the Asian Cricket Council Championship 2014.
May 12: The top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal won another clay-court title
Madrid
Open
against
Kei
Nishikori.
May 15: Sevilla beat Benfica 4-2 on penalties to win the Europa League for the
third
time.
Science
April 17: Scientists moved a step closer to the goal of creating stem cells
perfectly matched to a patient's DNA in order to treat diseases creating patientspecific cell lines out of the skin cells of two adult men. The advance, described
online in the journal Cell Stem Cell, is the first time researchers have achieved
therapeutic
cloning
of
adults.
April 17: For the first time, scientists have found an Earth-sized world orbiting
in
a
life-friendly
zone
around
a
distant
star.
The discovery is the closest scientists have come so far to finding a true Earth
twin. The star, known as Kepler-186 and located about 500 light years away in
the constellation Cygnus, is smaller and redder than the sun.
The star's outermost planet, designated Kepler-186f, receives about one-third
the radiation from its parent star as Earth gets from the sun, meaning that high
noon on this world would be roughly akin to Earth an hour before sunset.
May 08: Scientists reported that they had taken a significant step toward
altering the fundamental alphabet toward altering the fundamental alphabet of
life creating for the first time an organism with DNA containing artificial
genetic
code.
The accomplishment might eventually lead to organisms that can make
medicines or industrial products that cells with only the natural genetic code
cannot.
May 08: Scientists in India discovered 14 new species of dancing frogs,
named after their unusual leg-extending ability which male frogs use to attract

mates

and

defend

themselves.

Obituaries
April 17: Colombia's Nobel-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez died in
Mexico
City
at
the
age
of
87.
April 23: Neil Chanmugam, one of Sri Lanka's leading off-spinners of the preTest
era,
passed
away
aged
73.
April

26: Former

Barcelona

coach,

Tito

Vilanova,

died

aged

45.

April 30: British actor Bob Hoskins, the gruff star of films including Who
Framed Roger Rabbit and The Long Good Friday, died at the age of 71.
May 05: Gary Becker, whose work applying the principles of economics to a
wide range of human behaviour won the Nobel Prize in 1992, died at age 83.
May 09: Former Spanish long jumper Yago Lamela, who was the 1999 world
championship silver medallist, was found dead. He was 36.
May 08: British planetary scientist Colin Pillinger, the driving force behind the
ill-fated Beagle 2 mission to Mars, died at the age of 70.
May 13: Renowned Venezuelan doctor and scientist Jacinto Convit, renowned
for his development of a leprosy vaccine and a lifetime spent helping the poor,
died
at
the
age
of
100.
May 14: Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul, who won an Oscar for his 2012
documentary Searching for Sugar Man, committed suicide in Stockholm.
May 15: Mel Patton, a double gold medal-winning sprinter at the 1948 London
Olympics,
died.
He
was
89.
People
Mir

in
Zafar

News
Ali

On April 16, Pakistan-born visual effects artist Mir Zafar Ali bagged another
Oscar, bringing his total tally of trophies to three. Zafar's first taste of the
Academy Award was back in 2007 when he won the Best Visual Effects Artist
award for the movie Golden Compass. Life of Pi and most recently Frozen
turned
out
to
be
just
as
lucky
for
the
artist.

He had previously worked for the Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhal starrer The
Day After Tomorrow where global climatic events lead to a new Ice Age. XMen's Banshee (as well as his sonic screams) and Richard Parker, the tiger in
Life of Pi are all evidences of Mir Zafar's genius. He has also worked for
several visual effects shops such as Digital Domain and Rhythm and Hues.
K.

Padmarajan

On April 30, an Indian shop owner K. Padmarajan hit the news when it was
found that out of the 158 times he stood for public office, not a single time he
saw
the
success.
Didi

Senft

On April 18, a German bicycle designer Didi Senft, also known as El Diablo,
made a new bicycle to commemorate the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Storkow.
Senft, who has had an entry in the Guinness Book of Record for the world's
largest bicycle, worked some 100 hours on this bicycle.
Elena

Poniatowska

On April 23, a Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska received the 'Premio

Cervantes' literary award from Spain's King Juan Carlos. 'Premio Cervantes' is
Spain's top literary prize that is named after the 16th century author Miguel de
Cervantes.
Thuli

Madonsela

On April 24, the Time magazine named South Africa's hard-hitting

ombudsman, Thuli Madonsela, as one of the world's 100 most influential
people, providing high-profile recognition of her work investigating President
Jacob
Zuma.
Salman

and

Talat

Hamdani

On May 02, after a decade-long struggle by Talat Hamdani, her son, a police
cadet and a 9/11 hero, Mohammad Salman Hamdani was finally honoured as a
street was named after him in Bayside, Queens. Mrs Hamdani calls the move a
step
in
the
right
direction.
Rafael

Nadal

On May 05, the city of Madrid declared world number one Rafael Nadal as its
adopted son in honour of his trophy-laden tennis career. Declaring someone an
adopted son or daughter is the highest award which Madrid city hall can award.
Nadal, who began playing tennis at age four coached by his uncle Toni Nadal,
has been champion in 13 Grand Slam tournaments. He had won the French
Open eight times, Wimbledon twice, the US Open twice and one Australian
Open.
Previous recipients of the distinction include Spain's King Juan Carlos and
Peruvian
author
and
Nobel
laureate
Mario
Vargas
Llosa.
Places

in

Noma

News
Restaurant

On May 01, Denmark's Noma restaurant reclaimed the title of world's best
restaurant, becoming a four-time winner having lost the title last year to Spain's
El Celler de Can Roca. The two Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen, which
serves Nordic specialities in a quayside warehouse, topped the World's 50 Best
Restaurants list compiled by 900 international experts for Britain's Restaurant
magazine.
Chilaw,

Sri

Lanka

May 06: Villagers in the district of Chilaw in Sri Lanka found scores of fish
with a total weight of 50kg, a literal fish rain. The edible fish fell during a
storm and are believed to have been lifted out of a river during a strong wind.
It is not the first such incident in Sri Lanka; in 2012, a case of prawn rain was
recorded
in
the
south.
Interesting

News

Apr 18: While issuing a routine media statement, the Press and Information
Department (PID), inadvertently, declared China an Islamic Republic.
Buried within the 1,500 words of Press Release No. 151 is the paragraph:
The Cabinet gave Approval for Signing of Protocol for the Period from Nov
2004 to Nov 2012 and Approval for Revision of Protocol between the
Government of Islamic Republic of China for Scientific and Technical
Cooperation
in
Surveying
and
Mapping.

April 27: England's cricketers may have suffered the embarrassment of a World
defeat by the Netherlands and a 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia but even they
were never bowled out for three as has happened to one club side.
Wirral, from north-west England, were dismissed for just three against
Haslington in a Cheshire League Third Division match with extras the topscorer
courtesy
of
two
leg-byes.
There were 10 ducks in the Wirral innings, with No 11 Connor Hodson,
supposedly their worst batsman, the only member of the visitors' side to score a
run off the bat.
World in Focus (May-June 2014)
National & International News & MCQs
The
Man
with
a
Vision
Chaudhry
Muhammad
Sarwar
Tuesday, July 01, 2014

National
May 16: Saira Afzal Tarar, the Minister of State for National Health Services,
told the Senate that the provinces shared fabricated figures of incomplete polio
campaigns with the federal government, ultimately leading to travel restriction
on
Pakistanis.
May 16: The government decided to extend Rs 2 billion subsidy package for
supply of essential kitchen items at cheaper rates to people during Ramazan.
May 16: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered an FIR against
former chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra)

Tariq Malik on the charge of concealing the fact that he also held Canadian
citizenship
at
the
time
of
obtaining
his
passports.
May 16: Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court
took
oath
as
Acting
Chief
Justice
of
Pakistan.
May 17: Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set
aside the Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) issued by the PML-N government
which
brought
Najam
Sethi
in
the
PCB
as
chairman.
May 17: The Pakistan Post issued a stamp highlighting Forman Christian
College's
sesquicentennial
(150-year)
celebrations.
The stamp depicts Sinclair Hall, which was constructed to mark the centenary
of FCC and named after a devoted Principal Dr E.J Sinclair, who served FCC
for over 50 years as a faculty member and from 1962-1968 as principal. The
building was designed by architect Nasreddin Murat Khan, who also designed
the Minar-i-Pakistan. The depiction is by water colour artist Anjum Zaheer.
May 19: A Karachi court dismissed an illicit weapon case against Joel Cox
Eugene, an agent of US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
May 20: Private members of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority (Pemra) announced the suspension of three licences, Geo News, Geo
Entertainment
and
Geo
Tez,
of
Geo
network.
However, the management of the authority said that the meeting itself was
illegal and any decisions taken by it were null and void.
May 20: The Lahore High Court directed its registrar to serve notices on over
two dozen politicians, including present and former rulers, their family
members, a property tycoon and a rights activist through proclamation in
newspaper for submitting replies to a petition seeking a court order for them to
bring
their
foreign
assets
back
to
Pakistan.
May 20: The Supreme Court restored the licence of former law minister Dr
Babar
Awan
after
suspension
of
two
years.
May 21: At least 73 suspected local and foreign militants were killed in a series
of pre-dawn air strikes on hideouts and bases in North Waziristan.
May 21: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) endorsed its earlier ruling that
girls as young as nine years old were eligible to be married, if the signs of

puberty

are

visible.

The CII meeting, chaired by Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani of the Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), also said that most of the clauses of the existing
Muslim
Marriage
Law,
1961,
were
un-Islamic.
May 21: The number of broadband users in the country has reached 3.35
million, an increase of around 10 per cent from the previously reported figure of
3.02m.
According to latest figures issued by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority,
PTCL is still leading the market as it added 317,481 subscribers in the last three
months.
Main contributors remained the EvDO technology, which acquired 256,543 new
subscribers
or
80pc
of
new
broadband
customers.
May 21: Prime Minister's Fee Reimbursement Scheme for students belonging
to
underdeveloped
areas
was
launched.
May 21: The Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment (PCJA)
unanimously confirmed the nomination of Judicial Commission of Pakistan for
appointment of Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, former judge Supreme
Court (SC) as chief justice of Federal Shariat Court (FSC).
May 22: Pakistan and China signed a $1.6 billion agreement for a metro train
project in Punjab, the first of its kind in the country.
Financed by China, the Orange Line Metro Train Project will be completed
within
three
years.
May 22: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif handed out licences for next generation
3G and 4G services to the four cellular companies that had bid on them.
May 22: The Sindh government appointed Ghulam Qadir Thebo Karachi police
chief,
replacing
Shahid
Hayat
Khan.
May 23: Frustrated at not having their complaints heeded, a large contingent of
Sikhs descended upon Parliament House to protest the desecration of their holy
book
in
Sindh.
May 23: The Bahria Town was allowed to carry out construction on Opal 225, a
skyscraper having residential and commercial facilities in the heart of the
Karachi's
business
district.

May 23: Under an agreement signed, the Subscriber Identity Modules (Sims) of
mobile phones would be activated only after biometric verification of
customers.
May 24: A large section of civil servants is angry at the PML-N government for
allegedly favouring the powerful Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) at the
cost
of
the
other
10
occupational
groups.
Formerly known as the District Management Group (DMG), PAS got a major
share of the promotions of bureaucrats under a Statutory Regulatory Order
(SRO)
issued
by
the
government
on
Feb
10,
2014.
The SRO has allocated 65 per cent of the Secretariat Group promotions in BPS21 and 22 (the two highest grades for civil servants) for officers of the
DMG/PAS.
May 24: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah granted the status of
division
to
Shaheed
Benazirabad
district.
May 24: Pakistan and China began their joint air exercises, codenamed
Shaheen-III
at
an
operational
base
in
Pakistan.
May 26: Against the backdrop of an attack on the life of senior journalist and
anchorperson Hamid Mir, Geo TV network and Jang media group tendered
apology to the armed forces and Inter Services Intelligence for hurling
allegations
on
ISI
chief
Lt
Gen
Zaheerul
Islam.
May 27: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met India's first far right prime minister,
Narendra
Modi.
May 27: Farzana, 25, of Nankana Sahib was beaten to death with bricks by her
family near the Lahore High Court allegedly for marrying a man of her choice.
May 28: The Accountability Court, Islamabad, acquitted former president Asif
Ali Zardari in the polo ground reference but rejected his acquittal plea in SGS
and
Cotecna
references.
May 28: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan split into two factions after a
major
group
based
in
South
Waziristan
quit
the
TTP.
May 29: An anti-corruption court issued arrest warrants of former prime
minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, former commerce minister Makhdoom Amin

Fahim

and

others

in

multi-billion

trade

subsidy

scam.

May 29: The National Economic Council (NEC) approved a Rs36bn initiative
for strengthening national unity and the federation by removing disparities in
development between the developed and under-developed parts of the country.
Under the initiative, Rs15 billion will be invested in Balochistan, Rs8bn in
Sindh, Rs4bn each in KP and Fata, Rs3bn in Azad Kashmir and Rs2bn in GilgitBaltistan.
May 29: National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) unveiled a new
policy to deal with the registration of parentless or abandoned children.
Under the new policy, the head of an orphanage where such a child lives is
eligible to become that child's legal guardian by providing an affidavit.
May 29: The National Economic Council (NEC) approved an ambitious 10year plan called Vision 2025, envisaging Pakistan to be among top 25 world
economies, universal primary education with 100 per cent enrolment, an
increase in annual exports by six times to $150 billion and double power
generation
to
45,000MW
by
2025.
May 29: A decision made by the cabinet sub-committee during the last PPP
government regularising the services of contractual employees was declared as
null
and
void
by
the
Islamabad
High
Court
(IHC).
May 29: The second phase of local bodies' elections was completed in
Balochistan with voting held for 1,082 seats reserved for Muslim women and 73
for
minorities.
May 29: Four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between
the Shandong Ruyi group and different industrial groups of Punjab at the CM
House.
May 29: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the PP-107 by-poll.
May 29: The Global Burden of Disease Study published in The Lancet medical
journal placed Pakistan as the ninth most obese country in the world.
A staggering 671 million people now fall within the obese category, said the
study 78 million of them in the United States. China and India trailed 2nd
and 3rd in the top 10 obese countries with 46 million and 30 million people
respectively, followed by Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan
and
Indonesia.

May 30: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated two 660-megawatt coalfired power projects the first of its kind in Punjab having a capacity of
1,320MW in Qadirabad, Sahiwal. The project will be completed by 2016.
May 31: Rana Jamil Hasan alias Gudo Khan, an MPA of the PML-N, was
kidnapped
near
Sheikhupura
on
the
motorway.
June 01: The relaxation extended to Pakistan by the World Health Organization
(WHO)
expired.
From June 1, all Pakistanis travelling abroad will be required to present a polio
vaccination
certificate
at
the
time
of
departure.
June 02: President Mamnoon Hussain opened the new parliamentary year with
his
address
to
the
joint
session
of
the
parliament.
June 02: Launching the Pakistan Economic Survey for 2013-14, Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar played down the government's missed targets, saying that it
had achieved 90 per cent of the targets it set for itself.
June 02: The Prime Minister's Adviser on Water and Power announced that the
head of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) and one of the company's
directors have been sacked and FIRs registered against them. The
announcement comes as an inquiry into allegations of illegal diversion of
electricity
incriminated
the
two
men.
June 02: Russia lifted an embargo on sales of weapons and military hardware to
Pakistan.
June 03: The PML-N government unveiled its second budget which provided
harsh
cuts
as
well
as
populist
measures.
June 03: Altaf Hussain, the London-based chief of the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement (MQM), was arrested by the British police on suspicion of money
laundering.
He was arrested in northwest London where he has been living in self-imposed
exile
since
1992.
June 03: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif gave approval to the project of setting
up
a
cancer
hospital
and
research
centre
in
Lahore.
June 04: Two army officers and three civilians were killed at a railway crossing
at the junction of Fateh Jang and Rawalpindi when a suicide bomber hit a
vehicle
carrying
security
personnel.
June 04: The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant's unit-I was connected to the
national grid. The plant was currently producing 244MW but would start
generating
325MW
by
June
7.
June 04: The Japanese government formally agreed to grant a concessional loan
of Rs5 billion to Pakistan for supporting the energy sector reforms.
June 05: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the National Health Insurance
Scheme
for
the
poorest
segment
of
the
nation.

June 05: The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) declared that murder of women or
girls
in
the
name
of
'honour'
is
un-Islamic.
June 05: Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani administered the oath of office
to Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan as chief justice of the Federal Shariat
Court
(FSC).
June 05: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC)
directed the Secretariat Police Station to register a murder case against former
CIA station chief in Islamabad Jonathan Banks and former CIA General
Counsel John A. Rizzo in the matter pertaining to Kareem Khan, a resident of
North Waziristan Agency (NWA), after his brother and a son died in a drone
strike
in
2009.
June 05: Abdul Hakeem Baloch was made minister of state for communications.
Earlier, he was serving as minister of state for railways.
June 05: The government appointed Pervez Rathor as acting chairman of the
Pakistan
Electronic
Media
Regulatory
Authority
(PEMRA).
June 06: A major oil reserve was discovered near Jhelum, opening up a new
area
for
exploitation
of
hydrocarbon
potential.
With an estimated production of 5,500 barrels per day, the Ghauri X-1 oil well
is expected to be the country's largest oil-producing well.
With the Petroleum Ministry`s consent, the Mari Petroleum Company Limited
(MPCL) which operates the Ghauri Joint Venture (GJV), formally announced
that it had made `a significant oil discovery` in the Ghauri X-1 oil well, located
in
the
Dhemak
village
of
district
Jhelum.
June 06: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra)
suspended the licence of Geo News for 15 days and fined it Rs10 million.
June 06: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly approved big increase in salaries
and emoluments of its members, including the speaker and deputy speaker, and
ministers and made it compulsory for the government to enhance them in future
at the rate of the increase in the salaries and emoluments of BPS-20 employees.
June 06: For the first time during the budget session, the National Assembly
unanimously passed three bills including the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill
2014.
Other two bills include the Legal Practitioners and Bar Council (Amendment)
Bill, 2014 and the Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill 2014.
June 07: London police filed no charges against Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain,
but told him to appear before investigators again next month.
Mr Hussain, who was arrested by the British authorities on suspicions of money
laundering on June 3, was released from police custody on bail after a ninehour-long
interrogation.
June 07: After the successful endeavours of the North Waziristan Agency
(NWA) grand tribal Jirga, the Taliban agreed to extend the peace treaty with the
government.
June 08: Heavily armed militants attacked the Jinnah International Airport,

Karachi,
killing
at
least
22
people.
June 08: Pakistan's first animated TV series, Burka Avenger, was awarded the
International
Gender
Equity
Prize,
2014.
June 08: Nearly two dozen people were killed and many more injured in a
suicide attack on a hotel hosting Shia pilgrims in Taftan, a district on the border
with
Iran.
June 09: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) revamped its prosecution
system, believing it will help increase the conviction rate in corruption cases,
expectedly
by
10
per
cent
during
the
current
year.
June 09: A heavy exchange of fire took place between Pakistani and Iranian
border
forces
along
Mashkel
area
of
Washuk
district.
June 10: With the authorities struggling to cope with security challenges in the
aftermath of attack on Karachi airport's Terminal One, suspected militants
launched another attack on an Airport Security Force's facility, forcing the Civil
Aviation Authority to suspend flight operations at the country's busiest airport.
June 10: Pakistan and Nigeria agreed to cooperate in the fields of counterterrorism and defence, besides giving impetus to enhancement of trade,
commerce, industry, agriculture, infrastructure, investment and human resource
development.
The two countries also agreed to intensify cooperation at international forums
and
efforts
for
reforms
in
the
UN
Security
Council.
June 10: The Taliban Shura, headed by Commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, asked
foreign militants and supporters of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) to either live peacefully or leave North Waziristan within 15 days.
June 10: The visit of Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen to Pakistan was
cancelled
at
the
eleventh
hour
for
unknown
reasons.
June 10: Punjab, through the promulgation of an ordinance The Punjab
Strategic Coordination Ordinance, 2014 created a provincial 'Security
Council' to ensure flawless coordination with the central government and the
federal and military intelligence agencies for countering terrorism.
June 10: The World Bank unanimously approved the Dasu hydroelectric power
project. The US also voted in favour. The US administration had earlier warned
Pakistan that due to congressional constraint, they would prefer to abstain,
although
they
support
the
plan.
June 10: An agreement was signed between the Punjab government and a
prominent Chinese company, Sino Hydro, for the rehabilitation and upgradation of Sulemanki Barrage and Pakpattan Canal. Under the agreement, the
Chinese company will work on the project of rehabilitation and up-gradation of
Sulemanki Barrage, reconstruction of its bridge, Pakpattan Canal, Khadar
Branch
and
PI
Link.
June 11: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wrote a letter to his Indian counterpart
Narendra Modi vowing to work with him for the benefit of both nations.
June 11: The appointment of Shaharyar Khan Mahar, a Pakistan Muslim League

Functional lawmaker, as the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly was
notified.
June 11: The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), an organisation of
militants mostly from the central Asian Uzbek state, claimed that its suicide
bombers
carried
out
attack
on
the
Karachi
airport.
June 11: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) restrained talk show host Mubasher
Lucman
from
appearing
on
any
channel.
June 11: A court sentenced two brothers to 11 years in jail for eating a dead
baby in a case that has shocked the country, a year after they were freed over a
similar
offence.
June 11: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) announced its decision not
to disclose the names of fake degree holding politicians in future.
June 11: To provide military assistance to Pakistan in the next fiscal year, the
US administration will now have to certify to Congress that Islamabad is
conducting military operations in North Waziristan. Under the Carl Levin
National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2015, the US administration
will also have to submit, twice a year, a report on security cooperation with
Pakistan.
One provision restricts the US Secretary of Defence from waiving the
certification requirements for releasing $300 million of the $900 million
Coalition
Support
Fund.
June 11: The US carried out the first drone strike in Pakistan this year, killing at
least
six
militants
in
North
Waziristan.
June 12: The Sindh High Court struck down the federal government's order of
preventing retired General Pervez Musharraf from leaving the country, but the
former military ruler will have to wait for two weeks to find out if he could
actually
travel
abroad.
June 12: Perhaps for the first time in the country's parliamentary history,
treasury members boycotted the budget debate in Senate, over alleged misuse of
rules
by
the
deputy
chairman.
June 12: The Punjab Parliamentary Youth Caucus was formed comprising 84
MPAs from different parliamentary groups with upper age limit of 45 years.
June 12: PNS Dehshat, built at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd
(KS&EW),
was
inducted
into
Pakistan
Navy's
fleet.
June 12: Maulana Samiul Haq was re-elected unopposed as Ameer of his own
faction
of
JUI.
June 14: The federal government challenged a Sindh High Court order to
remove former president retired General Pervez Musharraf's name from the exit
control
list
(ECL).
June 14: Handery Masih, a member of the Balochistan Assembly, was shot dead
allegedly
by
his
security
guard.
June 14: Several suspected militants were killed in an offensive by PAF jets in
the troubled North Waziristan tribal region in the small hours.

June 15: Pakistan Army launched a comprehensive operation Zarb-e-Azb

against local and foreign militants in North Waziristan. Azb was the name of the
sword
of
Prophet
Muhammad
(Peace
Be
Upon
Him).
Sports
May 17: Pakistan won the J.R. Jayewardene Trophy beating Sri Lanka in the
53rd National Amateur Golf Championship at the Royal Palm Golf Club.
May 17: Punjab boys and girls came out victorious in the Interprovincial Youth
Athletics
Championships,
which
concluded
in
Karachi.
May 19: Puri Real Estate won the All Pakistan Bridge Tournament concluded at
Islamabad
Club.
May 22: Sindh girls won the PSB Inter-Provincial Youth Under-16 Girls
Taekwondo
Championship.
Punjab
girls
finished
runners-up.
May 22: Fatima Khan of Punjab won the Inter-Provincial Girls Under-16 Table
Tennis
title
by
defeating
Maria
Khan.
May 25: Mohammad Munir successfully defended his President Gold Medal
Golf title while Tariq Mehmood rose to new heights winning the amateur net
gold.
May 26: Punjab secured 60 points to lift the All-Pakistan Power lifting
Championships title in Rawalpindi. Police ended as runners-up with 51 points
followed
by
Islamabad
who
accumulated
34
points.
Wapda's
Nooh
Butt
was
declared
the
best
power
lifter.
June 02: Pakistan women football team midfielder Hajra Khan signed a contract
with
the
Maldives
club
Sunrise
Hotels
and
Resorts
FC.
June 07: The Pakistan Body Building Federation (PBBF) elected its new
officials under the supervision of Pakistan Olympic Association. The office
bearers elected include President Naveed Akram Cheema, SVP President
Muhammad Yahya Butt (Mr. Asia), Secretary Muhammad Naeem Akhtar and
Treasurer
Syed
Saeed
Jamil.
June 07: The Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) unanimously elected Mian
Iftikhar
Hussain
as
its
president.
June 09: Ghazanfar Mahmood clinched the 24th Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Open
Golf
Championship
title
at
the
Piffers
Golf
Course.
The veterans' amateurs first net title was won by retired Col Mushtaq while the
senior amateurs gross was claimed by Col Arif and first net by Col Shahid.
June 09: Balochistan with seven gold medals, three silver aggregated 165 points
to win the National Junior Karate Championship in Rawalpindi.
Obituaries
May 16: Zille Huma, noted singer and daughter of melody queen Noor Jehan,
passed
away.
She
was
69.
May 20: Former MNA and PPP leader Mian Mohsin Ali Qureshi died.
June 01: Leading advertising expert and columnist Masood Hasan died. He was

72.
June 03: Senior journalist, researcher, intellectual and educationist Malik Munir
Ahmad
Bhutta
died.
He
was
75.
June 10: Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, a veteran politician and head of
Balochistan's Marri clan, died after a protracted illness. He was 86.
June 12: Prof Kamaluddin Ahmed, one of the top ranking Pakistani physicists
and distinguished scientists of National Centre for Physics (NCP) passed away.
Transfers
&
Postings
May 20: Former chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Arif Ali
Khan Abbasi rejoined the PCB as its chief consultant after remaining out of the
board
affairs
for
almost
18
years.
May 21: The Supreme Court reinstated Najam Sethi as chairman of the Pakistan
Cricket
Board
(PCB).
May 30: Rear Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi assumed the command of
Pakistan
fleet
(Compak).
June 01: Nargis Sethi was appointed as the new Secretary for Water and Power.
June 10: The Parliamentary Committee on Judges' Appointment unanimously
approved the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan to
elevate Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Umer Atta Bandial as a judge of the
Supreme
Court.
It also endorsed elevation of Justice Kh. Imtiaz Ahmed as Chief Justice of the
LHC and appointment of Athar Minallah as an additional judge of the
Islamabad
High
Court
(IHC).
June 14: The federal government changed Punjab police Inspector General
Khan Baig, replacing him with Balochistan IG Mushtaq Sukhera.
Punjab Special Branch Additional IG Muhammad Amlish was posted as
Balochistan
IG
in
place
of
Mr
Sukhera.
June 14: The Punjab government made DCO Lahore Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi an
OSD, and appointed Captain (retd) Usman in his place.
Education
May 16: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government removed the upper age limit for
the girls' admission to public sector universities and colleges in the province. It
also decided to provide free education and boarding facilities to the physicallychallenged students enrolled in the local government educational institutions.
May 29: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) issued a policy note
to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to revise its Equivalence Standard
for
Master's
degree
programmes.
June 02: The federal government announced that it will bear the boarding and
lodging expenses of bright students belonging to Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) who are attaining higher education under the Prime Minister's
Fee
Reimbursement
Scheme
(PMFRS).

The scheme will sponsor entire educational expenses of such students.

June 03: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a grant of Rs2 billion for the
construction of a new campus of King Edward Medical University (KEMU) at
an earlier provided land of 120 acres for the purpose in Muridke.
June 06: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
awarded scholarships to 94 students of Balochistan enrolled in the two-year
Associated Degree in Education (ADE) and the four-year B.Ed Hons
programmes.
June 09: President Mamnoon Hussain appointed Dr Mohammad Asif Khan,
Director, National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, as
the vice-chancellor of the Karakoram International University. President of
Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain in his capacity is the chancellor of the varsity.
People
&
Places
in
News
Lahore
On May 23, a three-day 5th Alhamra International Conference titled 'Beetay
Huay Din Yaad Aatey Hain' started at the Alhamra Art Centre, Lahore.
Nespak
On May 23, the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) was
recognized as the Best Enterprise in quality and management spheres by the
Europe
Business
Assembly.
Dr
Zulfiqar
Bhutta
On May 23, the World Health Assembly awarded a Pakistani physician, Dr
Zulfiqar Bhutta, the 'Ihsan Dogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize' for his
global
work
on
child
health
and
newborn
survival.
Lahore
On May 24, the Lahore chapter of Pakistan Mauritius Friendship Association
was
formally
launched.
UVAS,
Lahore
On May 24, the third International Halal Conference concluded at the
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) with the signing of
'Lahore Declaration', which calls for taking appropriate measures to promote
trade of Halal industry, including food and non-food products.
EFU
Life
Assurance
Ltd
On May 26, EFU Life Assurance Ltd., won the Brand of the Year Award 2013
for the second time by Brand Foundation for 'Best Life Insurance Company'.
Nilofer
Shahid
On May 27, Pakistan's most respected and experienced haute couturier, Nilofer
Shahid, was officially awarded with Le Grade De Chevalier Dan L'ordre Des
Arts Et Des Lettres in recognition of her contribution to the development of
Art, Culture & Fashion Design, also making her the first Pakistani fashion
designer
on
whom
this
honour
has
been
bestowed.
Mr
Amjad
A.
Khan

Nespak MD Mr Amjad A. Khan was nominated for the prestigious award of the
Best Manager of the Year by the EBA. Mr Khan has been invited to receive the
award at the Traditional Socrates Award Ceremony on July 2 in Italy.
Shahid
Ghaffar
On May 29, Shahid Ghaffar assumed the charge as the managing director of the
National
Investment
Trust
Limited
(NITL).
Senator
Mushahid
Hussain
Syed
On June 04, leading a delegation of senators and scholars to Saudi Arabia on the
invitation of the Speaker of the Shoura Council, Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al
ash-Sheikh, Senator Mushahid Hussain initiated the first ever parliamentary
dialogue
on
bilateral
and
Muslim
World
issues.
Lt
Gen
(Retd)
Naeem
Khalid
Lodhi
On June 04, for the first time-ever, a Pakistani national, the incumbent Chief
Executive and Managing Director of the Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), Lt
Gen (Retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi, who also happens to be the chairman of the
Fertilizer Manufacturers Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC), was appointed
as the director of the prestigious and globally famous International Association
for
the
Global
Fertilizer
Industry
(IFA).
Lt Gen Lodhi (Retd) has now become the first-ever Pakistani to be selected as
the member of the board of directors of the International Fertilizer Association.
Lateef
Johar
On June 06, a Baloch activist, Lateef Johar, ended his hunger strike after 45
days outside the Karachi Press Club after an international rights body assured
him that his cause of raising voice for the recovery of the missing chief of his
student
organisation
would
be
pursued
globally.
Abuja,
Nigeria
On June 10, President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain visited Nigeria and held
delegation level talks Nigerian President Dr Goodluck Jonathan whereby both
leaders agreed to cooperate in the fields of counter-terrorism and defence,
besides giving impetus to enhancement of trade, commerce, industry,
agriculture, infrastructure, investment and human resource development. They
also agreed to intensify cooperation between the two nations at international
forums and efforts for reforms in the UN Security Council.
Rawalpindi
On June 11, the daylong 72nd Formation Commanders' Conference was held at
the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi. It was chaired by Chief of Army
Staff
General
Raheel
Sharif.
Islamabad
On June 15, an international conference on polio eradication was held in
Islamabad. The Conference was attended by scholars from foreign countries and
clerics and academics from across the country and officials of the health
ministry
and
Islamic
Development
Bank.

International
May 16: Results from India's elections returned the religious revanchist
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with an unprecedented grip on power.
May 16: President Barack Obama renewed sanctions against Myanmar even
though he said it had made some progress on reforms. The sanctions bar
American companies and citizens from investing in the country.
May 16: A fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers
ended with both sides complaining that major gaps remained ahead of a July 20
deadline
for
a
vaunted
accord.
May 16: Indian Supreme Court ordered a tough new investigation into spotfixing allegations in the Indian Premier League (IPL), giving the probe panel
additional
powers
and
police
assistance.
May 17: Taiwan's parliament approved a rich man's tax on nearly 10,000 of
the island's wealthiest people in a bid to narrow the widening income gap.
Starting next year, those with annual net income of over Tw$10 million
($333,000), or the richest 1.5 per cent of individuals or families, will be subject
to a 45pc income tax rate, up from the current 40pc.
May 17: The United States lifted a decade-old visa ban on Narendra Modi while
President Barack Obama invited India's next prime minister to visit Washington.
May 17: Sudan's state security arrested former prime minister, Sadiq al Mahdi,
after he reportedly accused a counter-insurgency unit of rape and other abuses
of
civilians
in
Darfur.
May 17: Colombia's government and main rebel group announced an agreement
to jointly combat illicit drugs. Under the accord, the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, agreed to divorce itself completely
from
the
drug
trade.
May 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops deployed near
Ukraine
to
return
to
their
home
bases.
May 19: Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, won most seats in parliamentary
elections. His State of Law alliance, however, fell short of an overall majority.
May 19: Imam Abu Hamza al-Masri was convicted of terrorism charges in New
York.
May 19: Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Tripoli and evacuated all its
diplomats
over
security
concerns
in
Libya.
May 19: The United States indicted five members of the Chinese military on
charges that they stole US secrets through hacking to help state-run companies.
May 20: China and Russia started joint naval exercises off Shanghai. President
Xi Jinping launched the drills, with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
May 20: China banned the use of Microsoft's latest operating system on
government computers, as part of a decree about the use of energy-saving
products.
May 20: Three years after the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used a

vaccination programme in Pakistan to trace Osama bin Laden, the White House
ordered the agency not to use health initiatives as a ruse for spying.
May 20: Thailand's army chief imposed martial law, but insisted the
intervention
did
not
amount
to
military
coup.
May 21: Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal was taken into custody in a criminal defamation complaint filed
against him by Bharatiya Janata Party's former president Nitin Gadkari.
May 21: Deposed former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to
three years in prison for embezzling millions in public funds for lavish
renovations
to
family
properties.
May 21: South Asia is the most corrupt region of the world and governments
must strengthen their anti-graft agencies to prevent political interference and
protect
whistle-blowers,
Transparency
International
said.
The watchdog group found serious problems with anti-corruption efforts in
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
May 22: Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution referring
the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court for investigation of possible
war
crimes.
May 23: The Philippines and Indonesia signed an agreement resolving a sea
border
dispute
after
20
years
of
negotiations.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and outgoing Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono witnessed the signing by their foreign ministers of
the deal defining the borders of the countries' Exclusive Economic Zones in the
Mindanao
Sea
and
Celebes
Sea.
May 23: Iraq filed for arbitration against Turkey to stop exports of oil from
Kurdistan after European markets bought the first load of oil piped from the
autonomous
region.
May 23: The International Criminal Court sentenced a Congolese warlord,
Germain Katanga, nicknamed Simba, to 12 years in prison. The Presiding Judge
Bruno
Cotte
read
out
the
sentence.
May 23: Four insurgent gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on India's
consulate
in
the
western
Afghan
city
of
Herat.
May 24: Thailand's military junta disbanded the Senate and placed all lawmaking
authority
in
the
army
chief's
hands.
May 25: The proposed cabinet of Libyan premier Ahmed Miitig won a vote of
confidence in the General National Congress, or interim parliament.
May 25: German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives claimed victory in
European
Parliament
elections.
Germany, the most populous country in the EU, sends 96 members to the 751seat European Parliament which has demanded a stronger say in who takes over
from outgoing European Commission president Jose Manuel Barosso.
May 25: President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to American troops in
Afghanistan.

May 26: Indonesia's religious affairs minister, Suryadharma Ali, resigned after
being accused of misusing funds that were supposed to help Muslims go on
pilgrimage
to
the
holy
city
of
Makkah.
May 26: The US Supreme Court ruled that states must look beyond an
intelligence test score in borderline cases of mental disability to determine
whether a death row inmate is eligible to be executed.
The justices said in a 5-4 decision that Florida and a handful of other states
cannot rely solely on an IQ score above 70 to bar an inmate from claiming
mental
disability.
May 27: US President Barack Obama announced his plans to withdraw all
combat
troops
from
Afghanistan
by
the
end
of
2016.
May
28:
Five
Muslim
women
made
it
to
Forbes'
list
of
the
100
most
powerful
women.
Shiekh
Hasina
Wajid
Prime
Minister
of
Bagladesh:
47th
Sheikha
Lubna
Al
Qasimi;
Minister of International Cooperation and Development in UAE: 55th
Lubna
S.
Olayan;
CEO
Olayan
Financing
Company:
86th
Sheikha
Mayassa
Al
Thani
Daughter of Qatar royal family and chairperson of Qatar Museums
Authority:91st
Fatima
Al
Jaber;
COO
Al
Jaber
Group
UAE94th
May 29: Ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi scored a crushing presidential
election
triumph
and
consolidated
the
military's
grip.
Ninety-six per cent of the voters, at least 21 million Egyptians, chose Sisi, who
deposed
elected
Islamist
president
Mohamed
Morsi.
June 01: Afghanistan said that it was pulling out of security talks scheduled to
be
held
in
Islamabad
on
June
4.
June 01: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a former spy, Ajit Doval,
as
his
national
security
adviser.
June 02: Spanish King Juan Carlos announced he will hand the crown to his son
Felipe, ending a historic 39-year reign that guided Spain to democracy.
The 76-year-old, crowned in November 1975 after the death of General
Francisco Franco, said he wanted to hand over to a younger generation after
several
turbulent
years.
June 02: A long-awaited Palestinian unity government took oath before
president Mahmud Abbas after a landmark reconciliation deal with Islamist
movement
Hamas
that
has
infuriated
Israel.
June 02: Celebrations greeted the creation of India's newest state of Telangana,
marking the formal division of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
A Regional political leader, Chandrasekhar Rao, was sworn in as first chief
minister
of
India's
29th
state.

June 02: Protests by supporters of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by

Boko
Haram
were
banned
in
Nigeria's
capital,
Abuja.
June 03: India's newly sworn-in Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde,
a crucial party strategist in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, was killed
in
a
road
accident.
June 03: Turkey lifted a controversial ban on YouTube, days after the country's
top court ruled that it breached the right to free speech.
June 03: Ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won 96.9 per cent of votes in
Egypt's
presidential
election.
June 05: Leaders of the groups of seven industrialised nations (G-7) decided to
tighten defences against the risk of terror attacks by European Jihadists
returning
from
the
Syrian
front.
June 05: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won a new seven-year term with
nearly
90
per
cent
of
the
vote.
June 07: The United Arab Emirates introduced military service, compulsory for
men aged between 18 and 30, state news agency WAM announced.
June 10: Unknown gunmen shot and killed Sheik Mohamed Idris, the chairman
of
the
Council
of
Imams
and
Preachers
of
Kenya.
June 10: Miss Universe Thailand, Weluree Ditsayabut, resigned less than a
month into her reign after being harshly criticised on social media over her
political
comments
and
looks.
June 10: An Al Qaeda splinter group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL), seized control of Iraq's big northern city Mosul, putting security forces
to flight in a spectacular show of strength against the government.
June 10: Thailand's military government lifted a late-night curfew in 20 more
provinces, but it remained in place in more than 50 others and in the capital,
Bangkok.
June 11: Militants seized the Iraqi city of Tikrit but their assault on Samarra was
repulsed as a lightning offensive launched in the country's second city Mosul
swept
closer
to
Baghdad.
June 12: The day finally arrived all Brazilians, and the world, were waiting for.
After all the concerns over construction delays, strikes and protests, the 2014
FIFA World Cup opened with a colourful inaugural ceremony highlighting the
Brazilian
culture.
June 12: N. Srinivasan was allowed to go ahead with contesting the election for
ICC president as the India's Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea by
Cricket Association of Bihar to restrain him from joining the poll.
June 14: South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics formed a partnership
with US entertainment giant Marvel in an effort to promote its new tablet PC
Galaxy
Tab
S.
June 14: One of India's top Bollywood actresses Preity Zinta filed a police
complaint alleging that she was molested, abused and threatened by a former
boyfriend at an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match.

June 14: The United States ordered an aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W.
Bush, into the Gulf in response to the crisis in Iraq.
Elections
and
Appointments
May 22: Anandiben Patel, a close Narendra Modi associate, was sworn-in as
first
woman
chief
minister
of
Gujarat.
73-year-old Ms Patel, who was revenue, urban development and disaster
management minister in the Modi cabinet, was administered oath of office and
secrecy
by
Governor
Kamla
Beniwal.
May 25: An exit poll showed that billionaire candy-maker Petro Poroshenko
won
Ukraine's
presidential
election
in
the
first
round.
May 26: Narendra Modi was sworn-in as India's 15th prime minister in an
elaborate ceremony at New Delhi's resplendent presidential palace.
June 09: The former rebel leader Hashim Thaci claimed a third term as prime
minister
of
Kosovo.
June 10: Israel's parliament elected Reuven Rivlin, a far-right member of the
ruling Likud party, to be the nation's 10th president. The 74-year-old former
parliamentary speaker will take over when Peres retires at the end of July.
Economy
May 21: China signed a landmark deal to buy Russian natural gas worth about
$400 billion, giving a boost to diplomatically isolated President Vladimir Putin
and
expanding
Moscow's
ties
with
Asia.
May 29: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty with Kazakhstan and
Belarus creating a vast trading bloc which he hopes will challenge the economic
might of the United States, the European Union and China.
Obituaries
May 19: Formula One great Sir Jack Brabham, who claimed three world drivers'
titles and remains the only man to win the championship in a car he built
himself,
died.
May 22: Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuela's former president who left office in 1989,
died
aged
89.
May 23: Madhav Mantri, India's oldest surviving Test cricketer and a former
manager of the national side, died at the age of 92.
Mantri, who was uncle of former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar, acted as a
mentor to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar during a long career as a player,
national
selector
and
administrator.
May 26: Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, the last Communist leader of Poland, who
sent tanks to crush Solidarity's stirrings for democracy in 1981 and went on to
preside over the death of the system that had nurtured him, died in Warsaw. He
was
90.
May 27: Former Gloucestershire and England off-spinner David Allen died

aged 78. Allen played 39 Tests for England in the 1960s.

May 28: Celebrated African-American author, poet and civil rights activist
Maya
Angelou
died.
She
was
86.
May 28: Sultan Azlan Shah, who reigned over the Malay state of Perak for three
decades and was an avid fan of field hockey and was known for the Azlan Shah
Cup annual hockey tournament, which was named after him, died.
June 01: Mary Soames, the last surviving child of British World War II leader
Winston
Churchill,
died.
She
was
91.
June 05: Chester Nez, the last of 29 Navajo Indians who helped create a code
used by the US army during World War II and that was never broken by the
Axis
Powers,
died
at
the
age
of
93.
June 02: Former Brazil left back Marinho Chagas, a regular in Brazil's team that
came
fourth
at
the
1974
World
Cup,
died.
June 03: American chemist Alexander Shulgin, known as the Godfather of
ecstasy for turning an obscure chemical into a widely-used party drug, died
aged
88.
June 07: The Brazilian football team's former striker and coach Fernando Lucio
da
Costa,
better
known
as
Fernandao,
died.
June 08: Prince Katsura, a cousin of Japanese Emperor Akihito and the sixth in
line to the Japanese imperial throne, died of acute heart failure.
June 10: Former Australian Test all-rounder Gary Gilmour died at the age of 62.
June 11: Harilal Shah, who led East Africa in the 1975 World Cup, died. He was
71.
June 14: Richard Rockefeller, great-grandson of US oil tycoon and
philanthropist
John
D.
Rockefeller,
died.
He
was
65.
Sports
May 17: St. Johnstone clinched the Scottish Cup for the first time in their 130year
history.
May 18: Atletico Madrid secured their 10th La Liga title; their first in 18 years.
May 18: Aaron Ramsey scored an extra-time winner as Arsenal finally ended
their nine-year trophy drought in a pulsating FA Cup final.
May 18: Novak Djokovic extended his recent dominance over Rafael Nadal by
winning
the
Italian
Open
for
the
third
time.
May 19: Malaysia's Nicol David regained the British Open. David, the world
number one, won against England's world champion Massaro.
May 25: Real Madrid came back from the dead to write another glorious
chapter in their history when they won the Champions League for the 10th time.
May 26: Russia's ice hockey team overpowered Finland to take gold at the
world
championships
in
Minsk.
June 07: The seventh seed from Russia Maria Sharapova claimed her second
French Open title when she floored Romanian fourth seed Simona Halep in
final.

June 08: Rafael Nadal clinched his ninth French Open and 14th career Grand
Slam
title
with
a
victory
over
Novak
Djokovic.
The world No. 1 also became the first man to win five Roland Garros crowns in
succession as the 28-year-old took his record at the tournament to 66 wins
against
just
one
defeat.
June 09: Daniel Ricciardo claimed his maiden Formula One victory for Red
Bull
in
a
dramatic
crash-hit
Canadian
Grand
Prix.
June 15: Australia produced a splendid performance to outclass the Netherlands
6-1
to
grab
their
third
World
Cup
Hockey
title.
Science
May 17: Palaeontologists in Argentina's remote Patagonia region discovered
fossils of what was likely the largest dinosaur ever to roam the earth. The
creature is believed to be a new species of Titanosaur, a long-necked, long-tailed
sauropod that walked on four legs and lived some 95 million years ago in the
Cretaceous
Period.
The dinosaur weighed the equivalent of more than 14 African elephants, or
about
100
tonnes.
May 29: Nine scientists won awards for theories about the first moments of the
universe, discoveries about the brain and techniques to let researchers see evertinier
things.
The winners, announced by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters,
will share three $1 million Kavli Prizes. Awarded biennially since 2008, the
prizes are named after philanthropist Fred Kavli, a native of Norway.
The
Winners
Astrophysics
Name
Institute
Alan
Guth
(Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology)
Andrei
Linde
(Stanford
University)
Alexei
Starobinsky
(Russian Academy
of
Sciences,
Moscow)
Neuroscience
Brenda
Milner
(McGill
University,
Montreal)
John
O'Keefe
(University
College
London)
Marcus
Raichle
(Washington
University, St.
Louis,
Missouri)
Nanoscience
Thomas
Ebbesen
(University
of
Strasbourg
in
France)
Stefan Hell (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen,
Germany)
Sir
John
Pendry
(Imperial
College
London)
June 03: A new kind of 'Godzilla' planet so called because of its huge size
was discovered 560 light years from Earth, raising hopes of finding rocky
worlds
that
could
sustain
life.

Named Kepler-10c, the planet is 17 times more massive than our planet, and has
been
named
a
'mega-Earth'.
June 12: A South American frog has a tongue so sticky it can generate pulling
forces three times the animal's own bodyweight, scientists reported. The
amphibian with the lingual power is the horned frog Ceratophrys in Latin
which is famous for grabbing outsized prey like snakes, lizards, crabs and
rodents.
People
&
Places
in
News
Jordan
On May 18, more than 13,000 troops from 24 countries took part in the annual
Eager Lion military exercise in Jordan, state news agency Petra said. Some
8,000 troops from 19 countries including the United States, Britain, Egypt,
France, Iraq, Turkey and Saudi Arabia took part in last year's Eager Lion
exercises
in
the
kingdom.
Shanghai,
China
On May 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Afghan President Hamid Karzai,
Mongolian President Tsakhigiin Elbegdorj, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,
President Mamnoon Hussain and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani participated
in the 4th Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia
(CICA)
Summit
that
was
held
in
Shanghai,
China.
Nuri
Bilge
Ceylan
On May 24, Turkey's Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the Palme d'Or top prize at the
Cannes Film Festival for Winter Sleep, a slow-burn domestic drama that
mesmerised audiences despite its more than three-hour length.
Main
prize-winners
at
Cannes
Film
Festival
Palme
d'Or:
Winter
Sleep,
Nuri
Bilge
Ceylan
Best
Director:
Bennett
Miller,
Foxcatcher
Best Actress: Julianne Moore in Maps to the Stars by David Cronenberg
Best Actor: Timothy Spall in Mr Turner by Mike Leigh
Best Screenplay: Andrei Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin for Leviathan
Grand Prix (runner-up to Palme d'Or): The Wonders, by Alice Rohrwacher
Jury Prize: Mommy by Xavier Dolan and Goodbye to Language by JeanLuc
Godard.
Cllr
Dr
James
Shera
On May 24, a renowned British Pakistani Christian activist, educationist and
former Mayor of Rugby Dr Cllr James Shera made a record by getting elected
as a councillor for the 10th consecutive term from Benn Ward of Rugby
Council.
James Shera has been conferred with Sitara-e-Pakistan and several other
national
accolades
and
MBE
in
Pakistan.
Budapest,
Hungary

On May 25, a 3,476-metre high tower of Lego plastic bricks, constructed by

more than 5,000 volunteer school children in five days and consists of about
500,000 plastic bricks, made a new Guinness world record for highest Lego
Tower. The old record was held by US students of Dickinson High School in
Milltown,
Delaware
with
3,443
metres.
Pope
Francis
and
Netanyahu
On May 26, Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
traded words over the language spoken by Jesus two millennia ago.
Stockholm,
Sweden
On May 27, the third annual Stockholm Internet Forum, a gathering of 450
digital activists, technologists and media persons from 90 countries, was opened
in Stockholm, Sweden. Day one of the conference focused on the darkness of
digitisation a defining term coined by Director of Global Affairs at Human
Rights
Watch
Eileen
Donahoe
during
the
opening
session.
Angela
Merkel
On May 28, German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped Forbes's list of the
world's most powerful women for the fourth consecutive year, followed by US
Federal
Reserve
Chair
Janet
Yellen.
Sriram
Hathwar
and
Ansun
Sujoe
On May 30, two Indian-Americans spellers, Sriram Hathwar of New York and
Ansun Sujoe of Texas, were declared co-champions of the Scripps National
Spelling
Bee;
the
first
time
in
52
years.
The
Shangri-La
Dialogue
Singapore
On May 30, the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international security conference, was
held in Singapore. Speaking at the conference, Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe
raised concerns about escalating tensions in the South China Sea, and urged all
countries in the region to observe the rule of law and not use force or threats.
Sheikh
Sabah
Al
Ahmad
Al
Sabah
On June 01, Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah embarked on a
landmark visit to Tehran aimed at mending fences between Iran and the
monarchies
in
the
Gulf.
The two-day visit came amid a thaw in ties between Iran and the six-nation Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) since the election of moderate President Hassan
Rouhani
in
June
2013.
Asus,
a
Taiwanese
Company
On June 02, leading Taiwanese tech firm Asus unveiled a hybrid device which
combines a laptop, tablet and mobile phone in what it hailed as a world first.
Payerne,
Switzerland
On June 02, a sun-powered plane made a successful test flight, clearing a vital
hurdle towards its goal of a round-the-world trip next year. 'Solar Impulse 2'
carried out a flight lasting two hours and 15 minutes, half an hour longer than
scheduled
at
an
air
base
in
Payerne,
Switzerland.
Built from carbon fibre, the 2.3-tonne plane has four electrical motors powered

by
solar
cells.
Taipei,
Taiwan
Computex, Asia's biggest technology trade show opened in the Taiwanese
capital,
Taipei.
Riyadh,
Saudi
Arabia
On June 02, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers held a meeting
in Riyadh whereby they called for Iran to strengthen the security and stability of
the
Gulf
region
by
entering
into
positive
action.
Malavath
Poorna
On June 04, Malavath Poorna, the 13-year-old daughter of poor Indian farmers,
became
the
youngest
girl
to
climb
Mount
Everest.
Remo
Lang
On June 08, Remo Lang, a Swiss man set a new world record when he leapt
from a hot-air balloon from an altitude of 8,000 metres (26,200 feet) without
oxygen.
Wearing
a
wingsuit,
his
freefall
lasted
five
minutes.
Eskinder
Nega
On June 09, jailed Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega was awarded the 2014
Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World
Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Oscar
de
la
Hoya
On June 09, ten-time boxing world champion Oscar de la Hoya was inducted
into
the
International
Boxing
Hall
of
Fame.
London
Up to 1,200 government ministers, military and judicial officials and activists
from up to 150 nations attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in
Conflict
on
10-13
June
2014
at
ExCel
London
Angelina
Jolie
On June 14, the Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie was named an honorary
dame the female version of a knight by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Santa
Cruz,
Bolivia
On June 15, a summit of leaders of G77 plus China kicked off deliberations on a
new world order with a call by Bolivia's President Evo Morales to eliminate the
UN
Security
Council.
Developing countries, including some 30 heads of government and
representatives of more than 100 nations about two-thirds of the world's
countries gathered to demand a more fair new world order.
World in Focus (March April 2014)
News From National & International Press
From
Sands
to
Skies
Thursday, May 01, 2014

National
Mar 17: The Supreme Court declared illegal all 238 appointments made in the
Employees Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI) during the last PPP
government.
Mar 18: The Prime Minister approved the constitution of the National
Intelligence Directorate (NID) and highly trained and properly equipped rapid
response
forces
at
the
federal
and
provincial
levels.
Mar 18: King of Bahrain Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa arrived in
Islamabad on a three-day official visit to Pakistan. Both countries inked six
agreements relating to mutual cooperation in various sectors. The agreements
include, establishment of joint ministerial commission for bilateral cooperation,
agreement for promotion and protection of investment, cooperation in food
security, air services agreement, cooperation between interior ministries and
cooperation
in
the
fields
of
power
and
water.
King Al-Khalifa also held talks with Pakistani leadership on bilateral, regional
and
international
matters
of
mutual
interest.
Mar 18: Three Pakistani cities were listed among the top ten most polluted
cities of the world. According to a 2011 World Health Organisation (WHO)
report, Quetta, Peshawar and Lahore ranked at number four, six and 10,
respectively.
Mar 19: The Supreme Court declared that the absence of local government
bodies for the past nine years is against the constitution, and vested the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) with the authority to carry out delimitation of
constituencies
in
Punjab.

Mar 20: Punjab Assembly passed Punjab Reproductive, Maternal, Neo Natal
and Child Health Authority Bill with majority vote. Under this legislation,
48000 Lady Health Workers (LHWs) would be regularized in Punjab.
Mar 20: President Mamnoon Hussain promulgated an ordinance that will pave
the way for constitution of Interim Council that will hold elections for recomposition of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
Mar 20: Senate Standing Committee for Information Technology and
Telecommunication recommended to open YouTube in the country.
Mar 22: On an average Pakistan received a paltry amount of Rs53 in water and
sanitation aid for each of its citizens between 2010 and 2012, international
development charity Water Aid revealed in a report entitled Bridging the
Divide.
According to the report, 15.1 million Pakistanis (9 per cent of the population)
do not have access to drinking water and those who have are often forced to
drink
contaminated
water.
Mar 22: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial administered oath
to
eight
newly-appointed
additional
judges.
Justice Shah Khawar, Justice James Joseph, Justice Zafarullah Khan Khakwani,
Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza, Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, Justice Shahid
Jamil Khan, Justice Sikandar Zulqarnain Saleem and Justice Faisal Zaman Khan
took
oath.
Mar 24: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met US President Barack
Obama, Chinese President XI Jinping and Turkish President Abdullah Gul on
the sidelines of the two-day Nuclear Security Summit held in The Hague. Mr
Sharif discussed with them matters of bilateral relations and mutual interest.
Mar 24: Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) introduced
4Mbps as a minimum benchmark for broadband speeds nationwide.
Mar 25: An election tribunal disqualified MNA from Khyber Agency Nasir
Khan Afridi and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to
conduct
re-election
in
NA-46.
Mar 26: Government negotiators held first face-to-face talks with Taliban
leaders in an area adjacent to North Waziristan. The meeting was held at the
residence of retired Subedar of Frontier Corps, identified only as Jamil, in

Bilandkhel area of Orakzai Agency near garrison town of Thall.

Mar 26: Pakistan and the European Union agreed to deepen cooperation in
areas such as energy, climate change and higher education. The understanding
was reached during second round of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue held in
Brussels.
Mar 27: A court sentenced a Christian, Sawan Masih, to death for blasphemy.
He was convicted of committing blasphemy during the course of a conversation
with a Muslim friend in the Joseph Colony neighbourhood in March last year.
Mar 27: In the absence of a free trade agreement with the United States,
Pakistan cannot strike a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import deal with the
worlds sole superpower, limiting Islamabads options on quenching its energy
needs.
Mar 28: The government cleared the Rs486 billion first phase of the Dasu
Hydropower Project to pave the way for approval of a $700 million loan by the
board
of
directors
of
the
World
Bank.
Mar 28: A Hindu deity statue was broken and a small temple was partially
damaged in an arson attack near Fateh Chowk on Tando Mohammad Khan
Road, sowing the feeling of insecurity among the religious minority community
and
triggering
street
protests.
Mar 28: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led coalition government announced a major
reshuffle
in
the
provincial
cabinet.
Portfolio of Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai was changed and he has been
given industries department. Minister for agriculture and information
technology
Shahram
Tarakai
was
given
health
portfolio.
Mar 28: The Chinese contractor of Pakistan Deep Water Container Port
(PDWCP), on completing the construction work, handed over the first berth to
Karachi
Port.
The designed depth of the berth is 18 metres which would accommodate
mother-ships having loading capacity of over 12,000 containers.
Mar 28: Journalist, author and television anchor Raza Rumi escaped unhurt but
his driver was killed and a police guard was injured when his car came under
attack
in
a
drive-by
shooting.

Mar 29: The committees representing the government and the Taliban agreed to
extend the ceasefire and take measures to speed up the dialogue process.
Mar 30: Sirajul Haq, Senior Minister in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, was
elected the fifth emir of Jamaat-i-Islami. It was for the first time in the partys
history that a sitting emir has lost the contest in an intra-party election.
Mar 31: The high treason trial of retired General Pervez Musharraf brought a
historical moment among twists and turns such as the former dictators
appearance, his indictment and clarity on who is responsible for removing his
name
from
the
exit
control
list
(ECL).
Mar 31: Rejecting the anti-women recommendations of the Council of
Islamic Ideology regarding no minimum age requirement for marriage, against
DNA test in rape cases, etc, the Sindh Assembly unanimously adopted a
resolution asking the federal government to do away with the CII, as it was
damaging
the
country.
Apr 01: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan
administered oath of office to five newly-inducted provincial ministers.
The ministers included Qalandar Lodhi, Mushtaq Ghani, Ziaullah Afridi, Mian
Jamshed
and
Ikramullah
Gandhapur.
Apr 01: Pakistan is ranked 72nd among 166 countries in the World Bank
Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2014, which gauges logistics performance
on
the
six
key
dimensions.
Apr 02: The government rejected a request by former president retired Gen
Pervez Musharraf seeking removal of his name from the exit control list (ECL).
Apr 02: Pakistans High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Wajid Shamsul
Hassan announced that he would be stepping down after six eventful years in
London.
Apr 04: Iranian border guards captured by Jaish al-Adl rebels near the Pakistani
border in February have been freed, the extremist group and an Iranian official
announced.
Apr 04: After making international headlines upon its launch and being picked
as one of the most influential fictional characters of 2013 by Time Magazine,
Burka Avenger has been recognised with one of broadcastings highest honours,
the
coveted
Peabody
Award.

Apr 05: Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani called for establishing a separate
force for the security of courts in the country. He directed the Punjab police to
prepare a feasibility report on the construction of security walls at courts in
seven days and ordered starting the installation of foolproof screening
equipment
at
the
courts
doors.
Apr 06: Iranian parliament approved the Tehran Islamabad Enhanced Security
Cooperation
Act.
The bill is intended to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in
combating
terrorist
groups
operating
in
border
areas.
Apr 07: Security forces killed over 30 militants in an operation in Kalat and
Khuzdar
districts.
Apr 07: The Sindh Assembly called upon the federal government to secure safe
release of Prof Ajmal Khan, Ali Haider Gilani, Shahbaz Taseer and other
innocent captives from the custody of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Apr 07: A powerful congressional panel approved a proposal to increase the
number of US scholarships available to women in Pakistan. The proposed
legislation, named after Malala Yousafzai, now goes for a vote by the full House
of
Representatives.
Apr 07: The government got the Protection of Pakistan Bill 2013 passed by the
National Assembly (NA) amid strong protest from all the opposition parties and
a
rumpus
in
the
House.
Apr 07: Due to construction work for extension and beautification of Haram
Sharif, as many as 20% less people will perform Haj this year from Pakistan
and
elsewhere
from
the
Muslim
world.
Apr 08: The city police chief appointed Sub-Inspector Ghazala Syed as Clifton
Station House Officer (SHO) in a rare move to appoint a woman officer to such
a post in what he described as a part of Karachi police plan to offer a levelplaying field to all personnel without gender discrimination.
Apr 08: Iran started a joint naval drill with the Pakistan navy east of the
strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the worlds oil supply
passes.
Apr 08: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the suspension of outgoing

Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) Tahir Mehmood illegal and

held that the proceedings of an inquiry against him were tainted with mala
fide.
Apr 08: Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel took oath as 22nd chief justice of
Peshawar
High
Court
(PHC).
Apr 08: Walter Pakistan won Effie Award for its Made for Cricket campaign
for Pepsi during 2012s Twenty20 World Cup in Singapore.
Apr 10: President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of the prime minister,
signed the Federal Judicial Academy (Amendment) Ordinance 2014. The
ordinance converts the Federal Judicial Academy into a Centre of Excellence
for Law and Judicial Education with a status of degree awarding institution.
Apr 11: The Planning Commission of Pakistan approved an allocation of Rs.4
billion for the reconstruction of 16,000 houses in the earthquake-hit areas of
Balochistans
Awaran
district.
Apr 13: Ayaz Latif Palijo was elected president of the Qaumi Awami Tahrik
(QAT) for three years by securing 745 votes in the party election held in
Qasimaba.
Apr 14: The Senate approved amendments to the rules to bind the prime
minister to attend a session of the upper house at least once a week.
Besides, the government received a warning from Senate Chairman Nayyar
Bokhari over its failure to present the National Security Policy.
Apr 14: Pakistan and South Korea signed several agreements at official and
private levels to boost ties in trade, industries and energy sectors.
Apr 14: Azam Saigol, a member of the PIAs Board of Directors, resigned.
Apr 15: Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi, took oath as the Governor of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
Apr 15: The Sindh High Court (SHC) barred the Cantonment Board Clifton
(CBC) from taking any adverse action against Bahria Town in connection with
its ongoing construction work on a high-rise building namely Opal 225.
Apr 15: The government finally appointed Professor Dr Mukhtar Ahmed as a
full-time chairperson of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Dr

Mukhtar

will

head

the

commission

for

four

years.

Apr 15: Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) launched a tour

operating agency in Islamabad to promote tourism sector in the province.
Education
Mar 22: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved establishment of
Provincial Higher Education Commission (PHEC). He also approved setting up
of a state-of-the-art Information Technology University in the Knowledge Park
in
Lahore.
Mar 22: The Lahore High Court declared National Testing Service (NTS) an
unapproved body under Higher Education Commission Ordinance 2002 and
ruled that the recognised universities/institutions are not under any lawful
obligation to conduct tests by the NTS or bound by the results of the tests.
Economy
Mar 17: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(KPCCI) signed a memorandum of understanding with the AfghanistanPakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Afghanistan chapter, for
promoting
bilateral
trade
and
business
activities.
Mar 24: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda)
inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State Bank to facilitate
and support SMEs in increasing their share in formal credit and providing new
venues
for
formal
financing.
Mar 24: The International Monetary Fund approved a fresh aid disbursement to
Pakistan after the country passed the second review of its ongoing $6.8 billion
support programme. The IMF immediately freed 555.6 million dollars.
Mar 25: Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, chairman of the Baig Group, was re-elected as
chairman Pak-UAE Business Council of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers
of
Commerce
and
Industry
(FPCCI).
Mar 27: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet moved
to revive rental power plants (RPPs) under an improved scheme and allowed
export of sugar and import of fertiliser. The ECC also approved an amount of
$30 million for Pakistan International Airlines to facilitate procurement of eight
aircraft
from
Qatar
on
dry
lease.

Mar 28: The State Bank of Pakistan issued new rules for the operation of
Islamic banking windows, aiming to strengthen their role in the worlds secondmost
populous
Muslim
nation.
Mar 29: The former British prime minister and United Nations special envoy
for global education, Mr Gordon Brown, announced that the UN will release
more than $1 billion to help Pakistans seven million out-of school children.
Mar 31: The Pakistan stock market gained eight per cent (dollar-based 15pc) in
the quarter ended, making it the best performing market in the world.
Apr 04: The Asian Development Bank approved $200m for Pakistans National
Trade Corridor Highway Investment Programme that will improve sub-regional
connectivity within Pakistan, and to China, Afghanistan and other Central Asian
countries.
Sports
Mar 16: Pakistani Punjab were crowned champions when they edged Indian
Punjab in the final of the Lyallpur Gold Cup Circle Kabaddi International
tournament.
Mar 19: Wapdas Mohammad Shahzad broke the 14-year-old record of Ishtiaq
Ghafoor by lifting a total weight of 252kg in the 56kg category on the opening
day
of
the
National
Weightlifting
Championships.
Mar 20: Wapda won the 60th National Seniors Weightlifting Championship.
Mar 26: Pakistan lost to India 31-36 in the final of the South Asian Handball
Championship
that
concluded
at
Noida
in
Utter
Pradesh.
Mar 30: Mansoor Teli of the Karachi Golf Club was crowned new Sindh
amateur
golf
champion.
Mar 30: Fayyaz Ahmed captured five wickets to bowl Pakistan to a 2-1 series
win in their disabled one-day series against England in Dubai.
Mar 30: Ahmed Shehzad became the first Pakistani batsman to score a century
in
Twenty-20
world
Cup
as
well
as
Twenty-20
cricket.
Apr 06: Team Pakistan defeated the US 3-2 on penalty kicks to clinch the Street
Child
World
Cup
(SCWC)
2014
bronze
medal.

Apr 07: The Army contingent clinched the title of the champions at the 53rd
National Basketball Championship, by beating its arch rival, the Air Force.
Apr 07: Shaukat Javed and Syed Khawar Shah were unanimously re-elected
President and Secretary respectively of the Pakistan Federation Baseball (PFB)
for
the
third
term.
Appointments,

Transfers

&

Postings

Mar 26: The parliamentary committee for judges appointment approved

elevation of Justice Mazhar Alam to the post of chief justice of the Peshawar
High
Court.
Mar 28: The federal government appointed Tahir Mahmood as new managing
director of the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC).
Mar 29: Renowned poet Dr Fatema Hasan was appointed honorary secretary of
the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu after Jamiluddin Aali bid farewell to the
association.
Mr Aali remained associated with the Anjuman for the past 62 years and
became its honorary secretary before the death of its founder Maulvi Abdul Haq
on
August
16,
1961.
Mar 31: Hameed Haroon and Sarmad Ali were elected president and secretary
general of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) for the year 2014-15.
Jamil Ather was elected senior vice president, Umer Mujib Shami as vice
president, Syed Muhammad Munir Jilani as joint secretary and Waseem Ahmed
was
elected
finance
secretary.
Apr 07: The federal government appointed the acting inspector general of
police, retired Squadron Leader Iqbal Mehmood, as Inspector General of Sindh
police.
Apr 07: The federal government replaced Chief Secretary Khyber PK
Mohammad Shehzad Arbab with Amjad Ali Khan, another officer of the
Pakistan
Administrative
Services
(PAS).
Obituaries
Mar 16: Former IGP and chief ministers adviser Jehanzeb Burki died. He was

71.
Mar 18: Justice Shahjehan Khan Akhundzada, a judge of Peshawar High Court,
died
after
protracted
illness.
Mar 20: Masrur Ali Khan, a former athlete and noted sports organiser, died. He
was
72.
Mar 20: Ghani Dad Khan, the veteran 70-year-old politician from Mardan lost
his
life
in
a
car
accident
near
Lahore.
Mar 23: Senior television artist Ubaida Ansari passed away in Karachi.
Mar 24: Noted Sindhi poet and writer Syed Rashid Ali Shah, better known by
his pen name Rashid Morai, passed away. He was 71.
Apr 06: Ex-chairman of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) Zone-II
Badar
Jafri
died.
He
was
66.
Apr 07: The journalist fraternity lost a bright star and stalwart when Irfan
Malik, a top copy editor of the Dawn Media Group, died of multiple health
complications
in
Karachi.
He
was
49.
Apr 14: Renowned watercolourist Pirzada Najmul Hassan passed away. He was
64.
People
Fateh

In
Mohammad

News
Nandwani

On Mar 31, twelve-year-old Fateh Mohammad Nandwani, chaired a tribal court

(jirga) and passed a decree ordering a man to pay a fine of Rs550,000 for
maintaining extra-marital affair with a woman in Sabbar Nandwani village near
Tangwani
town
of
Kandhkot-Kashmore
district.
Ahmad

Shafiq

On Apr 2, Pakistans Ahmad Shafiq, who is Chief Executive Officer of College

of Tourism and Hotel Management, was honoured with a prestigious American
award for being an outstanding educator and leader in hospitality training and
education.
Shafiq is the first Pakistan recipient of the American Hotel and Lodging

Educational

Institutes

Lamp

of

Knowledge

Ahmer

Award.
Baloch

On Apr 8, a Pakistani student Ahmer Baloch, originally from Haveli Naseer

Khan in district Lodhran, gained top position in Bachelors of Business and
Finance at the Heriot-Watt University by gaining 14 As.
Heriot-Watt University is ranked within the top 20 universities of the UK i.e.
9th on the Sunday Times Top 100 Universities and 18th on The Guardian
University Rankings, 2nd in Scotland and has the top ranking for many degree
disciplines
in
the
UK.
Ammara

Athar

On Apr 11, the Lahore police got the first-ever woman SP against a field
posting when Lahore North Cantonment circle ASP Ammara Athar was
transferred
and
posted
Lahore
City
SP
Investigation.
H.M.

Habib

Pakistan Post issued a Commemorative Postage Stamp on the Birth Anniversary

of
H.M.
Habib.
H.M. Habib was born on April 6th 1936. A financial wizard, he followed in the
footsteps of his father to build on Habib Empire in banking, with branches
worldwide.
He had 60 years of banking experience and was known for his razor sharp
business acumen. He was considered the main Architech of Habib Bank AG
Zurich.
The stamp has been printed by Pakistan Security Printing Corporation, Karachi.
Justice

retired

Ali

Nawaz

Chowhan

On Mar 17, Pakistans Justice (R) Ali Nawaz Chowhan was appointed Chief
Justice, Supreme Court
of the Republic of The Gambia.
Justice Chowhan has served as a judge of the Lahore High Court and also as a
judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY). A
graduate of Columbia Law School, Justice Chowhan is the second judge from
Pakistan
to
serve
as
chief
justice
of
The
Gambia.

Samina

Baig

&

Mirza

Ali

On Mar 19, Pakistani mountaineers Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali
scaled Mount Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak in Indonesia.
This is the fourth of the seven summits Samina and her brother will climb to
promote gender equality, youth development and women empowerment.
World in Focus (Feb-Mar 2014)
News From National & International Press
Quest
for
Quality
Education
Tuesday, April 01, 2014

National
Feb 16: A militant outfit, Mohmand Agency Taliban, claimed to have killed 23
FC soldiers they had kidnapped from Shongari checkpost in the tribal region in
2010.
Feb 16: Clean Water Trust, for providing clean and hygienic drinking water to
people across the Punjab, was formed with Punjab Governor Chaudhry
Muhammad
Sarwar
as
its
chairman.
Feb 17: In a joint declaration, issued at the conclusion of Saudi Crown Prince
Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud's three-day visit to Pakistan, both countries
announced a common regional view which signified growing centrality of
Riyadh
in
Islamabad's
foreign
and
security
policies.
Feb 17: An Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Rageeb, who also served as a
minister during the 1996-2001 Taliban rule in Afghanistan, was gunned down in
Peshawar.
Feb 18: Former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf finally appeared

before

the

Special

Court.

Feb 18: Leading Pakistani journalist Sidra Iqbal received an award for her
achievements in Journalism at the 4th Annual GR8! Women Awards 2014.
Feb 20: Dozens of militants were killed as air force jets and army's helicopter
gunships carried out punitive strikes against terrorist hideouts in North
Waziristan
and
Khyber
Agency.
Feb 20: Leaders of nine political parties pledged commitment to ensure 100 per
cent school enrolment in Sindh at a conference held by an education advocacy
group,
Alif
Ailaan.
Feb 21: The Special Court rejected a plea of former president retired General
Pervez Musharraf for transferring his high treason trial to a military court.
Feb 23: Military planes pounded bases and hideouts of militants in Tirah valley
of Khyber Agency and killed at least 30 fighters of banned organisations.
Feb 23: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and MCR (Pvt) Ltd;
Franchise of international food chain of Pizza Hut, Burger King and TGIF for
the territory of Pakistan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
impart vocational training to the BISP beneficiaries and to provide trained
labour
work
force
to
the
food
industry.
Feb 24: Senior Taliban leader Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani and his two guards
and
driver
were
shot
dead
in
North
Waziristan.
Feb 25: The federal cabinet approved the much-awaited and talked-about
national
security
policy.
Feb 25: The Peshawar High Court ruled that a campaign by activists of PTI and
its allied parties to stop and check trucks and containers taking goods to
Afghanistan
was
illegal
and
unconstitutional.
Feb 25: Pakistan showed insufficient progress towards Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) as the newborn mortality rate has merely reduced
from 52 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 42 deaths per 1,000 live births in
2012.
Feb 25: The civil society organisations Strengthening Participatory
Organisation (SPO), Aurat Foundation, and South Asia Partnership (SAP-PK)
and Sungi Development Foundation jointly launched an initiative to nurture

and

strengthen

democratic

processes

at

the

grassroots

level.

Feb 25: University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) observed World
Spay Day to create awareness about controlling the increasing population of
dogs.
Feb 27: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf decided to end its nearly four-month
blockade
of
Nato
supplies
to
Afghanistan.
Feb 28: The country's economy grew by five per cent during the first quarter of
the current fiscal year, but the State Bank believes that the full year growth will
remain
between
three
and
four
per
cent.
Feb 28: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) completed
130MW
Duber
Khwar
hydropower
project.
March 01: The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a monthlong
unilateral
ceasefire.
March 01: Pakistan's last direct air link with Central Asian states was broken
after Uzbekistan Airways suspended its Lahore operation. No other airline, in
Pakistan, is operating direct flights to and from any of the Central Asian states.
March 01: The USAID inaugurated the Public Policy Research and Resource
Centre at the Forman Christian College (FCC) to provide support to all those
interested in issues of governance and public policy in Punjab.
March 02: After TTP's unilateral ceasefire, the government also halted air
strikes on militant hideouts. But it warned the TTP that troops would retaliate if
a terrorist attack took place in any part of the country during the truce.
March 02: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved a plan for revival of Pakistan
International Airlines (PIA), aimed at bringing the national flag-carrier to a
break-even level within a year, by increasing revenue and taking cost-cutting
measures.
Under the plan, 20 new generation, narrow-bodied and fuel-efficient planes will
be inducted into the fleet with Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 as the preferred
options, besides getting four Boeing 777 and then same number of ATR 72-500
aircraft
on
'dry
lease'.
March 02: The Baloch Culture Day was observed across the country.
March 03: The capital city faced the onslaught in form of a gun-and-bomb

attack on the district courts in the heart of Islamabad that left 11 people,
including
a
district
and
sessions
judge,
dead.
March 05: The National Assembly passed the Judicial Commission of Pakistan
(Amendment) Bill, 2013 which envisages inclusion of Chief Justice of
Islamabad High Court as ex-officio member of the commission.
March 06: It was revealed that most areas of Sindh's Tharparkar district are
facing a famine-like situation and at least 32 malnourished children have died.
About 175,000 families are reported to have been affected.
March 06: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council
(Ecnec) approved four projects in irrigation and power sectors, to be completed
at a cost of Rs. 67.36 billion including the first phase of the Kurram Tangi
multi-purpose dam project in North Waziristan at a reduced cost of Rs12.66
billion.
March 06: In order to facilitate public complaints against any aspect of
broadcast media or cable TV operators, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority (Pemra) set up a 24/7 Complaint Call Centre (0800-73672).
March 07: Japan and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed an
agreement to procure vaccination with the grant of $3.7 million for eradicating
polio
from
Pakistan.
Japan and Unicef will boost up the global eradication effort in one of the last
strongholds
of
polio
virus
in
the
world.
March 08: While addressing a function held in connection with International
Women's Day at Aiwan-e-Iqbal in Lahore, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad
Shahbaz Sharif announced the regularisation of lady health workers. The chief
minister
announced
that:
a comprehensive package for legal reforms to bring women into the
mainstream
would
be
announced
soon.
the Punjab government will distribute 200,000 more laptops worth Rs.8
billion
among
talented
students.
Child Marriage Act, Dowry and Gift to the Bride Act, Marriage Functions
Atc, Guardian and Ward Act, Married Certificate, Punjab Land Revenue Act and
the law regarding distribution of assets were being amended by Punjab
government.
a provincial commission on women has been set up in Punjab and its
chairperson
has
also
been
appointed.
the government is also introducing a comprehensive policy regarding
domestic
servants

registration fee on birth certificate would be abolished; due to which

registration
of
female
children
will
be
encouraged.
only women contractors would be able to operate canteens in women
educational
institutions
representation of women as office-bearers will be essential for trade unions.
March 10: Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, chairman of the Council of
Islamic Ideology (CII), said that the laws regarding second marriage of a man in
the presence of first wife were against religious principles.
March 11: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) ruled that laws setting the
minimum age of marriage are un-Islamic and said that an adolescent of any age
can
be
married
on
attaining
puberty.
March 11: The government of Sindh made several administrative changes in
the wake of reports of death of over 100 children in drought-hit Thar and
criticism of the government's perceived failure to take timely action to contain
the
crisis.
March 12: The government formed a new committee, comprising three serving
bureaucrats and a former one, to begin work for holding dialogue with
militants.
March 14: The Special Court seized with treason trial of former president
retired Gen Pervez Musharraf directed the government to arrest and produce
him
if
he
refused
to
appear
before
it
on
his
own.
March 14: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai
announced autonomous status for all district headquarters hospitals of the
province.
March 15: A tribal area authority upheld the conviction of Dr Shakil Afridi, the
doctor accused of having colluded with the American CIA in the hunt for
Osama bin Laden, but reduced the sentence awarded to him by an assistant
political agent (APA) from 33 years to 23 years imprisonment.
March 15: Ayaz Latif Palijo helped conclude a ceasefire between the two
warring gangs of Lyari. A peace committee was also formed under a newlysigned
declaration.
March 15: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council
(Ecnec) approved the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Service Project which
also involves the construction of the Peshawar Mor Interchange at a cost of

Rs23.83
Appointments

billion.
&

Transfers

Feb 17: Pakistan appointed Abdul Basit as Pakistan's High Commissioner to

India; after the receipt of Mr Basit's agrment; diplomatic acceptance of the
appointment
by
the
host
country.
Feb 23: The government appointed Hassan Raza as new high commissioner to
Malaysia. Earlier, Raza was working as Pakistans ambassador to Qatar.
March 12: The government appointed Dr Joseph Wilson as the acting Chairman
of
the
Competition
Commission
of
Pakistan.
The decision followed the exclusion of the CCP from the purview of the federal
commission
for
the
selection
of
heads.
Education
Feb 24: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government approved establishment of two
universities Air University and Technical University in Azakhel area of
Nowshera.
March 01: The Punjab government appointed Dr Muhammad Zareef as
Chairman BISE Rawalpindi; Muhammad Aslam as Chairman BISE
Gujranwala; Ghulam Muhammad as Chairman BISE Faisalabad; and Dr
Anwaar
Ahmad
as
Chairman
BISE
Sahiwal.
March 15: The Balochistan University's Khuzdar campus started functioning.
Sports
Feb 16: Lahore Lions retained their Faysal Bank T20 Cup crown after winning
final
against
Faisalabad
Wolves.
Feb 16: MPA Nadir Magsi, a former Sindh minister, retained his title after
winning the ninth Cholistan Jeep Rally near Derawar Fort, about 75km from
Bahawalpur, after covering the 215km distance in 2.15 hours.
Feb 16: Pakistan's Hamza Amin won a slot in the Asian Golf Tour bringing the
country's golf in the forefront. Hamza succeeded in winning the tour card after
he finished 8th out of 700 contestants, in the Asia Tour Qualifying School final
stage.
Feb 17: Retired Lt Gen Syed Arif Hasan was elected as president of the

Pakistan

Archery

Federation

in

place

of

Raja

Ishtiaqullah

Khan.

Feb 19: Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq recorded the highest-ever individual score for
Pakistan in Under-19 World Cup by making 133 off 137 balls with 13 fours and
one
six
against
Scotland
at
Dubai.
Feb 20: Mohammad Majid Ali of Punjab captured his maiden national junior
under-21 snooker title after outplaying Sindh's Mohammad Haris Nadeem.
Feb 23: Pakistan blind cricket team snatched a four-wicket victory over visiting
India at the National Stadium to clinch the series 2-1.
Feb 26: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed former Test
captain/wicketkeeper Rashid Latif as chief selector for an indefinite period.
Feb 26: Spirited Pakistan youth created 9 Guinness World Records (GWR) at
Sports Board Punjab (SBP) Gymnasium Hall, with army officials and some
civilians setting new marks of agility, fitness and dedication.
Feb 28: Pakistan's amazing youth, under the banner of Punjab Youth Festival,
established
10
more
Guinness
Book
World
Records.
March 01: Pakistan's tennis ace Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Indian partner
Rohan Bopanna defeated Canada's Daniel Nestor and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic
in
the
Dubai
Open
final.
March 02: The Pakistan Derby 2014 Cup was lifted by Irfan Mehdi's four years
old colt The Incredible under Jockey Bilal Ahmad at Lahore Race Club.
March 02: M. Shabbir's grip on the game of golf earned him the inaugural JA
Zaman
Golf
title.
March 04: Shahid Afridi and Fawad Alam stunned thousands of Banglasehi
cricket fans by bludgeoning half-centuries and blasting defending champion
Pakistan into the Asia Cup final with a record rundown win against the hosts.
Bangladesh posted 326-3, its highest score in one-day internationals, but
couldn't prevent Pakistan from achieving its biggest run chase in one-day
internationals,
reaching
329-7
with
a
ball
to
spare.
Pakistan's previous best run chase in a one-day was 322-6 against India at
Mohali
in
2007.
March 06: Syed Fakhar Ali Shah and Mazhar Ahmad were elected as president
and Secretary General of the Punjab Baseball Association (PBA), respectively.

March 08: Pakistan No. 1 Aqeel Khan lifted Ch Rehmat Ali Memorial PTF
National
Ranking
Tennis
Championships
men's
singles
title.
March 10: Mohammad Asif Toba beat defending champion Hamza Akbar in
the final of Jubilee Insurance 39th National Snooker Championship to win
maiden
title
of
his
career.
March 10: Shahzad and Fahad Naseem Butt were adjudged Mr South Asia and
Junior
Mr
South
Asia
respectively.
As both the individual titles were won by the men in green, Pakistan, obtaining
49 points, also won the South Asian Bodybuilding Championship that
concluded here at Al-Hamrah. Pakistan claimed four gold medals, eight silver
and eight bronze medals to win the event while Afghanistan clinched three gold
medals
and
Nepal
earned
two
gold
medals.
Obituaries
Feb 16: Mirza Khan, one of the last surviving sepoys from World War II in
Pakistan, expired on 5th February 2014, almost a 100 years of age.
Feb 18: TV and film comedy actor Munir Zarif passed away in Lahore. He was
75.
Feb 18: Veteran volleyball official Allama Ghulam Hasan, who was also vicepresident of the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) passed away.
Feb 20: A well-known journalist, chief editor of daily Balochistan Times and
daily Zamana Quetta, publisher, former president of APNS and CPNE and a
former senator, Syed Fasih Iqbal, passed away after a brief illness.
Feb 21: Founder of the ARY Group, Haji Abdul Razzak Yaqoob, better known
as
ARY,
died
in
London.
He
was
69.
Feb 22: Veteran film writer, director and lyricist Aziz Meeruthi passed away in
Lahore.
He
was
90.
Feb 24: Former interior minister Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz passed away.
March 07: Haji Altaf Hussain Unar, a renowned political figure of Larkana,
passed
away
at
the
age
of
55.
March 11: PTI senior vice president Iftikhar Durrani of Nowshera died in a
traffic
accident.

Economy
Feb 17: Pakistan and the European Union signed a 'declaratory statement' for a
100 million euros credit to co-finance the 128MW Keyal Khwar hydropower
project to be built on the right tributary of the Indus River in Dasu district in
next
four
years.
Economic Affairs Division Secretary Nargis Sethi and Vice President of the
European Investment Bank (EIB), Magdalena Alvarez Arza, signed the
agreement.
Feb 17: Getz Pharma's Quality Control Lab achieved WHO pre-qualification
certification to become the first Pakistani company to have the certification.
Feb 18: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a series of
agreements with the World Bank to facilitate the transfer of surplus electricity
from
Central
to
South
Asia.
Feb 20: Pakistan and China signed an agreement of early harvest projects in
the economic corridor under which Beijing will provide more than $20 billion
for projects to generate over 20,000MW of electricity and other crucial
infrastructure
projects.
Feb 23: Pakistan and Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) agreed to
enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation during a meeting in Kabul.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar led the Pakistan's delegation while the Afghan side
was headed by his Afghan counterpart Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal.
Feb 24: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) launched a strategic plan to augment
the growth of Islamic banking industry in the next five years. The strategic plan
2014-2018 aims at setting a direction for the industry, which is to be pursued in
said
period.
Feb 25: MCB launched Pakistan's first Purchasing Manager Index (PMI), a
system based on five major indicators: new orders, production, employment,
supplier
deliveries
and
inventories.
March 05: The Arab National Construction (ANC) Holdings of Dubai signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU), at Islamabad, with the government to
set up two coal-based power projects at Gadani, a jetty for coal import and a
transmission line to add 1,320 megawatts of electricity to national grid at an
investment
of
$2.5
billion.

March 11: The rising rupee finally brought the US dollar below the Rs100
mark, setting a new record for the currency's depreciation in the country.
March 12: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) notified a 22-member tax
advisory council to deliberate upon new tax measures for extending the narrow
tax base. The Finance Minister Ishaq Dar approved the formation of the council.
March 15: The State Bank kept its policy rate unchanged at 10 per cent for next
two
months.
Unveiling the monetary policy, the bank noted an improvement in key
indicators, but also warned that the economy was still be facing serious
challenges, and suggested a proactive policy effort was required to maintain the
momentum.
International
Feb 16: Powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, leader of a major political movement
and a key figure in post-Saddam Iraq, announced his exit from politics.
Feb 16: Indigenous communities in Canada will be given control over the
education system on their reserves under an agreement signed between the
Canadian government and the Assembly of First Nations, a national advocacy
organization
representing
Canada's
indigenous
citizens.
Feb 17: Iran's largest private bank, Bank Mellat, announced suing the British
government for almost $4 billion in damages to compensate for the significant
pecuniary loss, after the Supreme Court quashed sanctions imposed against it
over
alleged
links
to
Tehran's
nuclear
programme.
Feb 17: The force of Gravity was strong at the British Academy Film Awards
but it was unflinching drama 12 Years a Slave that took the top prize.
Steve McQueen's visceral, violent story of a free black man kidnapped into
servitude in the 19th century US South was named best picture. Its star,
Chiwetel
Ejiofor,
took
the
male
acting
trophy.
Feb 18: India's Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, spared
three killers of Rajiv Gandhi, former prime minister of India, from the
hangman's noose, citing delays in the case 23 years after his assassination by a
Tamil
suicide
bomber.
Feb 19: J. Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, ordered the release of
all seven people jailed for plotting the assassination of former prime minister
Rajiv
Gandhi.

Feb 20: India's parliament approved a plan to create 29th state; following days
of
political
mayhem.
Feb 20: A group of 82 elderly and frail South Koreans held an emotional
reunion with family members in North Korea, more than 60 years after they
were
separated
by
the
Korean
War.
Feb 21: The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and Nissan are partnering on
electric cars, with the Japanese automaker's Leaf being chosen for the
government
fleet
and
taxis.
Under the deal, Nissan will help Bhutan achieve its goal of becoming a zeroemissions
nation.
Feb 21: Ukraine's embattled leader signed a deal with the opposition in a bid to
end the ex-Soviet country's worst crisis since independence.
Feb 21: Indonesia instituted the world's biggest manta ray sanctuary covering
millions of square kilometres as it seeks to protect the huge winged fish and
draw
more
tourists
to
the
sprawling
archipelago.
New legislation gives full protection to the creatures across all the waters
surrounding Southeast Asia's biggest country, which for years has been the
world's
largest
ray
and
shark
fishery.
Feb 21: India's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got a shot in the arm when Pakistanfriendly Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, joined it.
Feb 21: US District Judge William Martini in Newark, New Jersey, threw out a
lawsuit by ruling that New York City's secret police surveillance of mosques,
Muslim businesses and a Muslim student group in New Jersey did not violate
the
US
Constitution.
Feb 22: The UN Security Council adopted a unanimous resolution calling for
lifting of the siege on several Syrian cities to allow passage of humanitarian aid
convoys
in
the
war-torn
country.
Feb 24: Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel proposed shrinking the US Army,
closing military bases and making other military-wide savings as part of a broad
reshaping of priorities after more than a decade of war.
Feb 24: Philippine security forces arrested a key member of the country's main
Muslim rebel group, potentially undermining a peace deal aimed at ending a
decades-long
insurgency.

Feb 24: Iran signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million
a move that would break a UN embargo on weapons sales by Tehran.
Feb 26: Turkey's President Abdullah Gul signed into law a contested bill
tightening the government's grip on the judiciary as it grapples to contain the
fallout
from
a
major
corruption
probe.
Feb 26: A US appeals court ordered Google Inc., to remove from its YouTube
video-sharing website an anti-Islam film that had sparked protests across the
Muslim
world
in
2012.
Feb 27: Ukraine issued a blunt warning to Russia after pro-Kremlin men in
combat fatigues seized parliament and government buildings on the volatile
Crimean
peninsula.
March 01: Me, Myself and Mum, a comedy about a young man who
worships his mother and whose entire family treats him as a girl since childhood
swept five trophies at the French Cesar awards ceremony, including Best Film
and
Best
Actor.
March 01: Twenty-seven people were confirmed dead and 109 others injured in
a railway station attack by unidentified knife wielding people in southwest
Chinese city of Kunming. It was an organised, premeditated violent terrorist
attack
according
to
the
authorities.
March 01: US lawmakers announced a caucus to fight for the rights of the
Ahmadi
community.
Republican Representative Frank Wolf, the co-chair with Democrat Jackie
Speier, said the Ahmadiyya Caucus would press for the rights of Ahmadis in
trouble in Pakistan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
March 01: Russia's parliament granted President Vladimir Putin permission to
use the country's military in Ukraine and also recommended that Moscow's
ambassador be recalled from Washington over comments made by President
Barack
Obama.
March 01: A US appeals court rejected Google's request to put on hold an order
requiring the company to remove an anti-Islamic video from YouTube. The
order came from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeal in San Francisco.
March 02: At least 74 people were killed in three weekend attacks in Nigeria's
restive northeast, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed

thousands

of

lives

since

2009.

March 02: Ukraine mobilised for war and Washington threatened to isolate
Russia economically, after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to
invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the
cold
war.
March 02: Twelve Afghan Taliban escaped from the 1,200-inmate Kandahar
Prison after a jail employee falsely put their names on a list of detainees who
were
scheduled
for
release.
Two
of
the
12
were
later
recaptured.
March 03: Harrowing historical drama 12 Years a Slave won the coveted best
picture Oscar, while 3D space thriller Gravity was the top winner at the
Academy
Awards
with
seven
Oscars.
March 03: The surging price of Microsoft shares returned US tech tycoon Bill
Gates back to the top of Forbes's world's billionaires list, with his $76bn beating
out
Mexico's
Carlos
Slim's
$72bn.
The annual list counted 1,645 men and women as billionaires, with an average
wealth of $4.5bn and a collective wealth of $6.4 trillion, up $1 trillion from a
year
ago.
March 04: US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Pakistani schoolgirl Malala
Yousafzai and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the nominees for
this year's Nobel Peace Prize, as the Nobel Institute announced a record 278
candidates.
March 05: Three Gulf monarchies, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain, recalled their ambassadors from Doha in an unprecedented escalation
in tension with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar, accused
of
backing
the
widely
banned
Muslim
Brotherhood.
March 05: India announced a nine-stage election from April 7 that will invite
814 million voters to send 543 deputies to the 16th Lok Sabha.
March 05: Swami Vivekanada Subharti University in Meerut suspended 67
Kashmiri students for apparently cheering Pakistan during the India-Pak match
in
the
Asia
Cup.
March 06: An Iraq-based militant group, named the Ansar al-Islam released a
video of its new training camp, which is named after the Lal Masjid's Abdul
Rasheed Ghazi. They have also apparently named a subdivision of their group

after

the

Lal

Masjid's

controversial

cleric.

March 06: Lawmakers in Crimea voted to join Russia, escalating tensions in

Ukraine as the new government in Kiev said it wanted to sign an EU agreement
as soon as possible and the US announced sanctions to punish Moscow.
The motion was passed by 78 out of 86 MPs in favour.
March 06: Turkey's constitutional court ruled that the legal rights of a former
army chief, Ilker Basbug, jailed over an alleged coup plot had been violated, a
decision
that
paves
the
way
for
his
release.
March 06: The 67 Kashmiri students from Swami Vivekanand Subharti
University who had cheered Pakistan when it beat India in an Asia Cup match
were freed from sedition charges as withering criticism of the move forced the
Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to intervene in the matter.
March 06: Harvard University again topped world university rankings pushing
down Cambridge and Oxford University to fourth and fifth positions
respectively.
Harvard University is followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology at
second and Stanford University at the third rank respectively, according to this
year's
Times
Higher
Education
World
Reputation.
The
top
10
universities
are:
1.
Harvard
University
2.
Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology
3.
Stanford
University
4.
University
of
Cambridge
5.
University
of
Oxford
6.
University
of
California,
Berkley
7.
Princeton
University
8.
Yale
University
9.
California
Institute
of
Technology
(Caltech)
10.
University
of
California,
Los
Angeles
(UCLA)
March 07: The International Criminal Court convicted a rebel leader Germain
Katanga of charges including murder and pillage over a deadly attack on a
village in eastern Congo, but acquitted him of rape, sexual slavery and using
child
soldiers.
March 07: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal on sodomy
charges was overturned, in a fresh threat to the career of a charismatic politician
who helped turn around the country's once-hapless opposition.

March 07: Saudi Arabia listed the Muslim Brotherhood and two Syrian jihadi
groups as terrorist organisations, and ordered citizens fighting abroad to return
within
15
days
or
face
imprisonment.
March 08: Iran's modern-learning president strongly criticized hard-line
judicial officials for ordering reformist newspapers shut down.
March 08: Egypt's interim president issued a decree that governs upcoming
presidential election, clearing the way for the vote that many expect the
country's
military
chief
to
take
part
in
and
win.
March 09: A Canadian freelance photographer Ali Moustafa was killed in the
Syrian
city
of
Aleppo
after
a
crude
bomb
exploded.
March 09: Saudi and Emirati pundits quit major media outlets in Qatar,
including the broadcaster of top-flight European football as tensions soar
between
Doha
and
Gulf
states.
March 11: Croatia's ex-prime minister Ivo Sanader was found guilty of
embezzling millions of euros in public funds while in power and was sentenced
to
nine
years
in
jail.
March 11: Lawmakers on the flashpoint Crimean peninsula voted for
independence from Ukraine ahead of a referendum on joining Russia.
March 12: The share of seats held by women in parliaments around the world
rose 1.5 percentage points in the past year to a record 21.8 per cent, almost
doubling since 1995, a study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women
showed.
March 14: Officials from the EU, United States, Japan, Philippines, Colombia
and Indonesia, some of the world's top fishing powers, signed a declaration in
Greece
to
promote
sustainable
management
of
fish
stocks.
The signatories pledged to support measures to address fishing overcapacity.
These include developing international fishing vessel records, limiting the
number of licenses and vessel tonnage and eliminating fisheries subsidies that
contribute
to
overcapacity
and
overfishing.
March 14: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State
John Kerry utterly failed to defuse the crisis over Ukraine, ending up at
loggerheads following tense talks over the worst East-West clash since the Cold
War.

March 15: Russia vetoed a Western-backed resolution condemning the Crimea

referendum at a UN Security Council emergency vote, but China abstained,
isolating
Moscow
further
on
the
Ukraine
crisis.
March 15: A New York grand jury re-indicted Devyani Khobragade, an Indian
diplomat, accused of mistreating her housekeeper on two counts of visa fraud
and making false statements, threatening to reignite a bitter row with New
Delhi.
Feb 27: NASA confirmed 715 newly discovered planets outside the solar
system. It's a major step towards the planet-hunting Kepler telescope's ultimate
goal:
'finding
Earth
2'.
Appointments

&

Resignations

Feb 17: India's President Pranab Mukherjee imposed President's rule in Delhi
and
accepted
the
Arvind
Kejriwal
government's
resignation.
Feb 19: The Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy, resigned in
protest over the contentious bill to create the country's 29th state by splitting his
state
in
two.
Feb 21: Democratic Party leader Matteo Renzi formed new government in Italy.
At 39, Renzi is Italy's youngest and the third straight premier to come into the
office without being elected. The last premier who stood for election was the
scandal-tainted
Silvio
Berlusconi
in
2008.
Feb 22: Ukraine's parliament voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovich,
who abandoned his Kiev office to protesters and denounced what he described
as
a
coup.
Parliament also freed his archnemesis, former prime minister, Yulia
Tymoshenko.
Feb 23: A new era dawned in Ukraine as parliament appointed a pro-Western
interim leader after ousted president Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev to escape
retribution.
Feb 24: The military-installed government of Egyptian prime minister Hazem
al-Beblawi resigned ahead of a presidential poll which will bring army chief
General
Abdel
Fattah
al-Sisi
to
power.
Feb 26: Ibrahim Mehlib, an industrialist who rose to prominence during the
Mubarak
era,
was
named
Egypt's
new
prime
minister.

Feb 26: Ukraine's new leaders named a strongly pro-Western cabinet as brawls
erupted between rival factions on the volatile Crimean peninsula and Russian
President Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills near the border with the
ex-Soviet
state.
Feb 26: The Indian Navy's run of serious accidents over a stretch of a few
months hit another fatal patch when a fire on a Russian built submarine injured
seven sailors and left two officers missing. Naval Chief Admiral D. K. Joshi
resigned
owning
moral
responsibility.
March 11: The Libyan parliament ousted Prime Minister Ali Zeidan after a
tanker laden with crude oil from a rebel-held terminal broke through a naval
blockade
and
escaped
to
sea.
March 06: Japan's biggest brokerage Nomura Holdings chose Chie Shimpo, 48,
to be the next president of Nomura Trust and Banking. It is believed to be a first
in
the
country's
male-dominated
financial
sector.
Feb 20: Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan suspended the central bank
governor
for
alleged
financial
recklessness.
Sports
Feb 17: Brendon McCullum and Bradley John Watling of New Zealand broke
the world record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership with a 352-run stand
against India on the fourth day of the second Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington.
Feb 17: Kuldeep Yadav became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in
Under-19
World
Cup
history.
Feb 22: Sri Lanka trounced Bangladesh by six wickets in the third and final
One-day
International
to
sweep
the
series
3-0.
Feb 23: The Sochi Olympics completed their 17-day run with Russia seizing
first place in the medals table while Canada won the men's ice hockey final.
Canada claimed the last, most coveted title of the Games by sweeping aside
Sweden
3-0
to
retain
their
men's
hockey
crown.
Russia bagged most medals (33) after Norway (26) and Canada (25).
Feb 26: Mahela Jayawardene became only second player after India's Sachin
Tendulkar to appear in 600 or more international matches.

Feb 27: Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by 77 runs to win their fourth Plate
Championship title at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
March 01: Afghanistan put up a brilliant performance to upset hosts
Bangladesh
by
32
runs
in
the
Asia
Cup
match.
March 01: South Africa made history as they won their maiden ICC Under-19
Cricket World Cup title by handing Pakistan a six-wicket defeat in the final at
the
Dubai
International
Cricket
Stadium.
March 01: Football's world governing body FIFA officially authorised the
wearing of head covers for religious purposes during matches.
March 01: Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari set up a new record for
the sixth wicket in Asia Cup by adding 164 runs against Bangladesh.
March 02: Roger Federer subdued Tomas Berdych in the Dubai Championships
final as the Swiss maestro sealed his 78th singles title.
March 04: Graeme Smith, one of the most dogged batsmen of his generation,
stunned South Africa by announcing he will retire from international cricket at
the
end
of
the
third
Test
against
Australia.
March 05: Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin
retained his post as chief of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) after
the elections were held during the body's Annual Congress.
March 06: England defeated the West Indies by 25 runs in the deciding third
and
final
One-day
International
to
clinch
the
series.
March 07: Nike will supply the kit for more teams than Adidas for the first time
ever
at
this
year's
World
Cup
finals.
The two sports giants will throw Lionel Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo and
Spain against Brazil to see who can claim a bigger chunk of the multi-billion
dollar
market
for
football
boots,
shirts
and
shorts.
March 08: Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final of the Asia
Cup.
March 09: Ashton Eaton won yet another gold medal and again proved himself
the world's greatest athlete, the title which traditionally goes to the best multievent
competitor
in
athletics.

March 12: West Indies rallied from a middle-order wobble to romp to a seriesclinching five-wicket victory over England in the second Twenty20
International.
Obituaries
Feb 16: Father of former AJK prime minister and Peoples Party AJK leader
Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry Noor Hussain passed away. He was 96.
Feb 16: William Duff, the British banker who helped transform Dubai into a
financial powerhouse, serving as an advisor to its ruling sheikh, died at the age
of
92.
Mr William came to Dubai after a stint as a banker in Kuwait and became
financial advisor to the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum in 1960. At
the time, the emirate's population was about 50,000; it survived largely on
fishing, herding and small-scale trade across the Gulf in wooden dhows.
Feb 23: Alice Herz-Sommer, believed to be the oldest-known survivor of the
Holocaust,
died
in
London
at
age
110.
Feb 26: Former world champion boxer Antonio Cermeno was kidnapped and
killed
in
his
native
country
Venezuela.
March 09: Afghan Vice-President Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, formerly
one
of
the
country's
most
feared
warlords,
died.
March 14: Tony Benn, a committed British socialist who irritated and
fascinated Britons through a political career spanning more than five decades
and who renounced his aristocratic title rather than leave the House of
Commons,
died
at
88.
Economy
Feb 25: Greece was back in the black for the first time since 1948, the EU's
economics commissioner Olli Rehn said as figures showed the economicallyhobbled
nation
returning
to
growth.
March 01: Bangladesh will receive a $600-million loan from the World Bank in
order to improve electricity supplies to rural areas, in order to reduce poverty
and create jobs, the multilateral lender said in a statement.
The loan was approved by the World Bank's board a day earlier.
March 05: Iraq is reclaiming its rank as the world's fastest-growing oil exporter,

cushioning consumers from Libyan supply outages for now and, perhaps,
reviving
Opec
market
share
rivalries
down
the
road.
People
John

in

News
Kerry

On Feb 16, US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Southeast Asia's largest
mosque, the Istiqlal mosque in the heart of Jakarta, during his visit to Indonesia,
paying tribute to Islam in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Somayya
Jabarti
On Feb 16, Somayya Jabarti became the first woman to be named as editor-inchief
of
a
daily
newspaper
published
in
Saudi
Arabia.
Hailemedehin
Abera
Tagegn
On Feb 17, 31-year-old Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn, the co-pilot of an
Ethiopian Airlines plane hijacked his aircraft and forced it to land in Geneva so
he
could
seek
asylum.
Chiwetel
Ejiofor
On Feb 17, Chiwetel Ejiofor took the male acting trophy at the British
Academy Film Awards for his performance in unflinching drama 12 Years a
Slave.
Hans
Raj
Hans
On Feb 19, a famous Indian singer Hans Raj Hans embraced Islam. Hans, while
confirming his conversion to Islam, said that he had been studying Islam very
closely and even his elders had been telling him about the virtues of the
religion.
Dalai
Lama
On Feb 21, US President Barack Obama welcomed Tibet's exiled spiritual
leader the Dalai Lama to the White House, defying China, which said the
meeting would seriously impair ties between the two countries.
Abraham
de
Villiers
On Feb 21, South Africa batsman Abraham de Villiers became the first player
in the history of Test cricket to score a fifty plus knock in 12 consecutive Tests
after he made 116 off 232 balls in the first innings on the second day of the
second
Test
against
Australia.

Bill

Gates

On March 3, the surging price of Microsoft shares returned US tech tycoon Bill
Gates back to the top of Forbes's world's billionaires list, with his $76bn.
Snowden,
Malala
and
Putin
On March 4, US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Pakistani schoolgirl Malala
Yousafzai and Russian President Vladimir Putin were nominated for this year's
Nobel
Peace
Prize.
Subrata

Roy

On March 4, India's top court jailed Subrata Roy, the head of Sahara business
group, after he apologised to the judges for failing to show up for a hearing.
Perenna
Kei
On March 5, Perenna Kei, a 24-year-old Hong Kong-based woman was named
the world's youngest billionaire, replacing a former Facebook cofounder and
spurring
gossip
in
the
city.
She was ranked by Forbes as the world's youngest tycoon in its annual superrich
list,
with
a
net
worth
of
$1.3
billion.
Maurice
Faure
On March 6, former French minister Maurice Faure, the last surviving
signatory of the Treaty of Rome which paved the way for European integration,
died
aged
92.
A former Resistance fighter during World War II, Faure was deputy foreign
minister when the path breaking 1957 treaty was signed.
Mohammed

Khurshid

Hussain

On March 6, 23-year-old boy from Hyderabad India, Mohammed Khurshid

Hussain, broke the world record for nose-typing. He typed the sentence:
Guinness World Records have challenged me to type this sentence using my
nose in the fastest time in just 48.62 seconds. He already holds the title of
fastest typist of the English alphabet on a keyboard just 3.43 seconds but
that
was
set
using
his
fingers.
The previous record holder was another Indian, Neeta, who finished the task
way
back
in
2008,
in
1
minute
and
33
seconds.
Ansar

Burney

On March 6, the Cholistan Development Council of Pakistan announced 16th

Cholistan Award for the United Nations former expert adviser on human
rights and Chairman of Ansar Burney Trust International, Ansar Burney in the
field
of
human
and
civil
rights.
Fatima

Bhutto

On March 7, Fatima Bhutto, the niece of former prime minister Ms Benazir

Bhutto, was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Ms Bhutto is among
20 women on the long list for the award, which was formerly known as the
Orange prize and is open to English-language novels from anywhere in the
world.
She has been nominated for The Shadow of the Crescent Moon, her first
attempt
at
fiction.
Anwar

Ibrahim

On March 7, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal on

sodomy
charges
was
overturned.
Nadeem
Aslam
On March 9, Pakistani writer Nadeem Aslam won the Yale University's
prestigious Windham Campbell Literature Prize 2014 for his fiction works
which explore historical and political trauma with lyricism and profound
compassion.
Dr

Margaret

Chan

On March 12, President Mamnoon Hussain conferred Hilal-i-Pakistan upon Dr

Margaret Chan, Director-General of World Health Organisatin, during a special
investiture
ceremony
held
at
the
Aiwan-i-Sadar.
Devyani

Khobragade

On March 15, a New York grand jury re-indicted Devyani Khobragade, an

Indian diplomat, accused of mistreating her housekeeper on two counts of visa
fraud
and
making
false
statements.
Places

in

News

Singapore
On Feb 19, Singapore topped an international survey of the best cities in Asia
for expatriates while the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was named the worst. Japan

took all the other spots in the Asian top five, with Tokyo in second place
followed
by
Kobe,
Yokohama
and
Osaka.
Allahabad
On March 1, female sadhus broke away from tradition and formed a new allfemale group, akhada, in India that they hope will end male domination of
spiritual
practices.
Kunming,

China

On March 1, twenty-seven people were killed and 109 others were injured in a
railway station attack by unidentified knife wielding people in southwest
Chinese
city
of
Kunming.
Kandahar
On March 2, twelve Afghan Taliban prisoners escaped from the 1,200-inmate
Kandahar Prison after a jail employee falsely put their names on a list of
detainees
who
were
scheduled
for
release.
Paris
On March 4, the first patient to receive an artificial heart intended as a
permanent replacement for his own ailing organ died 75 days after the
transplant operation, said Paris Georges Pompidou European Hospital. The
name
of
the
patient
has
not
been
disclosed.
Meerut,

India

On March 5, Swami Vivekanada Subharti University in Meerut suspended 67

Kashmiri students for apparently cheering Pakistan during the India-Pak match
at
the
Asia
Cup.
Belgium
On March 6, Belgian postal company Bpost issued a commemorative stamp to
mark International Women's Day. The stamp was created by graphic designer
Ann Bessemans and contains 606 words, a Guinness World Record.