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February 16, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Special assistant to Prime Minister Naeem-ul-Haq passes away
• Naeem-ulHaq, special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on political affairs and founding member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, on February 15, 2020 passed away after a battle with cancer, officials and party sources said. He was 70.
• Survived by a son and a daughter, Mr Haq was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago but his health started deteriorating a few months ago. He was moved to Aga Khan University Hospital in the first half of the day after his condition further destabilised.
• A banker by profession, Mr Haq was considered one of the very close aides to PM Khan on the basis of more than three decade-long association between the two.
2. FAO steps in to help control locust attack
• Pakistan and the United Nations` Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed two agreements on February 15, 2020 to control the desert locust attack and shift the Indus Basin agriculture from a current situation of high vulnerability to an alternative paradigm with water management and farming practices resilience to climate change.
• FAO director general Qu Dongyu signed the `Technical Cooperation Programme` with Minister for National Food Security and Research Khusro Bakhtiar on February 15, 2020, under which FAO will make available $700,000 to Pakistan for the desert locust emergency measures. According to a preliminary assessment conducted by the agriculture departments of Sindh and Balochistan, about 80,000 hectares of crop have been damaged besides serious damages to grazing and forest lands.
3. UN chief to arrive in Islamabad today
• UN secretary general Antonio Guterres will arrive in Islamabad on February 16, 2020 (today) on his first official visit to Pakistan as the world body`s chief.
• During his visit, he will speak at an international conference on `40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan`. He will also meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and other high level government officials.
• The two-day conference in Islamabad, starting on Feb 17, would be a recognition of Pakistan`s `tremendous generosity` in hosting millions of refugees from Afghanistan over four decades, the spokesman told the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
4. France announces 1st death in Europe of virus patient
• France’s health minister has announced the first coronavirus death in Europe. Minister Agnes Buzyn says February 15, 2020 that “I was informed last night of the death of an 80-year-old patient who had been hospitalized … since Jan. 25.”
• The patient, a Chinese tourist from the province of Hubei, had a lung infection caused by the COVID-19 virus. He arrived in France on Jan. 16, then was hospitalized on Jan. 25 under strict isolation measures.
5. Covid-19 vaccine in late February: White House
• White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has said that testing and production of a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) drug could start as soon as late February.
• In an interview to Fox Business Network, Mr Navarro also said that 150 million doses of this vaccine could `hopefully` be available by `as early as next November.
• Five large American companies were already working on this project, he added.
6. Chinese, Vatican foreign ministers hold first meeting
• The foreign ministers of China and the Vatican have met in the first high level encounter between the sides a new sign of improving relations between two states with no diplomatic ties.
• The talks between China`s Wang Yi and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the German city of Munich on February 14, 2020 come as relations steadily improve following a landmark agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018.
• `Today is the first meeting between the Chinese and Vatican foreign ministers, Wang said, according to the People`s Daily newspaper, a Communist Party mouthpiece.
7. Urdu commentary to be introduced in PSL
• For the first time in the five-year history of the Pakistan Super League, the fans and followers of the league will enjoy cricketing-action in the country`s national language Urdu, though for five-over of each innings.
• The league is to be held in four cities from Feb 20 to March 22.
• The Pakistan Commentators Association president Mohammad Idrees had demanded of the resumption of commentary in Urdu language, which has totally been vanished from the PTV.
8. Sindh clinch 3rd PPL Blind Cricket Super League
• Sindh defeated Balochistan by two wickets in their final to win the 3rd Blind Cricket Super League, organised by the PBCC, at PAF Faisal Airbase Ground Karachi on February 15, 2020.
• Sindh scored 389 runs in 39.5 overs to achieve the target. Sindh’s Gulsher was awarded man of the match trophy for his outstanding performance.
• Total five teams Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad/Azad Jammu and Kashmir participated in the league.
9. Pakistan face India in kabaddi final
• Arch-rivals Pakistan and India on February 15, 2020 night qualified for the Kabaddi World Cup (indigenous style) final after winning their respective semi-finals at the Punjab Stadium, Lahore.
• While Pakistan overwhelmed Iran 52-30 after taking a 29-17 lead in the first half, India struggled to overcome Australia 42-32 in the other last-four match held under floodlights.
10. Duplantis breaks world record again
• Sweden`s Armand Duplantis set a world pole vault record of 6.18 metres at an indoor meeting in Glasgow on February 15, 2020, adding one centimetre to the record he set in Poland last week.
• Duplantis, the 20-year-old who won silver at last year`s world championships in Doha, cleared the bar with some-thing to spare.
• The old record of 6.16m set by French vaulter Renaud Lavillenie had stood since 2014.
• Duplantis opened on Saturday at 5.50m and got over 5.75m on his second try
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