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September 25, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Quake shakes AJK, Punjab & KP; 25 killed in Mirpur
• A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on September 24, 2019, leavingatleast25persons,including women and children, dead and around 400 others injured, many of them seriously.
• Occurring at about 4pm, the shallow quake hit 22.3 kilometres north of Jhelum, along the boundary separating the agricultural heartland of Punjab and AJK, according to the US Geological Survey. A soldier is among the dead.
• `The quake was 10km deep and felt in most of Punjab and some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the worst hit was Mirpur district of Azad Kashmir,` chief meteorologist Mohammad Riaz was quoted by TV channels as saying.
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal said the situation was under control and rescue operation was under way.
2. All boards to announce intermediate exam results by Aug 15 every year
• The Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) on September 24, 2019 decided that results of intermediate exams would be announced before Aug 15 every year by all the educational boards of the country in the interest of students.
• The IPEMC, which met here with education minister Shafqat Mahmood in the chair, took several other decisions to promote the education sector. `It is decided with consensus that the Grade 8 exam will be conducted through board across the country and it will be milestone in the journey of unified education. The 10th and 12th class exams will also be conducted through boards while 9th and 11th class board exam will be excluded, said an official statement issued by the education ministry after the meeting.
• Minister Mahmood, flanked by provincial ministers, told a press conference that all educational boards would announce the intermediate exam results till Aug 15 every year. The minister said during the meeting it was decided that university classes would start on Sept15every year.
• The minister has been making efforts for the last many months to get all educational boards on board for announcing the FA/FSc results and secondary school certificate (SSC) results on one date.
3. Mangla power generation resumes after being affected
• The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) suspended power generation for a couple of hours at Mangla after September 24, 2019`s earthquake jolted the country`s biggest dam, but decided to resume supply after concluding that it was safe to do so.
• Power generation at Mangla resumed at 7.20pm, restoring 700MW to the national grid and easing fears of a spike in load shedding.
• On the other hand, Punjab`s irrigation department shut the Upper-Jhelum canal as a precautionary measure to avoid any damage from aftershocks.
September 25, 2019: International Current Affairs
4. Kashmir dispute should be resolved as per UN resolutions, says Erdogan
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 24, 2019 highlighted the current situation in India-held Kashmir on the first day of the UN General Assembly session attended by world leaders.
• The Turkish leader called for the dispute`s resolution based on UN resolutions.
• A presidential decree issued on Aug 5 revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution under which the Muslim-majority state was allowed to make its own laws except for defence, foreign affairs and communications and also barred non-residents from buying property there. Since then, the disputed Himalayan region has been under curfew, the internet has been shut down and political leaders have been detained.
• `The stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue, Mr Erdogan said in a strong speech to a packed hall.
5. Trump distances US from Modi`s aggressive war plans
• US President Donald has made it clear that while his administration wants close business and strategic ties with India, it would not join New Delhi`s `aggressive` war plans against Pakistan.
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled this war plan at a public rally in Houston, Texas, on September 22, 2019 while trying to divert the world`s attention away from Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir to his claims about terrorism.
• `The time has come to fight a decisive war against terrorism and its supporters,` he said.
• `And I want to stress here that in this war, President Trump is standing against terrorism with his full strength.
• President Trump, who also attended this rally, also emphasised the need to fight terrorism in his speech but at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 23, 2019 he distanced himself from Mr Modi`s remarks, saying that he was referring to Iran, not Pakistan.
6. UN chief warns of a world divided between US and China
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned global leaders on September 24, 2019 of the looming risk of the world splitting in two, with the United States and China creating rival internets, currency, trade, financial rules `and their own zero sum geopolitical and military strategies.
• In his annual `state of the world address` to the General Assembly`s gathering of heads of state and government, Guterres said the risk `may not yet be large, but it is real.` `We must do everything possible to avert the great fracture and maintain a universal system, a universal economy with universal respect for international law; a multipolar world with strong multilateral institutions,` he told presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and ministers from the UN`s 193 member states.
• Guterres painted a grim picture of a deeply divided and anxious planet facing a climate crisis, `the alarming possibility of armed conflict in the Gulf,` spreading terrorism, rising populism and `exploding` inequality.
7. Oceans, climate report approved after all-night standoff
• A major report detailing the dire impact of global warming on oceans and Earth`s frozen zones was approved by the UN`s 195-nation climate science body on September 24, 2019 after an all-night standoff with Saudi Arabia over wording.
• `Gavelled! The IPCC Special Report on the #0cean and #Cryosphere is approved!`, Jean Pierre Gattuso, a French scientist and one of the report many authors, tweeted at the end of the five-day talks.
• The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed with a tweet of its own and will unveil an executive summary on Wednesday.
• Oil giant Saudi Arabia held up adoption of the Summary for Policy Makers 30-odd pages, vetted line by-line by challenging another landmark UN assessment that high-lights the need to slash carbon emissions caused by burning fossil fuels, multiple sources said.
8. UK Supreme Court rules parliament`s suspension illegal
• TO gasps and jubilation in a stunned courtroom, an 11-member bench of the United Kingdom`s Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson`s prorogation of parliament was unlawful.
• The proceedings, which lasted just under 15 minutes, put a dramatic end to the much-debated issue of Mr Johnson`s decision to suspend parliament ahead of the UK`s looming exit from the European Union, but intensified calls for his resignation.
• Crowds outside the court premises in Westminster erupted in cheers as the news of the verdict spread.
• The `Remain` supporters embraced each other and shared congratulations over what has been dubbed an epic moment in Britain`s constitutional history.
September 25, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
9. Messi, Rapinoe win FIFA player of the year awards
• Lionel Messi won his sixth FIFA player of the year award, while Megan Rapinoe won her first at a lavish ceremony at Milan`s iconic La Scala Opera House on September 24, 2019.
• Barcelona striker Messi`s victory was a surprise as he edged out Virgil Van Dijk, who won the UEFA player`s award last month after helping Liverpool to the Champions League last season.
• Rapinoe was rewarded for leading the United States to the women`s World Cup title in July.
• Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo had also been shortlisted for the award, but did not attend the ceremony as he was named in FIFA`s World 11 best team along with Messi.
• Both Messi, 32, and VanDijk, 28, are now in the running for the coveted Ballon d`Or which will be announced on December 2.
10. Sri Lanka squad arrives in Pakistan for limited-over series
• Sri Lanka`s depleted national cricket squad arrived in Pakistan on September 24, 2019 expressing confidence in security promises by the hosts despite reports that the team could be targeted by terrorists.
• The Sri Lanka team were attacked in Lahore in 2009 and since then most international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country, leaving Pakistan to play nearly all their `home` games in the United Arab Emirates.
• Ten senior players citing security concerns have opted out of the tour, comprising three One-day Internationals and as many Twenty20 Internationals, beginning on September 27, 2019. But the rest arrived in Karachi later Tuesday and were whisked to their hotel under heavy security.
