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September 25, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. Govt to mark Friday as Kashmir Solidarity Day
• The federal government has decided to observe coming Friday as the Kashmir Solidarity Day throughout the country under the theme “let us save the innocent children of IOK (Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir).”
• A letter written by the Ministry of Interior says that the “Prime Minister has very kindly approved observing of 27th September (Friday) as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ for holding public rallies across Pakistan to express their feelings with the people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.”
• The letter addressed to all attached departments of the ministry besides mayor Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad says that the Kashmir Cell of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recommended key social media messages including “I am terrorized; I need food, medicine and care; I want my father back, we want to play too, I deserve a childhood too, and trends including #HumanofKashmir and #ChildrenundeSeige.”
2. AJK minister disqualified for encroaching upon state land
• In a rare decision, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on September 25, 2019 disqualified a sitting minister from being the member of the Legislative Assembly for the next five years for `deliberately encroaching upon state land and thus committing contempt of a court judgment`.
• Minister for Sports, Youth and Culture Chaudhry Mohammad Saeed, who was elected from Mirpur city in 2016 polls as a PML-N nominee, was convicted and punished with imprisonment till the rising of the court in Mirpur circuit only a day after his constituency and adjoining areas were hit by a devastating earthquake.
• Mr Saeed had defeated apparently formidable PTI regional president Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry notwithstanding being a novice in electoral politics.
• On October 5, last year, one Haji Javed Akram, a resident of Mirpur, had filed an application in Mirpur circuit of the apex court, alleging that Mr Saeed had been `unlawfully occupying more than one kanal and eight marla crown land` along with his house `in an act that amounted to infringement of an apex court judgment titled Azeem Dutt and others versus Raja Khadim Hussain and others`.
3. Moeed appointed planning ceII chief
• Moeed Yousuf has been appointed as chairperson of the Strategic Policy Planning Cell (SPPC), which functions under the National Security Division.
• Mr Yousuf, who has authored Brokering Peace in Nuclear Environments, was working as vice president of the United States Institute for Peace, for South Asia.
• `The competent authority is pleased to appoint Mr Moeed W. Yousuf as Chairperson, Strategic Policy Planning Cell (SPPC) under National Security Division in SPPS-l for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the post with immediate effect until further orders,` read a notification issued by the Establishment Division on September 25, 2019.
• The Establishment Division also notified the appointment of Dr Mohammad Azeem as chairman of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
4. Afghan visa now mandatory for transporters
• The Afghan border police at Torkham have made acquisition of Afghan visa for all Pakistani transporters mandatory along with keeping other relevant travel documents.
• In a pamphlet distributed among the Pakistani transporters on September 25, 2019, the Afghan border police warned that none of them would be allowed to enter Afghanistan without a valid visa, driving licence, road pass and original number plate of the vehicle.
• It said that all transporters taking trade goods in their vehicles to Afghanistan were required to fulfil the requirements by the end of September as they would not be allowed to cross the border after that.
5. Sadpara becomes first Pakistani to scale Manaslu peak in Nepal
• Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Mohammad Ali Sadpara along with four Sherpas scaled the 8th highest peak of the world, Manaslu, in Nepal without bottle oxygen on September 24, 2019.
• According Alpine Club of Pakistan Ali Sadpara became the first Pakistani climber to scale the eighth highest peak of over 8,000 meters of the world. Sadpara, 43, has climbed all five, 8,000-metre high peaks in Pakistan, including K2 (8,611m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m), Gasherbrum II (8,034m), Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m).
• He is the first Pakistani to have climbed Nanga Parbat in the winter. He also climbed the 8,516metre Lhotse peak and 8,485-metre Makalu peak in Nepal. Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, the managing director of Seven Summit Treks, said that Mohammad Ali Sadpara, Ngima Dorchi, Ngima Thenduk, Tenji Chhombi andNamgyaBhotereached to the summit af ter tireless effort since 21 September.
• A total of 50 climbers are taking part in the summit. Mr Sadpara was sponsored by Pakistan Army.
September 26, 2019: International Current Affairs
6. Georgieva approved as new IMF chief
• Bulgarian economist Kristalina Georgieva was confirmed on September 25, 2019 as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, the IMF said, becoming the first person from an emerging economy to head the global lender.
• A centre-right politician who grew up in Bulgaria under communism, Georgieva has built a reputation during her time at the World Bank where she has been on a leave of absence from her post as chief executive officer during the IMF nomination process and the European Commission as a tenacious straight-shooter, champion of gender equality and leader in the global fight against climate change.
7. Trump announces initial trade deal with Japan
• US President Donald Trump on September 25, 2019 announced that the initial stage of a new trade deal with Japan had been finalised, describing it as a `phenomenal` agreement.
• Sitting next to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said the leaders `formally announce the first stage of a phenomenal new trade agreement,` adding `this is a big chunk, but in the fairly near future we are going to have a lot more.
• Trump, using the threat of tariffs, has sought a comprehensive trade deal to scale back the US trade deficit with Japan and to benefit American farmers a key base of political support.
• Trump said that a trade agreement would be important to `reduce our chronic trade deficit.` It would open new markets to `some $7 billion` in American products, he said, adding that US tariffs on Japanese goods would drop in return.
8. Beijing opens glitzy airport ahead of 70th anniversary
• A futuristic new airport in Beijing, which is expected to become one of the busiest in the world, was opened by President Xi Jinping on September 25, 2019.
• Xi declared the starfish-shaped airport open in brief remarks at a ceremony inside the huge terminal, days before the country holds a grand celebration to mark 70 years of Communist rule.
• Located 46 kilometres south of Tiananmen Square, the Beijing Daxing International Airport will operate at full capacity in 2040, with eight runways and the potential to receive 100 million passengers per year.
• The airport is seen as a fitting embodiment of the `Chinese dream` Xi has offered his fellow citizens.
9. Pakistani documentary on bomb disposal unit wins Emmy
• A Pakistani film-maker`s documentary about the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bomb Disposal Unit was honoured with a win at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony in New York on September 24, 2019 night.
• Asad Faruqi`s Armed with Faith received an Emmy in the category for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary.
• Co-directed with Geeta Gandbhir, the film follows the dangerous struggle undertaken by the men of the bomb disposal unit to protect Pakistan against the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.
• An Emmy Award is an American award that recognises excellence in the television industry. The Emmy is named after `immy` an informal term for the image onhicon tube that was common in early television cameras
10. Ahmed wins Best Actor award at Washington DC Film Fest
• The dynamic and super talented Ahmed Ali Akbar has made Pakistan proud as he has bagged the best actor male award at the prestigious Washington Dc South Asian Film Festival for his brilliant acting skills in film ‘Laal Kabootar’.
• Laal Kabootar is the official submission of Pakistan to the Oscars this year as well.
• Laal Kabootar is directed by Kamal Khan, who has been involved in projects such as Coke Studio and MTV Pakistan among others. With award-winning music videos, including a LUX Style Award for ‘Azaad’ as well as a nomination for ‘Desert Journey’, he has proven himself to be one of the most cutting-edge directors of Pakistan.
