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August 19, 2019: National Current Affairs
1. 1,320MW coal-fired Hub power plant commissioned
• The government confirmed on August 18, 2019 successful commercial operations of a $2 billion 1,320MW coal-fired power plant set up by the China Power Hub Generation Company (CPHGC) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
• `M/s CPHGC has successfully undergone through commissioning tests as per the agreed procedure. The engineer has curtained the successful commissioning of the complex,` said a notification issued by the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) a government owned subsidiary responsible for procuring power from plants and selling them to distribution companies.
• The CPPA said the power producer had called for declaring its commercial operation date (COD) from Aug 17, 2019, while its engineer SGS had also issued certiñcate of initial tested capacity that came out at 1,249MW. Therefore, it called upon the National Power Control Centre (NPCC) to issue dispatch instructions to the CPHGC keeping in view the system requirements.
2. Accounts’ suspension taken up with Twitter, Facebook
• Pakistani authorities have taken up with Twitter and Facebook the suspension of Pakistani social media accounts posting in support of Kashmir.
• Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, through his personal Twitter account on Sunday, said that Pakistani authorities had taken up with Twitter and Facebook the alleged suspension of Pakistani social media accounts posting in support of Kashmir.
• “Pakistani authorities have taken up case with Twitter & Facebook against suspending Pakistani accounts for posting in support of Kashmir. Indian staff at their regional headquarters is the reason,” he tweeted. He also invited social media users to share information about accounts that have been suspended.
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3. FO to announce Kashmir Cell composition today
• The Foreign Office kept on engaged with the dealing developments regarding Kashmir situation on week end holidays will announce composition of “Kashmir Cell” today (August 19, 2019) and it will work round the clock under special arrangements.
• A senior officer of the Foreign Office will head the Kashmir Cell, and it is likely that Director, Kashmir Affairs Shahras Asim or Director Saarc Affairs Dr Najamus Sehar Butt will be heading it.
• The decision will be taken today. Dr Muhammad Faisal Chaudhry, who is Director General Saarc and South Asia Division with additional assignment of Spokesman of the Foreign Office will be providing intellectual guidance to the cell. The cell is being established in the Foreign Office; the sources added. The cell will maintain liaison with the relevant points pertaining the issue and it will also avail intellectual input by the Kashmir Committee of the Parliament under veteran parliamentarian Syed Fakhar Imam. The sources pointed out that Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and senior officials concerned along with their staff were present in their respective offices and engaged in consultations since the India has annexed Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and split it towards the end of the first week of this month without any break.
4. Humanitarian Day today
• Like around the world, the Humanitarian Day will be observed across the country today.
• In his message on the eve of World Humanitarian Day, the CM said: “Islam is a religion of love with humanity and our Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) set an example of love for the humanity.
August 19, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. Gibraltar rejects US pressure to hold Iranian oil tanker
• Authorities in Gibraltar on August 18, 2019 rejected the United States` latest request not to release a seized Iranian supertanker, clearing the way for the vessel to set sail after being detained last month for allegedly attempting to breach European Union sanctions on Syria.
• The ship was expected to leave on Sunday night, according to a statement on Twitter by Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran`s ambassador to Britain.
• The tanker`s release comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West after President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran`s nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.
• Shortly after the tanker`s detention in early July near Gibraltar a British overseas territory Iran seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had said the Iranian ship`s release by Gibraltar could see the Stena Impero go free.
6. Houthi rebels appoint `ambassador` in Tehran
• Yemen`s Iran-linked Houthi rebels have appointed an `ambassador` in Tehran, a step condemned by the internationally recognised government as a breach of international laws.
• The Islamic republic made no announcement about accepting the appointment of an ambassador for the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the north.
• Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi severed diplomatic relations with Iran in October 2015, accusing Tehran of providing military aid to the rebels.
• Tehran has denied the accusation but publicly offers strong political backing to the Houthis. The Yemeni government denounced the naming of an ambassador.
7. Iceland commemorates first glacier lost to climate change
• Iceland on August 18, 2019 honoured the passing of Okjolcull, its first glacier lost to climate change, as scientists warned that some 400 others on the subarctic island faced the same fate.
• A bronze plaque was unveiled in a ceremony to mark Okjokull which translates to `Ok glacier` in the west of Iceland, in the presence of local researchers and their peers at Rice University in the United States, who initiated the project.
• `This will be the first monument to a glacier lost to climate change anywhere in the world,` Cymene Howe, associate professor of anthropology at Rice University, said in July.
• The plaque bears the inscription `A letter to the future`, and is intended to raise awareness about the decline of glaciers and the effects of climate change.
8. China’s rocket Smart Dragon-1 makes maiden flight
• China’s new carrier rocket Smart Dragon-1 (SD-1), designed for commercial use, made its maiden flight on August 17, 2019, sending three satellites into planned orbit.
• The rocket, developed by the China Rocket Co. Ltd. affiliated to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 12:11 p.m. (Beijing Time).
• The three satellites, respectively developed by three Beijing-based companies, will be used for remote sensing services, communication and Internet of Things.
• Different from the carrier rockets of the Long March family, the new Dragon series is developed in a commercial mode to meet the market demand of launching small commercial satellites, said Wang Xiaojun, head of CALVT.
9. James Bond’s 1965 Aston Martin DB5 auctioned for $6.4m
• The street-legal 1965 Aston Martin DB5 originally created to promote the James Bond movie Thunderball — complete with functioning rotating license plates and tire slashers — sold for $6.4 million at a classic car auction in California.
• Though the model was originally created to promote the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 — equipped with tools fit for a spy including tire slashers, fake guns, and a “bulletproof” screen — never actually appeared on-screen. Despite that, no 007 vehicle has ever sold for more than this particular DB5. The winning bid totaled $6.4 million.
• The 1965 car was up for sale yesterday at a classic car auction in Monterey, California. Not only was this winning bid the highest price ever paid for a “James Bond” car, but also it was the most paid at auction, ever, for an Aston Martin DB5.
August 19, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
10. Ahmed strolls to Sindh Open glory for first professional title
• Having done the hard work over the last two rounds, Ahmed Baig thought he could relax just a bit on August 18, 2019.
• Starting the final round atop the leaderboard of the Sindh Open Golf Championship with a four shot lead, it didn`t take long for the youngster, chasing his first professional title in his fourth tournament, to get back into the groove.
• Closest challenger and defending champion Matloob Ahmed had whittled down his lead down to two shots by the third hole. It prompted Ahmed to `give himself a kick`.
• He hit his first birdie of the final round on the fourth hole. From there on it was a canter, Ahmed hitting four more birdies in a bogey-free 67 for a three-day aggregate of 16-under 200 and a five stroke victory in the end.
