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December 29, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Obstacles in Pak-Afghan trade to be removed
• Pakistan on December 28, 2020 has assured Afghanistan to remove all hindrances in bilateral trade between two countries to increase the volume of trade.
• “The government is making all-out efforts to remove all hindrances in trade with Afghanistan,” said Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood while addressing the joint session of Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (PATTCA) in Islamabad.
• Joint session of Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Coordination Authority held in Islamabad on Monday and both sides decided Pakistani delegation will visit Kabul to ink Pak-Afghan transit trade agreement. The meeting focus on Pak Afghan Transit Trade and Preferential Trade Agreement
2. Pakistan extends restrictions on travel from UK until Jan 4
• Pakistan on December 28, 2020 extended travel restrictions, imposed last week for inbound travel from the Brittan after detection of a new strain of SARS-COV-2 (VUI202012/01) in the Kingdom that was more transmissible than any other previously known viruses, from December 29 to January 4.
• According to a notification issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the instructions stipulated in previous letters “are hereby extended till January 04, 2021, 2359 hours, where applicable. The competent forum may review the said stipulations as and when deemed in the form of further extension/revision or otherwise at an appropriate time.”
3. Naval Chief conferred Fakhar honourary rank of Lieutenant in Pak Navy
• To honour the achievements of renowned cricketer Fakhar Zaman in cricket and association with Pakistan Navy, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi on December 28, 2020 conferred him the rank of Honorary Lieutenant in Pakistan Navy.
• A special epaulette award ceremony was held at Naval Headquarters to mark the event, said a press release issued here. Fakhar Zaman, who was an Ex-Pakistan Navy Serviceman, joined Pakistan Navy in 2007 as sailor in operations branch. During early years in service, his excellent cricket talent was spotted and he represented Pakistan Navy in many tournaments
4. Eight Pakistanis among world’s top 100 nurses and midwives
• Eight Pakistani nurses and midwives have been honoured in the global 2020 100 Outstanding Women Nurses and Midwives. All eight nurses and midwives from Pakistan are faculty or alumni at the Aga Khan University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, SONAM.
• One hundred nurses and midwives from 43 countries have been recognised for their contribution to raising healthcare standards across the globe, especially during these difficult times. These outstanding leaders have been acknowledged by Women in Global Health (WGH), which collaborated with the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Population Fund, Nursing Now, International Council of Nurses and International Confederation of Midwives on the list.
5. Lebanese company to prepare Lahore Master Plan
• Dar-ul-Handsa, a Lebanese consortium has qualified after evaluation of the technical proposal submitted by the three companies for preparation of new Master Plan 2050 for Lahore.
• A meeting of the Consultant Selection Committee for preparation of new Master Plan was held under the chairmanship of Director General Lahore Development Authority Ahmed Aziz Tarar. Financial bid of Rs. 520 million the qualifying company was also opened during the meeting.
• DG LDA said that experts and other stakeholders have been consulted for defining the TORs for the new Master Plan and it will determine the future course of development of the provincial metropolis. The preparation of new Master Plan in a transparent manner was our top priority, he said.
6. US to sanction China if it `meddles` in Dalai Lama selection
• President Donald Trump has signed a law that authorises US sanctions on Chinese officials if they interfere in Tibetan Buddhists` selection of the next Dalai Lama.
• Congress overwhelmingly approved the Tibetan Policy and Support Act amid growing concern that Beijing will seek to handpick a successor to the 85-year-old spiritual leader, hoping the movement for greater freedoms in the Chinese-ruled Himalayan region will wither away without its charismatic figurehead.
7. UK warns of `bumpy` post-Brexit transition despite deal
• First came the Brexit trade deal. Now comes the red tape and the institutional nitty gritty.
• Four days after sealing a free trade agreement with the European Union, the British government warned businesses to get ready for disruptions and bumpy moments when the new rules take effect on Thursday night.
• Businesses were scrambling on December 28, 2020 to digest the details and implications of the 1,240-page deal sealed by the EU and the UK on Christmas Eve
8. Sri Lanka reopens southern airport to welcome tourists
• Sri Lanka kicked off a pilot program to welcome tourists into the island country on December 28, 2020 by re-opening a southern airport, after its international airports have been shut since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Chairman of the Bandaranaike International Airport, G.A. Chandrasiri told Xinhua that a group of over 200 Ukrainian tourists arrived in the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in order to see the possibility of re-opening the airports for all travelers next month
9. Trump, under pressure, signs $900bn Covid relief bill
• After delaying for nearly a week and under pressure from all sides, US President Donald Trump finally signed a massive $900 billion stimulus bill on December 27, 2020, in a longsought boost for millions of Americans and businesses battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
• The package `providing coronavirus emergency response and relief` is part of a larger spending bill that, with Trump`s signa-ture, will avoid a government shutdown on Tuesday
10. Chinese astronomers discover nearly 600 high-velocity stars
• A Chinese research team has discovered 591 high-velocity stars based on data from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite.
• High-velocity stars are stars that move unusually quickly, relative to other stars, and may at some point leave their galaxy. Of the newly discovered stars, 43 may escape the gravitational constraints of the Milky Way galaxy in future and fly into intergalactic space.
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December 2020:
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