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February 28, 2022: National / International Current Affairs
1. Pak-Afghan trade activities resume as Chaman border reopens
• The Chaman-Spin Buldak border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which was closed after clashes between the two countries` forces began last week, was reopened on February 27, 2022 morning.
• All hurdles have been removed from both sides of the Friendship Gate on the border.
• The border was reopened after a delegation of ulema from Chaman headed by tribal elder Molvi Haji Faizullah Nourzai held negotiations with Kandahar Governor Yousef Wafa and other Taliban leaders
2. 200 nations okay major UN report on climate impact
• Nearly 200 nations approved a major UN climate change report detailing the accelerating impacts of global warming on February 27, 2022, at the end of a sometimes fraught two-week meeting overshadowed by Russia`s invasion of Ukraine.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that debates had concluded over the report`s crucial `Summary for Policymakers`, a 40-page overview distilling the thousands of pages of scientific research, which has been reviewed line-by-line and will be made public on Monday (today).
• Species extinction, ecosystem collapse, mosquito-borne disease, deadly heat, water shortages, and reduced crop yields are already measurably worse due to global heating.
• Just in the last year, the world has seen a cascade of unprecedented floods, heatwaves and wildfires across four continents.
3. War leaves Pakistan with fewer LNG import options
• With the escalating Russia-Ukraine war, Pakistan is left with fewer import options for liquefied natural gas (LNG) while struggling to maintain 8-10 cargoes a month instead of 14 required for electricity and industrial needs.
• Pakistan currently imports from Qatar 7-8 cargoes per month of about 100 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) each and two from traders who have become habitual defaulters. It is, therefore, prudent to consider that traders may continue with their defaults given the tight market conditions, thus leaving Islamabad at the mercy of Qatar.
• Under the two long-term contracts with Qatar, state-run entities in Pakistan are importing on a monthly basis six cargoes at 13.37pc of Brent and one to two cargoes at 10.2pc of Brent. These translate into $10.6-11 per million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) and about $8.2 per MMBTU, respectively
4. Smartphones outnumber 2G sets in Pakistan
• The number of smartphone users has surpassed those using old school 2G sets for the first time in the country, the telecom regulator said in its latest annual report.
• The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in its annual report 2021 also highlighted several other achievements, including the broadband subscribers crossing the 100 million mark during the year, which played a key role in boosting telecom industry`s revenue.
• The industry paid Rs179 billion in terms of general sales tax, withholding tax, customs duty and other taxes in the fiscal year 2020-21 compared to Rs148.9bn a year ago, the report said.
• The PTA report shows that the country`s success in fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and strategic manoeuvres towards industry facilitation and consumer protection paved the way for all-inclusive connectivity and overall growth of the sector.
5. Putin puts nuclear forces on alert
• President Vladimir Putin ordered his military command to put Russia`s nuclear deterrent on high alert on February 27, 2022 in the face of a huge Western response to his war on Ukraine, which said it had repelled Russian ground forces nearing its biggest cities.
• The United States responded by saying Putin was escalating the war in a `totally unacceptable` way, amid signs that the a Ukrainian Territorial Defence fighter takes the automatic grenade launcher from a destroyed Russian infantry mobility vehicle after the fight in Kharkiv on Sunday. AFP biggest assault on a European state since World War II was not producing rapid battlefield victories for Russia.
• The Ukrainian president`s office said negotiations with Moscow without preconditions would be held at the Belarusian Ukrainian border. The Kremlin said talks had started
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