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February 23, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Balochistan declares coronavirus health emergency along border with Iran
• Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan on February 22, 2020 declared a health emergency in districts bordering Iran as the death toll from novel coronavirus in the neighbouring country rose to five people.
• At least 28 cases have so far been confirmed in bordering Iran with people being treated for the virus– which first emerged in China– in at least four different cities including the capital, Tehran.
• Pakistan has yet no confirmed cases of coronavirus on its soil. CM Jam Kamal Khan also contacted Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday to discuss the steps his government was taking to control the virus spreading over the border into the province, the CM said in a Twitter post.
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2. Barrister Khalid Javed Khan appointed as AGP
• Barrister Khalid Javed Khan has been appointed the new Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), says official notification issued on February 22, 2020.
• The official notification said: “In exercise of powers conferred under Article 100(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, the President is pleased to appoint Khalid Jawed Khan as Attorney General for Pakistan with the rank and status of Federal Minister with immediate effect.”
• On Thursday, the government’s spokesperson confirmed that the federal government had decided to appoint Khalid Javed Khan as the AGP.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan also directed the Ministry of Law on Friday to move a summary for the appointment of Khalid Javed Khan as the new attorney general of the country
3. Trump to call for Pak-India talks, peace along LoC
• US President Donald Trump will urge India and Pakistan to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and refrain from actions or statements that could increase tensions in the region, says a senior administration official.
• President Trump arrives in India on February 24, 2020 for a two-day visit that both sides hope will lead to a closer strategic partnership and commercial ties between the two nations.
• On Friday afternoon, a senior Trump administration official briefed the media on the president`s visit, outlining the issues and projects the president plans to discuss with Indian leaders during the visit.
4. Kashmir not among European Union`s priorities for 2020
• Atrocities being perpetrated by the Indian forces in occupied Kashmir and the maltreatment of minorities in India are not among the European Union`s human rights priorities for 2020.
• Many in Pakistan see this glaring omission as an illustration of EU`s `duplicity and doublespeak` on human rights.
• Council of the European Union (EU), which represents the governments of the bloc`s member states and is considered as an `essential EU decision-maker` because of its role in developing the EU`s common foreign and security policy, listed the human rights priorities to be pursued at the UN forums at its meeting on Feb 17.
5. Health directorate of tribal districts merged into DGHS
• The Directorate Health Services (DHS) of the newly-merged tribal districts has been merged into the Directorate General Health Services (DGHS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the light of merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas with the province.
• A notification issued by the health department said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director General Health Services would act as the controlling officer of the merged districts while all the deputy district health officers of former Frontier Regions (FRs), had been given under the administrative control of the DHOs of adjoining districts.
• So far, the health affairs of exFRs were managed by the director health of merged tribal districts.
• Following the new directives, the deputy district health officer (DDHO) of each of the ex-FRs of Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat and Peshawar will now report to the district health officer of the respective adjoining district
6. West Indies` ex-captain Sammy to be made honorary citizen
• Pakistan is making former captain of West Indies Darren Sammy an honorary citizen for his role in restoring international cricket to the country.
• Pakistan will also give Sammy its highest civilian award, Nishan-i-Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board tweeted on February 22, 2020.
• Sammy will be honoured by President Arif Alvi in a ceremony on March 23, a national holiday known as Pakistan Day.
• Sammy is seen as having played a major role as a foreign player in helping the PCB bring international cricket back to Pakistan, following an attack by gunmen on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009.
7. Iran shuts schools, cultural centres as virus kills five
• Iran on February 22, 2020 ordered the closure of schools, universities and cultural centres after a coronavirus outbreak that has killed five people in the Islamic republic the most outside the Far East.
• The moves came as Iranian authorities reported one more death among 10 new cases of the virus.
• Since it emerged in December, the new coronavirus has killed 2,345 people in China, the epi centre of the epidemic, and 17 elsewhere in the world.
• The virus outbreak in Iran first surfaced on Wednesday, when authorities said it claimed the lives of two elderly people in Qom
8. Erdogan announces Syria summit for March 5
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on February 22, 2020 said he would hold a summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany on March 5 to discuss the escalating violence in Syria`s last rebel enclave of Idlib.
• The announcement comes a day after two European Union heavyweights France and Germany called for a four-party summit involving the Turkish and Russian leaders.
• `We will come together on March 5 and discuss these issues,` Erdogan said in a televised speech to his party supporters in the western province of Izmir, following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a tele-conference with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday.
9. Openers help United crush Sultans by eight wickets
• Blazing knocks by openers, Luke Ronchi and Colin Munro, and their 92-run opening stand steered Islamabad United to their first win in the 5th HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), as they crushed Multan Sultans by eight wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium before a sizeable crowd here on February 22, 2020 night.
• While United recovered from the defeat they suffered in the first match at the hands of Quetta Gladiators, Multan Sultans could not maintain the winning momentum they had after beating Lahore Qalandars in the opener at the same venue on Friday.
• Ronchi and Munro made their task look easy as United raced to the target of 165 in just 16.4 overs
10. Brilliant Kamran restores Peshawar`s pride
• Peshawar Zalmi restored parity in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 as they rode on back of a fantastic Kamran Akmal century to nail reigning champions Quetta Gladiators at the National Stadium on February 22, 2020.
• Their pride was definitely hurt when Karachi Kings upstaged them just 24 hours earlier on Friday. But the way Peshawar regrouped provided another example of their resilience and uncanny ability to recover.
• Judging by the PSL history, this was supposed to be a fierce battle between the great rivals. Quetta had gone into the match with eight wins under their belt from previous 14 fixtures and were looking forward to extending that record.
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