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February 28, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. IMF, govt agree on steps for $450m release
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on February 27, 2020 said it had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan authorities `on policies and reforms needed to complete the second review` of the $6bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
• The announcement was made by Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, Mission Chief for Pakistan, through a brief statement after a series of engagements with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Hafeez Shaikh, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan Dr Reza Baqir and Finance Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch through video conference over the last two weeks.
• `IMF staff and the Pakistani authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on policies and reforms needed to complete the second review of the authorities` reform programme supported under the EFF,` said the statement
2. Flight operation to Iran suspended amid virus alert
• A day after official confirmation of two cases of new coronavirus in the country, Pakistan on February 27, 2020 suspended flight operation to and from Iran as both the affected persons had travelled to Iran during the past two weeks.
• Moreover, at least seven suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals in different cities.
• Executive Director (ED) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Maj Gen Dr Aamer Ikram says that next 10 days are most crucial in terms of virus spread in Pakistan.
• The government has decided to prepare a list of all pilgrims who arrived in the country from Iran during the last fortnight and to test them for the deadly virus
3. Pakistan`s presence in grey list negative for banks: Moody`s
• Moody`s Investor Service a New York-based rating agency on February 27, 2020 said that Pakistan`s inability to comply with the global standards on anti-money laundering and terror financing was a credit negative for its leading banks.
• `Pakistan`s continued presence on list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring commonly known as grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is credit negative for its banks,` it said.
• On Feb 21, the FATF an intergovernmental body tasked with setting global frame work requirements around anti-money-laundering, counter terror financing and other related threats to the international financial system -announced that the country would remain on its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, along with 17 other countries, after f ailing to complete a June 2018 action plan by the assigned deadlines
4. Pakistan, Qatar agree to boost trade further
• Pakistan and Qatar on February 27, 2020 agreed to further enhance economic cooperation especially in the energy sector and decided to immediately activate the bilateral Joint Working Group on Commerce and Investment.
• Both the sides reached an agreement to this effect during the delegation level talks between Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Prime Minister Imran Khan during his day-long visit to Doha.
• According to a statement issued by the PM media office, the delegation-level talks were followed by tete-a-tete between the two leaders.
5. NUST alumna builds world’s first eco-friendly aircraft engine
• Dr Sarah Qureshi, an alumna of the NUST College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (CEME), has made headlines with her breakthrough invention in Aerospace Engineering, by building the world’s first eco-friendly aircraft engine — this engine will help reduce air pollution that is caused by the “contrail phenomenon” — condensation trails from commercial aircraft engines, that have a major role in global warming.
• Dr Sarah, who has the honour of being the first female Mechanical Engineering graduate of NUST (class of 2001), grew up under the mentorship of highly accomplished parents – her mother a PhD in Quantum Chemistry, and her father a renowned Physicist and Scientist. Her project, on which she has been working for the last two years, is now set to be officially launched in the latter half of 2020.
6. Army of 100,000 Chinese ducks ready to fight locust swarms
• Chinese duck platoons are waiting to be deployed in Pakistan to fight a swarm of crop-eating pests that threaten regional food security.
• At least 100,000 ducks are expected to be sent to Pakistan as early as the second half of this year to combat a desert locust outbreak, according to Lu Lizhi, a senior researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The ducks are “biological weapons” and can be more effective than pesticide, said Lu, who is in charge of the project in tandem with a university in Pakistan.
• “One duck is able to eat more than200 locusts a day,” Lu said in a telephone interview on Thursday, citing results of experiments to test the ducks’ searching and predation capabilities. A trial will start in China’s western region of Xinjiang later this year before the ducks are sent to Pakistan, Lu said
7. Saudi Arabia bans pilgrims` entry, Iran cancels Friday prayers
• In unprecedented decisions aimed at stopping the deadly coronavirus from spreading further, Saudi Arabia on February 27, 2020 barred foreign pilgrims from entering the kingdom to visit Islam`s holiest sites and Iran called off Friday congregations in several cities, including the capital.
• The move by Saudi Arabia has serious implications as it will disrupt the plans of millions of faithful ahead of the holy month of Ramazan and as Haj looms.
• The two decisions showed the growing worries across the Middle East over the virus as Iran confirmed the number of people infected by it had spiked by over 100, to 254. Those with the virus in the Islamic Republic included Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar, state media reported.
• A total of 26 people have died so far in Iran, the world`s highest death toll outside of China, where the outbreak began
8. Polanski snubs French awards ceremony fearing `lynching`
• Controversial film director Roman Polanski said on February 27, 2020 he would not attend the French Oscars because he fears a `public lynching` by feminist activists.
• The veteran is at the centre of a storm of protest after his new film about the Dreyfus affair, `An Officer and a Spy`, topped the list of nominations for the Cesar awards, which will be presented in Paris on Friday night.
• France`s equality minister and feminists were outraged at his 12 nominations, including for best film, given that Polanski is still wanted in the United States for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
9. Malaysian parliament to choose new PM
• Malaysia’s parliament will vote on a new candidate for prime minister on March 2, 2020 and if nobody can win majority support there will be a snap election, interim prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said on February 27, 2020.
• The country slid into political turmoil this week with the unexpected resignation of Mahathir, who at 94 is the world’s oldest government leader. It set off a new tussle for power between him and old rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72
10. Quetta beat Islamabad to go on top of PSL points table
• Defending champions Quetta Gladiators produced a stunning run-chase to defeat Islamabad United by five wickets in the first-ever HBL Pakistan Super League match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on February 27, 2020.
• Gladiators’ victory has given them the top-spot in the HBL PSL 2020 points table. They have won three out of their four games and have six points after the end of the ninth match of the tournament. Set a stiff 188-run target, Quetta Gladiators were helped past the target by an unbroken 57-run partnership between man-of-the-match Ben Cutting (42 not out, 17 balls, two fours, four sixes) and Mohammad Nawaz (25 not out, 20 balls, three fours).
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