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October 20, 2020: National / International Current Affairs
1. Health ministry removes NIRM executive director, deputy director
• Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on October 19, 2020 following the recommendation of National Assembly (NA) body on health removed the Executive Director and Deputy Director of National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM).
• The ministry assigned additional charge of NIRM to Dr. Shabana Saleem, BS-19 official.
• The office order released by Ministry of NHS said that “with the approval of competent authority, Dr.Shabana Saleem (BS-19) Director (Coordination), NHSR&C is assigned additional charge of the post of Executive Director, NIRM for the period of three months or until further orders.”
2. TikTok restored in Pakistan with conditions
• After a 10-day hiatus, TikTok services were restored across the country on October 19, 2020 with certain conditions, as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) warned the company that spread of `vulgarity` / `indecent` content and `abuse of societal values` would result in a permanent ban on the app.
• The ban, which was placed on the short video sharing platform by the telecom regulator on Oct 9, was lifted after an `assurance` regarding effective `moderation of content` by the TikTok management in a virtual meeting, according to the PTA.
3. Rs5.lbn broadband contracts awarded
• The Universal Service Fund (USF) on October 19, 2020 awarded contracts worth Rs5.11 billion to Telenor, Zong, Ufone and PTCL under the Next Generation Broadband for Sustainable Development and Next Generation Optical Fibre Network and Services programs.
• The USF meeting was chaired by IT Secretary Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui.
• Under the Next Generation Optical Fiber Network and Services projects, worth approximately Rs3bn, around 1,078 km of Optical Fiber Cable will be laid out to connect 140 villages and union councils thereby providing high speed mobile broadband services to unserved population of approximately 4.7 million
4. Karabakh sees fresh fighting despite ceasefire
• A new ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan to halt fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh was again failing to hold on October 19, 2020 as both sides accused each other of fresh attacks.
• The truce, backed by international mediators to put a stop to three weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead, was supposed to have come into force at midnight (2000 GMT Saturday) but both sides immediately accused each other of violating the deal
5. Trump to remove Sudan from terror list after payment to victims
• President Donald Trump announced on October 19, 2020 the United States would remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as soon as Khartoum sets aside $335 million for payments for American victims and their families.
• The deal could also set in motion steps by Sudan toward establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, a US official said, following similar US-brokered moves in recent weeks by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The details and timing were still being worked out, the source said.
6. First Emirati passenger flight lands in Israel
• The first ever passenger flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel landed near Tel Aviv on October 19, 2020, a month after the countries signed an agreement normalising ties.
• Etihad Airways flight EY 9607 from Abu Dhabi landed at Ben Gurion airport early in the morning with only crew on board, a spokeswoman for the Israel Airports Authority said.
7. Mideast, Central Asia face a decade of economic pain: IMF
• It might take countries in the Middle East and Central Asia a decade to return to the economic growth seen before the coronavirus crisis, the International Monetary Fund said, as long-standing regional vulnerabilities weigh on their recovery.
• Lack of diversification among oil-exporting countries and the reliance of oil importers on sectors like tourism, as well as their dependence on remittances, are likely to curb growth, the IMF said on Monday in its outlook for the region, which spans around 30 countries from Mauritania to Kazakhstan
8. Nokia and Nasa to install 4G on the Moon
• With competition among Eahh`s telecoms providers as fierce as ever, equipment maker Nokia announced its expansion into a new market on October 19, 2020, winning a deal to install the first cellular network on the Moon.
• The Finnish equipment manufacturer said it was selected by Nasa to deploy an `ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened` wireless 4G network on the lunar surface, as pan of the US space agency`s plan to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon by 2030.
9. KP edge Southern Punjab to clinch National T20 Cup
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held off belated resurgence from Southern Punjab before securing the First XI title of the National T20 Cup with a close 10-run victory in the final that almost went down to the wire in Rawalpindi late on October 18, 2020 night.
• The title-deciding clash at the Pindi Cricket Stadium thus brought down curtains on the 33-match tournament after the opening 14 fixtures were staged in Multan from Sept 30 to Oct 6 before the remaining 19 games took place in the garrison town
10. Khushdil, uncapped Abdullah and Usman named in squad for Zimbabwe series
• The trio of senior players including former captains Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik plus fast bowler Mohammad Amir were left out while uncapped players Abdullah Shafiq and Usman Qadir along with youngsters Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Musa Khan and Zafar Gohar were named by Pakistan selectors in a 22-member squad announced on October 19, 2020 for the forthcoming limited-overs home series against Zimbabwe.
• Pakistan face Zimbabwe in three One day Internationals all matches being staged in Rawalpindi from Oct 30 followed by as many T20 Internationals in Lahore from Nov 7 to 10.
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