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March 01, 2019: National Current Affairs
Pakistan India Relations
1. Indian pilot to be freed today as peace gesture
• In a significant de-escalation move, Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 28, 2019 extended an olive branch to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi by announcing that the Indian pilot in Pakistan`s custody would be released on Friday (March 1, 2019).
• `In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow, asa first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the Indian Air Force officer in our custody,` Mr Khan said while speaking at a joint session of both houses of the parliament on February 28, 2019.
• He said tension was in the interest of neither Pakistan nor India. `We want peace in the region,` he said but asked India not to misconstrue Pakistan`s quest for peace as its weakness. He made it clear that any misadventure from the other side would evoke a telling response.
• The prime minister said the only purpose of Pakistan`s strike (across the Line of Control on February 28, 2019) was to demonstrate its capability and will.
• `We did not want to inflict any casualty on India as we wanted to act in a responsible manner,` he added.
2. UAE prince for opening communication channels
• With international efforts for defusing tension between Pakistan and India intensifying, UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on February 28, 209 spoke to the prime ministers of both countries.
• Prime Minister Imran Khan received a telephonic call from UAE Crown Prince H.H Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.
• In his conversations with PM Khan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Crown Prince Zayed emphasised that both countries de-escalate and open channels of communication, including regular bilateral dialogue so that outstanding issues could be addressed, according to Emirati official sources.
• He told Mr Khan and Mr Modi that the United Arab Estates supported better ties between both countries for ensuring peace and stability in the region. He expressed the hope that the leaders of both countries would engage in dialogue to address their problems.
QS World University Rankings 2019
3. QS rankings 2019 not so pleasant subject for Pak varsities
• Five public and private universities of Pakistan have made it to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019.
• Global university ranking experts QS have released their latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, with only three Pakistani universities in top 500 for engineering and technology discipline, one each in Life Sciences and Medicine and Natural Science disciplines.
• The QS rankings are one of the most established and well respected rankings of universities around the world and are key reference for students to gauge performance of various universities for comparison with the global higher education scene.
• The top university in the world to study engineering and technology is Massachusetts Institute of Technology while Stanford University was placed number two and the third position went to ETH Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, which pushed last year`s number three, University of Cambridge, down to the fourth position on the list.
• Only three Pakistani universities have made to the top 500 QS ranking in engineering and technology and they are National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, at 321, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology at 365 and University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Lahore, at 451.
Balochistan Emergency and Rescue 1122
4. Balochistan to set up Emergency and Rescue 1122
• The Balochistan government on February 28, 2019 approved setting up of a rescue service, Emergency and Rescue 1122, in Quetta and along with all national highways in the province. The provincial government also decided that a separate directorate and task force would be set up for implementing the project.
• The decisions were taken at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Kahn Alyani on February 28, 2019.
• It was decided that Emergency and Rescue 1122 would be launched within a month.
March 1, 2019: International Current Affairs
5. Trump-Kim summit ends without deal
• The US-North Korea summit in Hanoi ended abruptly without a deal on February 28, 2019, with President Donald Trump saying he had decided to `walk` in the face of Kim Jong UN`s demands to drop sanctions.
• The much-anticipated second meeting between the two leaders was supposed to build on their historic first summit in Singapore, but they failed to sign a joint statement as initially scheduled and the talks ended in deadlock.
• `Sometimes you have to walk and this was just one of those times,` an unusually downbeat Trump told reporters.
• `Basically they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn`t do that,` President Trump said before leaving Vietnam aboard Air Force One to head back to Washington.
6. Putin calls Modi as Russia offers mediation
• Russia is ready to mediate between India and Pakistan to try to calm tensions between the two nuclear powers, Russian government officials said on February 28, 2019, warning of the risk of further clashes between the two countries.
• Moscow made the offer after Pakistan said it was considering returning a captured Indian pilot and as US President Donald Trump said American mediation was helping to defuse the crisis.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a phone call that he hopes for a quick settlement of the crisis between India and Pakistan, the Kremlin said in a statement.
• Both leaders also expressed their interests in further strengthening of military-technical ties, it added.
• Russia has particularly close relations with India which buys large quantities of Russian military equipment while its relationship with Pakistan has warmed in recent years.
7. US wins dispute over China grain subsidies before WTO
• The World Trade Organisation on February 28, 2019 sided with Washington in a dispute it filed three years ago over `unfair` Chinese subsidies to producers of wheat and rice.
• Back in 2016, the United States alleged that China doled out $100 billion in `market price support` for wheat and rice as well as corn production, above levels agreed at the Geneva-based WTO.
• A panel established by the WTO`s Dispute Settlement Body to rule on the matter found on Thursday that the grain subsidies provided by Beijing exceeded the accepted level, and that China had `acted inconsistently with its obligations` under international trade rules.
• The experts said they had found that each year from 2012 to 2015, China`s market price support for wheat, Indica rice and Japonica rice `exceeded its 8.5 per cent de minimis level of support for each of these products.
8. India outlaws Jamaat`s Kashmir chapter
• The Indian government on February 28, 2019 imposed a ban on Jamaat-iIslami Jammu and Kashmir and declared it as an `unlawful association` under Section 3 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, reports said.
• The Jamaat was banned for alleged anti-national and subversive activities, reports quoted government officials as saying. A notification on the ban was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs after a high level meeting on security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• `The separatist group is alleged to be involved in anti-national and subversive activities in the coun-try and is in close touch with Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits,` according to a report.
March 1, 2019: Sports Current Affairs
Pakistan Super League 2019 (PSL-4th Edition)
9. PSL 2019: Karachi Kings won by 5 wickets
• Karachi Kings extracted sweet revenge against arch rivals Lahore Qalandars by sealing a five wicket victory in their HBL Pakistan Super League blockbuster encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 28, 2019 night.
• The Kings` topsy-turvy campaign has both left their president Wasim Akram and head coach Mickey Arthur perplexed. But luckily, the plans worked this time to revive their playoff prospects on the back of an all round effort from Iftikhar Ahmed.
• Qalandars and Kings are still very much in the race as they occupy fourth and fifth places with six points.
10. PSL 2019: Pollard, Umar guide Zalmi past Sultans
• A belligerent innings from Kieron Pollard inspired Peshawar Zalmi to a seven wicket victory over the desperate Multan Sultans side that enable Darren Sammy`s charges go top in the HBL Pakistan Super League on February 28, 2019.
• What seemed a seesaw battle at the Dubai International Cricl(et Stadium culminated in an emphatic finish for Zalmi largely because of Pollard, who once again proved a thorn for the Sultans just four days after guiding his team to a five-wicket by smashing giant ex-Pakistan speedster Mohammad Irfan for four successive sixes.
• This time former Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian was at the receiving end as the West Indian right-hander hoisted him for thrice on the trot for sixes in the 18th over on way to a buccaneering 27-ball 52 that featured two more sixes and one four.
