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February 21, 2018 (Day by Day Current Affairs)

1. Pakistan gets reprieve on FATF watchlist
   • Pakistan has been given a three month reprieve by a global watchdog over a US-led motion to put the country on a terrorist financing watchlist, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said on February 20, 2018
   • Member states of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) have been meeting this week in Paris, where it was expected that they would decide on a US motion-backed by Britain, France and Germany to have Pakistan added to the so-called `grey list` of countries not doing enough to comply with terrorist-funding regulations.
2. Unicef says Pakistan is riskiest country for newborns
   • Pakistan is the riskiest place to be born in in the world as measured by its newborn mortality rate.
   • For every 1,000 babies born in Pakistan in 2016, 46 died before the end of their first month, a staggering 1 in 22, says a Unicef report released on February 20, 2018.
   • Titled Every child alive, the urgent need to end newborn deaths, the report once again highlights the lack of countries` progress in saving the lives of newborn babies those aged less than one month.According to the report, while newborn mortality rates have fallen in recent decades, theystill lag behind the impressive gains made for children one month to five years old. Between 1990 and 2016, the mortality rate in this age group dropped by 62 per cent almost two thirds.
   • In contrast, the newborn mortality rate declined by only 49pc. As a result, newborn deaths now account for a greater, and growing, share of all deaths among children below the age of five years.
3. Pakistan, Russia form panel to step up military cooperation
   • Pakistan and Russia on February 20, 2018 announced setting up of a commission for promoting military cooperation while expressing alarm over growing footprint of the militant Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan and the indifference of US-led Nato forces present in the conflict-ridden country to the problem.
   • The announcement was made in Moscow at a joint press conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif after their bilateral talks.
   • Mr Asif is on a four-day visit to Moscow.
4. Kashmala Tariq named ombudsperson on women`s harassment
   • The President of Pakistan has been appointed former legislator Kashmala Tariq as Ombudsperson on harassment of women at workplaces for a period of four years according to the law minister notification.
   • Ms Tariq was one of the vocal woman legislators during retired Gen Pervez Musharraf`s regime. She holds a degree of law
5. US urges Taliban to speak with Kabul first if they want peace talks
   • The United States urged the Taliban on February 20, 2018 to speak with the Afghan government first if they want to hold peace talks with Washington.
   • In an unexpected statement earlier this week, the Taliban reached out to the American people asking them to pressure President Donald Trump and `war-mongering` congressmen to end the near 17-year-old `occupation.
6. Turkey considers chemical castration for child abusers
   • Turkey`s government said on February 20, 2018 it would consider introducing chemical castration for child abusers after several cases of sexual assault on children have sparked public outcry.
   • `The courts will decide on the use and duration of chemical castration to limit or eliminate sexual desire. We wish to establish this again within a few days,
   • The government was putting the issue back on its agenda
   • Turkey introduced a measure to chemically castrate those convicted of sex crimes in 2016, but the country`s highest administrative court, the Council of State, stopped its implementation last August, saying its definition and limit were `vague`.
7. Korea cyber threat more aggressive than China: US firm
   • North Korean hackers are becoming more aggressive than their Chinese counterparts, a leading US cybersecurity firm warned on February 20, 2018, as it identified a Pyongyang-linked group as an “advanced persistent threat”.
   • It was the first time that FireEye had used the designation for a North Korean-based group.
   • Analysts say the isolated and impoverished but nuclear-armed North has stepped up hacking operations partly to raise money for the cash-strapped regime, which is subject to multiple sanctions over its atomic weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
8. Trump ranks worst president in US history
   • President Trump came in last place in an expert ranking of “presidential greatness,” according to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey released by Boise State University.
   • The survey was conducted among 170 current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, which is a group of scholars dedicated to studying the American presidency.
9. Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project launched
   • Punjab Planning & Development Department launched “Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project” in a ceremony held at the newly-restored Wazir Khan Mosque courtyard in Lahore
   • The launch ceremony marked the Planning & Development Department’s five-year (2017-2022) collaboration with the World Bank Group to develop Punjab’s tourism sector and subsequently increase overall economic growth. “With a total cost of USD 55 million, the project will support infrastructural development of eight sites selected on the basis of their heritage value, historical significance and tourism potential.
10. Excitement in the air as PSL trophy unveiled
    • The unveiling ceremony was attended by the management of the tournament and owners of the PSL franchises, along with top officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board.

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