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March 07, 2019: National Current Affairs

1. Private US diplomacy averted war

• Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on March 6, 2019 that tensions with India were receding after last week`s escalation for which he credited the `private diplomacy` of the US as well as efforts made by China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, Turkey and Jordan.
• Mr Qureshi said: `We can see lessening of tensions, which is a positive development.` He expected further improvement in the situation over the next few days.
• `I would especially like to thank US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. By utilising private diplomacy, the US hasplayed a very positive role,` the foreign minister said. `I`d also like to mention the efforts of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan and the UAE for trying to defuse the situation through diplomacy.

2. PM approves first-ever national tariff policy

• Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved, in principle, the first-ever National Tariff Policy (NTP) to ensure transparency and predictability and institutionalise the entire structure of the tariff regime.
• The draft policy will now be presented before the federal cabinet for consideration, a Prime Minister Office statement said on March 6, 2019.
• The policy had been drafted after detailed and comprehensive discussions with the stakeholders.
• The major objectives of the policy were to improve competitiveness through access to raw materials, increase employment opportunities by attracting investment through transparent and predictable tariff regime and remove anomalies in the tariff structure, causing distortions.

3. Seventh LLF ended on a high note

• The seventh edition of the annual Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) held over three days, Feb 22-24, at Lahore`s iconic Alhamra Arts Center drew a crowd of over 57,000 festivalgoers.
• Envisioned as a safe place for championing local and global creative expressions, this year`s LLF, much like its past editions, showcased in the large, expansive spaces of Alhamra, internationally-eminent writers and thinkers including Ayesha Jalal, Fatima Bhutto, Pankaj Mishra, Mohsin Hamid, Leila Aboulela, Eugene Rogan, Afshin Shahi, Mirza Waheed, Ahmed Rashid, Roopa Farooki, Anissa Helou, Rick Stroud, Vali Mahlouji, Suzy Hansen, Becca Heller, Francesca Orsini, Emily Hannam, and Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, says a press release.
• Pakistan and South Asia`s enlightened and rational voices have been center stage at the LLF annually to spotlight the shared postcolonial experience of statehood and identity. Prominent keynote speakers at the LLF since its inception have included Tariq Ali and Romila Thapar.

4. Sindh minister doesn`t attend IPC conference

• Sindh`s education minister did not attend the Inter-Provincial Ministers Conference (IPMC) held on March 6, 2019.
• The 12th edition of IPMC was held at the education ministry and was presided over by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood.
• Sources in the education ministry said Sindh has some concerns over several initiatives being taken by the federal government.
• Official representation from the Sindh government was also absent at the first meeting of the National Curriculum Council, held in Islamabad in January this year to develop a consensus on introducing a uniform system of education in the country.

5. Two Chinese groups to invest $2bn in housing sector

• Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) and HSS Group of China on March 6, 2019 expressed their commitment to invest $2 billion in Pakistan`s housing and manufacturing sectors.
• The announcement was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Manager XCMG Dr Hanson Liu and Chairman HSS Group Syed Saman Hashmi, who called on the prime minister here at PM Office.
• XCMG is the leading total solution provider for global construction industry equipment and machinery and intends to set up heavy equipment manufacturing assembly line in Pakistan.
• The prime minister welcomed the HSS and XCMG`s commitment and interest in Pakistan`s housing and manufacturing sector.

March 7, 2019: International Current Affairs

6. US refuses to take position on F-16 issue

• The US State Department has refused to take a position on New Delhi`s complaint against Pakistan for using F-16s in an air combat with India, saying that it does not offer public comments on bilateral agreements.
• `We have seen those reports and we`re following that issue very closely. I can`t confirm anything, but as a matter of policy, we don`t publicly comment on the contents of bilateral agreements…
• Involving US defence technologies,` the department`s deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said.
• At a news briefing on March 5, 2019, Mr Palladino said the US also avoided public discussions on communications with other countries about such issues.
• `So we`re taking a look and we`re going to continue to take a look, and I`m going to leave it at that,` he said. On March 6, 2019, New York Times journalist Maria Abi Habib released a set of tweets saying that contrary to India`s insistence, Pakistan may not have violated its F-16 sales agreement with the US even if it used the American-made fighter jets to shoot down Indian air craft last week.
• On Feb 27, Pakistan Air Force announced that it had shot down two Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace when they tried to give chase to Pakistani jets.

7. Wolpert, Jinnah of Pakistan author, dies at 91

• Author Stanley Wolpert, popular in Pakistan for his books on Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, died in California. He was91.
• In his long career as an author, teacher and political commentator, Prof Wolpert published 15 books, including four novels, but the one that made him a must read in Pakistan is Jinnah of Pakistan, published in 1982. It is among the best biographies of the Quaid.
• Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three,` wrote Prof. Wolpert while introducing Mr. Jinnah.
• Mr Wolpert was born on Dec 23, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York and died peacefully on Feb 19 at his son Adam`s home in California.
• The son of Nathan and Frances Wolpert, he grew up in Brooklyn. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School, the New York State Maritime Academy, the City College of New York, and the University of Pennsylvania where he pursued South Asia studies.

8. Russian MPs vote to punish media for `fake news`

• Russian officials will be able to fine or block online media outlets for publishing news they deem `fake`,under a law approved by lawmakers on March 6, 2019.
• Rights groups say the move amounts to censorship.
• Russia`s lower house of parliament, which is overwhelmingly dominated by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, voted in favour of the bill in the key second of three readings.
• The law would allow prosecutors to decide what amounts to `fake news` and gives a media watchdog the power to demand an outlet delete the information.
• Websites that fail to comply would be blocked.
• Fines could reach 1.5 million rubles (over $22,700) if the infraction leads to grave consequences like death or rioting.

9. North Korea rebuilds part of missile site as US warns of more sanctions

• North Korea has restored part of a rocket test site it began to dismantle after pledging to do so in a first summit with US President Donald Trump last year, while Trump`s national security adviser warned that new sanctions could be introduced if Pyongyang did not scrap its nuclear weapons programme.
• South Korea`s Yonhap News Agency and two US think tanks reported that work was underway at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station at Tongchang-ri, even as Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a second summit in Hanoi last week.
• That summit broke down over differences on how far North Korea was willing to limit its nuclear programme and the degree of US willingness to ease sanctions.

March 7, 2019: Sports Current Affairs

10. Pakistan football team out of 2020 Olympics race

• Pakistan`s football team is out of the race to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics without even kicking a ball as the long-running dispute in the football body reared its ugly head again.
• Pakistan will not be taking part in Group `F` of the 2020 AFC Under-23 Championship qualifiers, it was announced on March 6, 2019 with the team withdrawn on the orders of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) group that is recognised by global football body FIFA.
• The Supreme Court last year ordered fresh elections of the PFF, which were held in December and saw Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah elected as the country`s football chief. Ashfaq however isn`t recognised by FIFA, which accepts Faisal Saleh Hayat as the PFF presi-dent and termed the election as `third-party interference`.