BEIJING, 20 March 2020, TON (APP)::Pakistan and China under a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries during President Dr. Arif Alvi’s recent visit to China, will jointly establish a center to fight against the locust threat in Pakistan.
The MOU on strengthening of cooperation on pest and disease control was signed between Ministry of Food Security and Research and Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), China Economic Net reported on Friday.

The two countries will carry out a comprehensive cooperation on plant protection, including monitoring and early warning, demonstration, mutual recognition of standards, personnel training, and emergency response, according to the official website of MARA.
Now, Pakistan is facing a severe locust threat, said the survey report of the work team to assist Pakistan in combating desert locust which was sent by MARA.

The Chinese work team predicts that the current locust eggs will hatch in April and become adult in May, after analyzing the climatic conditions, characteristic of the plant and locust breeding in Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh provinces.
In addition, locusts from India and Iran may invade Pakistan. If not controlled well, it may swarm a huge number of locusts and swell into a plague of locusts.
Chinese work team suggested Pakistan make long-and short-term control plans, with combined efforts from chemical pesticides and bio-prevention methods.

The first batch of aid from China has already arrived in Karachi on 9 March. The aid includes 50,000 liters of malathion and 14 air-powered high-efficiency remote sprayers.
The locust outbreak, the worst one in 27 years, has damaged cotton, wheat and corn plants, posing severe threats to agriculture and food security of Pakistan.

NEW DELHI, 20 March 2020, TON:  The women protesters in New Delhi and Noida have announced on Friday that they will continue with their protest on 22 March “Janta curfew” from 7 am to 9 pm. Prime Minister Narendra had urged people during his address to the Indian nation on 19 March to remain inside their houses under a self-imposed curfew.

The women have been blocking a side of a road connecting since mid-December to protest against the amendment in Citizenship Act.

Interestingly, New Delhi had imposed ban on gatherings with more than 50 people in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, the protested defeated the Government orders by reducing the size of gatherings to 20 people.

The protesters have revealed their plan that not more than 50 women will be staging protest at any given time.

A protester updated the Indian Government that they are Muslims and are already taking precautions which has been proclaimed in their religion, “Islam” as they cover themselves with Burqa or scarf all the time and wash their hands regularly five times a day as they offer “Namaz.”   Interestingly, the Scheduled Caste would also be protesting against Government actions. 

KABUL, 19 March 2020, TON: According to reliable sources, Abdullah Abdullah is  insisting his share in the government and has threatened to form a parallel government. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) had announced the final election results, declaring Ashraf Ghani as the President of Afghanistan.According to IEC, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani secured 50.64% of votes while Abdullah Abdullah and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar received 39.53% and 3.85% of the votes respectively. The total turnout for Afghanistan’s 2019 presidential election was 1,823,948 which makes less than 5% of Afghanistan’s population if the whole population is assumed 40 million. Ghani wons the election securing less than 2.5% of the nation’s votes.

The foreign powers including the United Nations have adopted controversial stances and are carrying out talks and discussion with opposition and rebel leaders. In a recent statement, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells has warned that parallel governments will be harmful to the Afghan people. However, the American and European authorities are regularly holding meetings with the defeated leaders of Afghan elections.

If we recall, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (USAMA) did not openly  honour the verdict of IEC and issued an ambiguous statement,  “The United Nations has underscored the importance of an orderly process leading up to the announcement of the final results, and continues to stress the equal importance of national cohesion in the period ahead, noting that the election process has been a joint responsibility of all stakeholders, including the electoral management bodies and the candidates, as well as media, civil society and other actors.”

The U.S. envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad also issued a statement, emphasizing,  “It is time for Afghans to compromise and put their differences aside to resolve the political crisis resulting from elections and dual inaugurations.”

NEW DELHI, 19 March 2020, TON: The Indian Centre announced on Thursday that no international flights will land in India from 22 March to 31 March 2020.

“No scheduled international commercial airliner shall be allowed to land in India from March 22, 2020 for one week. The state government shall issue appropriate directions so that all citizens above 65 (other than for medical assistance) except for public representative/government servants/medical professionals are advised to remain at home,” the government statement said.

The government has asked all senior citizens above 65 and all children below 10 to stay inside the home as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus, which has claimed four lives in India.”Similarly all children below 10 should be advised to stay at home and not to venture out,” it said.

Railways and civil aviation have also been asked to suspend all concessional travel except for students, patients and divyang category. The Centre has requested states to enforce Work From Home for the private sector.

The new measures indicate that India has stepped up its fight against the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, which has claimed over 9,000 lives across the world. Around 2 lakh people have been affected by the disease since its outbreak in December last year.

As per Ministry of Health Affairs latest numbers, India has registered over 170 positive cases of noval coronavirus, which includes 149 active cases, 19 cured patients, four deaths and oen migrated.

ISLAMABAD, 19 March 2020, TON: APP has reported that Government of Pakistan has so far released development funds of over Rs 12.13 billion for various development projects of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under its Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2019-20.

According to latest data issued by the ministry of Planning on Thursday, the government had allocated Rs 18 billion for around 20 projects of CPEC for the year 2019-20.

For construction of KKH phase-II Havelian-Thakot (118.057 M) part of CPEC, the government released Rs 2 billion out of total allocation of Rs 2.238 billion.
The government has also released Rs 1.8 billion for preliminary design for up-gradation of main line (ML-1) and establishment of dryport near Havelian under the CPEC.

For improvement and widening of Chitral-Booni-Mastuj-Shandur road, the total allocated amount of Rs 1 billion has been released, whereas for Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway, an amount of Rs 2.8 billion was released out of total allocated funds of Rs 6.5 billion.

The government also released Rs 1.2 billion for land acquisition and resettlement for CPEC- Islamabad-Raikot section (Phase-I), Havelian-Thakot (120.12 km), while Rs 1.89 billion were released for construction of Zhob to Kuchlak for which the government had allocated Rs 1.025 billion.

Similarly the government also released Rs 320 million for 5 million gallon per day sea water desalination plant at Gwadar out of total allocation of Rs 400 million and for strengthening of core network and expansion of PERN footprints through CPEC optical fiber (PERN III), an amount of Rs 300 million has also been released.

For construction of offices for Intelligence Bureau alongwith CPEC, the government released Rs 111.2 million out of total allocation of Rs 164 million while for the project upgradation of NGMS (3G/4G) services and seamless coverage along KKH (in support of CPEC) in Gilgit Baltistan, an amount of Rs 600 million has been released.

The government also released Rs 9.455 million for establishment of CPEC Support Unit (CSU) for projects and activities in Gwadar Port Authority for which Rs 18.19 have been allocated for current fiscal year.

Likewise, for construction of Centre of Excellence for CPEC, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), the government has so far released Rs 50 million out of Rs 73.8 million while for CPEC support project at ministry of Railways, another Rs 50 million have also been released.

ISLAMABAD, 19 March 2020, TON: APP reported on Thursday that Prime Minister Imran Khan said the aim behind enforcement of unified educational curriculum was to equip the young generation to cope with challenges of technological age and to instill in them social values that highlighted distinct national character.
The prime minister said this while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress on the implementation of unified educational curriculum across the country. The meeting was attended by Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood, secretary education and high officials.
Prime Minister Imran Khan emphasized that the teachings of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), guidelines of Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and philosophy of Allama Muhammad Iqbal should be made part of the curriculum. He also highlighted that the curriculum should cater to the needs of modern times.
The prime minister directed that the mafias’ role should be eliminated during publication of unified curriculum textbooks. He assured full support of the Federal Government in implementation of the uniform education system in the country.
The meeting was told that the present class-based education system had not only divided the educational institutions, education standard, teachers and students but it had also created a system based on the whole social and economic structure, which was serving the interests of a particular class. The system was creating a diverging mind-set in the society, which had caused a divided national consciousness and psyche.
The meeting was informed that the present government after coming into power formed the National Curriculum Council, comprising representatives from all the federating unites, besides famous personalities from the private sector and religious seminaries.
It was briefed that implementation of the unified curriculum for educational institutions and its evaluation had remained one of the important elements of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s election manifesto. The rationale behind the decision was to eliminate the disparity between curriculum, facilities, mediums of instruction, teachers and students’ performance, which had resulted into differing mindsets causing a fractured national psyche.
Working groups were also established wherein technical input was provided by a dedicated team of professionals and subject specialists. World renowned educational assessment institutions including Cambridge, Agha Khan University’s Institute of Educational Development and LUMS also contributed to formulation of evaluation systems.
The prime minister was apprised that under Phase-I, unified curriculum for class one to 5th had been developed and its implementation would be completed by March 2021. Phase-II curriculum for Class 6th to 8th would be ready by March 2021 and implemented by March 2022, while Phase-III curriculum for Class 9th to 12th would be ready by March 2022 and enforced by March 2023.

WASHINGTON, 19 March 2020, TON: The US President Donald Trump, who signed on Wednesday, 18 March, H.R. 6201, the 'Families First Coronavirus Response Act' (the "Act") has approved multi-billion emergency aid package to help Americans mitigate the adverse economic impact of the fast-spreading coronavirus.  

The bill offers free coronavirus testing including free testing through commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program), Indian Health Service (HIS), responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Native people.( original inhabitants of land that now constitute America) and TRI-CARE, formerly known as the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS).

Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and personal care services. 

NEW DELHI, March 19: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Thursday evening on the situation arising out of coronavirus outbreak and the efforts to combat it.

In his Thursday address, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that coronavirus is spreading among communities across the world. He said that since last two months we are hearing about coronavirus and the nation is fighting against the disease.  He repeated phrases such as ‘social distancing, ‘isolation’ and ‘self-quarantine’ and asked the India masses to follow it to defeat coronavirus. He demanded cooperation fro 130 Crore India masses to curb coronavirus spread by maintaining distance and closing down of all place of assembly including temples, mosques, Churches, cinema halls etc. He asked masses to even do not visit hospitals for one month and stay home.

He announced establishment of Task Force under Finance Minister, “Covid-19 Economic Response Task Force” which will take feedback from all stakeholders and take decisions. The task force would implement the decision taken by the force. He asked all the India to get all their appointment cancelled or extend date.

The Prime Minister appealed all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by coronavirus, saying the world has never seen a danger as grave as this. He called for 'Janta curfew' on 22 March from 7 am to 9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of house.

He apologized and said that it is disappointing to hear that so many events, festivals and other gatherings are being cancelled but there is a public health reason for these measures. He said, people should even avoid going to Government offices.

Earlier the PMO tweeted, "PM Shri @narendramodi will address the nation on 19th March 2020 at 8 PM, during which he will talk about issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it."

The Indian Prime Minister was committed in consultation at a high level meeting in which ongoing effort were revived. The Indian Army leadership and Intelligence agencies command was also present on the occasion. It was decided that Indian security forces would be tasked to implement the orders of the Prime Minister through actively engaging with individuals, groups, local communities and organizations in chalking out mechanisms to fight the coronavirus menace.

On Tuesday, 17 March India banned entry of all Afghans from Afghanistan to India with immediate effect. Later government included names of Philippines and Malaysia in the list. India has also banned the entry of passengers from the European Union countries, Turkey and the United Kingdom from 18 March till 31 March to check the spread of the virus.

BAGHDAD, 19 March 2020, TON: People in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday, 19 March complaint of non presence of EU staff at  EU Advisory Mission in Iraq (EUAM Iraq), which is part of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP),various Embassies and setups including International Non Government Organizations (INGOs). In a latest development the European Union (EU) members and the officials in Baghdad are thinning up since few weeks and the offices seems abandoned. There is a general perception that EU has deleted Iraq from the priority list.

EUAM Iraq was established on 16 October 2017 by the Council of the EU in response to a request from the western-installed Iraqi Government for the EU to provide advice and assistance on the implementation of civilian aspects of the National Security Strategy. The Mission informs planning for potential further EU engagement, and assist in the coordination of EU and Member States' assistance in the civilian Security Sector domain.

The High Representative / Vice President European Commission in reply said today, “EU is committed to remain fully engaged in Iraq. The EU Delegation and Mission continue to operate on the ground and the EU has no intention of leaving the country”.

The statement added, “The EU intends to continue its efforts to help Iraqis develop a well-functioning security sector that is respectful of human rights principles. However and in light of the current situation, necessary and appropriate security measures are being taken. The security of EU staff is a priority”.

In January this year, US military’s Task Force Iraq, Brigadier General William Seely issued statements that American troops were preparing to pull out of the country. However, later the report that US-led coalition would “be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks” was denied by the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON, 18 March 2020, TON: The United States of America has cancelled annual joint military exercise with African nations due to coronavirus pandemic. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said, exercise was set to begin on 23 March and run through 4 April 2020. Partner nations included Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal, with Spain. It was to be the largest African Lion exercise held by AFRICOM to date.

Officials at Pentagon informed that US personnel have suffered a lot due to corona virus and its services personnel not ready to deploy abroad and cancellation was but natural.