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International Current Affairs January 4th Week 2020
Category : International Current Affairs
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EU leaders signed UK withdrawal deal:

The heads of the European Commission and Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, signed the Withdrawal Agreement of the UK. The move comes ahead of the UK`s exit from the EU on 31 January 2020. Brexit ended 46 years of run in the European Union club.

Queen Elizabeth II gave her assent to the Brexit on 23 January. It was also signed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 25 January. 

After its exit, the country has agreed to abide by EU rules during a transition period until the end of 2020. By 2021 the UK aims to have agreed to a deal on future ties. With its exit, the UK will be able to strike trade deals with other countries in the future.

Government sets up 24x7 helpline number for queries on Coronavirus:

Government has launched a 24x7 helpline number to provide support regarding queries on novel coronavirus. Under the directions of Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) call centre, 91-11-23978046, has been made operational. 

Coronavirus:

Coronavirus causes an infection in the nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most viruses in this family are not dangerous. But some types of the virus are serious and may lead to death. Coronavirus was first identified in the 1960s. This virus can infect both humans and animals. The virus spreads from the infected people through coughing, sneezing, touching an infected person`s hands or face, or by touching things that infected people have touched.

In 2003, over 774 people died from a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak. In 2012, about 858 people have died from Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). MERS and SARS are types of coronaviruses. In 2020, a new type of coronavirus, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in China.

Agni Sapkota elected speaker of House of Representatives of Nepal:

Agni Sapkota was elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament in Nepal. Being the senior-most candidate of the house, Sapkota was elected unopposed. 

Agni Sapkota`s win:

His name was proposed by Subhash Chandra Nembang of the Nepal Communist Party. The election to choose the speaker was held in a meeting of the House of Representatives in Kathmandu on 26 January. The meeting was chaired by the Rashtriya Janata Party Nepal leader Mahantha Thakur.

Mr. Sapkota will take the oath of office and secrecy on 27 January 2020 from President Bidya Devi Bhandari. The post of Speaker was vacant since October 2019 after Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara resigned following allegations of attempted rape.

Nepal:

President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari

Vice President: Nanda Kishor Pun

Prime Minister: Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli

Capital: Kathmandu

Official language: Nepali

Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR)