Day by Day Current Affairs (March 11, 2020) MCQs for CSS, PMS

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March 11, 2020: National / International Current Affairs

1. American troops start leaving Afghanistan

• American forces have started pulling out of two bases in Afghanistan, a US official said March 10, 2020, the day peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban were due to start despite widespread violence and a political crisis.
• The United States is keen to end its longest-ever conflict, and under the terms of a deal signed in Doha last month has said all foreign forces will quit Afghanistan within 14 months, provided the Taliban stick to their security commitments.
• Under the accord, the US is initially supposed to cut its troop presence from about 12,000 currently to 8,600 by mid-July, and close five of its roughly 20 bases across the country. Troops have started leaving one base in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province in the south, and another base in Herat in the east, a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity

2. Ghani orders release of Taliban prisoners

• Afghanistan`s President Ashraf Ghani signed a decree to facilitate the release of some Taliban prisoners in Afghan jails.
• `President Ghani has signed the decree that would facilitate the release of the Taliban prisoners in accordance with an accepted framework for the start of negotiation between the Taliban and the Afghan government,` Sediq Sediqqi, Ashraf Ghani`s spokesman said. He also hinted that Kabul could consider releasing 5,000 prisoners if the Taliban refrained from attacks on Afghan forces.
• At least 1,000 Taliban prisoners are expected to be released this week, five official sources said earlier, paving the way for opening direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban

3. After Qatar, PIA suspends flights to Italy

• Pakistan International Airline has decided to temporarily suspend flight operations to Italy to keep a check on coronavirus.
• PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said in a press release that the national carrier had temporarily suspended its flight operation to and from Milan till March 31.
• However, the spokesman said the passengers having nationality of any European country could travel to Paris by PIA flights.

4. EU suspends aviation slots rule as coronavirus hammers airlines

• The European Union will suspend a rule requiring airlines to run most of their scheduled services or else forfeit landing slots, to give carriers some breathing space as the coronavirus crisis deepens, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on March 10, 2020.
• The decision came as the world`s airlines scrambled to deal with the worsening virus epidemic and Italy`s lockdown, which have hammered passenger numbers and forced the cancellation of thousands of flights.
• Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the suspension of the rule would do away with `ghost flights` where airlines fly almost empty planes simply to keep their slots.

5. Italy locks down as China signals progress in virus fight

• About 60 million Italians were told on March 10, 2020 to stay in their homes to help battle the most deadly coronavirus outbreak outside China, as some Asian nations expressed hope that their outbreaks were abating.
• Italy recorded its deadliest day of the outbreak, with a death toll of 168, as airlines halted flights and neighbouring countries clamped down on its borders.
• The country`s overall death toll has risen to 631 and the number of people infected to 10,149.

6. Coronavirus forces US defence chief to postpone visit to Pakistan, India

• The fear of a coronavirus outbreak has forced US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper to postpone a key visit to Pakistan, India and other countries in the region, the Pentagon announced on March 10, 2020.
• Secretary Esper planned to visit the region from March 16 to 20 for talks aimed at promoting the Afghan peace process. He was expected in Islamabad on March 19 for an overnight stay.
• Other destinations on his trip included Uzbekistan and possibly Kabul, although visits to the Afghan capital are not announced due to security reasons

7. North Korea tests `ballistic missiles

• In a black fur hat and clutching binoculars, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw his latest firing drill, a move Seoul said on March 10, 2020 aimed at drawing the attention of the US and South Korea.
• Kim `guided another firepower strike drill of long-range artillery`, the North`s KCNA news agency reported, a day after Japan said Pyongyang had fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles.
• The North has been continuing to refine its weapons capabilities, analysts say, more than a year after a Hanoi summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump broke down.
• Images carried by official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed rockets blasting out of multiple launchers each with four firing tubes, striking what appeared to be an island target

8. US rules out direct fights with Pakistan

• The United States March 10, 2020 rules out direct flight with Pakistan for the time being.
• A US embassy statement said that officials from US Transport Security Administration will visit the New Islamabad International Airport next week to review Pakistan’s aviation security infrastructure.

9. Police launch app to foil crimes against children

• The Sindh police on March 10, 2020 launched an indigenously-developed mobile phone application that would help develop database of crimes against children
• Including registration of cases, progress on their investigations and police performance in the area, in line with a government plan to control crimes against children after the National Assembly approved the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill, 2019, exactly two years after the body of nine-year old Zainab Ansari, a rape and murder victim, was found in Kasur in 2018.
• At a ceremony for the launch of the Zainab Alert Mobile App, which was developed in collaboration with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), Sindh Police IG Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar highlighted the importance and need of such an app to save lives of future generations through the use of current information communications technology (ICT).

10. Fakhar, Lynn put Qalandars in sight of playoffs with win against Zalmi

• It was an exciting end to an absorbing contest at the Gaddafi Stadium on March 10, 2020.
• David Wiese`s towering six off the penultimate delivery saw Lahore Qalanders beat Peshawar Zalmi for the first time after seven successive defeats in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), their five-wicket win putting them within sight of the playoffs for the first time.
• Carlos Brathwaite had brought Zalmi back into the game with two wickets in the 18th over after Qalandars seemed in control during their chase of 188. And he kept the Qalandars in check with the first four deliveries of the final over. But with five needed of f the last two deliveries, Wiese sealed victory.
• A few overs earlier, it didn`t seem the match would go down to the wire

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