Daily Top-10 Current Affairs MCQs / News (March 09, 2021) for CSS, PMS

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March 09, 2021: National / International Current Affairs

1. Khalilzad meets Bajwa amid Afghan peace push

• United States Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad on March 8, 2021 visited Pakistan as part of Washington`s new diplomatic push on the Afghan peace process.
• Khalilzad met Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa at the General Headquarters.
• Besides the senior military and intelligence leadership, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Moeed Yusuf and Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq also attended the meeting

2. Pakistan Origin Card holders ineligible for Covid vaccine

• As the government is going to launch Covid-19 vaccination drive for senior citizens on March 10 (tomorrow), the people holding Pakistan Origin Cards (POCs) and foreign national spouses of Pakistanis are found ineligible to be inoculate d, it emerged on March 8, 2021. The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) admitted that the POC holders are very much Pakistanis and decided to address the issue at the earliest.
• According to NADRA sources, there are 180,000 persons to whom POCs have been issued. However, it could not be confirmed how many of them were over60 years of age.

3. Pak Navy ship joins drill with Japan, Oman, Russia, US navies

• Pakistan Navy Ship Alamgir with embarked helicopter participated in bilateral exercises with navies of Japan, Oman, Russia and United States as part of efforts of country’s naval force to ensuring maritime security in the region.
• The Alamgir participated in bilateral exercises with Japanese maritime self-defense force ship Ariake, the royal Oman navy ship Khassab, Russian Federation navy ships Stoiky and Kola and United States navy ship John Paul Jones in Gulf of Aden and North Arabian Sea.
• Exercises were aimed to enhance interoperability and augment collaborative efforts to ensuring maritime security in the region, according to a statement issued by Pakistan Navy. PNS Alamgir is presently deployed to undertake Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP) in Gulf of Aden and North Arabian Sea.

4. Only 29pc women have bank accounts in Pakistan: SBP chief

• Only 29 per cent of women in Pakistan have a bank account, among the lowest in the world, and this disparity severely impedes national economic development, said State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir on March 8, 2021.
• The governor said that promoting equal opportunities for women and men for accessing and pursuing financial and professional endeavours is critical for sustainable and inclusive economic growth in any country

5. Malala teams up with Apple to produce dramas, documentaries

• Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has partnered with Apple Inc to produce several new programmes including dramas, children series’ and documentaries that would air on the tech giant’s streaming service.
• Yousafzai and her production company, Extracurricular, is expanding an already existing partnership with Apple, a blog post on the company’s website said on March 8, 2021.
• In 2018, the iPhone maker teamed up with Yousafzai on “Malala Fund” that seeks to extend secondary education opportunities to girls’ across the globe.

6. February recorded as third driest month in six decades

• Pakistan`s fast-changing weather trend is setting records but not for good reasons February 2021 was found to be the third driest month over the past 60 years, according to the meteorological department that earlier reported January as the 17th driest month since 1961.
• While the country received less than average rains in the first two months of the current year, the average temperature in February was at least 3.35 Celsius warmer.
• In its `Pakistan`s Monthly Climate Summary February 2021`, which was released on Monday, the Met Office came up with detailed data, fast-changing weather models and comparative analysis indicating concerns over the country`s climate front

7. US, S. Korea agree on new cost-sharing deal for troops

• The United States and South Korea have reached agreement in principle on a new arrangement for sharing the cost of the American troop presence, which is intended as a bulwark against the threat of North Korean aggression, both countries announced.
• The State Department`s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said the deal includes a negotiated increase in Seoul`s share of the cost, but it provided no details. The Bureau wrote on Twitter that the agreement, if finalised, would reaffirm the US-South Korean treaty alliance as the linchpin of peace, security and prosperity for Northeast Asia

8. Bangladesh`s first transgender news presenter makes word-perfect debut

• To cheers from colleagues, Bangladesh`s first transgender news presenter broke down in tears on March 8, 2021, but only after her word-perfect debut was beamed to the nation and the cameras were off.
• Bangladesh is home to an estimated 1.5 million transgender people, who face rampant discrimination and violence and are often forced to live by begging, the sex trade or crime.
• The experience of Tashnuva Anan Shishir, who delivered the three-minute news bulletin on the private Bolshakhi TV, was typical

9. Syria president and first lady test Covid-19 positive: presidency

• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after experiencing mild symptoms, the presidency said March 8, 2021.
• “After experiencing mild symptoms that resemble… Covid-19, President al-Assad and first lady Asma Al-Assad took a PCR test, and the result showed that they are infected with the virus,” the presidency said in a statement. “They are in good health and their condition is stable,” the statement added

10. Djokovic sets all-time record at world No. 1

• Novak Djokovic set a new landmark of 311 weeks as world number one on March 8, 2021, one week longer than Roger Federer whose tally of a record 20 Grand Slam titles is now firmly in the Serb`s sights.
• `Big day today,` tennis superstar wrote on Twitter.
• Djokovic, 33, won his 18th major at the Australian Open in February.
• With Federer turning 40 in August, the Serb has time on his side. He is also a year younger than Rafael Nadal who also has 20 majors.

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February 2021:
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February 2021:
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January 2021:
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December 2020:
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